Chris Haley Tests DNA to Verify/Refute Haley Family Legends

Chris Haley is the Research Director for the Legacy of Slavery Project at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, Maryland. He is also an expert genealogist, historian and researcher. Finally, he is also the nephew of the late Alex Haley who wrote the famous book and television mini-series called Roots. I have written about Chris before and interviewed him a couple of months ago. That interview is available at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/08/interview-with-.html.

Haley's family had long suspected that the paternal line descends from an Irishman. Now there’s some proof, and Haley hopes to fill the gaps left by his late uncle, whose historical novel traced a maternal line to Africa. Chris Haley said that, because of his uncle's work, many people assume his family knows everything about its history. He then points out that “Roots” mixed fiction with history of one branch of the family. Chris is using DNA in hopes of verifying family rumors.

“It will be a shortcut for many people,” said Megan Smolenyak, chief family historian for Provo, Utah-based Ancestry.com and author of “Trace Your Roots with DNA.”

You can watch Chris Haley perform the cheek swab at http://www.rootstelevision.com/blogs/megans-rootsworld/2007/10/those_of_you_who_were.html. It is a funny video, I think you will enjoy it.

Salt Lake City's KUTV Television also has a story about this at http://tinyurl.com/39uuzn.

Comments

[Larry Hayer]

More than twenty years ago my daughter, then a student at UNC-Chapel Hill approached Alex Haley after he made a talk there. She said, "Hi cousin" and proceeded to explain that she was descended from the Lea family of Person County, as was he, per his book. Mr. Haley did not want to discuss the matter. It will be interesting to see if we really are kin.

Larry Hayer

[Ken Graves]

The Graves Family Association has believed for a number of years that Alex Haley was descended from the Graves family through Nancy Graves who married William Lea and had a son Thomas Lea. It now appears that connection is probably wrong and that Alex Haley was probably descended from a brother of William Lea, both sons of James Lea and Ann Herndon. Some of us are disappointed to lose a famous cousin. I will be very interested to know the ancestry that Chris determines is correct, and hope that he is trying to find all of his ancestral lines.

[Linda Keefer]

I hope that Chris Haley finds out whether the Graves lineage is true or not...even so, through my links to some Lees(not those)Alex Haley and I may still be related even without the Graves ancestry...My mother and I use to live in Annapolis and we both have pictures of us with Alex Haley's statue at the City Dock. I am anxiously waiting to hear the results of the DNA test!