The Slovak Yankee

Royally-Descended Presidents

To my mind there are three ways to be related to a president.  You can share medieval ancestors with them; you can share colonial ancestors with them; or you can be a closer relation than that.  I mean someone is Barack Obama's second cousin.  One of the purposes behind Ancestors of American Presidents (AAP) by Gary Boyd Roberts is to discover how you are related to a given president.

Would it surprise you to find out that 25 of the 43 men to be president was of royal descent?  That's a staggering 58% of presidents.  This goes to show you that up to 2008 we were drawing on a very insular group of people from within our country for two hundred years.  Let's face it one black person out of 43.  One Catholic out of 43.  That's a lot of straight, white, protestant men to talk about.

So, off the bat if you have a valid royal line, you can be related to at least 25 of the men who were presidents.  That involves sharing some medieval ancestor and being 20-30th cousins with the president.

The presidents who are royally-descended are:

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

John Quincy Adams

William Henry Harrison

Benjamin Harrison

Zachary Taylor

Franklin Pierce

James Buchanan

Abraham Lincoln (a very problematic descent.  Nothing is known of his mother Nancy Hanks, so her entire ancestry is complete conjecture)

Rutherford B. Hayes

Grover Cleveland

Theodore Roosevelt

William Howard Taft

Warren G. Harding

Calvin Coolidge

Herbert Hoover

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Harry S Truman

Richard Nixon

Gerald Ford

James E. Carter

George H.W. Bush

George Walker Bush

Barack Obama

 

 

Peter Worden ca. 1576-1639 of Yarmouth, Massachusetts

This is another royal line.  The line has not been published in an article yet, but appears in Gary Boyd Roberts's Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants.  It's a fun line since it goes back to a Scottish king not an English king.  And who can't love the name William the Lion.

1. Richard Worden born say 1534 and died about 1580.  He married about 1569, Isabel Worthington, daughter of Peter and Isabel (Anderton) Worthington.  They were the parents of:

2. Peter Worden born about 1576 at Clayton, Lancashire, England and died February 1639 at Yarmouth, Massachusetts.  He married about 1603, Margaret (Grice) Wall, born about 1570 and died about 1612 at Preston, Lancashire, England, daughter of Thomas and Alice Grice.  Peter and Margaret were the parents of:

3. Peter Worden (Jr.) born about 1609 at Lancashire, England, died 11 January 1680 at Yarmouth, Massachusetts.  He married before 1638, Mary (---) who died 25 March 1687 at Barnstable, Massachusetts.  Peter and Mary had five children: Mary, Mercy, Martha, Samuel, and an unnamed daughter.

4. Mercy Worden born about 1641 at Barnstable, Massachusetts, died 22 September 1688 at Harwich, Massachusetts.  She married 23 September 1667 Kenelm Winslow (Jr.), born about 1636 at Plymouth, Massachusetts and died 11 November 1715 at Harwich, son of Kenelm and Ellen (Newton) Winslow.  Mercy and Kenelm had seven children: Kenelm, Josiah, Thomas, Samuel, Mercy, Nathaniel, and Edward.

Sources:

Roberts, Gary Boyd, The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants to the American Colonies or the United States (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 2004), p. 416-18.

Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestors (GPC, 2011), IV:368-69.

Genealogical Notes on Barnstable Families by C.F. Swift (vol.1, 1888, reprint, 1979).

The Ancestry of Samuel, Freda and John Warner by Frederick Chester Warner (Boston, 1949, typescript in 5 vols. at the NEHGS Library).

Royal Line:

