Who We Are
The Society of the First African Families of English America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit lineage organization that unites descendants of African ancestry who lived in English America prior to March 5, 1770 the date of the Boston Massacre and the death of Crispus Attucks the first patriot casualty of the American Revolution, and includes those patriots who served in the war or supported the war cause ending in 1783.
The society was formed in 2019, during the 400th. commemoration of the arrival of the first documented Africans brought to what was then known as English America.
The society provides knowledge and understanding of why the First African Families of English America were important, how they shaped American history, and how their contributions and that of their descendants helped to shape democratic principles around the world through educational programming and publications, and historic preservation of the artifacts and landmarks from the colonial period to present day.
Mission
The Society of the First African Families of English America is dedicated to researching, preserving, and honoring the history and genealogy of the earliest African families in English America. Through scholarship, education, and public engagement, the Society documents their contributions and works to ensure their stories are recognized as an essential part of the American founding. Our mission is to advance historical truth, promote genealogical research, and safeguard this legacy for future generations.
Members of the Society descend from men, women, and children who arrived on these shores as early as August 1619. We share a commitment to careful research, historical accuracy, and public education, collaborating to document family lineages and support ongoing scholarship. Our work helps to bring long-overdue recognition to the contributions of our ancestors.
United by both heritage and purpose, members serve as stewards of a history that connects generations. Through collective effort, we strengthen understanding of America’s rich and diverse origins while fostering a community grounded in remembrance, scholarship, and respect for those who came before us.
Our Insignia
The insignia of the Society of the First African Families of English America is a very important symbol to honor our ancestors and their contributions to the founding of our nation and should be displayed with honor and pride.
The insignia is an oval shape with a center design of a representative slave ship sailing the ocean waters as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade surrounded by seven tobacco leaves on the left and six cotton leaves to the right representing the cash crops that required our ancestors free labor from 1619 to 1865, and the thirteen colonies in which they lived. The medal’s color of gold is to recognize the humble circumstances in which our ancestors began, and the great wealth generated from their labor. The color blue is to honor the royal bloodlines of our captured ancestors and their descendants who live today. The mighty eagle protects and clutches our insignia that represents strength, divinity, liberty, and democracy as sought by our ancestors and the bright North star above the turbulent waters as they preserved for freedom. The bright North Star also shines on their descendants who have researched, documented and honor their ancestor’s contributions for the many generations to come. The insignia and description designed and written by founder Ric Murphy.
Exegi monumentum aere perennius
On every membership certificate are the inscribed Latin words of Roman poet Horace: “Exegi monumentum aere perennius” (a monument more lasting than bronze), as a consequence of which, he went on to say, “Non omnis moriar” (I shall not wholly die").
The Society of the First African Families of English America was formed to ensure that the struggles, contributions and perseverance of our ancestors will never die, and through our deeds will now live through the generations.