Edward Seaga
Birth Name: Edward Philip George Seaga
Date of Birth: May 28, 1930
Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Date of Death: May 28, 2019
Place of Death: Miami, Florida, U.S.
Ethnicity:
*father – Lebanese
*mother – Scottish, African-Jamaican, possibly Indian
Edward Seaga was a Jamaican politician. He served as Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1 November, 1980 to 10 February, 1989. He was also Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, from November 1974 to 21 January, 2005, and Leader of the Opposition, from 1974 to 1 November 1980, and again from 10 February, 1989 to 21 January, 2005.
Edward was born in Boston, U.S., to Jamaican parents, Erna Aletta (Maxwell) and Philip George Seaga. His father was the son of Lebanese immigrants. His mother was of African-Jamaican and Scottish ancestry.
Edward’s mother is also said to have had Indian ancestry. His great-grandfather, John Foster Campbell, was born in India, though it is not clear if he had Indian ancestry.
Edward was married to Marie Elizabeth “Mitsy” Constantine, until her death, and then to Carla Frances Vendryes, until his death. Mitsy was Miss Jamaica 1965. He had two children with Mitsy, and a daughter with Marie.
Edward’s great-nephew is Filipino actor Derrick Monasterio, who is his sister’s biological grandson.
In a quote used on page 89 of the book Michael Manley and Jamaican Democracy, 1972–1980: The Word is Love (2014), by F. S. J. Ledgister, Edward stated, “My ancestry connects to Lebanon, Scotland, India, and Africa.”
Edward’s paternal grandfather was named George Habib/Habid Seaga (the son of Habib Seaga). George was born in Beirut, Lebanon.
Edward’s paternal grandmother was named Katie David Hannah/Hanna/Henna/Nunes (the daughter of Davod/David Hanna/Nunes). Katie was Lebanese. Her family likely changed their name to Nunes in Jamaica.
Edward’s maternal grandfather was named George Henry “Harry” Maxwell (the son of George Maxwell).
Edward’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Campbell (the daughter of John Foster Campbell and Elizabeth Isabella Heron). Edward’s grandmother Elizabeth was born in Jamaica. John was born in India, the son of Samuel Campbell. Edward’s great-grandmother Elizabeth was the daughter of David Heron, whose father was Scottish, and of Jane Mitchell.
Sources: Birth record of Edward’s father – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Edward’s paternal grandparents, George Henry Maxwell and Elizabeth Campbell – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Edward Seaga (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com
His father is not named Faried George “Philip” Seaga. He is Philip George Seaga, as every document and source state. Faried was his brother. This is almost certainly Edwards father Philip:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XN9T-Q3R
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK8J-B5Y4
His grandparents’ marriage record:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KP1V-3FG
Edward’s paternal grandfather was George Habib Seaga (the son of Habib Seaga). George was born in Beirut, Lebanon.
Edward’s paternal grandmother was Katie Hannah David Nunes (the daughter of David Nunes). Katie was born in Lebanon.
These records shows George’s and Katie’s birth places:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24VG-N9K
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:242Z-98P
I originally wrote Syrian because Edward’s father lists his race as Syrian everywhere, but now when there is a record of his birth place, it can be changed to Lebanese instead.
I’m not convinced that Katie was born in Lebanon/Syria. The name Nunes isn’t common there, not even, I think, among the Jewish population. More likely the ship manifest just carried over her husband’s birthplace.
Lebanon and Syria alternate freely on old records, probably since they were “only” established as their modern-day countries about six months apart in 1920.
It also surprised me to see her birth place as Lebanon. As you say, the surname Nunes make it sound like she more likely was born in Jamaica. But in that case, what’s the source that she was Jewish?
I just copied all the information from the page of his great-nephew Derrick Monasterio. Although I’m sure just about every (white?) family names Nunes in Jamaica has Jewish ancestry.
I figured. But can we even be sure she was white? It’s possible, but it seems like there’s many assumptions for her.
And what does it mean that her birth place is Syria on multiple ships? Not just one.
https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?q.givenName=Katie&q.surname=Seaga&m.defaultFacets=on&m.queryRequireDefault=on&m.facetNestCollectionInCategory=on&count=100&offset=0
Katie was born in 1876 or 1877. I can’t find a perfect match among birth records, the closest I’ve come is this woman who was born in 1874:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VH6C-HK6
Maybe Nunes was just a Jamaica-ticized typo or namechange, and Hanna was a surname.
