Henry Wells Shields is the man with the white beard. His wife, Christian Patterson Shields, sits to his right. Charles Marion Shields is the third man standing from the right.Courtesy of Jarrod Shields, in honor of Melvin Shields
New York Times
Friday, June 22, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
We knew that the Sunday article (noted below) about Mrs. Obama’s white ancestors would stir considerable interest so we decided to invite readers to pose questions and make comments. We never imagined that one of those readers would provide us with the first glimpse of two key figures in the first lady’s family tree: The white man who owned Mrs. Obama’s great-great-great grandmother, Melvinia Shields, and his son, who most likely fathered Melvinia’s child.
The photograph of those two men and their relatives, which is believed to have been taken in Georgia sometime around 1884, is being published here for the first time.
The slaveowner was Henry Wells Shields, who inherited Melvinia when his father-in-law died in 1852. DNA testing and research indicate that he and his wife, Christian Patterson Shields, are the first lady’s great-great-great-great grandparents.
Their son, Charles Marion Shields, worked as a farmer and a teacher. DNA testing and research point to him as the father of Melvinia’s son, Dolphus Shields. That would make Charles Mrs. Obama’s great-great-great grandfather.
The photo came from Jarrod Shields, a science teacher at a community college in Alabama who also happens to be the great-great-great grandson of Henry Wells Shields. He was getting ready to mow the lawn when his wife, Tonya, got a call about the article and called him to come inside. Jarrod had grown up knowing that his family had once owned slaves and always wondered what happened to their descendants. His wife sent me an e-mail this week, outlining her husband’s connection to the Shields family, along with the photograph.
When I spoke to Jarrod by phone, he told me that he hoped that he might be able to meet his extended black family, he said of the descendants of the slaves his ancestors had owned. “I always really wanted to say I was sorry. I also wanted to let them know that we’re glad that you’re part of our family, however it came about.’’ — Rachel L. Swarns
Sunday’s article is adapted from “American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama” by Rachel L. Swarns, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Readers wrote the author and asked many questions after the article was published. She was kind enough to answer many of their queries, and they add deeper insight into the issues raised by this history. I present them for you here and you can also click this link should provide direct access to the article.
Mrs. Obama’s Participation
Did Mrs. Obama concede to this research?
"I suspect that there will be many more books to come about Mrs. Obama, given her historic role. ”
Mrs. Obama has a policy of not participating in book projects so unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to interview her. I did interview members of her family – an aunt, an uncle, a great-aunt, a great-uncle, some cousins and some more distant relatives. I also briefed the first lady’s staff periodically on my research and gave Mrs. Obama and her aides copies of the book prior to publication. Americans are fascinated by their first ladies and there have been books written about Laura Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt, just to name a few. I suspect that there will be many more books to come about Mrs. Obama, given her historic role as the first African American first lady.
Family Tree
It would be helpful if a family tree diagram were provided.
Yes, there is a detailed family tree in my book, “American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama.” The family tree in the enhanced ebook is interactive and includes photos and historical documents along with the names of the first lady’s ancestors.
Making the Connection
Who decided to pursue the DNA and connection between this lady in Georgia and Mrs. Obama?
"Many Americans are doing this now, using DNA testing to find out more about their origins. ”
I suspected that the white father of Dolphus Shields, Mrs. Obama’s great-great grandfather, was probably a member of the Georgia family who owned him. So I tracked down as many descendants of that family – the white Shields family -- as I could. In the end, three agreed to be tested. Many Americans are doing this now, using DNA testing to find out more about their origins and their families. It allows people to take their research a step further than your grandfather could."
Other Cousins
I wonder if they're interested in meeting their not so famous black cousins?
Both Sherry George and Joan Tribble, who are the descendants of the man who owned Mrs. Obama’s ancestors, would like to meet Mrs. Obama as well as their black relatives who are not famous.
The Moten Side
Can you tell us more about the Moten side of the family?
"The spelling of their names changed at times in the census. ”
The Motens are on Mrs. Obama’s paternal line. Her great-grandmother was Phoebe Moten, who was born in Villa Ridge, Ill. in 1879. Her great-great-grandparents were Nelson and Mary Moten, who arrived in southern Illinois sometime during the 1860s. The spelling of their names changed at times in the census; sometimes they appeared as Morten; other times as Moulton. But Mrs. Obama’s relatives say that they spelled it Moten.
DNA Testing
If you don't have close male relatives, what can you find out from female DNA alone? How do you go about getting tested?
