NEW YORK — The Rev. Al Sharpton said Sunday it was the "most shocking" news of his life when the civil rights leader learned he was a descendant of a slave owned by relatives of Strom Thurmond, the late senator who once led the segregationist South.
"I couldn't describe the emotions that I've had over the last two or three days thinking about this," he said at a news conference. "Everything from anger and outrage to reflection, and to some pride and glory."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday February 27, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 46 words Type of Material: Correction
Sharpton's ancestry: An article in Section A on Monday about the Rev. Al Sharpton's learning he is descended from a slave owned by relatives of the late Strom Thurmond said Thurmond was the longest-serving U.S. senator. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) broke his record in June.
Sharpton found out about the connection to Thurmond last week after the New York Daily News obtained his approval to work with genealogists to trace his ancestry.
Researchers from Ancestry .com traced Sharpton's roots using a database with access to 5 billion records including birth and death certificates, slave narratives, census and bank records, and United States Colored Troops documents.
They discovered that Sharpton's great-grandfather Coleman Sharpton was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond's great-great-grandfather.
"I know there's no such thing as a boring family tree," said the chief family historian for Ancestry.com, Megan Smolenyak, who presented the findings to Sharpton on Thursday. "I knew we would find something, but I certainly didn't anticipate this."
The information also showed his great-grandfather had been freed. Smolenyak said Sharpton was subdued and stunned when she told him about his family history.
"It's one thing to know or suspect perhaps your ancestors were slaves," she said, "but it makes it much more real when you hear names and find out how they were related to you."
In a phone interview Sunday, Sharpton said he had one "awkward" encounter with the South Carolina Republican, in 1991 on a visit to Washington, D.C., in which the two barely spoke.
Sharpton said he had not yet decided whether he would meet with Thurmond's relatives.
Thurmond's niece Ellen Senter, 61, of Columbia, S.C., confirmed that she had told the Daily News she would speak to Sharpton if he wanted to talk. She declined to comment further.
Thurmond, who died in 2003 at age 100, was the longest-serving U.S. senator. He fiercely resisted integration and was known for his opposition to the growing civil rights movement in the late 1940s.
He once declared: "All the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our eating places, our schools, our churches, our swimming pools and our theaters."
