Obama’s family tree has been discussed on the Internet since he became U.S. senator from Illinois in 2005, but attention has usually been paid to his connection to Charlemagne, to other presidents such as George W. Bush, and to celebrities such as Brad Pitt.
Among all those relatives is Jonathan Singletary Dunham, born in 1639.
He is one of Obama’s most important ancestors, but you wouldn’t know the connection from taking one of the township’s historical walking tours or reading the township brochures. The tie isn’t mentioned. That may soon change.
Look at the Jonathan Dunham House today at Woodbridge.InJersey.com
Local history buffs such as Brenda Yori Velasco, a councilwoman from the Colonia section, are familiar with Dunham, one of the township’s founding fathers, but are surprised to hear about the Obama connection.Dunham led a notorious life in Massachusetts. Audrey Shields Hancock, writing about her family at Our-Genealogy.com, notes that in “government records he was described as being a “ranter’ and “disseminating corrupt religious principles among his neighbors.”‘
Read the full article in the August 14, 2010 edition of the Daily Record.