These days, you can find out a good deal about your family line without having close male relatives. Companies like FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe, among others, do such testing.
Jewish Connection
I’d be interested in reading about Michelle Obama’s Jewish ancestors.
"The surname Cohen suggests a possible link to the white Cohen family, a very prominent Jewish family in Georgetown in the early 1800s. ”
Mrs. Obama’s paternal great-grandmother was Rosella Cohen of Georgetown, S.C., and her origins remain something of a mystery. We can’t say with certitude who Rosella’s parents were, but some historical documents suggest that they were Caeser and Tira Cohen, who were born into slavery in Georgetown. The surname Cohen suggests a possible link to the white Cohen family, a very prominent Jewish family in Georgetown in the early 1800s. Moises Cohen, who emigrated from London to South Carolina around 1750, was the first chief rabbi of Charleston’s Congregation of Beth Elohim, the birthplace of Reform Judaism in the United States. His two sons, Abraham and Solomon, moved to Georgetown and became deeply involved in its civic and political life. Abraham, who fought in the Revolutionary War and served as the town’s postmaster, met with George Washington when the American president visited Georgetown in 1791. Solomon was a director of the Bank of the State of South Carolina and his son, Solomon Jr., was elected to the South Carolina State Senate in 1831. Several Cohens were also slave owners. Most of the Cohens eventually left Georgetown for Charleston, but before they did, it is possible that a member of this prominent Jewish family owned Caeser or his parents.
African Ancestry
Were any DNA tests conducted on the white Shields family to determine whether any of them have African ancestry?
None of the white Shields descendants who were tested had African origins. You’re absolutely right that there’s a long history of “passing” in this country.
European Ancestors
Out of curiosity, what percentage of Mrs. Obama's ancestors are European?
"I do know that all four of her grandparents had multiracial roots. ”
Growing numbers of Americans are coming to terms with these issues as they learn more about their origins through genealogy and DNA testing. It’s not always easy for people to find out that their ancestors were slaveholders. These can be difficult things to confront. But it is our history. As for Mrs. Obama, I don’t know what percentage of her ancestors are European. But I do know that all four of her grandparents had multiracial roots: In addition to African ancestry, some had Irish American ancestry; some claimed Cherokee ancestry and others were simply described as mixed-race or mulatto without any specific reference to their European roots.
Out of curiosity, what percentage of Mrs. Obama's ancestors are European?
"I do know that all four of her grandparents had multiracial roots. ”
Growing numbers of Americans are coming to terms with these issues as they learn more about their origins through genealogy and DNA testing. It’s not always easy for people to find out that their ancestors were slaveholders. These can be difficult things to confront. But it is our history. As for Mrs. Obama, I don’t know what percentage of her ancestors are European. But I do know that all four of her grandparents had multiracial roots: In addition to African ancestry, some had Irish American ancestry; some claimed Cherokee ancestry and others were simply described as mixed-race or mulatto without any specific reference to their European roots.
Issue of Consent
Why does this article give so much credence to the idea that a slave woman could have had a consensual relationship with her owner?
"We will never know whether there was any affection between the two of them. ”
Slave masters, their sons and overseers often preyed on their female slaves. Georgia instituted the death penalty for any man of color who raped a white woman. But white men who raped black women were not considered criminals; such assaults were not deemed crimes under Georgia’s criminal code. No one knows what happened to Melvinia, but given the frequency of sexual assaults against enslaved women at the time, it is quite likely that she was raped. However, the descendants of Melvinia’s slave owners – and some of her own descendants – hope that there was some affection between Melvinia and the white man who fathered her child.
Why does this article give so much credence to the idea that a slave woman could have had a consensual relationship with her owner?
"We will never know whether there was any affection between the two of them. ”
Slave masters, their sons and overseers often preyed on their female slaves. Georgia instituted the death penalty for any man of color who raped a white woman. But white men who raped black women were not considered criminals; such assaults were not deemed crimes under Georgia’s criminal code. No one knows what happened to Melvinia, but given the frequency of sexual assaults against enslaved women at the time, it is quite likely that she was raped. However, the descendants of Melvinia’s slave owners – and some of her own descendants – hope that there was some affection between Melvinia and the white man who fathered her child.
Melvinia continued to have biracial children as a free woman, after slavery was over. She also continued to live close to the Shields family and to the man who fathered her son years after slavery ended. We will never know whether there was any affection between the two of them, or whether she stayed because she was brutalized and too terrified to leave or because she was dependent on his financial support.
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