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First Lady's Roots Linked to Slave Girl

Genealogist fills in gaps of her lineage

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 7, 2009 5:11 PM CDT

(Newser) – Michelle Obama can trace her lineage to a female slave sold as a young girl from a South Carolina plantation and sent to Georgia. As a teenager, Melvinia Shields became impregnated by a white man, possibly her master, and those two are the great-great-great grandparents of Michelle. A genealogist working with the New York Times uncovered the details, revealing more about the first lady’s family history than even she herself knew growing up.

“She is representative of how we have evolved and who we are,” says one historian. “We are not separate tribes of Latinos and whites and blacks in America. We’ve all mingled, and we have done so for generations.” Melvinia gave birth to Dolphus Shields around 1859. As an adult, Dolphus became an enterprising member of the first generation of free blacks: he was literate and owned a carpentry store. He died in 1950, the same year Purnell Shields—Michelle's grandfather—looked to take advantage of new opportunities in Chicago.

First lady Michelle Obama speaks to students at the CAPA School during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009.
First lady Michelle Obama speaks to students at the CAPA School during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks on health care legislation at the White House.
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks on health care legislation at the White House.   (Getty Images)
First lady Michelle Obama picks fresh flowers.
First lady Michelle Obama picks fresh flowers.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta,File)
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama waves as she arrives at the Royal Palace in Copenhagen for a meeting with Denmark's Queen Margrethe Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009.
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama waves as she arrives at the Royal Palace in Copenhagen for a meeting with Denmark's Queen Margrethe Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009.   (AP Photo/Tariq Mikkel Khan)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 33 comments
Snarfeh
Oct 8, 2009 12:40 PM CDT
@captain - No. No one is going to write an article about you....unless you write it yourself...
Snarfeh
Oct 8, 2009 12:38 PM CDT
For Rocky - "..and your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore. It's already over-crowded from your dirty, little war...." - John Prine
Shannonals
Oct 8, 2009 11:34 AM CDT
Gee, I don't know wisdomSeeker, most likely it's due to the same reason no one talks about a white person planning and conducting mass killings in High School or killing others because they took their position on the cheerleading team.

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