Meet Your Cousin, the First Lady: A Family Story, Long Hidden [Her White Forbears]

NY Times ^ | June 16, 2012 | RACHEL L. SWARNS

[Steelfish]

Meet Your Cousin, the First Lady: A Family Story, Long Hidden

Joan Tribble at the grave of her great-great-grandfather, Henry W. Shields, a Georgia slave owner who is also an ancestor of Michelle Obama. More Photos »

By RACHEL L. SWARNS June 16, 2012 REX, Ga. — Joan Tribble held tightly to her cane as she ventured into the overgrown cemetery where her people were buried. There lay the pioneers who once populated north Georgia’s rugged frontier, where striving white men planted corn and cotton, fought for the Confederacy and owned slaves.

The settlers interred here were mostly forgotten over the decades as their progeny scattered across the South, embracing unassuming lives. But one line of her family took another path, heading north on a tumultuous, winding journey that ultimately led to the White House.

The white men and women buried here are the forebears of Mrs. Tribble, a retired bookkeeper who delights in her two grandchildren and her Sunday church mornings. They are also ancestors of Michelle Obama, the first lady.

The discovery of this unexpected family tie between the nation’s most prominent black woman and a white, silver-haired grandmother from the Atlanta suburbs underscores the entangled histories and racial intermingling that continue to bind countless American families more than 140 years after the Civil War.

The link was established through more than two years of research into Mrs. Obama’s roots, which included DNA tests of white and black relatives. Like many African-Americans, Mrs. Obama was aware that she had white ancestry, but knew little more.

Now, for the first time, the white forebears who have remained hidden in the first lady’s family tree can be identified. And her blood ties are not only to the dead. She has an entire constellation...

[Graybeard58]

So, is the moose 1/32 white?

[Gaffer]

I dunno...I’m just curious how they established the 150 year old DNA connection. Did they dig up the ‘forebears’? Or did they pull a “Thomas Jefferson” feint and test the descendants? Which descendants? How was their provenance established...myriad number of questions to so ‘cute’ an article. NO ONE IN THE MEDIA WILL LOOK INTO THIS.

[Bryanw92]

>>So, is the moose 1/32 white?

I guess so, but the real question is this: is she even 1/32 human?

[Psycho_Bunny]

Imagine how bored I’d have to be to actually read this article.

[MissMagnolia]

The question I have is why, why now are they doing a story on the Mooch’s “white” side?

I’m also waiting for Warren to start claiming that she was mistaken .... she’s actually 1/32 black since the Native American angle isn’t working out so well. I guess black wasn’t ‘exotic’ enough for her when she was looking for a way to worm her way into affirmative action.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Steelfish. Meet Your Cousin, the First Lady: DNA gives new insights into Michelle Obama's roots Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[frankenMonkey]

Posted without comment...

[the invisib1e hand]

Imagine how bored I’d have to be to actually read this article.

bump.

[Heart of Georgia]

I’ve known about this for a couple of years now. I’m from Rex and there’s a big deal plan in the works with the historical society to make a tourist trap out of this tiny town.

[Zuse]

If you go back far enough, you will prove that everybody is cousins.

My question is: Where/When does Affirmative Action end?

[BigBobber]

Joan Tribble at the grave of her great-great-grandfather, Henry W. Shields, a Georgia slave owner who is also an ancestor of Michelle Obama.

Does this mean Moochelle owes reparations to black slaves?

My ancestors were in Europe at the time and I'm pretty sure they didn't own any slaves.

[redpoll]

You’d think if the folks at the New York Times were as tolerant as they think they are, this would be an uplifting story of how people fall in love, have families, and share sacrifices even in the hardest circumstances. That we are one human family. That the color of skin matters far less than the character of the person, and that, in the long run, race isn’t important at all to being a human being. In fact, this kind intermarriage between races and ethnicities happens all the time, throughout history, and around the world, and it puts much liberal bigotry to shame - ideas such as the need to have people who “look like you” as important, or affirmative action, or “diversity” quotas.

However, seeing the source, my expectations of some kind of enlightened outlook are very, very low.

[ColdOne]

Why does the White House feel the need to get this out?

[Iron Munro]

So....

They caught whitey in the woodpile.

[combat_boots]

Sugah, we be needin’ dem crakkas’ votes after all........, awrite?

Seriously, if you span out family trees far enough, we are all related to Kevin Bacon.

And MO sure likes her gourmet bacon, as does the Iranian and the lot of them.

Krystal with your lardon?

[Tucker39]

One drop of white blood an’ youse a honkie! You ain’t no sistah not mo’! Take yo’ halfbreed redneck honkie huzzbin’ an’ g’wan back to da’ Chicago trashy folks yo’ all come from!

[Gator113]

Finally, the ‘missing link’ has been found.

Now, how much did this family tree crap cost me?

[Iron Munro]

"...white forebears who have remained hidden in the first lady’s family tree

[Tucker39]

My ancestors arrived in Philadelphia in November of 1750. But they was po’ folks....farmers in York County,PA so I don’t think I owe any reparations.