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
Birth 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...." 1 

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!

______________________________________________________________

Cousin Barack Obama ~ Spoiler Alert, Not Exactly

 As a Canadian this week's prompt, VOTING, made zero sense. 

Knowing the prompt was chosen last year in seems that voting in November in an expected thing. 

3 years ago I was also confused about the November voting. 

In seeking answers I decided to research in the typical way my age cohort does:

My question from 3 years ago

My brother & his family kindly answered, and it mostly became clear. The Canadian & American voting systems really are different.

Knowing the Americans were voting, but Canadians were not I was left to ponder what exactly to write about. 

I decided I would choose my own prompt this week. 

In the days I pondered what/who I should write about my cohort's research arena came through again.

My husband's 6th cousin via his paternal line posted that he was 23 degrees from Barack Obama via their shared ancestry's line. 

Really -- my husband & children are connected to Barack Obama.

How cools is that ponders me, but is it true?

As is usual with any good genealogy find there is some truth.

Barack Obama is in our forest, but not directly in our tree. 

He is the 1st cousin 8x removed of the wife of my husband's 7th great-granduncle via his mother's paternal line.

Is that close enough to call ourselves family?  Obviously!

Or maybe not

BUT wait - that connection is via his maternal line. His mother's father's line. The 6th cousin posted the connection via his father's paternal line. 

Back to researching, and adding folks. As usual, I had to be cautious in not doubling up since the spouse I needed to connect the two lines was already in our tree. 

After carefully connecting and back-checking the connection is clearly through my husband's mother's maternal line and his father's paternal line. 

Does it make the connection closer when it is through both parental lines?

I think it does!!!

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....

Wikitree says that Barack Obama & my husband are 25 degrees of separation apart.

My husband and Barack Obama  live side by side in this Bramble Bush.

When you find folks you admire connected to your tree! 

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***

Source:

25 degrees of separation to Barack Obama, Wikitree. Retrieved November 6th 2021 from https://www.wikitree.com/

  

Photo:

Bramble, Google Images, Open Source. Retrieved November 6th 2021.

Links:

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

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!

________________________________________________________________