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October 07, 2009

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Renewable Ray

Amazing story, I wonder if we'll see this in the mainstream media?

Roger Moffat

Well it was the last item on tonight's ABC World News with Charlie Gibson - necessarily quite abbreviated, but I think that counts as mainstream news :-)

jking

I always thought the New York Times was mainstream media.

Vera

As unreliable a source as the NYT has become, it'll be interesting to follow this story to see if it's legitimate.

d.r.

oh brother! everyone has black and white and who knows what else in their genes-big deal.

Candy Spiegel

Wonderful and moving story. Thank you for sharing it.

Bonnie

What a great presentation by Megan Smolenyak on Roots Televsion. It is a valuable medium.

Pat Spencer

How more "mainstream" can you get than the New York Times? The question is, will it appear in the conservative media?

Jay

it was on front page of the New Orleans Times-Picayune...full article with photographs

Terri England

Who cares? I'm considered white but the census records show my ancestors were either mulatto or black. This is not an appropriate article given Michelle Obama's thesis and her outspoken disgust for her white heritage. Why doesn't someone write an article about my family and my black forefathers? My original ancestor was a white slave for the first 30 years he was in Colonial America. It's all the same thing...which is equally boring. We are all a mixture and the point it moot.

Terri Brigman England

Dick Eastman

Reminder: The comments section here is for discussion of the articles immediately above the comments. I invite comments about genealogy, history, the facts discussed within the article, etc. Political attacks and libelous comments will not be tolerated. I have already had to delete several such comments from this thread of messages.

Now, who wants to discuss the facts?

- Dick Eastman

Billie Bollwinkel

Fascinating! I loved watching the video slide show and listening to Megan explain her finds and conclusions! Good research.

Glenda Edwards Boyajan

The real question is: Did you learn something from this that you can incorporate into your research?

It was an interesting article, and might provide someone with the necessary encouragement to start, or work on, their genealogy.

I suspect that many of us have a touch of "tarbrush" from either black or indian DNA imparted into our heritage at a time when it wasn't "fashionable". Many of us who can document our direct ancestors as slave owners through the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules could and very probably would find a multitude of black cousins among our contemporary cousins.

The sin is in being ashamed of this heritage, not in bearing it.

We can't do anything about what happened 150 years ago. But we can take pride in being who we are and what we are accomplishing today in our own genealogy.

patricia Spear

Fascinating story. I sure wish Megan could find out that much information on my illusive ancestors. I Throughly enjoyed the video. Thanks.

sharryn clark

"American Hertiage"magazine article couple decades old discussed European ancestry; 90% had some degree of color mixed into caucasian DNA. We all share this hertiage!

Leonard McCown

$475 for a six year old girl sure seems high for that time. I could understand that amount for a young man. Wondering if anyone else finds that price expensive. Much higher than any I have found in my research in Mississippi.

Rozlyn Kelly

Thank you for posting this story and the link to Megan's presentation. We each have a unique history and particular interest in our own ancestry, and that is also true for African Americans. It is a history that is as unique and interesting as any other, and should not be minimized in any way. Seeing Megan's presentation encourages me to continue to work on documenting my own family history and research in a way that will not only preserve it but also help others, including my own family, to appreciate it. I appreciate the integrity of your website and respect for history, in all aspects. I regularly check here to see what you have to say and always learn something that I can rely on.

Mariann

I agree, having a bi-racial or multi-racial background covers all of us if we go back far enough. My grandparents came here from Sciliy. Any comments about my background? I love the search for all the different parts that make up ME. I am now looking at Greece and Turkey which is quite the challege since I know nothing about either language. Suggestions?

LindaS

Great video by Megan Smolenyak on Michelle's roots. And thank you for keeping the political statements off the blog, I too find them offensive.

Fran Parker

Did Michelle give her permission for this study? If not isn't this a breach of privacy?

Dick Eastman

No. The facts of birth, marriage, and death are public domain information in the U.S. Anyone may legally research anyone else's ancestry. There is no legal breach of privacy.

I believe that every First Lady's ancestry has already been studied carefully. Michelle Obama is only the latest.

- Dick Eastman

Sarah H. Studstill

I found this to be very interesting, as most genealogy is

Far be it from me to question a leading genealogist, but then
questioning is exactly what led me into genealogy.

Just following some of this seems to be a pretty big "jump" tho on going to the Death Certificate, studying that document, which is on that 'Mattie McGruder' & having her (Mattie) be the same person as Melvinia ____ from SC on down into that later death in Bartow Co, GA.

Has anyone else had questions about this?

Elaine

I agree with Leonard that the price seems very high for a female child, and with Sarah that the big jump from assuming Mattie is the same person as Melvinia. We could all claim ancestors by assuming rather than by proving with actual written records. It is interesting, but seems a bit far fetched to me.

Jane M. Fraser

Has anyone found any information about the source of the name Fraser as a given name in Michelle Obama's tree? She is descended from a line of three men named Fraser Robinson? Thank you.

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