The genealogical relationships between

George Walker Bush

and

John Forbes Kerry

 

by William Addams Reitwiesner
 
 

Gary Boyd Roberts, of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society, contributed some of the material below.

 
 

William Addams Reitwiesner

 

wargs@wargs.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
Sen. John Forbes Kerry, the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in 2004, is related, in a number of ways, to George Walker Bush, the current (2004) US President, and the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in 2004.  
 
The closest relationships known at this time are in the 10th cousin range.  
 
In several cases, Sen. Kerry is descended from one child of a Seventeenth-century New England colonial immigrant, while Pres. Bush is descended from another child of the same Seventeenth-century New England colonial immigrant.  
 

Henry Herrick m. Edith Laskin

Zachariah Herrick m. Mary Dodge
Siblings
Ephraim Herrick m. Mary Cross

Mary Herrick m. John Bachelder
1st Cousins
Samuel Herrick m. Mehitabel Woodward

Mary Bachelder m. Paul Thorndike
2nd Cousins
Daniel Herrick m. Elizabeth Rust

Andrew Thorndike m. Anna Morgan
3rd Cousins
Samuel Herrick m. Silence Kingsley

Israel Thorndike m. Mercy Trask
4th Cousins
Sarah Herrick m. Rev. Nathaniel Butler

Elizabeth Thorndike m. Ebenezer Francis
5th Cousins
Samuel Herrick Butler m. Judith Livingston

Sarah Ellen Francis m. Robert Means Mason
6th Cousins
Courtland Philip Livingston Butler m. Elizabeth Slade Pierce

Elizabeth Mason m. Robert Charles Winthrop
7th Cousins
Mary Elizabeth Butler m. Robert Emmet Sheldon

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
8th Cousins
Flora Sheldon m. Samuel Prescott Bush

Rosemary Isabel Forbes m. Richard John Kerry
9th Cousins
Prescott Sheldon Bush m. Dorothy Walker

JOHN FORBES KERRY
10th Cousins
George Herbert Walker Bush m. Barbara Pierce

 
10th Cousins
Once Removed

GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from Henry Herrick of Salem, Massachusetts, Pres. Bush is a 10th cousin once removed of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
John Dwight m. Hannah ----

Mary Dwight m. Henry Phillips
Siblings
Hannah Dwight m. Nathaniel Whiting

John Phillips m. Mary Gross
1st Cousins
Nathaniel Whiting m. Joanna Gay

Abigail Phillips m. John Erving
2nd Cousins
Samuel Whiting m. Mary Clark

Elizabeth Erving m. James Bowdoin
3rd Cousins
Ephraim Whiting m. Abigail Mason

Elizabeth Bowdoin m. John Temple
4th Cousins
Susanna Whiting m. Benjamin Butler

Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple m. Thomas Lindall Winthrop
5th Cousins
Nathaniel Butler m. Sarah Herrick

Robert Charles Winthrop m. Elizabeth Cabot Blanchard
6th Cousins
Samuel Herrick Butler m. Judith Livingston

Robert Charles Winthrop m. Elizabeth Mason
7th Cousins
Courtland Philip Livingston Butler m. Elizabeth Slade Pierce

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
8th Cousins
Mary Elizabeth Butler m. Robert Emmet Sheldon

Rosemary Isabel Forbes m. Richard Kohn Kerry
9th Cousins
Flora Sheldon m. Samuel Prescott Bush

JOHN FORBES KERRY
10th Cousins
Prescott Sheldon Bush m. Dorothy Walker

 
10th Cousins
Once Removed

George Herbert Walker Bush m. Barbara Pierce

 
10th Cousins
Twice Removed

GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from John Dwight of Dedham, Massachusetts, Pres. Bush is a 10th cousin twice removed of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
Thomas Richards m. Wealthean (Loring?)

