A whistlestop tour of every US president's ancestry

George Washington's great-grandfather was from Hertfordshire, England. He settled in the Colony of Virginia in 1657 after coming ashore from a shipwreck. In fact, almost all of George's Washington's direct ancestors can be traced back to England.

It's thought that Thomas Jefferson was of English and Welsh descent. In later life, he wrote, "The tradition in my father's family, was that their ancestor came to this country from Wales, and from near the mountain of Snowden, the highest in Great Britain.” The Welsh connection has yet to be proved. Perhaps it was just a family story?

James Monroe was the first US President with definite family connections to Scotland. His great-great-grandfather, Patrick Andrew Monroe left Scotland for America in the 1600s and brought with him ancient ties to the Scottish Clan Munro. On his mother's side, James Monroe also has Welsh ancestry.

Andrew Jackson's parents emigrated from Northern Ireland in 1765, a couple of years before he was born. His father's lineage also connects him back to Yorkshire.

William Henry Harrison was the last US President born as a British subject and the first that died in office, just 31 days into his term. His family came to Virginia from England in the 1630s.

The Polk family were Presbyterian farmers of Scotch-Irish descent. They came to America in the late 1600s, first to Maryland, then Pennsylvania and finally settling in North Carolina.

According to the author of Ancestors of American Presidents, Milliard Fillmore is one of five US presidents you’re most likely to be related to. The others being Richard Nixon, Franklin Roosevelt, Rutherford Hayes and William Howard Taft. Fillmore's original immigrant ancestor was John Fillmore, a mariner who settled in Massachusetts.

Both of James Buchanan's parents were descended from Ulster-Scots. His father, James Senior, was a farmer and merchant who came to America from Donegal, Ireland in 1783.

Andrew Johnson's genealogy is a mix of English, Scots-Irish and Irish descent. His mother's maiden name, McDonough, reflects his Celtic roots. Johnson was the first US president to be impeached.

Descended from a family of New England colonists, Hayes' earliest immigrant ancestor came from Scotland in 1625. He had several well-known close relatives including Congressman John Noyes, sculptor Larkin Goldsmith Mead, and radical preacher John Humphrey Noyes.

Chester Arthur's family roots include English, Welsh and Northern Irish ancestors. His father was born into a Presbyterian family in County Antrim and emigrated to Canada in the early 1800s. During his presidential campaign, opponents claimed that Arthur wasn't born in the United States and was therefore ineligible to take office. Obviously, the accusations didn't stick.

Benjamin Harrison has the unique accolade of being the only grandson of another American president. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was the ninth president. His great-grandfather Benjamin Harrison V, was a founding father who signed the Declaration of Independence.

It seems Theodore Roosevelt was the first US president with an abundant mix of European ancestry. Research has revealed Dutch, Scots-Irish, English, German, Welsh, French and Scottish lineage, including a rather intriguing connection to Robert the Bruce. Theodore is distantly related to the second of the Roosevelt presidents, Franklin D. They were fifth cousins.

Born Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president's family had Scots-Irish roots. His paternal grandparents immigrated to Ohio from County Tyrone in 1807. While on his mother's side, Woodrow Wilson's grandfather hailed from Paisley, Scotland.

Calvin Coolidge is the only US president to be born on Independence Day. The Coolidge family were among the earliest settlers in New England. Calvin's ancestor, John Coolidge put down roots in Massachusetts after he emigrated from Cambridgeshire, England around 1630.  Coolidge has deep-rooted connections to the American Revolutionary War and King Philip's War in his family history.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born into a well-known Dutch American family in New York. As we mentioned earlier, he was distantly related to the 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt. FDR's family ties were very intertwined. His parents were sixth cousins while his wife, Eleanor, was his fifth cousin once removed.

The Eisenhauer family first immigrated to a Pennsylvania Dutch community from Karlsbrunn, Germany in the 1740s. The distinctly German-sounding surname is German for iron miner and was anglicised as the generations progressed. Dwight's family moved to Kansas in the 1880s and later to Texas, where he was born in 1890.

Lyndon Baines Johnson has English, German and Ulster Scots lineage. His maternal great-grandfather, George Washington Baines was a renowned Baptist minister in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana and served as the president of Baylor University during the American Civil War. Johnson City, Texas is named after James Polk Johnson, Lyndon’s second cousin.

Born Leslie Lynch King Jr, Gerald Ford has English ancestry on both parents’ sides of the family, as well as some maternal Scottish connections. His grandmother,  Adele Augusta Ayer Gardner was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Ford was renamed after his stepfather when his mother remarried.

Ronald Reagan's paternal great-grandparents emigrated from County Tipperary, Ireland, while his maternal bloodlines include English, Irish and Scottish relatives. Reagan's presidential credentials don't just relate to leading the United States. He was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild twice during his acting career.

Born William Jefferson Blythe III, Bill Clinton has English and Scotch-Irish family lines. His forefathers first came to America at the time of the Thirteen Colonies. Clinton's scandalous family history includes a bigamous father, an abusive stepfather and his own impeachment for his affair with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. As a young boy, Bill Clinton met and was inspired by President John F. Kennedy.

America’s first black president, Barack Obama was born in Hawaii but has varied family roots stretching from Kenya to Ireland. His, perhaps surprising, DNA make-up also includes English, Scots-Irish, Welsh, German and Swiss ancestral lines.