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ROBERT HEIN of Ferry Farm subdivision in Stafford County believes his wife, Margaret, is related to George Washington.
And to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe.
And also to Lincoln, the Roosevelts--both Teddy and Franklin--plus Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan.
And so on, all the way to George W. Bush.
That's right. Hein's research of collateral relationships dating back from his wife's grandparents links her family with ancestors of all 43 U.S. presidents.
"I know how that sounds," said Hein. "People say, 'hey, that means all the presidents are related to each other. And that can't be right.'
"But that's what the research shows."
A collateral relationship means that people are descended from the same ancestors, but in a different line. For example, a cousin is a collateral relative.
Through his research on the Internet and with the aid of several genealogical books, Hein climbed through the branches of his wife's family tree--in some cases back into the 700s--at which point he would swing to another branch that would link up with Ulysses S. Grant, Harry Truman or Bill Clinton.
Hein said that for the past two years, he has spent two or three hours several nights each week working on family history. He did most of his research using data bases available at RootsWeb.com.
"You put in all the family information you can, and sometimes you go from one data base to another," he said. "There was a lot of pointing and clicking. But after a while, you figure out where you're going."
Hein admits that he was surprised by the results, which not only link his wife's family to all the presidents, but also to several royal families in Europe and to many prominent figures in America's past.
"It's not like an Adam-and-Eve thing at all," he said. "We're all so wealthy in familymost of us just don't bother to look."
Hein, who is 58 and has a background in electrical engineering, was curious to hear what experts had to say about his family research.
Paul Wiggins is the current president of the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society and he also knows Hein. Both work at the Joint Warfare Analysis Center at Dahlgren.
"I know he is very analytical," said Wiggins of Hein. "He takes things step by step until it's correct."
So, Wiggins was asked, is Margaret Hein related to all 43 U.S. presidents?
"It all depends on how you define 'related,'" Wiggins said.
"Biologically, she's not. There's not a drop of her blood that's the same as theirs. But by crisscrossing many relations--in some cases, cousin to cousin to cousin, back and forth, back and forth--there is technically a relationship."
Wiggins also said he thought very few people could get the same results.
"It's an interesting project," Wiggins said. "Their research was very painstaking and there are a few core sets of families that established many of the connections for them. I think there's a small circle of people who could boast of this."
Although Wiggins has been involved in genealogical research for about 30 years and occasionally speaks to local groups on the subject, he said he's an amateur.
"Professional genealogists have to do lots and lots of study to be certified," he said.
Therese Fisher of Spotsylvania is an accredited genealogist with more than 30 years of experience in the field. She has authored eight books, taught college classes, done research for both the state and federal governments and was a founding member of the regional genealogical society.
Asked about Hein's results, Fisher said, "It's extremely circumstantial."
She said that much of the information on the Internet is unreliable.
"I don't want to sound elitist," Fisher said. "Genealogical research is an interesting hobby and everyone has to start somewhere. The Internet is a place to beginto get ideas. But don't use the Internet and think you've finished your research."
Fisher recommended talking to Fred Dorman of Stafford, whom she described as "probably one of the top 50 genealogists in the country."
Dorman is a former executive director of the Board of Certification of Genealogists, a member of the National Genealogical Society and a fellow of the American Society of Genealogists.
He has been involved in genealogical research for more than 50 years, and currently publishes a magazine, Virginia Genealogist, to about 700 subscribers throughout the U.S.
Asked if someone could be related to all of the presidents, Dorman said, "I suppose it could be possible, based on the immigrants to these shores and their connections overseas.
"But the degree of the relationship is what's critical. The connections could be so remote that they hardly count at all."
Dorman said Hein's results all depend on "exactly what sources build up the connections between generations. It's hard to saybut more of those connections are being established every day."
Paul Wiggins said that most people who work on their family history will go hard at it for two or three months, and then put things back on the closet shelf or file the information away in their computer, where it may sit for months--or years.
"Staying focused is the key," Wiggins said. "And [Hein] obviously has done that."
Hein's wife was born Margaret Theresa Barrett in Winchester 60 years ago and was one of nine children. She attended Mary Washington College and earned a doctorate in microbiology from Auburn University. Most of her adult life has been spent as a homemaker raising the couple's six children, two of whom still live at home. Also living in the area are a brother--John Barrett of Orange County--and two sisters--Mary Ellen Spitler of Fredericksburg and Bobby Crisp of Stafford.
Hein credits Bobby Crisp and her daughter, Teresa Spatt, for their efforts in starting to compile a family history.
And then one day, Hein said his son, Robert Jr., was at the family computer checking out some of the genealogy sites on the Internet.
"He said, 'Dad, I think we're related to Charlemagne,' and I said, 'Let me see that.'And two years later, I'm here."
At first, Hein wanted to trace his own family's German ancestry. But with few specific names and dates, he said he soon "ran into a brick wall," and shifted his efforts into exploring his wife's family tree.
Hein said the key marriage in his research was between his wife's grandparents--Joseph Ravenscroft Jones and Courtney Bowdoin Byrd.
"It was that Jones connection that sent me on this wild trip," he said.
Hein said other key names in his wife's family history included Churchill, Nelson and Whitney. He said the connection to the Bush family went through the Whitneys.
Hein said his wife's family connection to Bill Clinton was one of the hardest to prove.
"I had to go all the way back to Henry III of England to find that one," he said.
Hein said he was proudest of his wife's family relationship to Abraham Lincoln.
"The name Abraham came from Abe Jones, who is seven generations from her grandfather," he said.
As Hein did more research, it turned out that his wife's connection to all 43 U.S. presidents was just the beginning.
He has since found connections to all but seven of the 46 vice presidents.
In addition, Hein said, the extended family tree includes a variety of other historical figures, from William "The Conqueror" to Pocahontas.
Other familiar names include Richard "The Lion Hearted" and Queen Elizabeth II, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, Jefferson Davis and "Stonewall" Jackson, and Winston Churchill and Gen. George S. Patton.
Hein said that he will continue to expand on the family history, but he admits that most relatives "stifle a yawn" when he begins to talk about his research.
"Some are more interested than others," he said. "And some just ask: 'Where's the money?'"
Hein's latest project is checking out his wife's family connections to signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.
Hein said that both he and his wife marvel at the number of dramatic moments in history when one or more of her ancestors were present.
Margaret Hein said that all of her husband's research has sparked an interest in reading more books about history.
"It makes it more enjoyable to read about these people and about history when you have a personal connection," she said.
LEE WOOLF, a longtime reporter and editor with The Free Lance-Star, is bureau manager at the newspaper's North Stafford office.