Ann Richards m. Ephraim Hunt
Siblings
Mary Richards m. Thomas Hinckley

Thomas Hunt m. Judith Torrey
1st Cousins
Samuel Hinckley m. Sarah Pope

Samuel Hunt m. Mary Langdon
2nd Cousins
Mary Hinckley m. Samuel Bangs

Elizabeth Hunt m. Joshua Blanchard
3rd Cousins
Joseph Bangs m. Thankful Hamlin

Samuel Blanchard m. Elizabeth Gardner
4th Cousins
Lemuel Bangs m. Rebecca Keeler

Francis Blanchard m. Mary Ann Cabot
5th Cousins
Elijah Keeler Bangs m. Esther Stackhouse

Elizabeth Cabot Blanchard m. Robert Charles Winthrop
6th Cousins
Mary Ann Bangs m. Joseph Ambrose Beaky

Robert Charles Winthrop m. Elizabeth Mason
7th Cousins
Martha Adela Beaky m. David Davis Walker

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
8th Cousins
George Herbert Walker m. Lucretia Wear

Rosemary Isabel Forbes m. Richard John Kerry
9th Cousins
Dorothy Walker m. Prescott Sheldon Bush

JOHN FORBES KERRY
10th Cousins
George Herbert Walker Bush m. Barbara Pierce

 
10th Cousins
Once Removed

GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from Thomas Richards of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Pres. Bush is a 10th cousin once removed of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
In other cases, Sen. Kerry is descended from a seventeenth-century New England colonial immigrant who is closely related to a seventeenth-century New England colonial immigrant that Pres. Bush is descended from. For example, Mrs. Elizabeth Reade Winthrop of Connecticut, an ancestor of Sen. Kerry, was a sister of Mrs. Margaret Reade Lake of Connecticut, an ancestor of Pres. Bush.
Edmund Reade m. Elizabeth Cooke

Elizabeth Reade m. John Winthrop
Siblings
Margaret Reade m. John Lake

Wait Still Winthrop m. Mary Browne
1st Cousins
Hannah Lake m. John Gallup

John Winthrop m. Ann Dudley
2nd Cousins
Elizabeth Gallup m. Henry Stevens

John Still Winthrop m. Jane Borland
3rd Cousins
Henry Stevens m. Elizabeth Fellows

Thomas Lindall Winthrop m. Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple
4th Cousins
Lucy Stevens m. Ephraim Smith

Robert Charles Winthrop m. Elizabeth Cabot Blanchard
5th Cousins
Sanford Smith m. Priscilla Whippo

Robert Charles Winthrop m. Elizabeth Mason
6th Cousins
Harriet Smith m. Obadiah Newcomb Bush

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
7th Cousins
James Smith Bush m. Harriet Eleanor Fay

Rosemary Isabel Forbes m. Richard John Kerry
8th Cousins
Samuel Prescott Bush m. Flora Sheldon

JOHN FORBES KERRY
9th Cousins
Prescott Sheldon Bush m. Dorothy Walker

 
9th Cousins
Once Removed

George Herbert Walker Bush . Barbara Pierce

 
9th Cousins
Twice Removed

GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from Edmund Reade of Wickford, co. Essex, Pres. Bush is a 9th cousin twice removed of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
Mrs. Elizabeth St. John Whiting of Lynn, Massachusetts, an ancestor of Sen. Kerry, was a niece of Rev. Peter Bukleley of Concord, Massachusetts, an ancestor of Pres. Bush.  
 
