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.”  

[reaganaut]

That should have been errors in the transcription of microfilms.

When I work on geneology, I get the records directly from the county/town/ etc, never through Ancestry.com.

[bksanders]

Gee you guys do know that Noah was a Smith and Job a Jones…
Now if one of use guys say I'm a relation of Mitt, well we got a problem.

[ElkGroveDan]

I found errors even in the microfilms, not just submissions.

Yes, that is a risk in all research, but it's not the fault of the Mormons. If an old priest was hard of hearing and wrote down a parent's name wrong on a baptismal record then absolutely there is going to be an error on that microfilm. Additionally the census takers sometimes had bad handwriting or they wrote something in the wrong square. These are the same kind of errors that you are going to find in the Library of Congress or in person in county archives. It is also why a good historical researcher will seek out multiple records to corroborate research findings.

If the Mormons made a microfilm of an old church register in a tiny town 2500 miles away and I can read the pages of that register on a film reader 10 miles from where I live then they have done me a great service. As for Ancestry, their indexes of the census (and other) records is probably the most valuable service they provide. Of course there are errors (which Ancestry allows you to submit corrections for), but even if it were only 80% accurate it still gives clues and direction as to where to search next. Of course every US and Canadian census sheet that has been released is microfilmed so that after you find something in an index you go check it yourself.

It is true that the Mormon and Ancestry records are inaccurate for lazy people who want to find a name, download a file and insert it into their own genealogy program. But of course, none of that happened with these presidential genealogies. Moreover it's a disservice to imply to anyone looking to start genealogy research that the Mormon files and Ancestry.com are untrustworthy. Thanks to Ancestry.com I can now do in an afternoon what used to take me a year or more of mailing back and forth.

And yes, I too say that based on EXPERIENCE, lots and lots of EXPERIENCE.

[Hieronymus]

When it comes to foreign policy, I tend to like Paul’s conclusions more than his premises—but think that something approaching isolationism tends to be good. Spending lots of money to mess up the world seems a luxury that we can’t really afford, and doesn’t seem to be in line with our Constitution.

[Tennessee Nana]

Dont have any Van Kortricks

and I cant find the name written like that

Check FReepMail

[svcw]

Thanks, saw it very interesting.
There are some letters I can’t type.
It’s all interesting.

[Tennessee Nana]

it’s not the fault of the Mormons
_________________________________________

so whos fault is it then ?

Not all the people working on their records are old blind Mormon prtiests...

Some are women and theyre not blind...

Women are not allowed to be priests in the Mormon religion..

Most of their records arent on microfilm from originals...

Are there documents that attest to the marriage of the Mormon jesus to any of his wives ???

Really ??? that far back eh ???

No most of the records are from the lists of dead Christians who were dead dunked into Mormonism...

Lists just handed in for temple recommend Brownie points by Mormons...

Many of those dead dunked were never real people..

or they are the ancestors and families of people who were never asked permission before the dead dunking occurred...

Holocaust Jews, famous people like Obamas Mom, Anne Frank

and others like Hitler, Vlad, jesus, Father Damian,

What did the Mormon jesus need to be “saved” for ???

and several times ???

No “blind” Mormon priest made errors in my ancestors records...they never saw them...just the name on a list..

Ive got the original records but the Mormons refuse to change the errors they have..

They dead dunked my ancestors and now as far as they are concerned Im wrong and they are always right...

BTW its a lot cheaper to go to archives etc for copies and not to the Mormons who got their info fronm the same place

I would have had to pay twice as much going to the Mormons..

I sent for microfilms straight from archives and paid the standard rate

not the bumped up prices the Mormons skelp off people..

Most archives will do interlibrary loans.. even from Canada..

[ElkGroveDan]

Please save your rant for someone who cares. I'm not a Mormon and this discussion of how accurate their records are has NOTHING to do with their religious beliefs. Why don't you LEARN which records they copy, how they copy them, and what they do with these records before commenting and sounding like a fool?

I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT THE LINEAGES THAT WERE SUBMITTED TO THE MORMON CHURCH BY OTHER MORMONS.

Can you understand that? I am talking about the records from every state, county, city and town in America that they keep on file. In addition I am talking about out-of-print books on family histories, obscure old tax rolls, tiny little newspapers from small towns long forgotten, etc. etc.

