Sunset, February 01, 2008, Dry Creek USA

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, African American

Franklin Roosevelt had a ggggg Grandfather, Henry Smith, that was born in Tangiers. Tangiers is a city in Morocco, a county on the North African coast. That makes Mr. Roosevelt just as much an African American as any other person who has ancestors born in African that came to America hundreds of years ago, no matter the skin color of the descendant.

African American has come to mean a black person in America. But it really means a person in America that had ancestors in the past that were born in Africa. In that context, Roosevelt was an African American.

The Source:
http://www.wargs.com/political/2008.html

If Barack Obama becomes President of the United States, he would not be the first US President with African-born ancestors.

Tangier (or Tangiers) is a city in what is now northern Morocco, on the North African coast, on the western side of the Strait of Gibraltar. From 1471 Tangier was held by the Portugese, who gave it to England in 1661 as part of the dowry (believe it or not) of Catherine de Braganza. A number of English persons then moved to Tangier, including William Staines, one of the first Aldermen of Tangier and later its Mayor. One of Staines's nephews, William Smith, joined him there, and in 1675 William Smith married, in Tangier, Martha Tunstall, who was also from England. The first six children of William and Martha were born in Tangier.

In 1679, the Moroccan Sultan instituted a blockade of Tangier, which eventually led to the English leaving. William Smith, by now a Colonel, was the last Mayor of Tangier, from 1682 to the departure in October 1683.

Col. Smith and his family returned to London, and then sailed to Long Island, New York, where his land holdings (still [2006] owned by his descendants) were erected into the Manor of St. George. Because of his tenure in Tangier, Col. Smith was called "Tangier Smith", and his descendants were (and still are) called the "Tangier Smiths".

Henry Smith, son of Col. William and Martha (Tunstall) Smith and born at Tangier on 19 Jan. 1678/9, succeeded his father as Lord of the Manor of St. George. His granddaughter Rebecca Smith married John Aspinwall, their granddaughter Mary Rebecca Aspinwall married Isaac Roosevelt, and their grandson was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In other words, FDR had an African-born great-great-great-great-grandfather. See Smith and Hoff, The Tangier Smith Family [1978] for further details.

Africian American President

With all the excitement about Obama running for President, did you know that, if elected, he would not be the first President with African American ancestry? But, he would be the first at something. He would, to my knowledge, be the first President that could trace his ancestors to Carroll County Arkansas. Do you recognize the name Nathanial Bunch? Well, maybe you don’t, but I certainly do. He was the father of Bradley Bunch who was an early Carroll County Politian. He was also the father of Anna Bunch who married Samuel Thompson Allred. Samuel Allred and Anna Bunch were g-g-g-g Grandparents of Barack Obama. Just think, a president related to Bill Allred.

If you click on the photo, it will enlarge and you can read the names Samuel and Anna Allred. I took this picture last fall at Liberty Cemetery. Sometimes I take photos of gravemarkers for people who contact me and sometimes they pay me for the photos. Do you think Barack would be interested in a photo of his grandmother's gravemarker?

Now, do you know who is the first President with African American ancestry?

For Patsy

Last night my sister Fleta and I (Patsy) were sitting in the den and I said to her, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle to keep me alive. That would be no quality of life at all. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.
So she got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my wine.
She’s such a bitch.

Glorious day

It is a glorious day. Greg went to work at Pace today, 3 to 11 on 2nd shift. He was already gone when I got home. George is working 10 hour days and is very tired, so he has been asleep since right after I got home. I am to wake him up at 7. Glorioius day all by myself as it were. Patsy and Betty will understand.

Oh yes, the hat. I retraced my steps up the hill today and found my hat almost where I thought it would be. I thought I had lost it the first time I crossed the fence. I found it about 20 feet from the fence, but it could have blown that far the way the wind was blowing today.

I took some video of the wind and stuff on top of the hill and was going to post them for Helen, but somehow it does not work, posting videos that is. Oh, well.

Anyway, I went back to the pond and in addition to the crane on the pond, today there were two of Patsy's ducks. They took off while I was there, probably to go to Clayton's pond. And, while I was trying to get a video of the ducks but only got water and sky, no ducks or crane, I lost my hat again. I just happened to see it on the ground about 20 feet away as I started to climb the fence to come home. I guess I better leave the hat at home.

Now, I get to go do anything I want, casue there is no one here but me and the sleeping boss.

Rock Quary revisited

I did not go look for my hat today, but I did retake the hill. I walked out my back door and straight across to the top of the hill. Well, as straight as I could walk not knowing much about straight. Anyway, when I got to the line fence that runs between our place and the old Hampton place, guess what I saw just across the fence. That big pond that I circled around and around 5 or 6 times yesterday looking for a way home. All I need to do was climb the fence and walk down the hill. I was about 5 minutes from my house when I was at this pond.

Next time I will know. But, just in case, I took my cell phone so I could call George and ask for directions.

Maybe tomorrow I will look for my hat.