Rev. Edward Bulkeley m. Olive Irby

Sarah Bulkeley m. Oliver St. John
Siblings
Rev. Peter Bulkeley m. Jane Allen

Elizabeth St. John m. Rev. Samuel Whiting
1st Cousins
Edward Bulkeley m. Lucian ----

Elizabeth Whiting m. Jeremiah Hobart
2nd Cousins
Peter Bulkeley m. Rebecca Wheeler

Dorothy Hobart m. Daniel Mason
3rd Cousins
Rebecca Bulkeley m. Jonathan Prescott

Jeremiah Mason m. Mary Clark
4th Cousins
Abel Prescott m. Abigail Brigham

Jeremiah Mason m. Elizabeth Fitch
5th Cousins
Lucy Prescott m. Jonathan Fay

Jeremiah Mason m. Mary Means
6th Cousins
Samuel Prescott Phillips Fay m. Harriet Howard

Robert Means Mason m. Sarah Ellen Francis
7th Cousins
Samuel Howard Fay m. Susan Shellman

Elizabeth Mason m. Robert Charles Winthrop
8th Cousins
Harriet Eleanor Fay m. James Smith Bush

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
9th Cousins
Samuel Prescott Bush m. Flora Sheldon

Rosemary Isabel Forbes m. Richard John Kerry
10th Cousins
Prescott Sheldon Bush m. Dorothy Walker

JOHN FORBES KERRY
11th Cousins
George Herbert Walker Bush m. Barbara Pierce

 
11th Cousins
Once Removed

GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from Rev. Edward Bukleley of Odell, Bedfordshire, Pres. Bush is an 11th cousin once removed of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
Mrs. Barbara Clapp Weld of Roxbury, Massachusetts, an ancestor of Sen. Kerry, was a half first cousin of Mrs. Jane Clapp Weeks of Dorchester, Massachusetts, an ancestor of Pres. Bush.  
 
Christian ---- m2. Richard Clapp m1. ----

Nicholas Clapp m. Elizabeth ----
Half Siblings
William Clapp m. Joan Channon

Barbara Clapp m. Joseph Weld
Half 1st Cousins
Jane Clapp m. George Weeks

Daniel Weld m. Bethia Mitchelson
Half 2nd Cousins
William Weeks m. Elizabeth ----

Elizabeth Weld m. John Gardner
Half 3rd Cousins
Renew Weeks m. Benjamin Carpenter

John Gardner m. Elizabeth Putnam
Half 4th Cousins
Keziah Carpenter m. Thomas Horton

John Gardner m. Elizabeth Pickering
Half 5th Cousins
Submit Horton m. Jeremiah Wheeler

Elizabeth Gardner m. Samuel Blanchard
Half 6th Cousins
Jarvis Wheeler m. Sarah Horton

Francis Blanchard m. Mary Ann Cabot
Half 7th Cousins
Betsy S. Wheeler m. Levi Pierce

Elizabeth Cabot Blanchard m. Robert Charles Winthrop
Half 8th Cousins
Elizabeth Slade Pierce m. Courtland Philip Livingston Butler

Robert Charles Winthrop m. Elizabeth Mason
Half 9th Cousins
Mary Elizabeth Butler m. Robert Emmet Sheldon

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
Half 10th Cousins
Flora Sheldon m. Samuel Prescott Bush

Rosemary Isabel Forbes m. Richard John Kerry
Half 11th Cousins
Prescott Sheldon Bush m. Dorothy Walker

JOHN FORBES KERRY
Half 12th Cousins
George Herbert Walker Bush m. Barbara Pierce

 
Half 12th Cousins
Once Removed

GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from Richard Clapp of Sidbury, Devon, Pres. Bush is a half 12th cousin once removed of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
Mrs. Mary Angier Sparhawk of Cambridge, Massachusetts, an ancestor of Sen. Kerry, was a second cousin of Philip Sherman of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, an ancestor of Pres. Bush.  
 
Henry Sherman m. Agnes (Butter?)

Edmund Sherman m. Anne Pellatte
Siblings
Henry Sherman m. Susan Lawrence

Anne Sherman m. John Angier
1st Cousins
Samuel Sherman m. Philippa (Ward?)

