Barack Obama is Related to Wild Bill Hickok

Ho hum, here we go again.

Barack Obama made a comment during a speech today about family lore having him distantly related to Wild Bill Hickok. He said he wasn’t sure, but that he wanted to find out.

Click on the images to see larger pictures to decide for yourself if there is a family resemblance or not.

Chris Child at the New England Historic Genealogical Society took up the challenge and confirmed the connection in about 30 minutes. The story was posted on the Associated Press wire at: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gyXVIfZ2F2CTuuxH3_93vuTP-ywwD928D6QO0.

I don't get too excited about claims that a politician is related to someone else of fame. After all, I suspect that most anyone whose ancestors have been in this country at least 5 or 6 generations is probably related to everyone else whose ancestors have been in this country at least 5 or 6 generations. I don't find that to be terribly newsworthy.

What I do find interesting in this article is the SPEED with which Chris Child found the answers. I don't know if that is "news" or not, but I certainly am impressed.

Hey Chris, can you check on a couple of my brick wall ancestors?

Here is the announcement from the New England Historic Genealogical Society:

Boston Genealogical Society Confirms Obama and “Wild Bill” Hickok are Cousins

Obama Family lore talks of distant relationship to “Wild Bill” Hickok.

Boston, MA – July 30, 2008 – New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston has confirmed what Presidential candidate Barack Obama mentioned today in a Springfield Missouri speech.

During the speech, Senator Obama said, “If Senator McCain wants a debate about taxes in this campaign, I’m ready. Wild Bill Hickok had his first duel in the town square here. And the family legend is that he is a distant cousin of mine.”

Obama spoke of a family lore that tells of his being a distant cousin to legendary American west lawman, gambler, and gunfighter “Wild Bill” Hickok. NEHGS Staff genealogist Chris Child was quickly able to track down the information and confirm that it is indeed, true.

Obama and Hickok are sixth cousins, six-times removed. Their common ancestor is Thomas Blossom, who came to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1629 from Leiden, Holland. Obama’s 4th great-grandfather, Jacob Dunham, was 6th cousins with Wild Bill. Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann, is also a Dunham.

“The ancestry of Wild Bill Hickok was published by NEHGS some years back, which showed he descended from the Blossom family of Cape Cod, an early family written up in one of our scholarly publications,” said Child. He added, “Since we had also recently done the ancestry of Senator Obama, finding this connection was a little easier.”

About NEHGS
Founded in 1845, New England Historic Genealogical Society is the country's oldest and largest non-profit genealogical organization. Located in Boston, NEHGS collects, preserves, and interprets materials that help make accessible the histories of families in America. The NEHGS research library, one of the most respected genealogical libraries in the field, is home to millions books, journals, manuscripts, photographs, microfilms, documents, records, and artifacts that date back more than four centuries. The award-winning web site www.NewEnglandAncestors.org offers access to more than 110 million names in 2,400 searchable databases. NEHGS has more than 23,000 members nationally.

Comments

[Bill Teschek]

I wonder if that is really the relationship that Obama's family remembers from family lore? Seems rather unlikely that a cousinship that far removed would be known by anyone. Sixth cousins? I doubt it.

[Robert Lewis]

Obama's mother's original Social Security Number Application

http://webofdeception.com/obamamother'sssapplication.html

[Janelle Dvorak]

Bill, I don't see why it's so impossible to remember something like that in family lore when the reputed ancestor is famous. My great-grandmother apparently insisted that her family was descended from Ethan Allen, which would have been four generations away from her, and some of my distant cousins remember that she remembers--which would be six generations right there.

[Karen]

The free genealogical benefits make running for president a great bargain!

[Becky]

He is also related to John Wesley Hardin on the Dunham ancestors.

[Carol]

Probably a good time for this old girl to keep any poltical comments to herself. And so far as genealogy goes- I guess my most relevant comment would be something like "So?".

[Dereka Smith]

It may be "ho-hum" for those of us who have toiled in the vineyards of genealogy but for the non-genealogical public these relationships are of great interest and therefore newsworthy. Further, learning that family legends are potentially provable (or not) may ignite the genealogical fire that lies dormant in so many.

[Tom Champoux, NEHGS Marketing Director]

These are all great comments, and thanks Dick for posting the story. NEHGS would echo what some have already said: that the growing interest in genealogy and family history is fantastic for all. The fact that presidential candidates speak about their own as often as we've seen recently, helps thousands more better understand the field, the process, and the joy of engaging. It may be that there's a collective "So what" for the discovery, but I hope we don't ignore the fact that a major world figure is publicly asking to learn more about his family history. Surely this will help many, many people begin asking similar questions about their own.

