William Tucker

In August 1619, a ship carrying captive Africans arrived at Point Comfort in the English colony of Virginia. Among them were a man and woman, Antony and Isabella.

Now enslaved they were taken into the household of Captain William Tucker near what is now Hampton, Virginia. Around 1624, Isabella gave birth to a son.

They named him William Tucker. He is remembered as the first known Black child born in English North America.

We know little of his life after that. Today, Hampton’s Tucker family preserves an oral tradition connecting them to William, Antony and Isabella.

The William Tucker 1624 Society continues to preserve this enduring legacy through scholarly research. DNA testing traces their lineage directly to Angola, where the couple was first captured.

On August 24, 2026, a sculpture inspired by Antony, Isabella and infant William was dedicated at the African Landing Memorial at Fort Monroe . The story of this first Black American family continues to this day.

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