They Served in the Revolutionary War: The Drivers

🪶 My Journey Into the Past

In a previous blog, I shared my story of how I first became involved in genealogy. Later, I even questioned the accuracy of my surname, Driver, which might actually have been Smith. Still, for the sake of this story, I remain a Driver.

Like many of you, I began with a simple family tree, tracing back three generations. As an African American, I thought that would be the end of the line. But slowly, I pushed further, uncovering more names and eventually reaching those of Emmanuel, William, and John Driver—records show that they all served in the Revolutionary War.

Wow. What a discovery!

📚 Sources That Tell Their Story

Due to the scarcity of official government records, I turned to respected third-party resources. One I trust is Paul Heinegg’s Free African Americans in the Revolution (FreeAfricanAmericans.com).

Paul documents that:

• 420 free African Americans from Virginia served in the Revolution
  

• 400 from North Carolina
  

• 40 from South Carolina
  

• 60 from Maryland
  

• 17 from Delaware
  

Among them: Emmanuel, William, and John Driver. Even more remarkable, Paul’s research links them to their mother, Susannah Driver (b. c.1734). Parish records note that Susannah’s children were listed as “mixed-race,” and some were considered illegitimate.

This may explain why my own Y-DNA results indicate a connection to the Smith family. Still, my Driver family lived in the same community as Susannah’s children, and the evidence suggests a strong connection.

🔍 The Gray Areas

Here’s where it gets tricky: I haven’t yet proven a direct line from Susannah’s children to my own ancestors. My records come close, perhaps just one generation apart. When paper records run out, that’s when DNA testing becomes essential.

Early in my research, I overlooked DNA matches with certain surnames—but today, those names match my Y-DNA results. That means it’s time for me to revisit, reevaluate, and dig deeper.

📝 Bottom Line

Family research is rarely black and white. It’s a blend of documents, DNA, and a little bit of imagination to fill in the gaps. While I can’t yet prove the exact connection, I believe these Revolutionary War Drivers were part of my extended family.

Stay tuned—I’ll be sharing updates as my DNA research takes me further back in time.

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Does this make you want to explore your ancestry, too?

⚠️ Disclaimer

These posts were edited with AI assistance for clarity. All genealogy research and conclusions are my own.