Genealogical relationships of Presidents of the United States

Many genealogical relationships may be found among Presidents of the United States and between the presidents and other significant figures of history.
Direct descent
The United States Presidents who are related to each other by direct descent are:
*John Adams and John Quincy Adams (father and son)
*William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison (grandfather and grandson)
*George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush (father and son)
Indirect relatives
This is a list of some of the closer blood relations, other than direct descent, between U.S. Presidents. (See Cousin chart to understand the terms used here.)
Second cousins
*James Madison and Zachary Taylor
*James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor
*James Madison and James K. Polk (once removed)
*Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy (six times removed)
*George W. Bush and Franklin Pierce (six times removed)
Third cousins
*George Washington and Zachary Taylor (once removed)
*Martin Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt (thrice removed)
*Martin Van Buren and Franklin D. Roosevelt (four times removed)
*George Washington and Grover Cleveland (four times removed)
*John Adams and Calvin Coolidge (five times removed)
*John Quincy Adams and Calvin Coolidge (six times removed)
*Barack Obama and James Madison (nine times removed)
Fourth cousins
*William Henry Harrison and John Tyler (once removed)
*Ulysses Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt (once removed)
*Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Harrison (once removed)
*John Adams and Millard Fillmore (thrice removed)
*John Quincy Adams and Franklin D. Roosevelt (thrice removed)
*Lyndon B. Johnson and Barack Obama (thrice removed)
*Zachary Taylor and Franklin D. Roosevelt (half-cousins, thrice removed)
*James Garfield and George H. W. Bush (thrice removed)
*John Quincy Adams and Millard Fillmore (four times removed)
*James Garfield and George W. Bush (four times removed)
*John Adams and Calvin Coolidge (seven times removed)
*George Washington and George H. W. Bush (nine times removed)
*George Washington and George W. Bush (ten times removed)
*John Adams and George W. Bush (ten times removed)
Fifth cousins
*Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt
*Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland (once removed)
*Rutherford Hayes and Grover Cleveland (once removed)
*John Tyler and Benjamin Harrison (once removed)
*James Garfield and William Taft (once removed)
*John Quincy Adams and Millard Fillmore (twice removed)
*Millard Fillmore and Warren Harding (twice removed)
*Ulysses Grant and Calvin Coolidge (thrice removed)
*George Washington and Benjamin Harrison (thrice removed)
*John Quincy Adams and William Taft (four times removed)
*Millard Fillmore and Herbert Hoover (four times removed)
*Grover Cleveland and Gerald Ford (four times removed)
*Millard Fillmore and Gerald Ford (five times removed)
*Franklin Pierce and George W. Bush (five times removed)
*John Quincy Adams and Calvin Coolidge (six times removed)
*John Quincy Adams and George W. Bush (eight times removed)
Sixth cousins
*Grover Cleveland and Rutherford B. Hayes (once removed)
*Calvin Coolidge and George H.W. Bush (twice removed)
*Calvin Coolidge and George W. Bush (thrice removed)
*Rutherford B. Hayes and George H.W. Bush (thrice removed)
*William Taft and George H.W. Bush (thrice removed)
*Rutherford B. Hayes and George W. Bush (four times removed)
*William Taft and George W. Bush (four times removed)
*Theodore Roosevelt and George Washington (four times removed)
*Ulysses Grant and George H.W. Bush (five times removed)
*Ulysses Grant and George W. Bush (six times removed)
Seventh cousins
*Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush
*Franklin D. Roosevelt and William Taft
*Gerald Ford and George W. Bush (once removed)
*Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt (once removed)
*Grover Cleveland and George H.W. Bush (twice removed)
*Grover Cleveland and George W. Bush (thrice removed)
*James Garfield and George Washington (thrice removed)
*Harry S. Truman and Barack Obama (thrice removed)
*Theodore Roosevelt and George H.W. Bush (thrice removed)
*Theodore Roosevelt and George W. Bush (four times removed)
*Abraham Lincoln and George H.W. Bush (four times removed)
