St. Patrick's Day - Potus Geeks Edition
Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you who have some Irish ancestry. Apparently there were 23 Presidents who had some Irish ancestry, some of whom will surprise you. For three of these (Taft, Harding and Truman), I have been unable to locate which ancestor of theirs lived in Ireland. Here is the list:
1. Andrew Jackson: He was born in the predominantly Ulster-Scots Waxhaws area of South Carolina two years after his parents left Boneybefore, near Carrickfergus in County Antrim. A heritage centre in the village pays tribute to the legacy of 'Old Hickory', the People's President.
2. James K. Polk: His ancestors were among the first Ulster-Scots settlers, emigrating from Coleraine in 1680 to become a powerful political family in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
3. James Buchanan: Born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, Buchanan once said "My Ulster blood is a priceless heritage". The Buchanans were originally from Deroran, near Omagh in County Tyrone where the ancestral home still stands.
4. Andrew Johnson: His grandfather left Mounthill, near Larne in County Antrim around 1750 and settled in North Carolina.
5. Ulysses S. Grant: The home of his maternal great-grandfather, John Simpson, at Dergenagh, County Tyrone, is the location for an exhibition on the eventful life of the victorious Civil War commander who served two terms as President. Grant visited his ancestral homeland in 1878.
6. Chester Alan Arthur: His becoming president was the start of a quarter-century in which the White House was occupied by men of Ulster-Scots origins. His family left Dreen, near Cullybackey, County Antrim, in 1815. There is now an interpretive centre, alongside the Arthur Ancestral Home, devoted to his life and times.
7. Grover Cleveland: Born in New Jersey, he was the maternal grandson of merchant Abner Neal, who emigrated from County Antrim in the 1790s.
8. Benjamin Harrison: His mother, Elizabeth Irwin, had Ulster-Scots roots through her two great-grandfathers, James Irwin and William McDowell.
9. William McKinley: Born in Ohio, the descendant of a farmer from Conagher, near Ballymoney, County Antrim, he was proud of his ancestry and addressed one of the national Scotch-Irish Irish congresses held in the late 19th century.
10. Theodore Roosevelt: His mother, Mittie Bulloch, had Ulster Scots ancestors who emigrated from Glenoe, County Antrim, in May 1729. Roosevelt praised "Irish Presbyterians" as "a bold and hardy race." But he is also the man who said: "But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts "native" before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen."
11. William Howard Taft: Taft is included in many lists of Presidents of Irish heritage, though I have been unable to find precisely which ancestor lived in Ireland.
12. Woodrow Wilson: Of Ulster-Scot descent on both sides of the family, his roots were very strong and dear to him. He was grandson of a printer from Dergalt, near Strabane, County Tyrone, whose former home is open to visitors.
13. Warren G. Harding: Like Taft, Harding is included in many lists of Presidents of Irish heritage, though I have been unable to find precisely which ancestor lived in Ireland.
14. Harry S. Truman: Like Taft and Harding, Truman is also included in many lists of Presidents of Irish heritage, though I have been unable to find precisely which ancestor lived in Ireland.
15. John F. Kennedy: All four of his grandparents were the children of immigrants from Ireland. His paternal grandparents came from County Wexford, and he visited his ancestral home for four days in June of 1963.
16. Richard Nixon: The Nixon ancestors left Ulster in the mid-18th century; the Quaker Milhous family ties were with County Antrim and County Kildare.
17. Jimmy Carter: Carter has Scots-Irish and English ancestry. One of his paternal ancestors arrived in the American Colonies in 1635. His Irish ancestors came from County Antrim.
18. Ronald Reagan: He was the great-grandson, on his father's side, of Irish migrants from Ballyporeen, County Tipperary who came to United States via Canada and England in the 1940s. His mother was of Scottish and English ancestry. Once on a visit to Canada, he and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney sang a duet of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling".
19. George H. W. Bush: County Wexford His ancestry has been traced to, Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke (known as Strongbow) and to Dermot MacMurrough, the Gaelic king of Leinster.
20. Bill Clinton: President Clinton claims Irish ancestry despite there being no documentation of any of his ancestors coming from Ireland, but I'm sure he would never lie about something like that.
21. George W. Bush: One of his five times great-grandfathers, William Holliday, was born in Rathfriland, County Down, about 1755, and died in Kentucky about 1811-12. One of the President's seven times great-grandfathers, William Shannon, was born somewhere in County Cork about 1730, and died in Pennsylvania in 1784.
22. Barack Obama: Surprised? His mother's ancestry was predominantly English, but a few of his maternal ancestors hailed from Moneygall, County Offaly.
23. Joe Biden: Biden's mother’s entire family tree traces to Ireland with ancestors named Arthurs, Blewitt, Boyle, Roche, Scanlon and Stanton accompanying her Finnegan kin. The last one-eighth comes from his father’s side. Most of the immigrants in his family were born in the early decades of the 19th century and made the journey to America mid-century. With a couple of exceptions, they settled in or around Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Happy St. Patrick's Day from potus_geeks.
