But it is true that both Bush and Roosevelt are related to a lot of former Presidents. And it's not that surprising. Prior to the twentieth century, it was fairly common for first cousins to marry, and people tended to marry within the confines of smaller ethnic, religious, or geopolitical communities. In the 17th century, for example, Hartford residents usually married someone from Hartford or an adjoining community. Often that person was a cousin.
Genealogy works upwards as well as downward.
Week 75 I have this great idea that I'd like to get patented. I love to watch figure skating but feel like an idiot because I don't know which jump is which. Week 73 Match some Latin phrases with their English translations. I recently read that Presidential candidate George W. Bush and former President Franklin D. Roosevelt are each related to 16 U.S. Presidents. This makes it sound as though the American Presidency is a hereditary office.