*Abraham Lincoln and George W. Bush (five times removed)
Eighth cousins
*Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama (twice removed)
*Thomas Jefferson and George Washington (thrice removed)
*Richard Nixon and George Washington (five times removed)
Ninth cousins
*Franklin Pierce and George Washington (once removed)
*Calvin Coolidge and George Washington (twice removed)
*Andrew Johnson and George Washington (four times removed)
*Herbert Hoover and George Washington (four times removed)
*William McKinley and George Washington (four times removed)
*Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush (four times removed)
*Richard Nixon and George W. Bush (five times removed)
*Warren G. Harding and George Washington (five times removed)
*Barack Obama and George Washington (six times removed)
*Jimmy Carter and George Washington (six times removed)
Tenth cousins
*Herbert Hoover and George H.W. Bush
*Barack Obama and George H.W. Bush (once removed)
*Barack Obama and Gerald Ford (once removed)
*Herbert Hoover and George W. Bush (once removed)
*Chester A. Arthur and George Washington (once removed)
*John Adams and George Washington (once removed)
*Rutherford B. Hayes and George Washington (once removed)
*John Quincy Adams and George Washington (twice removed)
*Ulysses S. Grant and George Washington (thrice removed)
*Abraham Lincoln and George Washington (four times removed)
*Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Washington (five times removed)
Eleventh cousins
*James Buchanan and George Washington
*John Tyler and George Washington (once removed)
*Millard Fillmore and George Washington (twice removed)
*John F. Kennedy and George Washington (thrice removed)
*Harry S. Truman and George Washington (five times removed)
*Woodrow Wilson and George Washington (five times removed)
*James K. Polk and George Washington (six times removed)
Twelfth cousins
*Andrew Jackson and George Washington
*James Monroe and George Washington (once removed)
Thirteenth cousins
*George Washington and Lyndon B. Johnson (twice removed)
Seventeenth cousins
*Ulysses S. Grant and William Henry Harrison (once removed)
*Martin Van Buren and George Washington (thrice removed)
Nineteenth cousins
*Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Harrison (once removed)
Relations through marriage
*George Washington was third cousin six times removed to the wife of Bill Clinton
*George Washington's half aunt married James Madison's half great-uncle
*George Washington's nephew married Lucy Washington(née Payne), the sister-in-law of James Madison.
*Franklin Pierce and George H. W. Bush were fifth cousins in-law four times removed
*Theodore Roosevelt was the uncle of Franklin D. Roosevelt's wife
*Dwight D. Eisenhower's grandson married Richard Nixon's daughter
*Thomas Jefferson's great-great-great-niece was the second wife of Woodrow Wilson
Relations through half siblings/siblings
*George Washington's half sister-in-law's husband's is the nephew of William Henry Harrison
Relations through great-grandparents
*George Washington's third great grandfather's wife, 7th great granddaughter's husband is William Howard Taft
Relations to Vice Presidents
Many presidents may also end up being related to their own vice president, or just to another vice president in general. Examples:
Third cousins
*Harry S. Truman and Dick Cheney
*Martin Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt (three times removed)
*Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Van Buren (four times removed)
*John Adams and Dan Quayle (six times removed)
Fourth cousins
*Barack Obama and Lyndon B. Johnson (three times removed)
*James Garfield and George H.W. Bush (three times removed)
*Millard Fillmore and John Adams (three times removed)
*George Washington and George H.W. Bush (nine times removed)
Fifth cousins
*Franklin Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt
*George Washington and Aaron Burr (three times removed)
Sixth cousins
*George H.W. Bush and Calvin Coolidge (twice removed)
*George W. Bush and Calvin Coolidge (three times removed)
*Rutherford B. Hayes and George H.W. Bush (three times removed)
*George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt (four times removed)
Seventh cousins
*Barack Obama and Harry S. Truman (three times removed)
Eighth cousins
*George Washington and Richard Nixon (five times removed)
*George Washington and Lyndon B. Johnson (six times removed)
Ninth cousins