Sure, Hannah being a surname would fall in line with a Lebanese background. But then why is her father named David Nunes?
He is named David Nunes because he was most likely Jewish. A name like that in Jamaica in a upper class environment screams so. Seaga himself looked like an Israeli statesman.
His maternal grandfather appears to be Scottish as well: https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.maxwell/3448
African-Jamaican? Seriously?
That is ridiculous.
You’ll probably be saying the same about some other Jamaican prime ministers that will pop up her a few at a time soon. It’s very difficuly to, just from genealogy, tell how black a Jamaican is, but Edward Seaga is said to have African ancestry from his mother. I’m doubtful about the Indian but the African I can definitely believe (and I don’t go by his looks).
Yes, African-Jamaican. Because as you well know “Jamaican” is neither an ethnicity nor a race. All kinds of people have lived and mixed in Jamaica if even it’s overwhelmingly sub-Saharan African in the main. I’m sorry you have a problem with that.
He may have some distant Afro-Jamaican ancestry, or most likely he claimed that to milk more votes.
Hardly a relevant part of his mother’s side background, unless you guys are so naive to believe it.
He wrote in his book : “My ancestry connects to Lebanon, Scotland, India, and Africa.”
But you’re right, he could’ve been wrong (or lied) and actually just be white. Then again, he could very well have been part black, he was Jamaican after all so it’s not like it’s unlikely. I just don’t understand why you so badly don’t want any white person to have black ancestry. I know you think you can spot it by looking at pictures, but evidently you’ve been wrong before, for example about Jeremy Renner.
That quote further makes me think that the name Nunes wasn’t really part of his family tree.
I looked at the actual image for that marriage record where her surname is Nunes, and the witnesses names are Rachel Hanna and Jamelie Hanna. Jamelie was married to Emiel Rasheed Hanna. On Rachel’s marriage record she married Kalil Saud Koury and was the daughter of a Davod Hanna, and George Seaga was a witness.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KP1V-WTX
I guess Rachel and Jamelie are Katie’s sister and sister-in-law, respectively.
@madman
“I just don’t understand why you so badly don’t want any white person to have black ancestry”
No, not at all! For example I would add the documented (remote) non-European ancestry of Charlize Theron, Roger Federer and Hugh Grant, which it’s not listed, contrarily to some other profiles of Afrikaner people (who are all genetically similar).
About Seaga, it’s just common sense. If you and Follers really think he had sizeable Afro-Jamaican ancestry, I can’t help you.
No, you’re getting this wrong. Common sense would be to know that you can’t always tell how much black someone is by looking at them. You think you can do that, I don’t. And it was you who brought up amount, not me. All I said was that what we know now is that he claims partial African ancestry, not how much that would be. You first said it was ridiculous altogether, then you said that it’s possible he has a small amount, which no one has argued against.
Ok. Imagine that someone who does not know who is Seaga (as me) comes to this site and reads:
*father – Lebanese
*mother – Scottish, African-Jamaican, possibly Indian
Than he googles him and finds:
https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/http%3A%2F%2Fcom.ft.imagepublish.upp-prod-us.s3.amazonaws.com%2F15db7fa0-887b-11e9-b861-54ee436f9768?fit=scale-down&source=next&width=700
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8f606129e0112987575b18106c537096fc6a9617/0_183_5099_3059/master/5099.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=599f6698dba631238f84449dfd7777b4
What can this person think about this site and its reliability/authoritativeness?? (who also let other “pearls” of similar subject around for long time).
And if you think that you can’t (always) tell how much black someone is (but it’s also valid for Indian and anything that it’s not European, and vice-versa) by looking at them, it’s just because you are ingenuous. Or stupid. Or mad(man).
Mind there are people in this site who are 25% Black African and look like this:
https://ethnicelebs.com/joakim-noah
https://ethnicelebs.com/tina-kunakey
So the amount of black ancestry makes a huge difference in the phenotype of a person (think about North Africans), but I’ve understood that you are clueless under this point of view.