I'm FDR's Cousin

… because we share a common 17th century ancestor. (The ancestor was no slouch; he was a Mayflower passenger and singer of the Mayflower Compact.) But as I did some genealogical reading over the weekend---resuming a hobby after many years of neglecting it---I felt sentimental for my grandmother, who was a strong FDR democrat. She would've been thrilled to know of the family connection via her mother.

Here are some of my genealogical notes posted to my other blog over the weekend: http://paulstroble.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/my-family-the-washburns-back-to-the-pilgrims/ Although she died when I was fifteen, Grandma was a huge influence on my subsequent religious journey that began in earnest when I was in college. She also helped me always to lean toward the liberal side of the political spectrum, although I'm much more open to different viewpoints and political philosophies than she was. I remember when Mom and I told her we'd visited with an outspoken Republican back in her little town (Brownstown, IL), she told us not to talk to him again! We did, but we didn't tell her, LOL.