Beeks: Connection to President Barack Obama

Most people in the Beeks and Aldridge families know there is a connection to the President, Barack Obama, but they aren't sure where the connection is.  I'll try to lay it out here. The common ancestors are

                                                  Jacob Dunham and Catherine Goodnight

Our line goes:                                                            The President's line goes: 

Samuel Dunham and Eliza Reese                               Jacob Mackey Dunham and Louise Stroup
Margaret C Dunham and Homer H Aldridge             Jacob William Dunham and Mary Ann Kearney
Gretta Cleo Aldridge and Wilbur Beeks                    Ralph W.E. Dunham and Lucile Armour
Beeks children                                                          Stanley Armour Dunham and Madelyn Payne
Beeks grandchildren                                                 Stanley Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr
Beeks great grandchildren                                         President Barack Obama

Of course, there are Aldridge descendents who fit into this family, too.  All the children of Homer Aldridge and Margaret Aldridge would fit on the next line down, etc. 

I'll never forget the day I learned that a relative of my husband and children was a senator from Illinois and aspired to be the President of our country. Regardless of huge differences in our political beliefs, it was just absolutely awesome to realize what surprises there were to be found in genealogy and family history.  Some of the surprises have been wonderful, some interesting, and there are a couple of ancestors I sort of wish I'd never found. However, the day I made the connection between Jacob Dunham and Barack Obama was a happy genealogy dance day! 

I will write of Jacob Dunham and Catherine Goodnight another time, but this is a sort of by popular demand post (one person asked for it, so that counts!).