When I said old deaf priest who didn't hear the parents say their names correctly, I meant Catholic priests, or Baptist ministers, or whatever. The Mormons have spent decades going to churches OF ALL DENOMINATIONS photographing and recording their registers. Then they make those records available to ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LOOK AT THEM. When I started genealogy I couldn't afford to fly from California to the remotest county in upstate New York to go look through old parish registers from the 1820s -- parish registers that are NOT available in any state, county or diocesan archives. But I could go to the Mormon library and discover that someone did in fact walk into that old church with a camera and photograph the entire book of births, marriages, and deaths. I was able to look up the number for the microfilms they made and order a copy (the kind of copy where I can see the original priest's handwriting.)

You seriously have no idea of what they do and how much information is available -- no strings attached -- on your ancestors -- way more than the census records and vital statistics you can get from state archives or a county library. You don't have to GIVE them any names or information about your family. It's all there for you to look at and copy down. The entire question here was about the accuracy of the records available through the LDS Church and Ancestry.com. Tomorrow morning when your hangover wears off, read through this before you pick up the bottle again and it will make sense.

[Tennessee Nana]

The Mormons have spent decades going to churches OF ALL DENOMINATIONS photographing and recording their registers.
_____________________________________________

Why ???

[Tennessee Nana]

Then they make those records available to ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LOOK AT THEM.
_____________________________________

For a steep price...

Its big business for the Mormons...

[Tennessee Nana]

No

its you who has been drinking the Kool Ade

[SevenofNine]

I hear Ronnie related to one of ancient Irish king also Mary Queen of Scots through his mom side

Also related to first John Churchill no wonder Ronnie was bad****

[SevenofNine]

I hear Ronnie related to one of ancient Irish king also Mary Queen of Scots through his mom side

Also related to first John Churchill no wonder Ronnie was bad****

[SevenofNine]

You know what UK Daily Mail dig up dirt on Mitt Romeny Mexican relatives one of them still living in Mexico

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2083470/Mitt-Romneys-family-lives-Mexico-wife-Anns-roots-lie-Wales.html

[Scoutmaster]

You know what UK Daily Mail dig up dirt on Mitt Romeny Mexican relatives one of them still living in Mexico

Thanks for the oink. Miles Park Romney had thirty-one kids. Helaman Pratt had twenty (all of these figures as according to LDS Historian Todd Compton). That's a lot of relatives in Mexico. I doubt all of them fled bad to the U.S during the Mexican Revolution.

Mitt couldn't control that. His liberal views? He could control those.

[Scoutmaster]

Who was Mitt Ronmey's biological father?

Mitt Romney's parents were George Wilcken Romney and Lenore LaFount. George W. Romney was born in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, Chihuahua, Mexico, on July 8, 1907, to Gaskell Romney and Anna Amelia Pratt.

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

[SevenofNine]

They actually dig up Mitt perhaps relative in Mexico gee how did the UK Paper get hold of that dude

Pay him LOL!

[pyx]

George W. Romney was born in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, Chihuahua, Mexico, on July 8, 1907.

OK. Thanks. So the two questions still unanswered are;

1.) Did George W. Romney ever become an American citizen.

2.) More importantly, was George W. Romney an American citizen at the time Mitt Romney was born ?

If the answer to question #2 is a "NO", then Mitt Romney is NOT a natural born Citizen and is NOT eligible to become President of the United States according to the Constitution.

[Scoutmaster]

I haven't done any research on those questions - Gaskell Romney (George's father) was born in Utah; I haven't poured through Compton's writing to check on Anna Amelia Pratt's birthplace, but Gaskell married her in Mexico. I've never seen anything to suggest that Gaskell renounced his U.S. citizenship when his father moved to Mexico because of Edmunds Act and the Edmunds-Tucker Act and other U.S. actions regarding polygamy (although polygamy was illegal in Mexico, too).

It's not anything I plan to pursue. Give it a shot, if you are interested.

[justiceseeker93]

"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 Harmon, Lead Family Historian for Ancestry.com. "Time and again, American politicians have family ties to our country's founders and past leaders. It seems that the traits that forged past leaders have been handed down through generations to our current and hopeful leaders."

All this genealogy research might excite those that specialize in the subject, but I don't buy the business of hereditary traits passed down through hundreds of years playing a role in today's political battles. One who is descended from a Founding Father of the US doesn't necessarily have the same values as his (or her) ancestors, and isn't necessarily more capable in passing on these values to future generations as someone else whose ancestors may have arrived in the US later.

In fact, genealogy was a subject our Founding Fathers probably had relatively little interest in, because the Constitution specifically banned hereditary titles of royalty in the new republic.

About the only place it really matters is in the Natural Born Citizen requirement for President and Vice President. But even there, the inquiry only goes back one generation to the candidate's parents.