Ancestral background of presidents of the United States
The ancestral background of presidents of the United States has been relatively consistent throughout American history. With the exception of Martin Van Buren and perhaps Dwight D. Eisenhower ,[1] every president has ancestors from the British Isles , which in turn makes many of them distantly related to one another. John F. Kennedy was of pure Irish descent, Van Buren was of Dutch lineage; and Eisenhower was of German and Swiss heritage. Barack Obama is the only president to have ancestry from outside Western Europe ; his paternal family is of East Africa ancestry. He is also believed to be a direct descendant of John Punch , a colonial-era slave born in modern-day Cameroon . Despite speculation, there is no evidence that any of the United States’ presidents have had any Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common ethnic groups in the Thirteen Colonies were those hailing from either Great Britain or Ulster which includes 9 counties of Ireland, 6 of which are in modern day Northern Ireland . Those of other backgrounds (such as Irish, Dutch, German, or French ) would see attempts to assimilate them into the dominant English and predominately Protestant culture .[2]
Some nativist political groups within the United States were adamantly opposed to identifying with a foreign nation and would coin those who did as hyphenated Americans . Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were outspoken opponents of hyphenated Americans, with Wilson once remarking, "Any man who carries a hyphen about with him, carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic when he gets ready."[3]
Ancestry table
Summary: Dutch – 5 • English – 38 • French – 12 • German – 11 • Irish – 5 • Kenyan (Luo) – 1 • Scottish – 18 • Swiss – 3 • Ulster Scots – 20 • Welsh – 15
President and parents
Patrilineal emigrant ancestor
Citations
1
George Washington (1732–1799)
Augustine Washington
Mary Ball
Yes
Yes
John Washington (great-grandfather)Sulgrave , England → Colony of Virginia (1656)
[4] [5]
2
John Adams (1735–1826)
John Adams Sr.
Susanna Boylston
Yes
Yes
Henry Adams (2nd great-grandfather)Braintree , England → Braintree , Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1633)
[6] [7]
3
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
Peter Jefferson
Jane Randolph
Yes
Yes
Yes
Samuel Jefferson
[7] [8] [9]
4
James Madison (1751–1836)
James Madison Sr.
Eleanor Rose "Nelly" Conway
Yes
Yes
Isaac Madison (3rd great-grandfather)London , England → Jamestown , Colony of Virginia (1608)
[8] [10] [11]
5
James Monroe (1758–1831)
Spence Monroe
Elizabeth Jones
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Patrick Andrew Monroe (2nd great-grandfather)Scotland → Colony of Virginia (c.1650)
[6] [7] [8] [12]
6
John Quincy Adams (1767–1848)
John Adams
Abigail Smith
Yes
Yes
Henry Adams (3rd great-grandfather)Braintree , England → Braintree , Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1633)
[6] [7]
7
Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)
Andrew Jackson Sr.
Elizabeth Hutchinson
Yes
Yes
Yes
Andrew Jackson Sr. (father)Boneybefore , Ireland → Waxhaws , Carolinas (1765)
[9] [13] [14] [15]
8
Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)
Abraham Van Buren
Maria Hoes
Yes
Cornelis Maessen van Buren (3rd great-grandfather)Buurmalsen , Netherlands → New Netherland (1631)
[16] [17]
9
William Henry Harrison (1773–1841)
Benjamin Harrison V
Elizabeth Bassett
Yes
Yes
Yes
Benjamin Harrison (3rd great-grandfather)England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630)
[6] [7] [18]
10
John Tyler (1790–1862)
John Tyler Sr.
