While the battle for independence from Mother Britain started years before, today is the day that Americans recognize and celebrate their independence. As I was having a conversation with my boyfriend, I decided to look up this link I found years ago while debating in an internet forum. I highly recommend this link as you will find that notable personalities like Heather Locklear, Peter Ustinov and Alexander Pushkin to include a Medici have black ancestry. But I digress!
Today is the day we choose to celebrate our independence and while we may have marginal knowledge of our forefathers, little is known about King George III or his wife. Yes, how ironic that at one point our country had a queen and that queen was a black woman. I won't go into it too much! I'll post the info here:
Queen Charlotte, wife of the English King George III (1738-1820), was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a black branch of the Portuguese Royal House. The riddle of Queen Charlotte's African ancestry was solved as a result of an earlier investigation into the black magi featured in 15th century Flemish paintings. Two art historians had suggested that the black magi must have been portraits of actual contemporary people (since the artist, without seeing them, would not have been aware of the subtleties in colouring and facial bone structure of quadroons or octoroons which these figures invariably represented) Enough evidence was accumulated to propose that the models for the black magi were, in all probability, members of the Portuguese de Sousa family. (Several de Sousas had in fact traveled to the Netherlands when their cousin, the Princess Isabella went there to marry the Grand Duke, Philip the Good of Burgundy in the year 1429.)
Six different lines can be traced from English Queen Charlotte back to Margarita de Castro y Sousa, in a gene pool which because of royal inbreeding was already minuscule, thus explaining the Queen's unmistakable African appearance.
This is actually a great study. Check it out here! Sphere: Related Content
6 comments:
Laurence Herman "Gus" Versluis is part African-American due to the relationship of his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather William Grinstead, a Caucasian, and his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Key Grinstead, an African-Caucasian Woman. Johnny Depp and Kristen Allen is part African American as well.
Johnny Depp huh? I am intrigued but not surprised. Where can I find out more about his ancestry?
Clarification:
Kristen Allen should have been Krista Allen. Kristen Allen is pure white, and Krista Allen is part African-American. I apologize for the inconvience of information.
For Seattle Slim, here is the websites for Johnny Depp:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=williamgrinstead&id=I19618&style=TEXT (up to Violet Mattie Grinstead)
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=dowfam3&id=I059427&style=TEXT (up to John Christopher Depp)
Here is an explanation of the several descendants of Grinsteads:
Krista Allen:
William Grinstead marriage to Elizabeth Kay (Key), an African-European American-William Grinstead II-William Grinstead III-John Grinstead-Richard Grinstead-Richard Grinstead II-Elizabeth Grinstead-Elizabeth Jane King-Bertha Blanche Simmons-Mary Elizabeth Nolan-Katherine Mary Raposa-Krista Allen
Johnny Depp:
William Grinstead marriage to Elizabeth Kay (Key), an African-European American.-William Grinstead II-William Grinstead III-John Grinstead-Philip Grinstead-Philip Wade Grinstead-Christopher Tompkins Grinstead-Roy Grinstead-Violet Grinstead-John Christopher Depp-John Christopher Depp II
Laurence Herman "Gus" Versluis:
William Grinstead marriage to Elizabeth Kay (Key), an African-European American.-William Grinstead II-William Grinstead III-John Grinstead-Jesse Boles Grinstead-Jesse Boles Grinstead II-Jesse Boles Grinstead III-John Thomas Grinstead-Clara May Grinstead-Bonnie Bell Martin-Laurence Herman "Gus" Versluis
Clarification:
Jesse Boles Grinstead-Jesse Boles Grinstead II-Jesse Boles Grinstead III should have been just Jesse Grinstead-Jesse Grinstead II-Jesse Boles Grinstead.
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