*George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (once removed)
Eleventh cousins
*George H.W. Bush and Diana, Princess of Wales (once removed)
*George W. Bush and Diana, Princess of Wales (twice removed) through both paternal grandparents of Lady Margaret Percy as well as her husband; mother through both parents of George Nevill, 4th Baron Bergavenny) (Chart 5 alongside)
*Thomas Jefferson (descendant of Edward III of England through Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny) (Chart 5 alongside)
*James Madison (descendant of Edward I of England through Elizabeth de Bohun, Countess of Arundel) (Chart 4 alongside)
*James Monroe (descendant of Edward III of England through John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl) (Chart 5 alongside)
*John Quincy Adams (descendant of Edward III of England through Cardinal Henry Beaufort) (Chart 5 alongside)
*Andrew Jackson (descendant of Edward III of England through w/o Martin De La See and Sir Anthony Jackson)
*William Henry Harrison and his grandson, Benjamin Harrison (descendants of Edward I of England through Margaret de Bohun, Countess of Devon and Andrew Windsor, 1st Baron Windsor) (Chart 3 alongside)
*Zachary Taylor (descendant of Edward I of England through father of Eleanor de Bohun; her mother descended from Henry III and husband was son of Edward III. Another descent from Edward III was through Anne de Greystoke, granddaughter of Robert Ferrers, 5th Baron Boteler of Wem; her husband descended from Henry I through Dervorguilla I of Galloway) (Charts 3 and 5 alongside)
*Franklin Pierce (descendant of Henry I of England through Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester) (Chart 2 alongside)
*Rutherford Hayes (descendant of William I of Scotland and William the Conqueror)
*Grover Cleveland (descendant of Edward I of England through Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Arundel, Elizabeth de Bohun, Countess of Arundel, Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk and Eleanor de Bohun, Countess of Ormonde) (Chart 3 alongside)
*Theodore Roosevelt [descendant of James I of Scotland (through George Seton, 6th Lord Seton) and Edward III of England (through Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots)] (Chart 5 alongside)
*William Taft (descendant of Edward III of England through both paternal grandparents of Lady Margaret Percy as well as her husband) (Chart 5 alongside)
*Warren Harding (descendant of Henry II of England)
*Calvin Coolidge (descendant of Edward I of England through Katherine de Stafford and Peter Hildyard, son-in-law of Martin De La See) (Chart 5 alongside for descent from Henry III and Edward III)
*Herbert Hoover (descendant of Edward III of England through Lady Katherine Neville) (Charts 3 and 5 alongside)
*Franklin Roosevelt (descendant of James II of Scotland) (Chart 2 alongside for descent from Henry I of England; Chart 5 for descent from Edward III)
*Harry S. Truman (descendant of Robert III of Scotland)
*Richard Nixon (descendant of Henry II of England)
*Gerald Ford (descendant of Edward I of England) (Charts 2 and 3 alongside)
*Jimmy Carter (descendant of Edward III of England)
*Bill Clinton (descendant of Robert II of Scotland through w/o James Ross, 4th Lord Ross)
*George H. W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush (descendants of Edward I of England and Robert II of Scotland (Chart 3 alongside for descent from Edward I)
*Barack Obama (descendant of Edward I of England and William the Lion of Scotland) (Chart 4 alongside for descent from Henry II of England)
According to a chart published by twelve-year-old student BridgeAnne d'Avignon, all U.S. presidents except Martin Van Buren (due to his Dutch ancestry) can trace descent from King John of England. However, Van Buren's ancestry can be traced from King Stephen of England through w/o Gerard I van Horne, Count of Horne (see chart 3 alongside).
As a result, all presidents are direct descendants of Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror.
HM Queen Elizabeth II is among the closest living relatives of George Washington, through their descent from Augustine Warner, Jr., Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses. His daughter Mildred was the grandmother of Washington, while his daughter Mary is an ancestor of the Queen's mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. (See here for common descent chart.)
