ANCESTRY.COM Reveals Mitt Romney’s Presidential Genes: 2012 GOP Hopeful Is Related to Six Presidents

ancestry.com ^ | December 20, 2011 | ancestry.com

[Brown Deer]

Leading Family History Site also Links GOP Candidates Huntsman and Perry to Former Presidents and American Legends

PROVO, UTAH (December 20, 2011) - As Americans prepare to cast their votes in the 2012 Republican Presidential primaries and caucuses starting January 3 in Iowa, Ancestry.com today announced that several key Republican presidential contenders have historic political leaders in their genes – suggesting that the upcoming primaries are really one grand ol’ family party.

The world’s largest online family history resource has discovered that Mitt Romney leads the pack in presidential lineage with six former Commanders–in-Chief in his family history.  The former Massachusetts governor's family tree includes relations to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Coolidge, Pierce, Hoover and both President George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

• Romney is connected to Presidents George W. Bush (10^th cousins, twice removed), George H. W. Bush (10^th cousins, once removed) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (8^th cousins, twice removed) through Ann Marbury Hutchinson, a key figure in the development of religious freedom in America and early settler of Rhode Island and New York.
• Romney is related to Presidents Calvin Coolidge (10^th cousins), Herbert Hoover (10^th cousins) and Franklin Pierce (6^th cousins, 4 times removed) through Thomas Richardson, an English landowner in the late 1500s from Hertfordshire.

Not far behind in presidential pedigree is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, whose family tree boasts four former heads of state: Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Coolidge and both Presidents Bush.  

• Huntsman is related to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt (8^th cousins, 3 times removed), George H.W. Bush (11^th cousins) and George W. Bush (11^th cousins, once removed) through Ann Marbury Hutchinson. 
• Huntsman and President Calvin Coolidge are 7^th cousins, 3 times removed, through William Goddard, who brought his family toMassachusetts colony in 1665, escaping London’s plague and searching for better opportunities. Goddard appears to have had a slight political slant himself – serving in the town government of Watertown, Mass.

The buck stops with Texas Governor Rick Perry, who can claim President Harry Truman and legendary Texas Governor Sam Houston in his tree.

• Fifth cousins, 4 times removed, Perry and Truman are related through Thomas Shipp, who was born in Virginia in the early 1700s, the son and grandson of early Virginia settlers.
• Governor Perry's home state pride is in his blood as Ancestry.com discovered he is first cousins, six times removed, from Sam Houston, former President of the Republic of Texas, Texas Governor and State Senator. Perry and Houston are connected through John Paxton, a Revolutionary War patriot. Although Houston resigned as Governor rather than swear allegiance to the Confederacy, Governor Perry has many other ancestors who fought on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

“We find in these politicians’ family trees links to the foundations of the country – early settlers seeking freedom and opportunities, Revolutionary War patriots, and even American legends,” said Anastasia Harman, Lead Family Historian for Ancestry.com. “Time and again American politicians have family ties to our country’s founders and past leaders. It seems the traits that forged past leaders have been handed down through generations to our current and hopeful leaders.”  

[MestaMachine]

And I am related by blood to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I’ll take my heritage over his any damn day.

[Brown Deer]

LDS historian and author Todd Compton maintains a 'working' genealogy of Mitt Romney at this website.

A more complete genealogy of Mitt Romney was posted at my first post.

[Scoutmaster]

A more complete genealogy of Mitt Romney was posted at my first post.

Thank you, Brown Deer. The genealogy you posted is more complete in the sense that it goes back further, as a single-line, single-individual, date of birth and death (etc.) genealogy.

Some people are interested in other details to fill out a person's life. For example, I'm always interested when I find out that an ancestor was a coffin builder in the Indian Territory, or had fourteen children, or lost three wives between two censuses.

Compton's genealogy of Romney includes details such as where Romney's closest ancestors were born and whey they were there; the names and number of siblings; movement from the U.S. to Mexico and return to the U.S.; the importance of polygamy as a sacred and traditional part of life to the point that they would leave the U.S. to colonize Mexico (and return because of the Mexican Revolution).

Todd Compton is a practicing member of the LDS Church. He's a respected LDS professor, writer, and historian, whose books win awards. His positions are neo-faithful - you'll see that he expresses sympathy with LDS members who leave the U.S. because federal laws threaten to take property from LDS members for practicing polygamy.

The genealogy you posted is fascinating because of how far it goes back, but to me it's a skeleton. Those are assembled for the purpose of baptism for the dead. Most people are interested in fleshing some things out. What did my ancestors do? Where did they live? Did they move around? Did they serve in the military? How did they die? And so on.

[Brown Deer]

Those are assembled for the purpose of baptism for the dead.

I can assure you that was NOT "assembled for the purpose of baptism for the dead."

Compton's genealogy of Romney includes details such as where Romney's closest ancestors were born and whey they were there; the names and number of siblings...

as does this.

[Scoutmaster]

I can assure you that was NOT "assembled for the purpose of baptism for the dead."

You know, don't you, that RootsWeb.com, Genealogy.com, MyFamily.com, and Ancestry.com have an LDS connection, don't you? And that Joseph Smith said our most important work is baptizing our dead? And that the Mormons are really, really good at at baptizing (and a tad too zealous about it; just ask Jews from the Holocaust)? That a lot of people who shared genealogical information with distant relatives that happened to be LDS are now surprised . . . LDS baptisms.

[Brown Deer]

You know, don't you, that RootsWeb.com, Genealogy.com, MyFamily.com, and Ancestry.com have an LDS connection, don't you?

And that Joseph Smith said our most important work is baptizing our dead?

So what? What your original statement was, "The genealogy you posted is fascinating because of how far it goes back, but to me it's a skeleton. Those are assembled for the purpose of baptism for the dead."

and what you stated, is a flat out lie!

What did your leader tell you about lying before he was charged with murder, arson, theft, rebellion, and treason?

[Scoutmaster]

What did your leader tell you about lying before he was charged with murder, arson, theft, rebellion, and treason?

My use of "our" was tongue-in-cheek.