A recent correspondent sent me a link to a post on a possible African-American descendant of President Andrew Jackson. I have never heard of the enslaved family from which the correspondent is descended, but in their response to his query, Prof. Henry Lous Gates, Jr., and Katrina Fahy do a good job of examining the available evidence and suggesting further avenues of research.
The claim of being descended from Andrew Jackson isn’t unusual. I’ve written previously about Hannah, an enslaved woman at Jackson’s Hermitage plantation. Some of Hannah’s descendants claim that Jackson fathered at least one of her children, as I noted in this article. It’s a disputed topic that deserves further exploration. That historians haven’t done more work on it is disappointing. I’ve previously attributed much of that inattention to John Spencer Bassett’s influence, but as Dan Feller and the editorial team at the Jackson Papers proceed quickly through Old Hickory’s presidency, it becomes less about Bassett and more about the profession’s unwillingness to grapple with Jackson as anything other than a one-dimensional caricature.
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 
Almost 40 years ago I visited a woman living in Chicago who had a small framed portrait of Andrew Jackson on her piano. When I asked why she had the portrait she said she was a descendant of Andrew Jacson. When I asked why the family didn’t publicize the kinship. She said Thomas Jefferson’s black descendants were being refuted by historians and they did not want to experience the same.
George Washington has black descendants who continue to be denied by historians.
Slave owners did have sex with rheir slaves. They were responsible for the rainbow skin hues of the offspring of slave women as evident today generations later. The slave owners did not risk condemnation for having a slave mistress. It was their life style. Today’s DNA testing is more technologically advanced than the DNA tests of years ago. Let DNA provide the answer.
I am 80 years old and I grew up in the south. Two of my 4 grandparents had white fathers who were plantation owners.
. The other two, light skin, one with hazel eyes the other blue eyes, one with red hair were descendants of white plantation owners. This sort of relationships are as old as time.
Thanks for your comment. Do you remember the name of the woman in Chicago?
I too am an African American decedent of Andrew Jackson and have the proof just don’t know how to go about legally but I’m trying to… I need my inheritance!!
Andrew, I am working on a project Enslaved people of Presixddents and signers of the Declaration of Independence. Contact me at reginald@mathnphotos.com
The book Unholiest Patrimony by Dorothy Price-Haskins tells the story of Charlotte Jackson, a daughter of Andrew Jackson and Hannah. Charlotte’s picture is on the front cover of the book and she greatly resembled Andrew Jackson.
The woman on the cover could be any 19th century white woman. No proof where that photo came from. And there are several Andrew Jacksons who couldve been the father, who were named after him. One is Andrew Jackson Donelson…the story probably became embellished through the years and thats how the myth came about. In addition some of his soldiers were suspected of raping the slaves. Over the years myths arise, and it is very suspicious that dorothy doesnt publish charlottes accounts AS THEY ARE, but instead makes it into historical fiction. And she writes, take whatever you want from this as truth. Basically saying it might not be true. Be careful of myths because people will say what they want to believe. Its more powerful for them to believe andrew jackson fathered them instead of someother white guy. And by the way hannah was andrews wife rachels personal slave, thus its not believable that he would risk rachel finding out about an affair. Rachel wouldve known if hannah had given birth to a white baby who looked like jackson. Rachels wouldve left him, she wasnt afraid of leaving her 1st husband who had sex with his slaves. Andrew would never risk that. Rachel and her family the donelsons were everything to him. Even biographers who are hostile to him acknowledge this. Anyway there is no dna evidence as he had no bio kids, nieces or nephews. The onky evidence lies in a book labeled historical FICTION.
The book gets so many well known facts completely wrong, that every biographer includes, even those who dislike AJ and have no reason to lie. And, that the book says AJ wanted to sire an heir with Hannah Is laughable. Why would he want to create an offspring who would just be discriminated against for the rest of her life. Even if he meant to free her. She couldn’t legally even inherit anything. It’s clear he wanted the adopted Andrew Jr to be his heir, as he left everything to him. The book says he didn’t even acknowledge Charlotte till he was about to die so what is the point of having her. Also he wouldn’t have even wanted to have an affair, he adored his wife, and even his harshest critics acknowledge this. That he adored Rachel when he was alive, was a close and attentive husband, and he was a mess after she died, he wouldn’t let her go. And there is no evidence the lady on the book cover is Hannah’s child. Could be anyone. By the way Hannah and aaron are both light skinned. They probably had a child who inherited more of the white genes and rumors spread. It’s like the game of telephone. Passed down over generations the message gets twisted. Key word in the books own description: historical fiction.
These men of influence didn’t have to account for their behavior, this part of American history shouldn’t even try to be avoided as if it never happened, my ancestors have ties to prominent figures and if painting the true picture is not what some want to see then they can keep there rosy glasses on but that’s more than likely what happened why is this so hard for some to believe?
A relative entered Andrew Jackson as the father of her great grandmother Charlotte on ancestry.com.. I am wondering also if he fathered my great great grandfather who was born in 1820.
Linda,
The best person to contact is Marsha Mullin at The Hermitage (mmullin@thehermitage.com). She can put you in touch with possible descendants.
Mark