Mon July 30, 2012 Genealogists Say Obama Likely A Descendant Of
First American Slave Genealogists at Ancestry.com have two
surprises for us today: After years of studying President
Obama's family tree, they have concluded that he was likely John
Punch's 11th great-grandson. Punch is considered the first
documented American slave. The second surprise: The experts
connected President Obama to Punch not through his African
father, but through his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who was
white. "Two of the most historically significant African
Americans in the history of our country are amazingly directly
related," Ancestry.com genealogist Joseph Shumway said 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." The New York Times,
which has a wonderful story detailing the findings,