Presidents related to Irish royalty
*George Washington (descendant of Dermot MacMurrough)
*Andrew Jackson (descendant of Dermot MacMurrough)
*Ronald Reagan (descendant of Brian Boru)
*Barack Obama (descendant of Brian Boru)
Presidents related to other royalty
* Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt are related to the Rajahs of Sarawak
File:Presidents to Rajahs.png
Bibliography
Books
Some of the important secondary sources for tracing ancestry of U.S. presidents to British and other royalties are as under:
*[http://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_royal_descents_of_600_immigrants_to.html?iddFBlAAAAMAAJ&redir_escy The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants to the American Colonies of the United States: who were themselves notable or left descendants notable in American history] (2004) by Gary Boyd Roberts
*[http://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Magna_Charta_Sureties_1215.html?iduT5lAAAAMAAJ&redir_escy The Magna Charta Sureties, 1215: The Barons named in the Magna Charta, 1215 and some of their descendants who settled in America during the early colonial years] (5th ed., 1999) by Frederick Lewis Weis and William Ryland Beall
*Ancestors of American Presidents (3rd ed., 1995) by Gary Boyd Roberts and Julie Helen Otto
*[http://books.google.co.in/books?idp_yzpuWi4sgC&dqeditions:CrTHrK3ALJ8C&source=gbs_book_similarbooks Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families] (2004) by Douglas Richardson and Kimball G. Everingham
*[http://books.google.co.in/books?id7nZ90l1_IzAC&dqeditions:CrTHrK3ALJ8C&source=gbs_book_similarbooks Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy] (2011) by Alison Weir
*[http://books.google.co.in/books?id4LbuMlWZcWIC&sourcegbs_book_similarbooks Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History] (2010) by Mark Herber
*[http://books.google.co.in/books/about/Magna_Carta_Ancestry.html?idwHZcIRMhSEMC&redir_escy Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families] (2005) by Douglas Richardson and Kimball G. Everingham
*[http://books.google.co.in/books?idXLqEWwa7fT8C&sourcegbs_book_similarbooks Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700: The lineage of Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert the Strong, and some of their descendants] (1992) by Frederick Lewis Weis, Walter Lee Sheppard and David Faris
*[http://books.google.co.in/books?idQ1cNqr42iboC&sourcegbs_book_similarbooks Voyagers to the West: A passage in the peopling of America on the eve of the revolution] (2011) by Bernard Bailyn
*[http://books.google.co.in/books?idkGdmAAAAMAAJ&sourcegbs_book_similarbooks Lines of Succession: heraldry of the royal families of Europe] (1991) by and Michael Maclagan
Webpages
*Medieval Genealogy for the Medievally-Challenged (Like Me) by Martin E. Hollick: This online article by a professional genealogist details various sources on the matter.
*Jewels of the Crown, issue 4, Fall 2009: online newsletter; compares common ancestry of Presidents Madison and Obama and discusses the afore-mentioned sources.
*[http://famouskin.com/aerg37.html#6727 Ancestors of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Twenty-second Generation)]: This webpage with its linked pages gives details about the royal ancestry of the Roosevelt family; President Van Buren descends from a branch of this line (chart 2 above).
*Descent of William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison from Edward I (Longshanks): This RootsWeb page traces royal ancestry of Presidents Harrison (chart 3 above).
*[http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pmcbride/rfc/gw22.htm#I5624 Ancestors of Paul Bailey McBride]: This RootsWeb page details the Courtenay line of descent from Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall, an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. This line leads to Presidents Jefferson and Harrison (chart 2 above).
*Greene family pages: This is a descent from Fergus of Galloway who possibly married one of the illegitimate daughters of Henry I of England. This pagegroup contains pages on [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~greenefamily/greene/pafg723.htm#28396 Hutchinson-Lillie line] and [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~greenefamily/greene/pafg618.htm#28406 Fay-Bush line] leading to Presidents Bush and Hutchinson-Lyman line leading to Franklin Roosevelt (chart 2 above).
*Ferrers, Earls of Derby: This line bifurcates from the Galloway line and leads to George Washington (chart 2 above).
*Presidents of the United States: This RootsWeb page gives royal lineages of various presidents.
*Ancestors of Michael Anthony Thompson (Seventeenth Generation): This page, with linked pages, describes the Savage line, having descent from Henry II, Henry III and Edward I and leading to James Madison (chart 4 above).
*Presidential Ancestry: This page gives detailed royal lineages of several presidents, but a bit erroneous.
::Gives descent of Washington's paternal grandfather from Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, son of Edward I (chart 3 above);
::descent of John Quincy Adams from Cardinal Henry Beaufort, grandson of Edward III (chart 5 above);
::erroneous descent of Mary Isham (ancestress of Thomas Jefferson) from William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, illegitimate son of Henry II
:::(erroneous because, his granddaughter Emmeline, w/o Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, died childless)
:::(However, Mary Isham did have valid royal descent: her ancestors were Sir William Hopton and his wife [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~braidwood/pafg66.htm#15896 Margaret Wentworth] (d/o Margery le Despencer); husband descendant of King William the Lion of Scotland through his illegitimate daughter Isabella, w/o Robert de Ros, one of the Magna Carta sureties [this union also led to Franklin Roosevelt through [http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/SANDYS.htm#Hester_SANDYS1 Sir John Temple] (shown in Chart 5)], and wife descendant of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, through Eva of Leinster and Isabella de Beauchamp)
:::although her husband, William Randolph, did descend from Longespée, through the Mowbray line (shown in chart 4);
::and descent of Franklin Roosevelt and the Bush duo from Henry I through the Galloway line (chart 2 above).
