My Family Tree

Ancestry.com Discovers President Obama Related to First Documented Slave in America Research Connects First African-American President to First African Slave in the American Colonies PROVO, UTAH – July 30, 2012 – A research team from Ancestry.com (NASDAQ:ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, has concluded that President Barack Obama is the 11 th great-grandson of John Punch, the first documented African enslaved for life in American history. Remarkably, the connection was made through President Obama’s Caucasian mother’s side of the family. The discovery is the result of years of research by Ancestry.com genealogists who, through early Virginia records and DNA analysis, linked Obama to John Punch. An indentured servant in Colonial Virginia, Punch was punished for trying to escape his servitude in 1640 by being enslaved for life.  This marked the first actual documented case of slavery for life in the colonies, occurring decades before initial slavery laws

Surprise! We are up to more than 11,000 relatives on our family tree. I guess anyone who really thinks about it will realize they have more than 11,000 people to which they are related. However, how many of those people have documented evidence, hmmmmm? Well, we do! Thanks to all of the people family and friends who have helped with stories, pictures, sharing their trees, and resources we are now up to more than 11,000 relatives. Remember, we are always willing to add, edit and credit so get involved!