Politics | 10/10/2008 9:30 am

Sarah Palin and Princess Diana - Distant Cousins

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Barack Obama and Dick Cheney (and Brad Pitt) are not the only people who have odd common ancestry.

John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, is linked in her family tree to former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and the much-beloved Princess Diana.

According to genealogists at Ancestry.com, Roosevelt, the Depression-era Democratic president, is Palin’s ninth cousin once removed. Their common ancestor is Puritan Presbyterian Rev. John Lothrop, who came from England to Massachusetts in 1634.

The website also says the Alaska governor is a tenth cousin of the late British royal, Princess Diana.

Palin and Diana descended from John Strong and his wife Abigail Ford. Strong was born around 1605 in England and emigrated to the United States, where he died in Massachusetts in 1699, Ancestry.com said.

Cheney’s wife, Lynne, last year uncovered ancestral ties – eighth or ninth cousins once removed, depending on who you talk to - between her husband and Obama while researching her book.

Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful and Illinois senator, is also a ninth cousin of actor Brad Pitt. Ancestry.com says: "Obama and Pitt are ninth cousins, sharing an eighth great–grandfather named Edwin Hickman. Hickman owned land in Virginia that was eventually purchased by Thomas Jefferson and incorporated into Monticello."

"When you’ve got candidates who have deep roots in America, there’s a good chance that they’re going to have some famous cousins," Ancestry.com’s chief family historian, Megan Smolenyak, told Reuters. "We’ve all got literally millions of cousins. The trick is finding that one little connection that results in something like Sarah Palin being related to FDR or Diana.”

24 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Clearly the classy part of the family tree went to Diana’s side… Nothin’ “Joe Six Pack” about her, thank god!

By Garden Goddess on 10/10/2008 10:09 am

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Wow, every family has their black sheep….the one that stands out as completely different. I guess it’s fair to say Sarah is this family’s black sheep. Princess Diana had true inner beauty, style, class and grace….Sarah Palin has………nah, too easy.

By Belinda Joy on 10/10/2008 11:02 am

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Amen to that Belinda.

By The Wine Warrior on 10/10/2008 12:00 pm

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I second that Double Amen to you Belinda…………………………And I also strongly doubt that ANY of Lady Diana’s bloodline made it pass Russia….I had to go there….:)

By Mrs. Cheryl Hampton on 10/11/2008 1:37 pm

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i’m an actual ‘Bourbon-Hapsburg’—-‘out of Pierre Le Clede, bastard of Louis IV’—-his bastard kid, via ‘Madame Chouteau’ queen of New Orleans founded St. Louis, great-great pop went ‘upriver, and on to found Pierre S.D.—-and so may places named for his father—-if 500 people plop, i’ll be king of spain! a funny thing about Wasilla? every sucker ya meet brags of their ‘royal’ heritage—-like a plague—-do i believe such BS? nope—-not then, not now—-moose-shit—- and was this country Not founded on ‘anti-monarchists’ ideals? most ‘ancestor-tracers’ will say whatever you pay for, ‘nuff-said?’

By gulliver fourmyle on 10/16/2008 12:51 am

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Give me a break!

By Joan Brown on 10/10/2008 11:04 am

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If Brad Pitt and Dick Cheney can somehow be in the same family anything is possible.

By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 10/10/2008 11:57 am

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Heard that, Sandbee! ;0)) Agree! Onco genes follow the paternal grandfather line, wonder about the “others”. I better brush up on those, fast! In several ways, they do appear the flip side of the same coin, though, or rough around the edges.

By C jay on 10/12/2008 10:32 pm

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Poor ol’ John Strong, and his wife Abigail’s probably spinning in her grave! Just goes to show how far some apples can fall from the tree.

By Ms. Dee on 10/10/2008 12:20 pm

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But don’t people realize that we are all related to one another? You may have to go back more generations with some people than with others, but we are all the same family. [See this discussion about how far back: http://ask.metafilter.com/86301/Hey-are-you-my-long-lost-tenth-cousin ] And when I think of the differences between siblings in my family, it is understandable that there would be great distances between distant cousins Sarah and Diana.

By Elizabeth Bennett on 10/10/2008 12:20 pm

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Isn’t it amazing that no one seems to have just “regular people” in their past ?

By Mary NSB-Florida on 10/10/2008 12:58 pm

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a key way of seeing ‘megalomaniacs’ as Palin—-or my bonkers family—-it just seems inevitable that trash seeks refuge from some past—-it’s pitiful really—-some may see this as insult? tough tootie—-

By gulliver fourmyle on 10/16/2008 1:01 am

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Who cares, lets find out who is the real “Sarah Palin”?. No one knows her, most of her colleuges didn’t even know her in Washington and she has the audicity to ask who is the real Barack Obama, ugh I wish she would just go away. Even better go hide deep under the snow in Alaska until the snow melts maybe by then you will be fogotten about. Enough is Enough this women is filled with hate, you can see it in her eyes

By SomChics Designs on 10/10/2008 1:21 pm

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my Gr.Gr. gandfather is Payamataha a Chief of the Great Chickasaws …And Paustoobee a great Chickasaw Chief ..And that is what is important …not Palin … Now I will tell you this …because I study revelation for many years …The Queen is a DIRECT DECENDANT to KING DAVID …. So what you say ? >Mother Mary did not come from the house of David …The Blood of JESUS did not come from the house of David…only Joseph’s blood came from that house …which David made corrupt with a “unclean” blood …And Jesus was from HOLY STOCK of People ..Mary was from a HOLY LINE …Mary’s Mother> ANNA was from Holy Stock …This line was kept PURE …And GOD figured out a way to fool Satan …so Satan couldnt corrupt the HOLY BLOOD …line … So this Royal Family has Rechabite blood all over it …. in it,, around it …So I personally would NEVER trust these people ever …They KILLED DIANA because she was going to marry a Muslim ….and I think she was pregnant …This is how Evil these people are …they look like sheep but are wolves ….Maybe the antiChrist will come out of that family ? We dont know do we ? In Islam they think the antiChrist is already here …and He dictates the affairs of the world ..now as we speak …I know he is here …I know this in my heart …The Late Great Pope said Bush was antiChrist …There is so much to the antiChrist ..I dont have room to put it down on here ,,I could tell you people stuff ..but…it would BLOW YOU AWAY ….|and you wouldnt believe me …like most dont believe in the 3 rd return of the Jesus The Christ ..yes I said 3rd …. The Last ADVENT will be the third …You only heard the first 2 there is one before the birth …..and I can document that !! For all you that dont believe …I know HIS name …before HE was placed into Mary womb ….I will give you a Clue …he meet Abraham after a Battle ….And Abraham declared Him ! And Abraham gave HIM a 10th of all the spoils and Drank WIne with HIM and shared Bread ….Now who is this ? The Catholic Priests didnt even KNOW …when I asked WHO IS This Man ? nor did NONE of the people standing next to me in Church !! NOT ONE ….I am going to write a BOOK about my experience …Thats how good my story is …I might have Devil’s Hit men after me like was after Diana …even Michael Moore prays not to be knocked off ..because he knows like me THEY dont like the Truth ! and their father was the first MURDERER ! and the Father of all LIES …Yes that Royal Family killed Diana ….she would of whitnessed to the WHOLE WIDE WORLD Islam is Beautiful ! and it is !

By Eliza Dodd on 10/10/2008 1:38 pm