The following excerpt is from an article in the April 10, 2011 edition of IrishCentral.com.
New research has revealed that First Lady Michelle Obama, like her husband President Barack Obama, has Irish
roots.
Megan Smolenyak, the same genealogist who discovered that President Obama’s Irish roots go back to Moneygall in County Offaly, has discovered that Michelle Obama’s family tree has a large Irish branch.
Smolenyak traced Michelle’s heritage back to a young slave girl Melvinia Shields who was once traded for $475.
Melvinia would go on to have children with an Irish-American slave-owner named Shields.
The Times says Michelle Obama is linked to Melvinia’s son Dolphus Shields. Melvinia became the property of Henry Shields in 1852.
Smolenyak said the young girl still haunted her. “It’s still jarring to see dollar signs associated with human beings,” she said.
