EXAMINATION OF THE GENEALOGY OG THE NEW YORK AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND. Benjamin Talton; mentor, Dr. Edna Medford, Department of History The genealogy of the 420 skeletons found at the New York African Burial Ground can best be determined by establishing the origins of the general African population of New York during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Making generalizations about the skeletons is inevitable because there were no grave markers or names of individuals left behind to provide specific information on one individual. Research on the project has been stifled by the fact that the condition of the remains is at best good, but the condition of many is extremely poor. Anthropological and biological studies will help to determine the health and diet of individuals whose remains were found. Unfortunately, there are very few hints to their cultural or ethnic identity. The few exceptions that have been unearthed include cowry shells, waist beads, and filed teeth, hinting at the possible West and West Central African origins of many of the individuals. The study of the origins of the African population of New York during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries involved careful examination of the city's customs and import records. The intention was to assess the number of Africans that were imported into the colony and to establish their ports of orgin. Narratives and newspapers that described the physical and cultural characteristics of the African population were also useful.			The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the individuals who were buried in the New York African Burial Ground by determining the origins of the major portion of the African population of colonial New York. Inconsistencies exist between the import records of the city and the growth of the Africans coming into the city which seems to have been only concerned with their numbers. The recorder was never more specific than, "One negro from Africa" or "One negro from Antigua." As a result of the vague records that were kept, it seems impossible to locate the exact origins of the African population of colonial New York beyond generalizations that can be drawn from indirect references to a Coromantee or a Kongolese present and to Akan symbols found in the Burial Ground. Benjamin Talton is a recent Howard University graduate majoring in history and minoring in English. Benjamin aspires to become a college professor and has always been fascinated by history. He is a founding member of the Thoth Study Collective, a group of like-minded students who meet once a week to share ideas and discuss relevant topics, mostly centering on African and African American experiences. The most important aspect of the group is that they support each other's work, bring class assignments and discussion topics out of the classroom and share them. Above all, they refuse to accept the idea that school work is done for grades. Benjamin has been accepted at Howard University and the University of Chicago for graduate study. McNair Alumni