Ancestors of Kamala Harris

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.