1. Andrew Jackson: He was born in the predominantly Ulster-Scots Waxhaws area of South Carolina two years after his parents left Boneybefore, near Carrickfergus in County Antrim. A heritage centre in the village pays tribute to the legacy of 'Old Hickory', the People's President.
2. James K. Polk: His ancestors were among the first Ulster-Scots settlers, emigrating from Coleraine in 1680 to become a powerful political family in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
3. James Buchanan: Born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, Buchanan once said "My Ulster blood is a priceless heritage". The Buchanans were originally from Deroran, near Omagh in County Tyrone where the ancestral home still stands.
4. Andrew Johnson: His grandfather left Mounthill, near Larne in County Antrim around 1750 and settled in North Carolina.
5. Ulysses S. Grant: The home of his maternal great-grandfather, John Simpson, at Dergenagh, County Tyrone, is the location for an exhibition on the eventful life of the victorious Civil War commander who served two terms as President. Grant visited his ancestral homeland in 1878.
6. Chester Alan Arthur: His becoming president was the start of a quarter-century in which the White House was occupied by men of Ulster-Scots origins. His family left Dreen, near Cullybackey, County Antrim, in 1815. There is now an interpretive centre, alongside the Arthur Ancestral Home, devoted to his life and times.
7. Grover Cleveland: Born in New Jersey, he was the maternal grandson of merchant Abner Neal, who emigrated from County Antrim in the 1790s.
8. Benjamin Harrison: His mother, Elizabeth Irwin, had Ulster-Scots roots through her two great-grandfathers, James Irwin and William McDowell.
9. William McKinley: Born in Ohio, the descendant of a farmer from Conagher, near Ballymoney, County Antrim, he was proud of his ancestry and addressed one of the national Scotch-Irish Irish congresses held in the late 19th century.
10. Theodore Roosevelt: His mother, Mittie Bulloch, had Ulster Scots ancestors who emigrated from Glenoe, County Antrim, in May 1729. Roosevelt praised "Irish Presbyterians" as "a bold and hardy race." But he is also the man who said: "But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts "native" before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen."
11. William Howard Taft: Taft is included in many lists of Presidents of Irish heritage, though I have been unable to find precisely which ancestor lived in Ireland.
12. Woodrow Wilson: Of Ulster-Scot descent on both sides of the family, his roots were very strong and dear to him. He was grandson of a printer from Dergalt, near Strabane, County Tyrone, whose former home is open to visitors.
13. Warren G. Harding: Like Taft, Harding is included in many lists of Presidents of Irish heritage, though I have been unable to find precisely which ancestor lived in Ireland.
14. Harry S. Truman: Like Taft and Harding, Truman is also included in many lists of Presidents of Irish heritage, though I have been unable to find precisely which ancestor lived in Ireland.
15. John F. Kennedy: All four of his grandparents were the children of immigrants from Ireland. His paternal grandparents came from County Wexford, and he visited his ancestral home for four days in June of 1963.
16. Richard Nixon: The Nixon ancestors left Ulster in the mid-18th century; the Quaker Milhous family ties were with County Antrim and County Kildare.
17. Jimmy Carter: Carter has Scots-Irish and English ancestry. One of his paternal ancestors arrived in the American Colonies in 1635. His Irish ancestors came from County Antrim.
18. Ronald Reagan: He was the great-grandson, on his father's side, of Irish migrants from Ballyporeen, County Tipperary who came to United States via Canada and England in the 1940s. His mother was of Scottish and English ancestry. Once on a visit to Canada, he and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney sang a duet of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling".
19. George H. W. Bush: County Wexford His ancestry has been traced to, Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke (known as Strongbow) and to Dermot MacMurrough, the Gaelic king of Leinster.
20. Bill Clinton: President Clinton claims Irish ancestry despite there being no documentation of any of his ancestors coming from Ireland, but I'm sure he would never lie about something like that.
21. George W. Bush: One of his five times great-grandfathers, William Holliday, was born in Rathfriland, County Down, about 1755, and died in Kentucky about 1811-12. One of the President's seven times great-grandfathers, William Shannon, was born somewhere in County Cork about 1730, and died in Pennsylvania in 1784.
22. Barack Obama: Surprised? His mother's ancestry was predominantly English, but a few of his maternal ancestors hailed from Moneygall, County Offaly.
23. Joe Biden: Biden's mother’s entire family tree traces to Ireland with ancestors named Arthurs, Blewitt, Boyle, Roche, Scanlon and Stanton accompanying her Finnegan kin. The last one-eighth comes from his father’s side. Most of the immigrants in his family were born in the early decades of the 19th century and made the journey to America mid-century. With a couple of exceptions, they settled in or around Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Happy St. Patrick's Day from potus_geeks.