His-Story
Michael Jackson’s roots in America stretch back more than 150 years – to a Choctow Indian who fathered a child by a black slave girl.
“The exciting saga of the singing sensation’s family is a real “Thriller”. His ancestors include:
A rebellious salve who was tortured for running away from his master but later used his knowledge of native medicine and his skill at casting spells to become a well to do landowner.
Michael’s great-great-grandmother who was the daughter of a black plantation servant and the crippled white daughter of the plantation’s owner
A school teacher who married one of his 16 year old pupils when he got her pregnant and feared a Ku Kux Klan reprisal.
Those are just some of the many fascinating facts uncovered by the Enquirer in the extensive interviews with Michael Jackson’s relatives.
Michael’s most fascinating female ancestor was Mattie Daniel, his great-great grandmother. Here’s a brief history of her life:
Mattie Daniel
The owner of a Mississippi plantation was outraged when a young black servant got his crippled white daughter pregnant, and she gave birth to a child, Mattie. The young mother’s family put little Mattie outside to die, figuring starvation and the elements would kill the newborn baby.
But a very short time later, the family had second thoughts, fearing that they might be charged with murder since Mattie was half white. So Mattie was taken back inside and cared for, then later was given to a black family to raise.
She grew up picking cotton for pennies a day. She married twice and had a total of 17 children said Michael Jackson’s great- great aunt Verna Brown.
Michael Jackson also has a number of intriguing male ancestors. Here are capsule histories of their remarkable lives:
July Gale (Early 1800s)
A Choctaw Indian, July was once an Army scout. He met a young slave girl named Gina and began visiting her regularly. Soon they produced a son, Nero. Although July was a free man, his hald breed son was born into slavery because his black mother was a slave. The white people had nicknamed July “Jack” so Nero was known as “Nero Jack’s son” – which evolved into “Nero Jackson”.
Nero Jackson (1818-1934)
Nero hated being a slave. He told his descendants that his white master would pour the slaves’ food into a low trough, and Nero and the other slaves had to kneel on their knees and eat it using big wooden spoons.
Once Nero was almost beaten to death for running away. Another time his cruel master pressed a pair of red-hot tongs to his nose for trying to flee — and he bore the burn scars the rest of his life.
After the slaves were set free by Lincoln, Nero, who had learned native medicine from his Indian father, used his healing skills to make himself wealthy. He amassed 300 acres of farmland in Mississippi.
Nero also could cast spells to cure ills, and he was famous for casting spells on horses during races to make them lose, recalls his old friend Dave Collins, 102.
Nero fathered 21 children, 15 by his wife and six by his mistress.
Nero was a hell raiser, his grandson Emmett Jackson to Enquirer, “He loved to out and get drunk on Saturday nights. The police would have to be called when he started singing and doing a wild Indian war dance in town.
“When the police arrived old Nero would jump on his horse and gallop away. They were so irritated by this that one night they strung a rope across each end of the street so he couldn’t escape.
“But old Nero jumped his horse right over one rope. The cops never did catch him!”
When he died at age 96, Nero’s 300 acres passed to his sons, but they lost it during the Depression when they couldn’t come up with $300 they needed to pay the mortgage.
Today, land in the area is leased by oil companies and Nero’s land is worth $1.2 million, according to one son, Samuel Jackson, the grandfather of Michael Jackson.
Samuel J. Jackson (1903-)
Samuel was so brilliant that he entered Alcorn College in Mississippi when he was just 15 years old.
And after graduation he learned there was a teaching job open in Ashley County, Arkansas. Sam had no money, but he was so desperate to get the job that he walked the entire 200 miles from his home to apply for it. He was hired.
But on that very first job he feel in love with a 16 year old student in his class named Chrystalee King.
“She was the prettiest black girl in the country.” Samuel told The Enquirer. She got pregnant.”
An old friend of Samuel, 81 year old Willie Daniel, recalled: “Sam was terrified that the Ku Klux Klan was going to come visiting.”
No reprisal came.
Samuel married the girl and seven months after the wedding, Chrystalee gave birth to a son, Joe, who became Michael Jackson’s father.
Joe Jackson (1928-)
Born and raised in Arkansas, Joe moved to Gary Indiana when he was 21. There he took his wife, Katherine and got a job in a steel mill.
They had nine children; Michael Jackson was the seventh-born.
The family was happy, but Joe had a dream: stardom for his boys. He molded Michael and four other sons into the Jackson Five, and they began singing on the streets of Gary for nickels and dimes tossed at their feet.
Finally the Jackson Five caught the attention of the giant Motown record label in 1969, and shot to fame and fortune almost over night.
Said their grandfather, Samuel, “I was there when the Mayor of Gary name a street after them, and I remember thinking about how proud old Nero would have been if he could’ve been there.
