David Patterson’s Will (1850) 1850 Will Mrs. Obama’s great-great-great grandmother was a little girl, 6 years old, in Spartanburg, S.C., when her owner, David Patterson, bequeathed her to his wife, Ruth. Deciding Her Fate Mr. Patterson wrote in his will that Melvinia, and any children she might bear, would become the property of his wife, Ruth. She was to inherit "the use and service of the said negro girl, her issue and increase, if any." One Request Mr. Patterson asked that his slave families "be kept together as far as possible."

Inventory of Property Her Value Mr. Patterson died in 1852, and in an inventory of his property from that year, Melvinia was valued at $475.

Transfer Property to Shields A New Owner Ruth Patterson is believed to have died before Mr. Patterson and so she was given to one of the Patterson children. Melvinia's new masters were Mr. Patterson's daughter and son-in-law, Christianne and Henry Shields, who owned a 200- acre farm in Georgia.

Tally of Human Property (1860) A New Home Melvinia is believed to be one of the two female slaves on the Shields farm. The slaves are listed by age and gender -- not by name -- on this 1860 tally of human property. Henry Shields is second slaveholder listed.

Census Record (1870) A Mother to Four By 1870, Melvinia – now a freed slave – was a farm laborer and a mother of four children, three of whom, including 9-year-old Dolphus, were listed as mulatto. She gave her children the Shields name and took it for herself, although she adopted the last name McGruder later in life. The census records show that she continued to live alongside one of the Shields’ sons, Charles M. Shields, for a time after the Civil War.