This is my space to share my quest to collect as many broken branches as I can in my fractured family tree which resembles a bramble bush more then a proper tree. As I go forward in this blogging journey I hope to share how I have searched far & wide for family - with no regard for where they come from or if I should really want them.
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Lost Contact ~ 8th Cousin X1 Removed Barack Obama

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 43 (LOST CONTACT)


This week we are focusing on the 8th cousin X1 removed this Bramble Bush has lost contact with - Barack Obama. 

In November 2021 I wrote about Barack Obama being in our forest, but not directly in our Bramble Bush.

3 years of research later I can now confidently say that Chris and Barack are definitely cousins.

Initially I thought these two cousins have absolutely nothing in common as indicated below:

  1. Barack - President, Chris - Paramedic
  2. Barack - American, Chris - Canadian
  3. Barack - 2 daughters, Chris - 2 sons

BUT then I found the photo below, and realized at their core they are more alike than I thought.

They share a brand preference for Cannon cameras.

Although these two family lines have clearly lost contact these 8th cousins X1 removed are very much alike!

Who knows maybe they will connect in the future!

Their shared family lines are via their mother's paternal lines

They are descendants of half brothers
Benjamin Smith (Chris)
Birth 28 JAN 1687 • Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA
Death 8 JUN 1732 • Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States
and
Shubael (Shobal) Smith (Barack)
Birth 2 JAN 1693 • Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA
Death 31 MAY 1768 • Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, US

Benjamin & Shobal's father was
Samuel Smith
B
irth APR 1644 • Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts, USA
Death 16 DEC 1719 • Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA
who was 
Chris' 7th & Barack's 8th great grandfather

Samuel's 1st wife (Chris' 7th great grandmother)
Esther Dunham
Birth 29 DEC 1661 • Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA
Death 14 AUG 1690 • Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA

Samuel's 2nd wife (Barack's 8th great grandmother)
Elizabeth Peirce
Birth ABT. 1657 • Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA
Death ABT. 1737 • Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, US

November 6th 2021 I wrote:

"
Since Ancestry only provides one line of connection the exact cousin connection would take a lot more time than I am willing to provide this week to identify for his father's paternal line.  

  • Is our Bramble Bush connected to 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama?  Yes! 
  • Is he related to my husband and children? No! 
  • Do they have shared relatives they are related to? Yes. 
  • Is there shared blood?  No!  
  • That could change in the future, but for now...." 


In October 2024 all that changed, and yet stayed the same:

  • Is our Bramble Bush connected to 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama?  Yes! 
  • Is he related to my husband and children? Yes! 
  • Do they have shared relatives they are related to? Yes. 
  • Is there shared blood?  ALSO YES!  

This is still via his mother's line. 

Still to be found is the paternal connection.



When you take the time to go back through your research!!! 



This is why I search - 


Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!







***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***



Footnotes:

1  Cousin Barack Obama ~ Spoiler Alert, Not Exactly. Somehow Related Blog. Originally published November 6th 2021. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/search?q=barack


Sources:

Ancestry of Barack Obama. 44th U.S. President. FamousKin. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://famouskin.com/family-tree.php?name=10012+barack+obama

Barack Obama. 44th president of the United States. Brittanica. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Barack-Obama

Barack Obama Jr. Wikitree. Where Genealogist Collaborate. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Obama-2

Family tree of Barack OBAMA. Geneastar Famous Genealogies. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://en.geneastar.org/genealogy/obamabarack/barack-obama

President Barack Obama. Barack Obama Presidential Library. National Archives. Retrieved October 22nd2024 from
https://www.obamalibrary.gov/obamas/president-barack-obama

Samuel SMITH. Apr 1644 - 15 Dec 1719. The Needham Family. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://jrm.phys.ksu.edu/Genealogy/Needham/d0005/I1199.html

Samuel Smith. FindAGrave. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126273717/samuel-smith


Photos:

President Barack Obama takes aim with a photographer's camera (Canon EOS 5D Mark II) backstage prior to remarks about providing mortgage payment relief for responsible homeowners. Dobson High School. Mesa, Arizona 2/18/09. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved October 22nd 2024 from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Barack_Obama_holding_a_canon_camera.jpg

Personal


Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/



If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please
include a link to the specific blog and
credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/
My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.
All rights reserved.
Please & Thank you!

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