E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Susan Walsh / AP file
President Barack Obama walks from Marine One after returning to the White House on the South Lawn in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2012.
CHICAGO -- A family history website claims it has linked President Barack Obama to the first documented African slave in the American colonies.
Research by Ancestry.com from early Virginia records and DNA analysis shows Obama is the 11th great-grandson of John Punch, an indentured servant in Colonial Virginia who became enslaved for life after trying to escape in 1640, according to the website.
The findings were released about 100 days out from the presidential election. Obama's campaign headquarters are based in Chicago.
"Remarkably, the connection was made through President Obama's Caucasian mother's side of the family," the site said in a statement.
View NBCChicago.com's story on Ancestry.com claims
Ancestry.com genealogists researched Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, and discovered her land-owner ancestors descended from Punch. According to the site, Punch had children with a white woman who passed her free status to her children, who went on to become successful land owners in Colonial Virginia.
"Two of the most historically significant African Americans in the history of our country are amazingly directly related," said Ancestry.com genealogist Joseph Shumway in a statement. "John Punch was more than likely the genesis of legalized slavery in America. But after centuries of suffering, the Civil War, and decades of civil rights efforts, his 11th great-grandson became the leader of the free world and the ultimate realization of the American Dream."
Ancestry.com called on a past Board for Certification of Genealogists president to perform a third-party review of the research.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
"A careful consideration of the evidence convinces me that the Y-DNA evidence of African origin is indisputable," said Elizabeth Shown Mills in a statement, "and the surviving paper trail points solely to John Punch as the logical candidate."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Drew Peterson to stand trial for wife's murder on Tuesday
- Holmes charged with 12 counts of first-degree murder
- Family: Mom wounded in Aurora suffers miscarriage
- Sources: Kidnap victim found tied up in detective's garage
- 3 killed in Pa.; suspect fled with daughter, 4
- Video: 'Full of life' -- Colo. victims mourned
- 'Feathers and blood': Bird hits boy in face on rollercoaster
Leave a Comment:
Im rich and I still own slaves,but there mexicans.I wonder if there related to Obama!
That is such a silly comment. What do you want to hear? That Obama "Loves all White People"?
Do you "Love all White People"? The ones that shot 70+ people at the Movie house in Aurora, Colorado? The ones who blew up the Federal Building in OKC? Barny Madoff, who stole the life savings of millions of pensioners?
Why do you Love all White People? ... - Regardless of their actions.. good or bad? A friend of mine has a daughter who refuses to be held by old people" grand ma. grand pa. strangers on the street - or good Friends of the family. It doesn't matter - she will not let them touch her or even get near her. At her age... there is no family history of where she picked up the neurosis, but there it is.
The family dog barks at all Mail men - they have never done anything to excite the dog or harass it. We invited the Mail man to come to a block party, he came out of uniform - it didn't matter. Dog was not to be denied. He still barked at that out of uniform mail man. Other mail men were there and he was OK with that.
Does the dog hate mailmen? all mailmen, what was the reason the little girl doen't like old people?
Barock Obama is not even a United States citizen as fare as what has been shown to be. He has a fishy Hawiian birth certificate. It is funny how his back ground changes according to what will draw him attention.
Colorado, like it or not...our President is a United States citizen. He's our President now, and he will be for another four!! Get used to it. Really???? If he wasn't, he wouldn't be "our President" Romney isn't a citizen either...Let's start this rumor! Geeeez, some of these comments are cracking me up... Just plain friggin stupid comments. Your's being one of them.. : )
I think if she was the first slave she would be very disgraced. He supports killing unborn children and killing children after they are born. People who where slaves knew what it was like to see death on a regular basis. Its sad that he supports these things. I pray for Obama. I pray that he repents and turns to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is something very wrong with that man.
Do you ever feel insane?
This info on Obama does not pay my bills. Who really cares about this man any way. Miss Michelle is supposed to have some white remnants in her past too but she will never admit to it. She loves being 100% black.
And Mittens has Mexican blood...since his parents were born in Mexico...or his pappy was...such small minded bigots...God help you all!
To 'outsidetech' Seriously? You are going to sit there and write that drivel? With a straight face? GOD, it must be so awful for you bigoted white trash men to accept a mixed race man as your President. Well...better get braced for FOUR MORE YEARS! You best be checking YOUR genes a bit closer...hahahahahaha....would be hilarious if you too have some African genes in your pool...DUH!
Their so called expert is full of BS. They assumed since John Punch became a slave he was black. Slavery was a punishment for breaking his indenture. Blacks were not indentued servants. Indentured Servants were poor whites that signed a contract to labor for a number of years to pay off a debt, usually the money required for the trip to the new world and room and board. By breaking his contract he was punished by being given a life sentence at hard labor. Remember England had debtor prisons and were exhiling people for life to Gerogia and Austrailia. So imho John Punch was not a black man unfairly ripped from his homeland but white trash that tried to skip out of a legitimate debt and got caught.
Why is it so hard to believe.........He must be up to something.......that President ....that Obama...
It amazes me how some people cannot handle the truth. Especially when it involves dirty little American secrets. This is why we continue to be divided because we as a people don't deal with our wounds......we like to smother slavery as if it does not exists.......after hundreds of years..........it manifest itself in ways like this...Admit it....The First Americans Where @!$%#ing CRUEL....they got the INdians drunk and f u c k e d them with no vaseline and Raped and Bound Blacks with a smile on their faces.......That is AMERICAN HISTORY but you will not read about it quite in that detail in the HISTORY books....but I am being kind and those that have ever delve into the First American's know.... It was not all Turkey and Pumpkin PIE but damn sure a lot of STUFFIN......I guess its all in WHAT you want to hear.........YOU WANT To hear that Anne Boleyn left you........a million pounds.....or King Edward left you his Ivory Chess collection..........sorry......only that ......Obama is related to your Great....great...great....great............great...........Rich....grand Pappy......oh and they liked to SCREW.....EVERYBODY for the f u c k of it.......!