“He was a slave boy who came up from nothing. How proud he would have been at what his descendants have achieved!”
~ William Dick
Fascinating.
Isn’t it. My bad, Candace, I forgot to give you that access even though I said I did. I was writing!!!! :tongue: Um if you dn’t know already, start off with Cowboy Mike, it’s better that way, trust me!
Thanks. I am up working on my Ph.D. and MJ keeps me from losing my mind as wrting in APA format drives me crazy at times. Writing about one essay a week…trying to find balance to return to my own romance writing. I am a RWA Pro–need to pay my dues, though…MJ was my muse and I haven’t written anything substanial since he passed. I’ve ideas and sniplets on napkins and slips of paper. Sorry, did not mean to digress. Thanks for the access.
Sabine, I also meant to say that I love Shakespeare and the quote from Sonnet 18 on this page.
Great! I’m always fashinated by family trees… our genetic story is in our cells ancestors live in us in subtle way.
Nice article indeed
I thought it was a perfect quote for MJ, upon his passing. Analytical writing and fictional writing takes two different parts of your brain, I’m convinced!!!!!
Whenever I had to switch from one to the other, I literally have to take a minute to compose my thoughts. It’s not a fluid transition. What will you be getting your PhD in?
Escapism is a must! I think MJ understood that perfectly!
You know, I had to look up RWA Pro! I didn’t know what it was. What is it about CCC that attracts so many writers?
:lol: I suppose it’s the fact that writers love to read. I’ve done my share of writing on the back of paper bags and napkins. I think its delicious, when inspiration comes to you like that. You’re welcome for the access!
You know I’ve read that and heard that, that we carry our collective human history in our bodies!!!!
Can you imagine? That’s a lot of pain and suffering, but also joy too! What I read said that our collective pain manifested itself as dis-ease.
Dis-ease, written that way in English means literally discomfort. Of course it also means when something foreign is attackin the body. I can’t imagine that pain and suffering is natural to our spiritual souls.
Hey Sabine liked the article I read something like this years ago about mikes roots interesting I would love to know were my roots began I know this is of topic Sabine but the playlist you have were did you find all those mj unreleased songs I been looking for theme for so long and trying to download theme I really really want theme I have all of mikes albums I been collecting theme since I was four but no luck on the unreleased songs were did you get theme and how did you download theme can you put theme on your iPod I know alot of questions sorry but I been looking so much for those songs for awhile everytime I want to here theme I log on to ccc now of course that’s not the only reason I come here I love ccc for so many other things if you can please tell me how you got theme I would really appreciate it if you want you can send me a personal email to let me know how but if you don’t want to give up your secret I understand but I hope you share it with me and I’m so excited and can’t wait for the next chp of bbm I’m really anxious by the way dont you have a bday coming up hope to here from you soon Sabine much love
I also love the pic that’s up to let us know that the next chp of bbm is coming up he looks so beautiful and masculine I love his facial hair lol sorry he just looks so hot
Michelle, it’s no secret!!!
At one point I had links to all the unreleased songs in the bottom of the screen, but just send me an email telling me the songs you want, Michelle, and I’ll send them to you. You see where it says Contact me, send it to me that way. I got the songs from other sites that had put them up. Right after Michael was released, people were leaking songs like crazy!!!! I might still have the links, if they work but either way, I’ll get them to you. Yes, they are regular mp3s so you can put them on your Ipod.
You’re so sweet, how did you remember my birthday? It’s the 31st, the same day as Harry Potter :smile: :heart: :wub:
hey sabine i sent you a message on contact your supplier about the songs i want i hope i sent it to the right email and cool the same bday as harry potter i have a good memory i just remember your bday being at the end of july i just couldnt remember the exact day your a leo i get along great with leos alot of my friends are leos im a virgo anyway sabine thanks for hooking me up with the songs i really appreciate it let me know if you dont get the message sabine cant wait to get the songs much love
I”m not home, Michelle, but I’ll get it when I get home, and see what I can do!
By the way, when I found out that both Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling and I share the same birthday, I was jumping up and down and screaming: I KNEW he was a Leo!!!!! :lol: :tongue:
I like Virgos, even though they can be a stickler for rules and making sure things are just right!!!!! They’re perfectionists sometimes, but you know what, so am I :lol:
wow j. k. rowling thats awesome sabine im sure you can publish your mj stories and turm theme into a masterpiece as she did with harry potter your stories are that good and yea im a perfectionist i think thats my best and worst quality also im to soft hearted i dont know if thats a good thing or bad anyway sabine injoy your day and please let me know when you get my email much love sabine
I got your email and responded!
