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Ancestral background of presidents of the United States

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The ancestral background of presidents of the United States has been relatively consistent throughout American history. The most common ancestry of U.S. presidents is English, due to its origins as a group of former English colonies. With the exception of Martin Van Buren and possibly Dwight D. Eisenhower,[1] every president has ancestors from the British Isles; Van Buren was of Dutch (New Netherlander) lineage and Eisenhower was of German (Pennsylvania Dutch) and Swiss heritage. John F. Kennedy and Donald J. Trump are the only known presidents who did not have ancestors who arrived during the colonial period. Barack Obama is thus far the only president to have ancestry from outside of Europe; his paternal family is of Kenyan Luo ancestry. He is also believed to be a direct descendant of John Punch, a colonial-era slave born in modern-day Cameroon.[2] There is no evidence that any president has had Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common ethnic groups in the Thirteen Colonies were those from either Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) or Ulster (north Ireland). Those of Irish, Dutch, German, or French backgrounds would see attempts to assimilate them into the dominant English and predominately Protestant culture.[3] A majority of presidents trace their ancestries to the American colonists, in which they are known as Old Stock Americans.

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."[4]

Ancestry table

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Summary:

No.
 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) 		[5][6]
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) 		[7][8]
3 Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

Peter Jefferson

Jane Randolph

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Samuel Jefferson [8][9][10]
4 James Madison (1751–1836)

James Madison Sr.

Eleanor Madison

Yes
 Yes
 Isaac Madison (3rd great-grandfather)
London, England → Jamestown, Colony of Virginia (1608) 		[9][11][12]
5 James Monroe (1758–1831)

Spence Monroe

Elizabeth Jones

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Andrew Monroe (2nd great-grandfather)
Scotland → Colony of Virginia (c.1650) 		[7][8][9][13]
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) 		[7][8]
7 Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)

Andrew Jackson Sr.

Elizabeth Hutchinson

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Andrew Jackson Sr. (father)
Boneybefore, Ireland → Waxhaws, Carolinas (1765) 		[7][8][9][13]
8 Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)

Abraham Van Buren

Maria Hoes

Yes
 Cornelis Maessen van Buren (3rd great-grandfather)
Buurmalsen, Netherlands → New Netherland (1631) 		[14][15]
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) 		[7][8][16]
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) 		[6][7]
11 James K. Polk (1795–1849)

Samuel Polk

Jane Knox

Yes
 Yes
 Robert Bruce Polk (great-grandfather)
Lifford, Ireland → Province of Maryland (c.1680) 		[10][17]
12 Zachary Taylor (1784–1850)

Richard Taylor

Sarah Dabney Strother

Yes
 James Taylor (2nd great-grandfather)
England → Colony of Virginia 		[18]
13 Millard Fillmore (1800–1874)

Nathaniel Fillmore

Phoebe Millard

Yes
 John Fillmore Sr (2nd great-grandfather)
England → Massachusetts Bay Colony 		[18]
14 Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)

Benjamin Pierce

Anna Kendrick

Yes
 Yes
 Thomas Pierce (3rd great-grandfather)
Norwich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1634) 		[18]
15 James Buchanan (1791–1868)

James Buchanan Sr.

Elizabeth Speer

Yes
 Yes
 James Buchanan Sr. (father)
Ramelton, Ireland → Pennsylvania (1783) 		[17]
16 Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)

Thomas Lincoln

Nancy Hanks

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Samuel Lincoln (4th great-grandfather)
Hingham, England → Hingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony (1638) 		[7][8][17]
17 Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)

Jacob Johnson

Mary McDonough

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Edward Johnston (2nd great-grandfather)
Aberdeen, Scotland → New Kent, Colony of Virginia (1664) 		[19] [16][18]
18 Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885)

Jesse Root Grant

Hannah Simpson

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Matthew Grant (5th great-grandfather)
England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630) 		[7][17][18]
19 Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893)

Rutherford Hayes Jr.

