By Nancy Spannaus
Feb. 24, 2025—An enthusiastic crowd of approximately 30 people gathered at the Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Hamilton, Virginia on February 23 to celebrate Black History Month. Amid the multitude of Black History events happening in Loudoun County this month, this event had two special features. First, it was largely led by young people in their teens, who emceed the affair, and sang and recited for the people present. Its second feature was a presentation by noted author Rohulamin Quander, who summarized the history of his family, which is considered one of the oldest documented African American families in the United States.
I had visited this church back in 2020 for an extensive program honoring Black History month by interviewing a number of Loudoun residents who had been active in the battle for civil rights in the county. While this gathering was somewhat smaller, the same zeal was evident. (Click here for my article on that event.)
After she gave a series of introductions of the participants, church member Gladys Burke turned the gavel over to the master of ceremonies, her grandson Jomal M. Burke. The young Burke then introduced a number of contributions by other youth: first, a singing of the Negro national anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing by Nyomi Glasgow; then a short Bible reading by Zoe Cofield; and then a prayer by her sister Grace Cofield.
Following a couple other musical selections, and an offering, Mr. Quander began his presentation, which was based on his recent book The Quander Story: Since 1684, an Enduring American Legacy.
Rohulamin Quander
Rohulamin Quander is a senior retired administrative law judge who has devoted himself to unearthing the history of his extraordinary family. He has two degrees from Howard University, and an extensive career advising Washington, D.C. institutions on the history and impact of slavery, including Mount Vernon. In 1985, he established the Quander Educational and Historical Society. His current book is his fourth.
Quander began his talk by explaining that this year’s Black History Month is supposed to be devoted to the question of African American and Labor, both free and unfree, uncompensated and under-compensated. Labor was always at the center of the life of the African diaspora, he said – both in building things, harvesting crops, and in building community. We need to focus on how we contributed to building this nation – from the Capitol building to the presidential plantation homes in Virginia.
Through labor, and resilience, we have come a long way, he went on. We should never forget the past, nor let others forget it either. It has required faith. We did it not just for ourselves but for future generations – which is why it is so important we have these youth participating with us today.
The Quander Story
We can learn a lot about this history by exploring our family roots, Quander said. Here are some elements of his family’s story.
In 1684 an indentured servant in Maryland by the name of Henry Adams acquired a slave from Ghana named Henry Quando. In his will he freed Quando and his wife, so in 1686, Henry and wife found themselves tossed out to make their way on their own. They had to sink or swim, Quander said, so they swam. By 1695 Henry had gotten some farmland in Charles County, Maryland, and the family was on its way.
Meanwhile, Henry’s brother had not been so lucky. He remained enslaved and ended up in Virginia, where eventually one of his descendants came to reside on George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The name by that time had been changed from Quando to Quander. In his discussion Mr. Quander focused on Nancy Carter Quander, who was a spinner on the Mount Vernon plantation. She was eventually freed in George Washington’s will, after which she married Charles Quander.
Nancy’s family then went to work for themselves and did well, making contributions to their future and to the country. Her son Osman acquired a 300-acre farm in Fairfax, and his son built the road that leads into Mount Vernon.
There were many other Quanders of distinction which Mr. Quander then identified – too rapidly for me to include very many of them.[1] Of particular note, however, were:
- John Pierson Quander, a member of the U.S. Colored Troops in the Civil War. Legend has it that he gave a keynote address at the end of the war in which he called for a National Negro Memorial. That memorial, Mr. Quander said, was finally built over 100 years later, with the erection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
- Nellie Mae Quander distinguished herself in many ways, including by representing the “colored” teachers’ union in Washington, co-founding the Phillis Wheatley chapter of the YWCA in D.C., and helping initiate the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
- Four members of the Quander family have become Generals, which makes them the only African American family to have that distinction. Three of these Generals were educated at West Point.
The Discussion
During the brief discussion period, Mr. Quander elaborated on the origins of his family in Africa, and the change in its name. The family was part of the Fanti tribe in Ghana, and descends from a man named Egya Amkwandoh, who was kidnapped and brought to North America in the late 17th century. It is thought that when he was asked his name, he answered “Amkwandoh,” which his captors interpreted as “I am Quando.” The name stuck until the 19th century, when it morphed into Quander.
The prominence of the Quander family in the D.C. metropolitan area is reflected in the fact that there are four roads with the Quander name, as well as an elementary school.
In conclusion, Mr. Quander added that, of course, not all of his family had great careers; there were “black sheep” too. But he urged the young people, in particular, to pursue a journey into their family’s roots. Honor and respect their faith and hard work to win a future, so that you can pass it on to your own families as well. When asked how people could start the research, he advised talking to one’s oldest relatives and searching church records, in particular, as they are often the most complete.
Church History
Parishioners at the Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church may well be able to learn a lot from the history of their church. The congregation will celebrate its 133rd anniversary this summer.
According to the church website, Second Mt. Olive Baptist was established as a spin-off from the Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Leesburg. The founders originally wished to build a church in the community of Hughesville, one of several dozen concentrations of Black Americans in Loudoun County freed after the Civil War.[2] The parishioners started by meeting in houses, but when a local landowner, Nancy Murray, in the community of Brownsville offered to donate land, they built their church where it now stands, on old Route 7 east of Hamilton. It began to hold services in 1892.
Brownsville was one of numerous small communities where Blacks and whites lived side by side in the post-Civil War Loudoun. It was dominated by Brown family members of both races; hence the name. The white Quaker family of William and Marion Brown had provided land on their property for the establishment of a Freedman’s Bureau school in the area. By 1870, the school had 64 students and was called “Harmony.”
While the surrounding community has dwindled, Second Mount Olive Baptist is still an active congregation. Pastor George M. Mink has led the church since 2007.
[1] You can get Mr. Quander’s book on Amazon.
[2] For more on these settlements, click here.
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Tags: Black History Month, Gladys Burke, Loudoun County, Nancy Spannaus, Quander family, Rohulamin Quander, Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church