The Truth hurts......GET the F u c k OVER it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My god, you people are so friggin pathetic. Such racist, it's sickning. Well I hate to break it to you but your going to have to put up with your black president for another 4. Do you really believe he wasn't born in the United States? Of course he was! You just don't want to believe it because ...again, he is black. Romney is a very dangerous man and he would screw you over just like he has everyone else. Believe it people. He's a sick individual, and can't wait to fu#$ you over like he has so, so many. Wake up!! He doesn't care about people like you. Only the filthy rich...I wonder that if he did become the president, would you all hound him about where he's hiding his monies so he doesn't have to pay his taxes like we do??? Oh yea, I forgot...he's white. It will never be brought up again.
You only got the tail of the dog...
The Step Father, as in the 2nd husban of President Obama's mother; was indeed a Muslim and was Indonesian. It is assumed... that as the father of the merged family - he sent both his own children and adopted children to the same schools. People who are not Catholic - often attend Catholic schools (even here in the USA) because at that place, that time under those conditions ... their "parents" thought a particular school offered the best educational environment for their children. I was raised in France during part of my youth - its a good thing that I am not a Presidential Candidate - since My parents, for their own reasons. Pulled both my older brother and I out of "The American School" which was on and U.S.Army base and we attended a regular school for local French children for several years. Eventually we returned to the USA and resumed classes in Public schools, for a semester - then were sent to a private Catholic school for a year. Seems we were not "ready" for the rough and tumble of Public School in the USA! But kids being kids - we spent the summer with the local neighborhood kids and that fall were acclimated enough to handle the transition.
Kids are flexible, it doesn't matter what school, religion - public or private school they attend. When they grow up, if you are luck - they make their own choices.
I do agree that some choose to remain ignorant and proudly post on line; confirming that fact.
The USA's 8.3% unemployment rate is Obama's bastard child. It's a combo of socialism and the Dimocratic Party's politics.
Ancestry website: Jarhead2018 mother descendant from first created female "Eve".
Sorry Obama...you just lost my vote forever.
This is piece of news is just more b.s. and serves no other purpose than to taint and gossip. What is so called professional journalism coming to?
next thing you know a unicorn will be flying out of his butt being ridden by santa claus holding the easter bunny...what trash. just weekend drivel from slobbering obamabots
Obama can trace his ancestry to the first U.S. slave BUT THEY CAN'T SEEM TO FIND A BIRTH CERTIFICATE! That says a lot about his record keeping. Obama also critized then president Bush about his fiscal ploicies and now he has driven us deeper in debt by doing the very things he acused Bush of.
I guess the liberals have to find some way to prove Obama is more black than white that way Obama can still be called the first black president. Like I have said before the Kardashians have more black in them than this President
I call a big BS. We would have heard of it sooner. LIES!!
If your family emigrated from Germany... Its more than likely that somewhere in your family tree, you are also related to some Jews.
It's not commonly reported, but - Even adolph was. When people trace the family tree, where you end up has a lot to do with which lines you decide to chase and which you ignore. They are still there, even if you don't report them... sooner or later, if you dig deep enough, you will find a outlier... a downstairs maid, a stable boy or a charming gypsy.
oh but of course! lololol
Not the 17th , not 253rd, not the 79th even, but absolutely ,uneqivically ,numero uno.
Eye Roll.........I'm outta here.
And the story continues.."He" also happens to be related to every olympic athelete,who was awarded a medal this year in London , although the Bronze medal recipients,are a bit sketchy at this time,but it has been determined ,it was his ancestor that discovered fire, the very same one that took an ordinary flat, square, stone and shaped it, into what wheel now consider the precursor to the modern day wheel. Right?
Father forgive me ,for I have sinned as I have not worshipped at the temple of Obama....lol
Total BS
Guess that really does make him the head you know what in charge! haha. Dont even say it..im not a racist. Free speech remember? that and its funny...true. lighten up people....geez........
Garbage in. Garbage out.
No matter how hard they try to make something out of obama you must remember you cant make chicken salad out of chicken manure
Very nice! I'll have to remember that; I was thinking that you can't polish a turd. Your way is a much better way of saying it ;).
Well, Mr. President - Oh, I got it wrong, you are Only a Col.
Never mind...., no need to waste time with the indians, when the Chief is home.
"... you are Only a Col." Interesting comment - reminds me of Obama's "respect" for our military. Oh wait ... Obama doesn't respect our military (Hint - Memorial Days: Absent at traditional POTUS locations, closing down the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial to the general public for hours so he could give a brief stump speech).
I wonder why Obama took so long to tell us about this important revelation of his "American heritage." Most of us are given stories of our heritages in childhood. Doing so creates generational bonding. Why didn't his white mom, grandma, and grandpa tell him about this? It was important! Why didn't he include it in his books? Why did Ancestry.com "suddenly" research, "confirm," and report it (conveniently) during his re-election year? Lots of questions ... no legitimate answers.
Could it be that he didn't release this information until now, because it's just another Obama fairy tale, his re-election year, he's lost a huge number of former constituents, and he's not doing too well in popularity? Nahhhhh ... tell me it isn't so!!