Quander family

Their origins began in Ghana, and now the majority resides in either Maryland or Virginia/Washington DC[1] and more recently parts of Pennsylvania.

A man by the name of Egya Amkwandoh was kidnapped during the African slave trade in the late 17th century and transported to the United States.

[7] Nancy Quander and her mother Sukey Bay were amongst the slaves who worked on the grounds of George Washington's Mount Vernon.

She returned to his tombstone with ten others about 30 years later to pay their respects in what was attributed to their loyalty to Washington, whom they claimed to have been like a father.

[15] A son or grandson of Egya Amkwandoh—the first Quander brought to America through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade—Henry established himself in Maryland to build a family and eventually become freed in 1684.

[7] He was one of the first black males to adopt and act on the idea of civil rights, stemming from legal altercations involving his wife and daughters.

[9] She worked in the back room of the slave housing, spinning cloth for George Washington's garments.

It is believed that she was unable to read or write, therefore after her release from Mount Vernon, no records can be found of her life thereafter.

For a ceremony in her honor, she sang at the White House for president Jimmy Carter in 1977, long after her retirement.

[17] James Quander was the first permanent deacon ordained after the Catholic Church revived the office, and was also one of the first people to use insulin as a treatment for diabetes.

[21] Michael Quander was a television journalist for WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Maryland, WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, and WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., consecutively between 2012 and 2021.

He won a 2018 National Capital/Chesapeake Bay Emmy Award for "Historic/Cultural - No Time Limit" for his segment on his family's history.

[23] In an NPR story about his new role, he was described as the fourth member of the Quander family to serve as a general officer in the U.S.