Bits and Pieces: Presidential Descendants Family Reunion

by Paula Johnson

Who in their right mind would be enticed into buying a book (hardcover at that) titled Dead Presidents with the subtitle An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of our Nation’s Leaders? Most likely it would be a history teacher of some nature – that would be me.

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Some people like to roam the countryside and look at nature, studying the development of the area’s crops. Some people like to go into cities of different sizes and ages to look at the various architecture of homes, churches, schools, etc. Some people plan road trips to visit historical spots they have read about that are of special interest.

I enjoy reading about historical people, places and events that are obscure or a new discovery. I never know what new piece of information I will find that might send me on a path to what’s happening in our country that was unknown to me.

In Dead Presidents, I found two. Bonus!! The author of this book, Brady Carlson an NPR host, went on an adventure of visiting the gravesites, monuments, or memorials of deceased presidents. In the final chapter he tells of writing to some descendants of presidents to get a thought or two about being related to a past president.

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I never heard of a Presidential Family Reunion. I never even imagined one, but how cool is that?! 

Carlson learned from Cleveland that it is quite a big deal. Up to 26 presidential families have been represented each year. Each event is a show of its own. Not only the relatives of presidents are there, but as an historical Walk of Fame event, there have been descendants of Dred Scott, First Ladies as speakers, actresses of historical films and more.

Like many places of interest in this country, it started with a dream. Nicholas Inman was a local pastor and history buff in Marshfield. He spent time following his high school graduation in Washington D.C. and thought it would be special to have his historical museum (dream) in Marshfield surrounded by cherry blossom trees. The dream grew to an annual festival celebrating American history.

 When he started the festival, he thought to invite several presidential descendants. (Wow! What a fabulous thought!) When the descendants got together, they had such a good time reminiscing about their descendant who did this to or because of (etc.) another person’s descendant – it grew and grew. They had so much fun and passed the word. George Cleveland has attended nearly every year.

This year’s festival is April 28, 29 and 30 and open to the public. The only events that have a charge for entrance are those that include a meal or fundraiser. Such as:

 WW II Patriot Breakfast- A breakfast honoring the veterans of WW II will be held Thursday, April 28 at 9 AM at Son-Rise Christian Church (673 Jump Road). The breakfast will be a fundraiser for the Eisenhower Foundation. Mary Jean Eisenhower (granddaughter of President Dwight Eisenhower and Patron of the Cherry Blossom Festival) will interview Louis Graziano (last living witness to the German surrender of WW II) and Jack Hamlin (100-year-old- D-Day survivor). Both veterans have received the French Legion of Honor (France’s highest honor). Tickets are $25 per person and can be ordered online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/273901214907

What a marvelous event that carries history forward and makes it live! I doubt if I would have learned of it if I hadn’t been drawn to a book about dead presidents. It’s like finding a gold nugget in an unlikely riverbed. Next week, I will reveal the second unknown learned from this book.

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Editor’s Note: Other guests scheduled to attend this year’s Festival are Katey Anfinson Ralls, great niece of Richard Nixon; and James Earl Carter IV, grandson of Jimmy Carter.