MY KINSHIP WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA

MY KINSHIP WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA

By William Anderson LaBach

The following is an e-mail I sent to my relatives just before Christmas about our kinship to President Obama:

I am kin to President Obama through three of my four grandparents: James Oscar LaBach, Matthew William Anderson, and Lucy Chenault Anderson. You all are kin too. This kinship is through Obama's mother who was white. The following is a note I sent to the Lexington-Herald Leader October 27, 2008 although it was not published. Their article was about Obama having ancestors in Kentucky.

I saw your article today and decided to respond. I am a 4th great grandson of Henry Clay (1777-1852), the statesman, and a former President of the Kentucky Genealogical Society and the Fayette County Genealogical Society. I am kin to Barack Obama through three of my four grandparents. I will detail this.

Obama and I are descendants of Mareen Duval (?-1694) of Maryland and his wife. This ancestry has received publicity already. See http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/familytree/545456,BSX-News-wotreej09.article . There is also a Mareen Duval Society. See http://www.duvallsociety.org/ . Among descendants of Mareen Duval are Justice Gabriel Duval (1752-1844) of the United States Supreme Court, Harry S. Truman, Wallis Warfield Simpson (the Duchess of Windsor), and actor Robert Duval. My descent from Mareen is as follows: Mareen Duval and wife Susannah, Susannah Duval (ca 1671-ca1738) who married Robert Tyler (ca 1676- after 1710), Elizabeth Tyler (1701-after1744) who married Samuel Pottenger (1693-after1742), Susannah Pottenger (1719-1779) who married Richard Simmons (1706-1784), Samuel Simmons (ca 1742-1781) who married Verlinda Willett (1746-ca1820 Bullitt Co., KY), Susanna Simmons (1763-ca1803) who married Josiah Phelps (1755-1835 Madison Co., KY), Susanna Phelps (1785-1843) who married William Chenault (1773-1834), Waller Chenault (1803-1861) who married Tillitha Harris (1818-1893), Christopher David Chenault (1846-1925) who married Sarah Gibson Humphreys (1858-1930), Lucy Alexander Humphreys Chenault (1897-1975) who married Matthew William Anderson (1895-1967), Mary Webster Anderson (1920-1998) who married James Parker LaBach (1918-2004), William Anderson LaBach (1938- ) who married Karen Eugenia Mitchell (1950- ). Obama's descent is given in the genealogy of Rietwiesner at http://www.wargs.com/political/obama.html .

Obama and I are descended from great grandparents of Henry Clay (1777-1852), the statesman. These ancestors were John Hudson (ca 1690-1733) who married Elizabeth Harris (1698-after1770) of Virginia. Nobody seems to have commented about this before. My descent from John Hudson and Elizabeth Harris is as follows: George Hudson (ca1712-1773) who married Elizabeth Jennings (1729-ca1782), Elizabeth Hudson (1750-1829) who married John Clay (ca 1742-1781), Henry Clay (1777-1852) who married Lucretia Hart (1781-1864), Anne Brown Clay (1807-1835) who married James Erwin (1796-1851), Andrew Eugene Erwin (1830-1863) who married Josephine Deborah Russell (1835-1920), Mary Webster Erwin (1861-1931) who married Matthew William Anderson (1836-1906), Matthew William Anderson (1895-1967) who married Lucy Alexander Humphreys Chenault (1897-1975), Mary Webster Anderson (1920-1998) who married James Parker LaBach (1918-2004), William Anderson LaBach who married Karen Eugenia Mitchell.

Obama and I are descended from Jean Des Marest (1645-1719) and his wife Jacomina Deruine (1652-1687) of New Jersey. My descent from Jean Des Marest and Jacomina Deruine is as follows: Peter Demarest (1683-1763) who married Maretie Meet (ca 1688-ca1720), Leah Demarest (1713-1799 KY) who married Samuel Demaree (ca 1707-ca1798 Shelby Co., KY) [note: these people were second cousins and both Demarests], Rachel Demaree (1743-1814) who married Gerardus Ryker (1740-1781 Jefferson Co., KY) [an aside, the Ryker or Riker family is an early Dutch family in New York, the ancestral home is the oldest private residence still in existence in the United States, http://www.rikerhome.com/], Samuel Ryker (1769-1832) who married Barbara Fullenwider (1771-1829, this is a Swiss family), Samuel Ryker, Jr. (1806-1843) who married Margaret Kincaid Holton (1805-1877), Joseph Holton Ryker (1826-1880) who married Eliza Stuart McLelland (1830-1918), Cornelia Esther Ryker (1852-1925) who married James Mayer LaBach (1845-1919), James Oscar LaBach (1871-1922) who married Mary Shepherd Parker (1880-1973), James Parker LaBach (as above) who married Mary Webster Anderson (as above), William Anderson LaBach who married Karen Eugenia Mitchell.

My genealogy is online at http://www.geocities.com/wlabach/.

Merry Christmas, Bill LaBach.