[Verginius Rufus]

George H. W. Bush is a distant relative of Franklin Pierce, as is Barbara Bush, whose maiden name was Pierce.

The New York Times, with its usual level of accuracy, was in the habit of saying that George W. Bush is a descendant of President Franklin Pierce. President Pierce had three children, all of whom died in childhood (the last of them in a train wreck shortly before Pierce entered the White House), so he has no living descendants.

[AnAmericanMother]

Yep, that was a very sad situation all the way around. Benjamin was killed before his parents' eyes. No wonder his mother retreated into religious fanaticism, and his father into drink.

And you can trust the NYT to get it wrong. If they said the sun rose in the east, I would look outside and check.