Groups | Search | Server Info | Login | Register

Groups > free.uk.genealogy > #20

Re: Power Gene?

Cross-posted to 6 groups.

Show all headers | View raw

On 28/11/17 05:35, Steve Hayes wrote:
> Is ruling in the genes? All presidents bar one are directly descended
> from a medieval English king
> 
>      12-year-old girl created family tree linking 42 of 43 U.S.
> presidents to King John of England, who signed Magna Carta in 1215
>      Only eighth president, Martin Van Buren, was not related to John
> 
> By Snejana Farberov
> 
> Published: 02:14 GMT, 5 August 2012 | Updated: 05:58 GMT, 5 August
> 2012
> 
> (So not new, but interesting none the less -- I wonder if anyone has
> checked her work?)
> 
> <URL:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183858/All-presidents-bar-directly-descended-medieval-English-king.html>
> 
> What do Barack Obama, Thomas Jefferson, George W. Bush and the other
> past U.S. presidents have in common? Besides holding the coveted title
> of commander-in-chief, it appears that all of them but one are
> cousins.
> 
> The remarkable discovery was made by 12-year-old BridgeAnne d’Avignon,
> of Salinas, California, who created a ground-breaking family tree that
> connected 42 of 43 U.S. presidents to one common, and rather
> unexpected, ancestor: King John of England.
> 

There are a couple of factors to consider.

1. The genealogist's syllogism: we need a name here, this is a name, it 
must go here (cf. the politician's syllogism).  There is a reluctance to 
say "I don't know" when presented with a choice of alternatives (of 
which none may be the correct ancestor) and, picking one, there is a 
tendency to pick a high status name.

2.  The founder effect.  Early European migrants to N America are likely 
to have more descendants than later immigrants by virtue of there being 
more generations between then and now and so are overrepresented in the 
present population.  Such migration required capital and maybe 
religious/political incentives; these are more likely to have been 
higher status individuals at home and more likely to have had a royal 
descent - or at least have ancestors who claimed that, see 1.

-- 
Hotmail is my spam bin.  Real address is ianng
at austonley org uk

Back to free.uk.genealogy | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar

Thread

Power Gene? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2017-11-28 07:35 +0200
  Re: Power Gene? Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> - 2017-11-28 08:36 +0000
    Re: Power Gene? "Evertjan." <exxjxw.hannivoort@inter.nl.net> - 2017-11-28 13:12 +0100
      Re: Power Gene? Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> - 2017-11-28 13:13 +0000
  Re: Power Gene? Ian Goddard <goddai01@hotmail.co.uk> - 2017-11-28 09:57 +0000
    Re: Power Gene? Richard Smith <richard@ex-parrot.com> - 2017-11-28 11:05 +0000
      Re: Power Gene? "J. P. Gilliver (John)" <G6JPG-255@255soft.uk> - 2017-11-29 01:18 +0000
        Re: Power Gene? Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> - 2017-11-29 10:00 +0000
      Re: Power Gene? Ian Goddard <goddai01@hotmail.co.uk> - 2017-11-29 10:03 +0000
  Re: Power Gene? Denis Beauregard <denis.b-at-francogene.com@fr.invalid> - 2017-11-28 10:07 -0500
  Re: Power Gene? "catalpa" <catalpa@entertab.org> - 2017-11-28 21:53 -0500
    Re: Power Gene? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2017-11-29 07:10 +0200
  Re: Power Gene? Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> - 2017-11-30 01:06 +1100

csiph-web