Friday, February 2, 2007

Yep, Barack Obama is my cousin!

I just had a feeling about this...

Assuming that the data in the WorldConnect databases (e.g., David Dunham's database is here) for Senator Barack Obama is correct, his line of descent from Joseph Holloway and Rose Allen (of Sandwich MA) is:

1) Joseph Holloway (1605-1647) married 1641 Rose Allen (1609-1692)
2) Mary Holloway (1638-1703) married 1662 Nathaniel FitzRandolph (1642-1713)
3) Samuel FitzRandolph (1668-1754) married Mary Jones (????-1760)
4) Prudence FitzRandolph (1696-1766) married 1716 Shubael Smith (1693-1768)
5) Mary Smith (1716-1791) married 1730 Jonathan Dunham (1710-????)
6) Samuel Dunham (1742-1824) married 1770 Hannah Ruble (1753-????)
7) Jacob Dunham (1795-1865) married 1819 Catherine Goodnight (1794-????)
8) Jacob Mackey Dunham (1824-1907) married 1853 Maria Eliza Stroup (1837-????)
9) Jacob William Dunham (1863-1937) married 1890 Mary Ann Kearney (1869-????)
10) Ralph Waldo Emerson Dunham (1894-1970) married 1915 Ruth Lucille Armour (1900-????)
11) Stanley Armour Dunham (1918-1992) married 1940 Madelyn Lee Payne (1922-????)
12) Shirley Ann Dunham (1942-1995) married 1960 Barack Hussein Obama (1936-living)
13) Barack Hussein Obama (1961- living)

My maternal descent from Joseph Holloway and Rose Allen (of Sandwich MA) is:

1) Joseph Holloway (1605-1647) married 1641 Rose Allen (1609-1692)
2) Mary Holloway (1638-1703) married 1662 Nathaniel FitzRandolph (1642-1713)
3) Samuel FitzRandolph (1668-1754) married Mary Jones (????-1760)
4) Jacob FitzRandolph (1708-1779) married 1730? to unknown
5) Samuel Fitz Randolph (1730-????) married 1750 Martha Gach (1729-????)
6) Tabitha Randolph (1761-1841) married 1769 Stephen Cutter (1744-1823)
7) Sarah Cutter (1785-1878) married 1804 William Knapp (1775-1857)
8) Sarah G. Knapp (1818-????) married 1844 David Auble (1817-1894)
9) Charles Auble (1849-1916) married 1898 Georgianna Kemp (1768-1952)
10) Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977) married 1918 Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1892-1976)
11) Betty Carringer (1919-2002) married 1942 Frederick w. Seaver (1911-1983)
12) Randy Seaver - ME!

Therefore, I am the 8th cousin once removed (most recent common ancestors are Samuel FitzRandolph and Mary Jones) to Barack Obama on my mother's side. My mother's line (up to her mother) is included in the ahnentafel report here.

My father's descent from Joseph Holloway and Rose Allen (of Sandwich MA) is:

1) Joseph Holloway (1605-1647) married 1641 Rose Allen (1609-1692)
2) Sarah Holloway (1642-1680) married 1664 Joseph Allen (????-1704)
3) Joseph Allen (1667-1735) married ???? Rachel ?? (1658-1731)
4) Rachel Allen (1708-????) married Ichabod Kirby (1710-1794)
5) David Kirby (1740-1832) married 1763 Martha Soule (1743-1828)
6) Sybil Kirby (1764-1848) married 1788 Humphrey White (1758-1814)
7) Jonathan White (1806-1850) married 1824 Miranda Wade (1804-1850)
8) Henry A. White (1824-1885) married 1844 Amy Frances Oatley (1826-186?)
9) Julia White (1848-1913) married 1868 Thomas Richmond (1848-1917)
10) Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) married Frederick W. Seaver (1876-1942)
11) Frederick W. Seaver (1911-1983) married 1942 Betty Carringer (1919-2002)
12) Randy Seaver - Moi!

I am the 10th cousin once removed (most recent common ancestor Joseph Holloway and Rose Allen) to Barack Obama on my father's side. My father's line (up to my grandmother, Alma Bessie Richmond) is included in the ahnentafel report here. Sharp readers will note that my mother and father had Joseph Holloway and Rose Allen as common ancestors also, and were therefore 8th cousins once removed on these lines!

I'll leave it to someone smarter than me to determine the consanguinety between myself and Barack Obama.

There might be other cousin relationships with the spouses whose lines are not well defined online yet.

Of course, all of the above assumes that there are NO surprises in the woodpile, so to speak - on cousin Barack's line and on either of my lines.

I probably shouldn't invite my cousin George W. Bush to come visit when my cousin Barack Obama is here ... but it would be an interesting discussion, I'll bet!

5 comments:

Jasia said...

Wow! Mighty impressive gene lines you have Randy. Have you ever considered a run for the White House? It could be in your genes!

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

I keep thinking I should write a letter to "Dear Cousin George," to see if I get any response. It's fun to see how closely we're related to someone we hear a lot about.

Miriam Robbins said...

Randy, are you descended from Mayflower passenger George Soule (I see you have a Martha Soule)? If so, we are cousins. I also have White ancestry in New England.

Anonymous said...

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Carl Boyer said...

Have you seen the 2009 edition of Ancestors of American Presidents? Let me know if you need help finding a copy. Carl Boyer at cboyer3154@yahoo.com