President Barack Obama seems to be a fascinating person to do genealogy research on. His family tree has revealed a connection between himself and some rather unlikely relatives. A genealogist from Ancestry.com has determined that Obama is related to John Punch, who was a Virginia slave.
For many genealogists, there is something uniquely captivating about the family tree of President Barack Obama. Perhaps the attraction is entirely because he is the current President of the United States. Maybe the interest has something to do with the fact that this is an election year, and people are starting to want to learn more about the potential candidates.
Even his birth certificate, all by itself, has attracted a whole lot of attention from genealogists and non-genealogists alike. I cannot think of a time when the birth certificate of a United States President was given such intense focus by the general public!
A few years ago, Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist for Ancestry.com did some genealogy research that showed that President Obama is related to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The two share a common ancestor named John Smith, who was an early settler in Massachusetts. John Smith is the 12th great grandfather of both Obama and Palin, which makes the two politicians 10th cousins to each other.
Now, another interesting discover into Obama’s family tree has been made. Joseph Shumway, a genealogist with Ancestry.com, learned that President Obama is related to a man named John Punch. John Punch was a slave who lived in Virginia. It has been said that John Punch was the first African who was enslaved in the Thirteen Colonies. He was an indentured servant who was condemned to slavery in 1640.
How are these two men related? It is through Obama’s mother’s lineage. His mother is named Stanley Ann Dunham. She was born in Kansas, and is white. Genealogy research has previously found that her family tree extends to colonial Virginia.
Genealogist Joseph Shumway points out that researchers were able to use DNA evidence to trace Obama’s family tree back to a group of white landowners who lived in Virginia. Historical evidence says that John Punch was a father of children whom he had with a woman who was white, and who passed on her free status. The children grew up to become landowners.
Joseph Shumway said:
“A careful consideration of the evidence convinces me that the Y-DNA evidence of African origin is indisputable, and the surviving paper trail points solely to John Punch as the logical candidate.”
Image by U.S. Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia on Flickr