1. William I the Lion, King of Scotland d. 1214 (illegitimate union with a daughter of Richard Avenal)

2. Isabel of Scotland m. Robert de Ros, Magna Carta Surety

3. Sir William de Ros m. Lucy Fitzpiers

4. Sir William de Ros m. Eustache Fitzhugh

5. Lucy de Ros m. Sir Robert Plumpton

6. Sir William Plumpton m. Christiana Mowbray

7. Alice Plumpton m. Sir Richard Sherburne

8. Margaret Sherburne m. Richard Bayley

9. Richard Bayley alias Sherburne m. Agnes Harrington

10. Richard Sherburne m. Matilda Hamerton

11. Agnes Sherburne m. Henry Rushton (Agnes' sister Isabel is an ancestress of George Washington)

12. Nicholas Rushton m. Margaret Radcliffe

13. Agnes Rushton m. Richard Worthington

14. Peter Worthington m. Isabel Anderton

15. Isabel Worthington m. Robert Worden

16. Peter Worden, #2 above.

Magna Carta Wrap-Up

Well, that's all seventeen Magna Carta sureties and their descent to Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson.  Frankly I was surprised that I only needed her to gain all the descents, I thought I needed some other immigrants of royal descent.  And, of course, all of Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson's illustrious ancestry comes from her paternal grandmother Anne (Eure) Mansfield.  She was the daughter of a knight and granddaughter of a knight and a lord.  She lived approximately from 1530 to 1566.  So she was 300 years removed from the Magna Carta and it's easy to see that she could have eighteen lines (17 barons and one king) from that time period.  If you've ever researched Mayflower lines, you find that you seldom descend from just one Mayflower passenger, you descend from several.  Likewise, the Magna Carta barons have children and grandchildren that intermarry, so it's easy to see that you can descend from the whole lot given enough time and intermarriage.

The question then is: Is this commonplace?  Do most people of English origins descend from all the Magna Carta barons by this time? I have no idea.  But you've got to take what the genealogical gods hand you.  For all the brick walls which I'll never overcome, I still have a provable connection to medieval England and the movers and shakers of that time period.

 

William de Lanvallay, d. 1217

1. William de Lanvallay m. Maud Pecche

2. Hawise de Lanvallay m. Sir John de Burgh

3. Sir John de Burgh, Baron Lanvallay m. Cecily de Baliol, sister of John Baliol, King of Scotland

4. Devorguille de Burgh m Sir Robert Fitz Walter, the 1st Lord Fitzwalter

5. Christian de Burgh m. Sir William Marshal, 1st Lord Marshal

6. Hawise Marshal m. Robert de Morley, 2nd Lord Morley

7. William de Morley, 3rd Lord Morley m. Cecily de Bardolph

8. Thomas de Morley, 4th Lord Morley m. Joan Hastings

9. Sir Robert de Morley m. Isabel Moleyns

10. Thomas Morley, 5th Lord Morley m Isabel de la Pole

11. Anne Morley m. John Hastings, 9th Lord Hastings

12. Sir Hugh Hastings, 10th Lord Hastings m. Anne Gascoigne

13. Muriel Hastings m. Sir Ralph Eure

14. William Eure, 1st Lord Eure m. Elizabeth Willoughby

15. Sir Ralph Eure m. Margery Bowes

16. Anne Eure, the paternal grandmother of Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson, see previous postings.

 

 

John Fitz Robert, Lord of Warkworth

1. John Fitz Robert, 3rd Lord of Warkworth m. Ada de Baliol

2. Sir Hugh de Eure m. Ellen (----)

3. John de Eure m. Agnes (---)

4. Sir John de Eure m. Margaret (---)

5. Sir Ralph Eure m. Katherine Atton

6. Sir William Eure m. Maud Fitzhugh

7. Sir Ralph Eure m. Eleanor Greystoke

8. Sir William Eure m. Margaret Constable

9. Sir Ralph Eure m. Muriel Hastings

10. William Eure, 1st Lord Eure m. Elizabeth Willoughby

11. Sir Ralph Eure m. Margery Bowes

12. Anne Eure, the paternal grandmother of Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson of Boston.  Note that this Magna Carta descent is her patrilineal line.

William Malet d. 1216

1. William Malet m. unknown (m. 2nd Alice Bassett)

2. Mabel Malet m. Sir Hugh de Vivonne

3. Sir William de Forz de Vivonne m. Maud de Ferrers

4. Cecily de Vivonne m. Sir John de Beauchamp

5. Sir John de Beauchamp m. Joan (---)

6. Joan de Beauchamp m. Sir John de Cobham, 2nd Lord Cobham

7. Joan de Cobham m. Sir Philip le Despencer

8. Sir Philip le Despencer, 1st Lord Despencer m. Elizabeth le Strange

9. Sir Philip le Despencer, 2nd Lord Despencer m. Elizabeth de Tibetot

10. Margery Despencer m. Roger Wentworth

11. Agnes Wentworth m. Sir Robert Constable (Jr.)

12. Margaret Constable m. Sir William Eure

13. Sir Ralph Eure m. Muriel Hastings

14. William Eure, 1st Lord Eure m. Elizabeth Willoughby

15. Sir Ralph Eure m. Margery Bowes

16. Anne Eure, the paternal grandmother of Elizabeth (Mansfield)  Wilson of Boston, Massachusetts.

 