Mary Angier m. Nathaniel Sparhawk
2nd Cousins
Philip Sherman m. Sarah Odding

Anne Sparhawk m. John Cooper
3rd Cousins
John Sherman m. Sarah Spooner

Lydia Cooper m. John Francis
4th Cousins
Hannah Sherman m. William Bourn

Ebenezer Francis m. Rachel Whitmore
5th Cousins
William Bourn m. Mary Sheffield

Ebenezer Francis m. Judith Wood
6th Cousins
Hannah Bourn m. William Fitch

Ebenezer Francis m. Elizabeth Thorndike
7th Cousins
Anna Fitch m. Isaac Pierce

Sarah Ellen Francis m. Robert Means Mason
8th Cousins
Levi Pierce m. Betsy S. Wheeler

Elizabeth Mason m. Robert Charles Winthrop
9th Cousins
Elizabeth Slade Pierce m. Courtland Philip Livingston Butler

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
10th Cousins
Mary Elizabeth Butler m. Robert Emmet Sheldon

Rosemary Isabel Forbes m. Richard John Kerry
11th Cousins
Flora Sheldon m. Samuel Prescott Bush

JOHN FORBES KERRY
12th Cousins
Prescott Sheldon Bush m. Dorothy Walker

 
12th Cousins
Once Removed

George Herbert Walker Bush m. Barbara Pierce

 
12th Cousins
Twice Removed

GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from Henry Sherman of Dedham, Essex, Pres. Bush is a 12th cousin twice removed of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
In addition, Rev. Henry Whitfield of Guilford, Connecticut, an ancestor of Sen. Kerry, was a second cousin of Richard Waters of Salem, Massachusetts, an ancestor of Pres. Bush.  
 
John Manning m. Agnes Petley

Henry Manning m. Catherine Kerkener
Siblings
George Manning m. Joanna Wallys

Fortuna Mildred Manning m. Thomas Whitfield
1st Cousins
Phebe Manning m. James Waters

Rev Henry Whitfield m. Dorothy Sheafe
2nd Cousins
Richard Waters m. Joyce ----

Sarah Whitfield m. Rev. John Higginson
3rd Cousins
Susannah Waters m. Benedict Pulsifer

John Higginson m. Sarah Savage
4th Cousins
Richard Pulsifer m. Ruth Gold

John Higginson m. Hannah Gardner
5th Cousins
William Pulsifer m. Mary Lovell

John Higginson m. Ruth Boardman
6th Cousins
Elizabeth Pulsifer m. Daniel Hill

Elizabeth Higginson m. Joseph Cabot
7th Cousins
Daniel Hill m. Mercy Hayward

Francis Cabot m. Anna (Nancy) Clarke
8th Cousins
Mercy Hill m. John Holbrook

Mary Ann Cabot m. Francis Blanchard
9th Cousins
Chloe Holbrook m. Gen James Pierce

Elizabeth Cabot Blanchard m. Robert Charles Winthrop
10th Cousins
Jonas James Pierce m. Kate Pritzel

Robert Charles Winthrop m. Elizabeth Mason
11th Cousins
Scott Pierce m. Mabel Marvin

Margaret Tyndal Winthrop m. James Grant Forbes
12th Cousins
Marvin Pierce m. Pauline Robinson

Rosemary Isabelle Forbes m. Richard John Kerry
13th Cousins
Barbara Pierce m. George Herbert Walker Bush

JOHN FORBES KERRY
14th Cousins
GEORGE WALKER BUSH
 
 
So through their shared descent from John Manning of Downe, Kent, Pres. Bush is a 14th cousin of Sen. Kerry.  
 
 
 
Relationships such as these between Sen. Kerry and Pres. Bush are typical for any two random living (2004) persons with significant New England colonial ancestry. Other, more distant, relationships between these two are easy to trace.  
 
 
 
 
 
For further information on the ancestry of Pres. Bush, see http://www.wargs.com/political/bush.html.  
 
For further information on the ancestry of Sen. Kerry, see http://www.wargs.com/political/kerry.html.  
 
 
 
William Addams Reitwiesner
 
wargs@wargs.com