Historical Marker

Melvinia Shields

Rex · Clayton County

The roadside stories worth pulling over for.

The Story

Born into slavery about 1844 and brought as a child to a farm near Rex, Melvinia Shields bore a son, Dolphus, fathered by a white man; genealogists later traced her line to First Lady Michelle Obama, her great-great-great-granddaughter.

About this site

Melvinia Shields is a historical marker in Rex, Clayton County. It is one of 48 historical markers documented in Clayton County, among 75 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.

The site sits at 33.5931, -84.2669 near Rex. The nearest cataloged historic site is Rex Mill (historic place), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Old Stagecoach Road, Rocky Mount Baptist Church Cemetery, and The Rock Cemetery.

This record is drawn from Georgia historical-marker records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

📍 33.5931, -84.2669 · Rex, Clayton County

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Nearby in Clayton County

Rocky Mount Baptist Church Cemetery

March and Counter-march

Rex · 1956

Cemetery

Sylvester Baptist Cemetery

Ellenwood

Cemetery

Tanner's Baptist Cemetery