Posted on 02/25/2007 12:01:30 PM PST by GeorgiaDawg32
NEW YORK (Feb. 25) - Geneaologists have found that civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton is a descendent of a slave owned by relatives of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The Daily News said professional genealogists, working at the newspaper's behest, recently uncovered the ancestral ties between one of the nation's best known black leaders and a man who was once a prominent defender of segregation.
"I have always wondered what was the background of my family," the newspaper quoted Sharpton as saying. "But nothing — nothing — could prepare me for this."
"It's chilling. It's amazing."
Sharpton's office said Sunday morning that he would not comment until a news conference planned for later in the day.
Some of Thurmond's relatives said the connection also came as a surprise to them. A niece, Ellen Senter, said she would speak with Sharpton if he were interested.
"I doubt you can find many native South Carolinians today whose family, if you traced them back far enough, didn't own slaves," said Senter, 61, of Columbia, S.C. She added: "And it is wonderful that (Sharpton) was able to become what he is in spite of what his forefather was."
One of the late senator's sons, Paul Thurmond, and a nephew, Barry Bishop, declined comment, the Daily News said.
According to the newspaper, the genealogists found documents establishing that Sharpton's great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond's great-great-grandfather. Coleman Sharpton was later freed.
The newspaper said the lead researcher was Megan Smolenyak, the chief family historian for Ancestry.com and an author of several published books on genealogy. Another researcher on the project was Tony Burroughs, who teaches genealogy at Chicago State University.
Strom Thurmond, of South Carolina, was once considered a symbol of segregation. During his 1948 bid for president, he promised to preserve racial segregation. In 1957, he filibustered for more than 24 hours against a civil rights bill.
But Thurmond was seen as softening his stance later in his long life. He died in 2003, at 100. The longest-serving senator in history, he was originally a Democrat but became a Republican in 1964.
His children have acknowledged that Thurmond fathered a biracial daughter. Essie Mae Washington-Williams' mother was a housekeeper in the home of Thurmond's parents.
I always assumed Sharpton shared a bloodline with P.T. Barnum.
can't be long, they've been demanding reparations from everyone without known links already.
I wonder if Sen Byrd's family might lay claim to Jessie Jackson?
"And it is wonderful that (Sharpton) was able to become what he is in spite of what his forefather was."
You think his forefathers would be proud of Al Sharpton? I think not!
One of the best scenes in the first season of E.R. was when Dr. Benton's mother comes in and talks to Dr. Carter and turns back to her son, saying, "Peter, I think his family used to own our family." The line was delivered very matter-of-factly, within a drop of venom or vindictiveness or anger.
As for Sharpton, his greatest achievement was instigating the Freddy's Fashion Mart Massacre. He is a race baiting, poverty pimp. A con man who has left nothing but disgrace, ruin and misery in his wake. He is not an American hero.
Since everyone on this Earth has ancestors somewhere back there who have been "enslaved" by some group or another, this is going to get mighty confusing.
You don't understand that he (sharpie) is exactly the type of human slime that is propogandized endlessly by our villainous media.
May everyone associated that that accursed industry suffer boils on their buttocks and herpes of the nose!
I'm still waiting for a fat check from Cromwell's kinfolk.
What B. S.
I'll belive it when they 'discover' that KKK Byrd was the slave owner of Tawana Brawley's great, great, great grandfather.
As if we would ever hear that even if it was true! I think we can call it SELECTIVE 'reporting'. I despise so-called 'reporters' more and more everyday.
If I remember correctly, Al Gore was still making his nanny (slave) sit in the car while they went into restaurants to eat while he was campaigning in Tennessee.
I can tell these idiots that MOST people around this area who still have full time maids (slaves) have raised their employers from the time they were babies. They have been in the family for YEARS & YEARS. And guess what? They are DIED IN THE WOOL, FULL BLOOD ACTIVIST DEMOCRATS!
"I doubt you can find many native South Carolinians today whose family, if you traced them back far enough, didn't own slaves," said Senter, 61, of Columbia, S.C.
Is she serious? I dont know what percentage of whites owned slaves in south carolina, but im willing to bet less than 20%.
Strom to Al: I know your Great Great Great Grandaddy!. He's mine too!
ROTFLMAO
Which were more than likely filthy rich DEMOCRATS! That is true in this area. They made all that 'dirty money' from OIL, LAND & TIMBER. Only recently have many of the OLD DEMOCRATS' children turned into 'evil' Republicans.
So all of this is Strom Thurmond's fault, huh?
Left-liberal columnist Jack Newfield used to talk about the political connections between Thurmond and Sharpton. I have no idea whether he was right, but cooperation, apart from any family connection, would have been in the interests of both men: Thurmond wanted Black votes, and Sharpton wanted access to power in Washington; Sharpton might have helped with the votes, and Thurmond certainly had the power.
Of course. /sarcasm
We are supposed to forgive old KKK Byrd though even if he is still a racist.
You're preaching to the choir.
Federal troops were garrisoned near here during "the civil war" to "mind" the locals, all of whom were hillbilly dirt farmers who could barely afford to keep livestock, let alone slaves.
Ironically, the fort was owned by the richest man in the whole area; a free black man.
Go research "black slave owners" on Google.
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