And the fact that our staff genealogist, Chris Child, could come up with the information so quickly supports the notion that access and content are growing at incredible rates. (For the record, Chris consulted 2 NEHGS publications: Gary Boyd Roberts' 1999 book, "Notable Kin, vol II," and Robert Charles Anderson's 1995 "The Great Migration Begins, vol I.")

Thanks Dick and keep up the great dialogues.

[Dae Powell]

I read where Obama and Hillary are cousins. Like so much from these campaigners no sources were cited. Yawn.

Happy Dae.
http://www.ShoeStringGenealogy.com

[Wayne]

Being related to some "famous" person can be good or bad depending on your perspective. My grandmother was always ashamed of being related to Benedict Arnold and would never mention it as she was a true blue "American". Being a Canadian (grin) I don't find it so bad. Have a great day everyone....good hunting!

[Christine Czarnecki]

Family stories of long-ago relations can be both unlikely and also true.

My great grandmother told her daughter-in-law that her family was "descended from kings." How likely is that, coming from a small farm family scratching a living out of the earth in south Texas?

Well, Great Grandmother Maggie Lee was right. She was descended from the James River Harrisons (line of the two Harrison presidents) and first cousin several times removed from not only William Henry Harrison, but from Thomas Jefferson as well. And through both of those lines, she was descended many times from Edward III of England, William the Lyon of Scotland, and because of the marriages of those families, she was descended from members of royal houses all over Europe going back to Charlemagne.

It seemed so very unlikely, but it is, indeed, true.

That said, I would never have had such an easy time confirming all this if it had not been our relatedness to those presidential families. Thank you, Gary Boyd Roberts!

[Victor Hickok]

Hi;
I just proved my relationship to James Butler Hickok (AKA "Wild Bill") as well. after searching for more than 30 years!! And it was difficult to "Prove" the relationship! My dad was born in the back of a chuck wagon on a trail drive outside Kidder, South Dakota on 18 Aug 1921! (No birth registration - until 1974!) His dad was from RedWing TWP, Wadena County, Minn, and that took 20 years to "Prove" as his parents died between the 1880 and 1900 Census, and I didn't have a clue where to look. Just 2 of the brick walls I had to overcome.

Eventually everyone is related to someone, if we believe Gospel Doctrine that Adam and Eve were the first on the Earth (Which I do!!)
But "Prove" it is more difficult!

Rhanks
Vic Hickok
41st Generationm of the Clan Scott as well!

[Elyse]

Wow! I think it is so cool that he is related to Wild Bill.

No matter how many years I've been in genealogy, I always find it facinating when you find out you are related to someone from history.

No matter what your political views - isn't it cool that we could possibly have a president related to such a trouble maker? I think it is pretty cool.

[puzzled]

Of what significance is it that someone can claim a sixth cousin? Just more political propaganda from B.O.'s media machine. Can't get away from his hype.

[George Denninghoff, Lt.Col USAF retired]

Found this as a matter of curiosity about my own family. Baracks grandmother and my mother are first cousins. They remain close today. Growing up in the family we did have an oral history that placed Wild Bill in the family and I visited his grave as a child. But we had other oral history pieces as well including the Cherokee bloodline that apparently does not exist,although several lived in the Indian Territories, and a connection to the Wright Brothers which was never verifiable.

Thanks to all of you who do this amazing work. It is so nice to be able to connect oral history with genealogy. Soon I am going to the DNA traces and try to continue to connnect the dots.

[Douglas Spaulding]

If one wishes to explore it further, evidence exists proving that Obama is also a descendant of several Mayflower ancestors including some of mine, notably Edward Fuller whose parents died that first winter and who was then raised by his uncle. Further exploration yields up connections to the Rowleys and their many famous ancestors, including Churchill and Princess Diana, as well as US Grant---and John Lathrop, whose presidential descendants are too many to list. If genealogy is the "decider" Obama wins hands down, including shared ancestry with Joseph Smith: Yes, the Prophet and founder of the Mormon Church. You can throw in Madonna and and Justin Timberlake and even Nick Carter of the Backstreet boys and his brother Aaron. If you really want to explore it, the "connections" go on and on.

[Brad Norel]

They look alike too.

[Sue M]

All the way to Charlemagne - if he knew he had so many people claiming to be his descendant, he'd have to think...mmmmm what concubine? I get so tired of the back to Charlemagne stories right along with back to creation to Adam and Eve....
I see the trees out there, so phoney that they squeake!