Mary Marot Armisted
Yes
Yes
Henry Tyler (3rd great-grandfather)Shropshire , England → Colony of Virginia (c.1652)
[5] [6]
11
James K. Polk (1795–1849)
Samuel Polk
Jane Knox
Yes
Yes
Robert Bruce Polk (great-grandfather)Lifford , Ireland → Province of Maryland (c.1680)
[9] [13]
12
Zachary Taylor (1784–1850)
Richard Taylor
Sarah Dabney Strother
Yes
James Taylor (2nd great-grandfather)England → Colony of Virginia
[19]
13
Millard Fillmore (1800–1874)
Nathaniel Fillmore
Phoebe Millard
Yes
John Fillmore Sr (2nd great-grandfather)England → Massachusetts Bay Colony
[19]
14
Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)
Benjamin Pierce
Anna Kendrick
Yes
Thomas Pierce (3rd great-grandfather)Norwich , England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1634)
[19]
15
James Buchanan (1791–1868)
James Buchanan Sr.
Elizabeth Speer
Yes
James Buchanan Sr. (father)Ramelton , Ireland → Pennsylvania (1783)
[13]
16
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
Thomas Lincoln
Nancy Hanks
Yes
Yes
Yes
Samuel Lincoln (4th great-grandfather)Hingham , England → Hingham , Massachusetts Bay Colony (1638)
[6] [7] [13]
17
Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)
Jacob Johnson
Mary McDonough
Yes
Yes
Yes
Unknown
[18] [19]
18
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885)
Jesse Root Grant
Hannah Simpson
Yes
Yes
Yes
Matthew Grant (5th great-grandfather)England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)
[6] [13] [19]
19
Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893)
Rutherford Hayes Jr.
Sophia Birchard
Yes
Yes
George Hayes (3rd great-grandfather)Scotland → Windsor , Connecticut Colony (c.1680)
[20]
20
James A. Garfield (1831–1881)
Abram Garfield
Eliza Ballou
Yes
Yes
Yes
Edward Garfield (5th great-grandfather)Hillmorton , England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)
[5] [7] [19]
21
Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886)
William Arthur
Malvina Stone
Yes
Yes
Yes
William Arthur (father)Cullybackey , Ireland → Lower Canada (c.1820) Lower Canada → Vermont (c.1822)
[8] [18]
22/24
Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)
Richard Falley Cleveland
Ann Neal
Yes
Yes
Yes
Moses Cleveland (5th great-grandfather)Ipswich , England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1635)
[8] [13]
23
Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
John Scott Harrison
Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin
Yes
Yes
Yes
Benjamin Harrison (5th great-grandfather)England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630)
[6] [10] [13]
25
William McKinley (1843–1901)
William McKinley Sr.
Nancy Campbell Allison
Yes
Yes
Yes
John McKinley (2nd great-grandfather)Dervock , Ireland → Province of Pennsylvania (1742)
[6] [9] [13]
26
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
Theodore Roosevelt Sr.
Martha Bulloch
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (5th great-grandfather)Netherlands → New Amsterdam , New Netherland (c.1649)
[5] [7] [8] [17]
27
William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
Alphonso Taft
Louise Maria Torrey
Yes
Robert Taft Sr. (4th great-grandfather)County Louth , Ireland → Braintree , Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1675)
[19]
28
Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
Joseph Ruggles Wilson
Janet E. "Jessie" Woodrow
Yes
Yes
James Wilson (grandfather)Ulster , Ireland → Philadelphia , Pennsylvania (c.1795)
[9] [18]
29
Warren G. Harding (1865–1923)
George Tryon Harding
Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson
Yes
Yes
Yes
Richard Harding (8th great grandfather) Northampton , England → Braintree , Massachusetts Bay Colony (1623)
[8]
30
Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)
John Calvin Coolidge Sr.
