Posted on 09/08/2004 7:21:12 PM PDT by notforhire
George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry have similar backgrounds: New England families, prep school, Yale, Skull & Bones, etc. But going back even further, they get even more similar. In fact, they are related.
Bush and Kerry are 10th cousins, meaning they share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents, Henry Herrick and Edith Laskin of Salem, Mass. The Herricks, however, are not their only common ancestors. Bush and Kerry can be traced back to eight different sets of shared relatives, making them alternately 11th cousins once removed, ninth cousins twice removed or 14th cousins.
William Addams Reitwiesner, a genealogist and author who dug up the relations with help from Gary Boyd Roberts at the New England Historic-Genealogical Society (do all genealogists go by three names?), said that such connections are not uncommon for Bay State bluebloods. “Relationships such as these … are typical for any two random living persons with significant New England Colonial ancestry.
Other, more distant, relationships between these two are easy to trace.”
God I hate blue-blood genealogy. It's so un-american.
I just hate Kerry.
Reminds me of Cain and Abel!
Wonder if first cousins of the same sex can get "married" in Massachusetts?
I think it's Burke's Peerage in the UK who predict Kerry will win because the presidential candidate with the most blue blood wins (in their scenario).
Interesting how the Bush family are very close to the Queen and the Royal family, and are related to them by blood ties through Barbara Bush's side. There were even rumors at one time about Prince William and Lauren Bush becoming close. Now that would have been a good trans-atlantic alliance if it had worked out.
I am also related to George Bush through a common ancestor in the Mass. Bay Colony. So what? I think something like 1/3 of Americans can find a common ancestor with the Bush family. But since we are cousins, I will vote for W.
My husband just gagged.......he's related to President Bush many generations back and the thought of being, even possibly, related to that asswipe kerry just made him cringe........... poor guy
Only if they are running mates.
If it's true, this is beyond funny. "Calling all Comedians"!
If you go far enough back, we are all cousins and had the same grandfather. :')
If that's true....I don't President Bush will claim him as kin...just a thought....I WOULDN'T!
what about Ghengis Khan-- where does he fit in all of this?
Going back that far, the odds are very good that most families living in the U.S. since the 19th century are related.
Not me! My folks (both sides) arrived here from different parts of Europe in the late 1800's. So I aint responsible for slavery, neither!
Don't you mean "Jenghis" Kahn? ;)
Well, I don't know about your math (not questioning it, just don't know), but I'm related to both Bush and Kerry. Having a significant number of relatives from the beginning of this country (first relative landed in 1623), I'm related to several presidents, various politicians and such. I sure am impressed with myself. LOL
2 parents, 4 grand parents 8 ggp 16 gggp.....pretty soon, more grandparants then the number of humans that ever lived. How the heck does that work?
Well....there's always one BAD APPLE in the family.....LOL.
Ha yes Jenjis Khan .. related to Johngis Kerry?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.