Sophia Birchard

Yes
 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) 		[6][8][18]
21 Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886)

William Arthur

Malvina Stone

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 William Arthur (father)
Cullybackey, Ireland → Lower Canada (c.1820)
   Lower Canada → Vermont (c.1822) 		[9][16]
22/24 Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)

Richard Falley Cleveland

Ann Neal

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Moses Cleveland (5th great-grandfather)
Ipswich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1635) 		[9][17]
23 Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)

John Scott Harrison

Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Benjamin Harrison (5th great-grandfather)
England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630) 		[7][11][17]
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) 		[7][10][17]
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) 		[6][8][9][15]
27 William Howard Taft (1857–1930)

Alphonso Taft

Louise Maria Torrey

Yes
 Yes
 Robert Taft Sr. (4th great-grandfather)
County Louth, Ireland → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1675) 		[18]
28 Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)

Joseph Ruggles Wilson

Janet E. "Jessie" Woodrow

Yes
 Yes
 James Wilson (grandfather)
Ulster, Ireland → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (c.1795) 		[10][16]
29 Warren G. Harding (1865–1923)

George Tryon Harding

Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Richard Harding (8th great grandfather) Northampton, England → Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony (1623) [9]
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) 		[7][11]
31 Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)

Jesse Clark Hoover

Hulda Randall Minthorn

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Andreas Huber (3rd great-grandfather)
Ellerstadt, Holy Roman Empire → Province of Pennsylvania (1738) 		[21][22]

[23]

32 Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)

James Roosevelt I

Sara Ann Delano

Yes
 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 [17][24]
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][25][26]
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) 		[16][27]
36 Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)

Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr.

Rebekah Baines

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown [28]
37 Richard Nixon (1913–1994)

Francis Anthony Nixon

Hannah Elizabeth Milhous

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown [8][16]
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
 Yes
 Thomas Carter (8th great-grandfather)
England → Colony of Virginia (c.1635) 		[9][17]
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
 Yes
 Yes
 John Bush (7th great-grandfather)

Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1640)

[9][17][32][33]

[34][35]

42 Bill Clinton (born 1946)

William Jefferson Blythe Jr.

Virginia Dell Cassidy

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown [9][17]
43 George W. Bush (born 1946)

George Herbert Walker Bush

Barbara Pierce

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 John Bush (8th great-grandfather)

Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1640)

[9][17][32][33]

[34][35]

44 Barack Obama (born 1961)

Barack Hussein Obama Sr.

Stanley Ann Dunham

Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Barack Obama Sr. (father)
Nyang'oma Kogelo, Kenya Colony → Honolulu, Hawaii (1959) 		[2][36]

[37] [38]

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) 		[10][39]
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) 		[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Roberts, Gary (1995). Ancestors of American Presidents. New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 8. ISBN 0-936124-19-9. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Plante, Bill (July 30, 2012). "Surprising link found in Obama's family tree". cbsnews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Siegel, Robert; Silverman, Art (April 7, 2017). "During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture". NPR. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  5. ^ Hardy, Rob. "Ancestry". The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. Mount Vernon, Virginia: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Taylor, Maureen A. (June 2001). "The French Connection". Family Tree Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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.
  10. ^ a b c d e "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 92.
  13. ^ a b Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: the quest for national identity. Internet Archive. New York, McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-001582-1.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ a b Simkin, John (January 2020). "Dutch Immigration". spartacus-educational.com. Spartacus Educational Publishers. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kennedy, Billy. "Ulster-Scots and the United States Presidents" (PDF). Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: The Ulster-Scots Agency. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g Vinmont, Rolf Benjamin, ed. (1933). Our Presidents At A Glance. New York City: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 77.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference familysearch.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Hayes Family Genealogy". rbhayes.org. Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  21. ^ Burner, David (1979). Herbert Hoover: The Public Life. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-394-46134-2.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Whyte, Kenneth (2017). Hoover: an extraordinary life in extraordinary times (First ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-59796-0.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Eisenhower Ancestry". eisenhowerlibrary.gov. Abilene, Kansas: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  27. ^ "John F. Kennedy and Ireland". jfklibrary.org. Boston: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information". fordlibrarymuseum.gov. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ a b Dowd, Maureen (July 18, 1989). "Dutch, Digging Deep, Find Bush's Pilgrim Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Ancestry of George W. Bush". Wargs.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  34. ^ a b "George W Bush har svenska rötter". SVT. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  35. ^ a b http://www.wargs.com/political/bush.html
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ Stead Sellers, Frances; Blake, Aaron. "Our first black president plays up his Scots-Irish heritage — and it has everything to do with Trump". Washington Post. No. July 28, 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Obama receives Scots invitations". BBC News UK.
  39. ^ Schubert, Atika (February 16, 2016). "Donald Trump's German roots: Inside the town that spawned a dynasty". cnn.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  40. ^ 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

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