::Isabella de Beauchamp, descendant of Brian Boru, was an important ancestress of American presidents. The above line to Thomas Jefferson was through her son by second marriage, Philip Despencer [also ancestor of Calvin Coolidge through Philip Wentworth (shown in Chart 5)]. Another son by her second marriage, Hugh Despenser the Younger, was ancestor of Presidents Washington, Bush and Franklin Roosevelt (chart 3). Her daughter by first marriage, Maud Chaworth, had six daughters, out of which, Joan of Lancaster was ancestress of Thomas Jefferson through the Mowbray line mentioned above (chart 4); Eleanor of Lancaster was ancestress of George Washington's paternal grandfather through the Sutton line (chart 3) as well as his mother through Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester (chart 5) and a possible ancestress of John Quincy Adams through Alice FitzAlan, Lady Cherleton (chart 4) and also ancestress of Theodore Roosevelt and James Monroe through John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (chart 5); Mary of Lancaster was ancestress of Washington through the Percy-Gascoigne line (chart 4). Isabella's brother's descendant, Philippa de Beauchamp, was ancestress of George Washington and William Taft (see chart 2).
*[http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/Kyme1295.htm Kyme, Baron (E, 1295 - abeyant 1577) on Cracroft's Peerage]: This lineage descends from Henry I through the Galloway line; leads to Washington through William Tailboys (chart 2) and to Presidents Bush and Franklin Roosevelt through [http://books.google.co.in/books?idwHZcIRMhSEMC&pgPA400&lpgPA400&dqjohn+tailboys&sourcebl&ots2EA6zp0z5J&sigZ285t2yjRBmHv50EFz65cZzh0LE&hlen&saX&eiKsLmT5_mL4HZrQeyzOT6CA&sqi2&ved0CFsQ6AEwCQ#vonepage&qjohn%20tailboys&f=false Sir John Tailboys] (chart 2).
*Descendants of Edward III: most American presidents descended through lineages described in this document.
*Descent of Martin Van Buren: shows descent from Godfrey, Lord of Gaesbeek (descendant of Stephen, King of England through his daughter Marie I, Countess of Boulogne) through [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dhdodd/DoddFamilyTree/gp3035.htm#head3 Isabelle van Horne] and the Burchgraeff family (chart 3). From Godfrey's brother, Henry II, Duke of Brabant, descends Theodore Roosevelt (chart 3).
*Ancestry of Barack Obama by William Addams Reitwiesner: shows ancestry up to Martha Eltonhead (chart 4).
*[http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/Ann_Sutton_(c1582-c1686) Descent from Henry II]: shows descent of Martha Eltonhesd from Henry II through w/o Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand (shown in chart 4), citing Douglas Richardson as source (see here for original).
*Maud (Matilda) de Swynnerton: This page, with its linked pages, gives biographical details about ancestors of Martha Eltonhead.
*Ancestors of Pres. George Walker Bush: shows ancestry up to generation 23. [Error in generation 21: shows Sir Edward Stradling (1474-1535) as ancestor, thereby making the Bushes descendants of Henry Beaufort; correct ancestor was [http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personIDI84554&treeWelsh Sir Edmund Stradling of Winterbourne (1429-61), Sheriff of Wiltshire]; see here for discussion. Further error in generation 19: shows [http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pmcbride/james/f053.htm#I1238X15 Maurice Berkeley], 3rd Baron Berkeley (chart 3) as son of James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley and Elizabeth Ferrers, 6th Baroness Ferrers of Groby, thereby showing a descent from Joan of Acre through Isabel de Verdun and Elizabeth of England through Sir Henry de Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby; in effect, Maurice Berkeley was Lady Ferrers's half-brother.]
*[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dantrogers/pafg525.htm#12560 Daniel T. Rogers(b. 1943) - all my relatives]: This page, with linked pages, gives ancestry of James Monroe.
 
< Prev   Next >