Social justice activist, breaker of racial injustices, and tennis great Arthur Ashe (1943 - 1993) was a descendant of enslaved Black people who were owned by North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe's Family.

Ashe’s link to the city of Asheville is admittedly indirect. But it’s also present in the tennis star’s very name. Ashe was born and raised in Virginia, however, genealogical research traces his family’s name back an astonishing 11 generations. His first forebears in America were slaves owned by former North Carolina governor Samuel Ashe.

Specifically, Arthur Ashe was a descendant of a woman named Amar, who along with her daughter Tabb were taken from West Africa to America in 1735, The practice at that time dictated that slaves received their owner’s name. Samuel Ashe’s name also ultimately went to the town of Asheville, NC.

ARTHUR ASHE JR.’S FAMILY TREE: TRACING THE BLACKWELL FAMILY TO 1735
TIME PERIOD: 1623 to 1763-1764 to 1824-1825 to 1860
1861 to 1876-1877 to 1924-1925 to Today

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Completed in 1991, the Blackwell Family Tree is an intricately detailed feat of genealogical inscription tracing family lineage back to 1735. Hand-written on canvas measuring 9 x 11 feet, there are over 5,000 names on the family tree representing people — including Arthur Ashe Jr. (1943-1993) — from 15 states, Africa, Canada, Germany, and Haiti.

Ashe’s cousin, Thelma Doswell, Certified Genealogist and Blackwell Family Historian, is credited with the creation of the tree. She passed away in 2012. According to Ms. Doswell’s research, the Blackwells are traceable back to a slave auction in 1735, when an African woman named Amar and her daughter, Tab, were purchased by plantation owner James Glenn Blackwell. Amar and Tab had arrived in Yorktown, Virginia, from Senegal, West Africa, on the slave ship Doddington.

Ashe’s cousin, JoAnne Blackwell, has been the steward of the tree since 2012. Her great grandfather, James, was the brother of Ashe’s great great grandfather, Hamit. Ms. Blackwell travelled from Laurel Springs, New Jersey, to donate the work on canvas to VMHC on February 22, 2019.

There are three Blackwell Family Trees in existence. The earliest tree was completed in 1959. At 6 x 8 feet, it has 1,500 names and is a part of the collections at the Library of Congress. Another 10 x 14 foot canvas with 5,000 family names was completed in 1991 and resides at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture. The VMHC first learned about the Blackwell Family Trees from an article in Richmond Magazine, “An Open Book” by Editorial Director Susan Winiecki, which ran in the December 2018 issue.

The tree is part of a variety of artifacts relating to the life of Arthur Ashe in the collections of VMHC, including Ashe’s tennis racket, gym bag, wristband, tennis ball, and numerous items related to Ashe’s monument in Richmond that was designed by sculptor Paul DiPasquale.

Arthur Ashe’s tennis career spanned about 17 years. It began in 1963 when Ashe became the first Black tennis player to play on the U.S. Davis Cup Team. In 1968, Ashe accomplished a more amazing feat, becoming the first Black player to win the U.S. Open. By his career’s end in 1980, he also won two other majors: the 1970 Australian Open and 1975 Wimbledon.

By the time he retired in 1980, Ashe had done more than establish himself as one of the greatest tennis players of his generation. He also blazed the trail for all Black tennis players of later generations. Ashe used his platform to speak out, with a focus on civil rights and African-American history.

After his retirement, Ashe’s commitment to racial equity causes only increased. He fought for causes like ending South African apartheid, supporting Haitian refugees, and improving education for black youth. Ashe also wrote a groundbreaking three-volume book titled A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete.

Source: https://virginiahistory.org/.../arthur-ashe-jrs-family...

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ashe

Source: https://www.sportscasting.com/tennis-icon-arthur-ashes.../

Source: http://www.africansportsmonthly.com/.../black-history...