Victoria Josephine Moor
Yes
Yes
John Coolidge (7th great-grandfather)Cottenham , England → Watertown , Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1635)
[6] [10]
31
Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
Jesse Clark Hoover
Hulda Randall Minthorn
Yes
Yes
Yes
Andreas Huber (3rd great-grandfather)Ellerstadt , Holy Roman Empire → Province of Pennsylvania (1738)
[21] [22]
32
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
James Roosevelt I
Sara Ann Delano
Yes
Yes
Yes
Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (5th great-grandfather)Netherlands → New Amsterdam , New Netherland (c.1649)
33
Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)
John Anderson Truman
Martha Ellen Young
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Unknown
[13] [23]
34
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969)
David Jacob Eisenhower
Ida Elizabeth Stover
Yes
Yes
Johann Peter Eisenhauer (2nd great-grandfather)Karlsbrunn , Holy Roman Empire → York , Province of Pennsylvania (1741)
[22] [24] [25]
35
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)
Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr.
Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald
Yes
Patrick Kennedy (great-grandfather)New Ross , Ireland → Boston , Massachusetts (c.1848)
[18] [26]
36
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)
Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr.
Rebekah Baines
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Unknown
[27]
37
Richard Nixon (1913–1994)
Francis Anthony Nixon
Hannah Elizabeth Milhous
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Unknown
[7] [18] [28]
38
Gerald Ford (1913–2006)
Leslie Lynch King Sr.
Dorothy Ayer Gardner
Yes
Yes
Philip King Devonshire , England → Philadelphia , Province of Pennsylvania (1730)
[29]
39
Jimmy Carter (born 1924)
James Earl Carter Sr.
Bessie Lillian Gordy
Yes
Yes
Thomas Carter (8th great-grandfather)England → Colony of Virginia (c.1635)
[8] [13]
40
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)
John Edward Reagan
Nelle Clyde Wilson
Yes
Yes
Yes
Michael O'Regan (great-grandfather)County Tipperary , Ireland → London , England (1852) London, England → Carroll County , Illinois (1856)
[30] [31]
41
George H. W. Bush (1924–2018)
Prescott Sheldon Bush
Dorothy Wear Walker
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
[8] [13] [32] [33]
[8] [13] [32] [33]
42
Bill Clinton (born 1946)
William Jefferson Blythe Jr.
Virginia Dell Cassidy
Yes
Yes
Yes
Unknown
[8] [13]
43
George W. Bush (born 1946)
George Herbert Walker Bush
Barbara Pierce
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
[8] [13] [32] [33]
[8] [13] [32] [33]
44
Barack Obama (born 1961)
Barack Hussein Obama Sr.
Stanley Ann Dunham
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Barack Obama Sr. (father)Nyang'oma Kogelo , Kenya Colony → Honolulu , Hawaii (1959)[34] [35]
45
Donald Trump (born 1946)
Frederick Christ Trump Sr.
Mary Anne MacLeod
Yes
Yes
Friedrich Trump (grandfather)Kallstadt , Germany → New York City , New York (1885)
[9] [36]
46
Joe Biden (born 1942)
Joseph Robinette Biden Sr.
Catherine Eugenia Finnegan
Yes
Yes
Yes
William Biden (3rd great-grandfather)Westbourne , England → Baltimore , Maryland (c.1820)
[37]
See also
References
^ Roberts, Gary (1995). Ancestors of American Presidents . New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 8. ISBN 0-936124-19-9 . Retrieved 4 April 2021 .
^ B. Moniz, Amanada (September 7, 2018). "Culture in the colonial classroom: A failed attempt at assimilation" . National Museum of American History . Retrieved July 18, 2020 .
^ Siegel, Robert; Silverman, Art (April 7, 2017). "During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture" . NPR . Retrieved July 18, 2018 .
^ Hardy, Rob. "Ancestry" . The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington . Mount Vernon, Virginia : Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
^ a b c d Taylor, Maureen A. (June 2001). "The French Connection" . Family Tree Magazine . Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j Fischer, David Hackett (1989). Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America . New York City : Oxford University Press. pp. 834–839. ISBN 978-0-19-506905-1 . Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f g h i Williamson, David (October 27, 2017). "The American Presidents with family links to Wales" . walesonline.co.uk . Cardiff , Wales, UK: Media Wales. Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cullen, Niall (February 21, 2020). "A whistlestop tour of every US president's ancestry" . findmypast.com . Dundee , Scotland, UK: DC Thomson. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f "Your Queries: From Scotland to the White House… Six presidents with Scottish ancestry" . sundaypost.com . Glasgow , Scotland, UK: DC Thomson & Co. September 11, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ a b c "The Welsh in America" . nawf.wales . Penarth , Wales, UK: North America Wales Foundation. 2016. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography . Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 92.
^ Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: the quest for national identity . Internet Archive. New York, McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-001582-1 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kennedy, Billy. "Ulster-Scots and the United States Presidents" (PDF) . Belfast , Northern Ireland, UK: The Ulster-Scots Agency. Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
^ Elmer, Martin Jackson (1885). Keeping the Lamp of Remembrance Lighted: A Genealogical Narrative with Pictures and Charts about the Jacksons and Their Allied Families . Hagerstown, Maryland : Hagerstown Bookbinding & Printing Co. p. 9.
^ "US Presidents with Irish Heritage" .
^ Silbey, Joel (October 4, 2016). "Martin Van Buren: Life Before the Presidency" . Charlottesville, Virginia : Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved September 23, 2020 .
^ a b Simkin, John (January 2020). "Dutch Immigration" . spartacus-educational.com . Spartacus Educational Publishers. Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f Murphy, Sean. "American Presidents with Irish Ancestors" . Bray , Ireland: Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies. Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f g Vinmont, Rolf Benjamin, ed. (1933). Our Presidents At A Glance . New York City: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 77.
^ "Hayes Family Genealogy" . rbhayes.org . Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio : Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
^ Burner, David (1979). Herbert Hoover: The Public Life . New York City: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-394-46134-2 .
^ a b Yang, Philip Q. (2000). Ethnic Studies: Issues and Approaches . Albany, New York : SUNY Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-7914-9311-3 . Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ Johnson, Niel; Johnson, Verna Gail (1999). "Rooted In History: The Genealogy of Harry S. Truman" . trumanlibrary.gov . Independence, Missouri : Harry S. Truman Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
^ Barnett, Lincoln (November 9, 1942). "General "Ike" Eisenhower" . Life . Vol. 13, no. 19. New York City: Time Inc. pp. 112–124. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^ "Eisenhower Ancestry" . eisenhowerlibrary.gov . Abilene, Kansas : Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^ "John F. Kennedy and Ireland" . jfklibrary.org . Boston : John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2020 .
^ Wheeler, Keith; Lambert, William (August 14, 1964). "The Man Who Is President" . Life . Vol. 57, no. 7. New York City: Time Inc. pp. 25–29, 77–80. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^ Klein, Christopher (August 30, 2018). "10 Things You May Not Know About Richard Nixon" . history.com . New York City: A&E Television Networks. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ "Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information" . fordlibrarymuseum.gov . Ann Arbor, Michigan : Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ Gormley, Myra V. (February 17, 1986). "Digging Up a Potential Presidential Pedigree: 5 Chief Executives Identified as Most Likely Candidates" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ Golway, Terry (2008). Ronald Reagan's America: His Voice, His Dreams, and His Vision of Tomorrow . Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks MediaFusion. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4022-1258-1 .
^ a b c d Dowd, Maureen (July 18, 1989). "Dutch, Digging Deep, Find Bush's Pilgrim Roots" . The New York Times . Retrieved June 4, 2021 .
^ a b c d "Ancestry of George W. Bush" . Wargs.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010 .
^ Plante, Bill (July 30, 2012). "Surprising link found in Obama's family tree" . cbsnews.com . Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ Kenneally, Christine (2014). The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures . Melbourne , Victoria: Schwartz. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-670-02555-8 .
^ Schubert, Atika (February 16, 2016). "Donald Trump's German roots: Inside the town that spawned a dynasty" . cnn.com . Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ Witcover, Jules (2010). Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption . New York City: William Morrow. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-06-179198-7 .
Further reading
External links
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