Obama and Biden both Descend from Irish Shoemakers

Genealogy always seems to have a way of pointing out just how small our world really is. As diverse as their backgrounds may seem now, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his vice-presidential running mate, Joe Biden, can both trace their roots back to shoemakers from Ireland. Continuing the irony, Obama's 4th great grandfather, Joseph Kearney arrived in America on April 25, 1849, and Biden's great-great-grandfather, Owen Finnegan, arrived just a month later, on May 31, 1849. Both men were joined by their wives and children in 1850.

Learn more about these interestingly tangled trees on Megan's Roots World blog. She always finds such interesting family stories!