William d'Aubigny of Belvoir ca. 1160-1236

1. William d'Aubigny, Lord of Belvoir m. Margery de Umfreville

2. William d'Aubigny, Lord of Belvoir m. Isabel (---)

3. Isabel d'Aubigny m. Sir Robert de Ros, grandson of Robert de Ros, Magna Carta surety

4. William de Ros, 1st Lord Ros of Helmsley m. Maud de Vaux

5. William de Roos, 2nd Lord Roos m. Margery de Badlesmere

6. Thomas de Roos, 4th Lord Roos m. Beatrice de Stafford (descendant of the de Clares and de Lacys)

7. Elizabeth de Roos m. Thomas Clifford, 6th Lord Clifford

8. John Clifford, K.G., 7th Lord Clifford m. Elizabeth Percy

9. Thomas Clifford, 8th Lord Clifford m. Joan Dacre

10. John Clifford, 9th Lord Clifford m. Magaret Bromflete

11. Henry Clifford, 10th Lord Clifford m. Anne Saint John

12. Elizabeth Clifford m. Sir Ralph Bowes

13. Margery Bowes m. Sir Ralph Eure

14. Anne Eure m. Lancelot Mansfield

15. John Mansfield m. Elizabeth (---)

16. Elizabeth Mansfield m. John Wilson, both of whom emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts

Sir William de Huntingfield

1. Sir William de Huntingfield m. Isabel Fitz William

2. Alice de Huntingfield m. Hugh le Rus

3. William le Rus m. Agatha de Clere

4. Alice le Rus m. Sir Richard de Braiose

5. Richard de Braiose m. Eleanor de Furnival

6. Eleanor de Braiose m. Sir John Wingfield

7. Katherine Wingfield m. Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl Suffolk

8. Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl Suffolk m. Katherine Stafford

9. Isabel de la Pole m. Thomas Morley, 5th Lord Morley

10. Anne Morley m. John Hastings, 9th Lord Hastings

11. Sir Hugh Hastings, 10th Lord Hastings m. Anne Gascoigne

12. Muriel Hastings m. Sir Ralph Eure

13. William Eure, 1st Lord Eure m. Elizabeth Willoughby

14. Sir Ralph Eure m. Margery Bowes

15. Anne Eure, the paternal grandmother of Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson, see previous postings.

 

 

Geoffrey de Say ca. 1180-1230

1. Geoffrey de Say m. Hawise de Clare, daughter of Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Magna Carta surety.

2. Sir William de Say m. Sibyl (---)

3. Hawise de Say m. Sir John Marshal

4. Sir William Marshal, 1st Lord Marshal m. Christian de Burgh (descendant of Robert Fitz Walter)

5. Hawise Marshal m. Robert de Morley, 2nd Lord Morley

6. William de Morley, 3rd Lord Morley m. Cecily de Bardolph

7. Thomas de Morley, 4th Lord Morley m. Joan Hastings

8. Sir Robert de Morley m. Isabel Moleyns

9. Thomas Morley, 5th Lord Morley m Isabel de la Pole

10. Anne Morley m. John Hastings, 9th Lord Hastings

11. Sir Hugh Hastings, 10th Lord Hastings m. Anne Gascoigne

12. Muriel Hastings m. Sir Ralph Eure

13. William Eure, 1st Lord Eure m. Elizabeth Willoughby

14. Sir Ralph Eure m. Margery Bowes

15. Anne Eure, the paternal grandmother of Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson, see previous postings.

William de Mowbray d. 1222

1. William de Mowbray, Baron Axholme m. Agnes D'Aubigny

2. Roger de Mowbray m. Maud de Beauchamp

3. Sir Roger de Mowbray, 1st Lord Mowbray  m. Roese de Clare, granddaughter of the de Clare Magna Carta signers, see previous postings.

4. Sir John de Mowbray, 2nd Lord Mowbray m. Aline de Braiose

5. John de Mowbray, 3rd Lord Mowbray m. Joan of Lancaster, great-granddaughter of Henry III

6. John de Mowbray, 4th Lord Mowbray m. Elizabeth de Segrave [John's sister Eleanor is an ancestress of Rose (Stoughton) Otis]

7. Eleanor de Mowbray m. Sir John de Welles, 5th Lord Welles

8. Eudes de Welles m. Maud de Greystoke

9. Lionel de Welles, K.G., 6th Lord Welles m. Joan de Waterton

10. Cecily de Welles m. Sir Robert Willoughby

11. Christopher Willoughby, 10th Lord Willoughy of Eresby m. Margaret Jenney

12. Elizabeth Willoughby m. William Eure, 1st Lord Eure

13. Sir Ralph Eure m. Margery Bowes

14. Anne Eure, the paternal grandmother of Elizabeth (Mansfield) Wilson, see previous posts.