Being soft hearted is a wonderful gift, even though often it doesn’t feel like that. I’m very sensitive myself. I’m just careful who I invite into my inner circle!
p.s. I could never publish this unless I changed EVERYTHING — because I would be sooooo sued! :lol:
thanks sabine i got the message im going to have a busy evening thanks so much
You are so welcome! :smile:
sabine i thought i let you know i got the songs i wanted and a littile more i cant say it enough thank you you dont know how long i been looking for theme just to shy to ask were you got theme from than finally i got frustarated looking for theme with no luck and thought ill just ask sweet sabine but thanks again made my night much love sabine
You’re welcome! Isn’t it great that she put that all together. I love when people share. I didn’t get it from her, I got them from lots of different places, but then I realized rather than send you things one by one, I could just give you the link! :wink:
I love to hear about the past Jacksons and how amazing their family was before MJ and the rest even came along. This family was clearly destined for fate. I hadn’t seen this before, but I’d actually read it in Joe’s autobiography, published in Germany. It’s got more details than the news article, but unfortunately I’ve only read the first five or six chapters. It also tells of how Joe and Kattie first met :biggrin: :
http://jetzi-mjvideo.com/books-jetzi-02/joej/joej0az.html
Oh, Lord!!!! You know, I never got up the nerve to tackle Joe’s book. I have to be in the right frame of mind to read his point of view, but thanks for the link.
Also, look at this gorgeous picture:
I caption it: Before they were Hollywooded:
Here’s the link so you can see it fully:
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z229/Swinging_Sixties/Pics%20-%20General/TheJacksonFamily.jpg
Look at how pretty Latoya is!!!!! All of them are gorgeous, really :wub:
Oh, that’s so sweet! I’d say it looks like just after they entered Hollywood from the back ground and stuff, though. I loove Toya’s afro, and Joseph holding Janet. Honestly, I sympathize with Joe, I don’t agree with everything he did, but if his kids could forgive him then I have no right to judge him. I just wish for his kids though they could’ve received more daddy time with him, like buying them donuts early in the morning. LOL. As for Joseph’s book, the voice actually sounds pretty good, but I didn’t finish it myself yet though :blush:
The whole Jackson family are gorgeous! :wub:
Liking rats and sympathizing w/ Joe!!!! :w00t: Be careful because I’ma start thinking you’re a saint!!!!
I have zero sympathy for Joe. Wanna know why? ‘Cause he refuses to admit that he’s done wrong and refuses to change. To me, that’s not judgment, like I don’t wish for him to drop dead or go to jail or anything. It’s not punishment to want someone to tell the truth or admit that they’ve done wrong. And really it’s unfair to a person to not hold them accountable for their actions. How would we learn, if anytime we did wrong to people they were just like, Oh, It’s okay; I forgive you. There comes a time when it must be said, no, what you did was not okay. You did not treat me well and it was wrong. Michael waited all his life for Joe to say that, really for anyone in his family to say that. But when Latoya said she was abused, they ostracized her, and she also attacked Michael and called him a pedophile.
So I don’t think there has ever been any true honesty in that family. People don’t seem to understand that each time they say that Joe never abused the kids, they are calling Michael a liar!!!! :w00t: I wish people would really get that because it breaks my heart. The abused child gets victimized twice: first by the abuse, and secondly, because no one wants to admit it, and everyone wants to gloss over it like it’s no big deal.
But to the abused child IT’S A BIG DEAL. Look at Michael during the Bashir interview still crying, he was in his 40s!!!!
People have a hard time talking about abuse, especially if the abuse came from the parents. I undersand why, but it doesn’t help things. Like Joe’s kids haven’t really forgiven him — except for Michael, the rest are in complete denial, and I have no reason to believe that they didn’t continue to abuse their own kids. If they make excuses for his behavior, why wouldn’t they repeat it? Look at Jermaine, who is a dead beat Dad, and all of the boys pretty much (except for Michael, IMO) were cheaters, and cheating is abusive. I mean, like I said it’s quite sad.
What I meant by before Hollywood, is that for the most part all of them went on to change their looks, to fit the hollywood standard of beauty when they were already so beautiful. Hollywood has a way of doing that to people. I look at the so-called “beauty magazines” and all the women look alike!
I heard that Joseph didn’t really write his book; that like Michael he had a ghost writer who he told the story to, who wrote it for him. Don’t know if it is true or not.
I saw this the other day and didn’t have a chance to read it all the way through. As everyone already said, it’s super interesting. What a great find, thank you for sharing!
Also, Christopher Cross’ “Sailing” just came on the playlist, what a beautiful song. It always made me cry as a child. I hadn’t heard it in ages but came across it recently. I actually heard and understood the lyrics for the first time, on both a personal level and because Michael, of course, came to mind. Cried again! I’ve been listening to it a lot lately and hearing it here was such a pleasant surprise. It goes so well in a space like this.
You’re so welcome. When you read the chapter, you’ll see why Sailing is on the playlist!!!!!