In January 2021, Kamala Harris became the first female Vice-President of
the United States, and the first woman of color to be elected to that
office. Kamala's ancestry is truly unique in that her father came from
Jamaica with mixed Negro, Irish, and Scottish ancestry, and her mother
from India. Both were academics and came to the United States to study.
Jamaican heritage is vey difficult to trace as many births were not
registered due to color of their skin, illegitimacy, or religion.
Jamaica is an island that had been conquered by the Spanish and then the
British, with multiple uprisings amongst the slaves who were finally
freed by the British in 1832. Even then the legacy of British slavery
and indentureship had made an impact. Inter-marriage was common between
those who came as indentured servants and slave owners took advantage of
the availability of female slaves to create a mulatto class of planters,
land owners and business man. One of those men, Hamilton Brown, never
married but produced at least six mulatto children. He came to Jamaica
with his uncle from Tullyloob, County Down in Ireland and became first a
clerk for a law firm, and then a land and slave owner; making him a rich
man. His ancestry can be traced back to the great families of Europe and
Persia and then to Canaan in about 3400 BC. While only 27 generations
are presented here, due to page limitations, Kamala's family line is
also available on Ancestry.com in the "Harris" family file. Enjoy the
journey as you explore her rich and diverse heritage.
