In July of 2002, following extensive Internet searching, I came to learn that President Theodore Roosevelt and I are direct descendants of the same man.  My dear grandfather Robson (1895 - 1987) would loved to have known this, as "T.R." was his favorite president.  Coincidentally, only a couple of years previously, I had read a copy of a Roosevelt biography that was among the material left to me by my grandfather.

Prior to that time my impression of Roosevelt was little more than that of a cartoon character, a slightly pudgy man who once charged up San Juan Hill, was in the habit of exclaiming "Bully" from time to time, and had somehow managed to be included on Mt. Rushmore.  Now that I have read several more Roosevelt books and my ignorance has been corrected, I too regard him as one of the greatest and most substantial figures in American History.  It is an enduring delight to know that he and I are related.

So, how can I be so sure?  As has been documented on the Lowe, Vosburgh, and Knickerbocker family pages, my ancestry can be traced directly to Jan Laurens Bogaert, the father of Lysbet Janse Bogaert via the following line:

Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather: Thomas Low
Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother: Charity Vosburgh

Five Greats Grandfather: Yzaak (Isaac) Vosburgh
Five Greats Grandmother: Cornelia Knickerbakker

Six Greats Grandfather: Evert Knickerbakker
Six Greats Grandmother: Geertruy/Gertroy Vosburgh

Seven Greats Grandfather: Harmen Jansen
Seven Greats Grandmother: Lysbet(h) Janse Bogaert/Bogart

Eight Greats Grandfather: Jan Laurens(en) Bogaert
Eight Greats Grandmother: Cornelia Ann Evertse/Evarts

In addition to my seven greats grandmother, Jan Laurens Bogaert was also the father of her brother, Claes Janzen Bogaert.  Following is his line of descent leading directly to President Theodore Roosevelt.

Claes/Claas/Klaas Janzen Bogaert  (1668 -January 5, 1727), who was also known as Nicholas Bogaert, was born in Brooklyn, Kings County, Long Island, New York.  His first wife was Beeltje\Belitje Van Schaick, baptized on April 2, 1672 at Dutch Reformed Church, Kings County, Long Island.  Prior to her early death on September 26, 1706, at age 34, she gave birth to Jan/John Bogaert on May 1, 1697.

Jan/John Bogaert  (May 1, 1697 - November 7, 1775), also known as John Bogert was married to Annatie Peeck (June 12, 1696 - October 8, 1769 ), daughter of Capt. Johannes Peeke and Elizabeth Van Imburg), on March 10, 1716 at Dutch Reformed Church, Kings County, Long Island, New York.  They were the parents of Annatje Bogaert, also known as Annatje Bogert, born on August 15, 1728.

Annatje Bogaert  (August 15, 1728 - July 9, 1773) married Jacobus Roosevelt (August 9, 1724 - March 12, 1777) on December 4, 1746, at the Dutch Reformed Church, Kings County, Long Island, New York.  They were the parents of Jacobus J. Roosevelt, baptized on October 25, 1759.

Jacobus J. Roosevelt  (circa October 25, 1759 - died August, 1840) was also known as James J. Roosevelt.  He married Maria Van Schaick (1773 - February 3, 1845), daughter of Cornelius Van Schaick and Angeletje Yates, on March 8, 1793, at Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York.  They were the parents of Cornelius Van Schaick Roosevelt, born on January 20, 1794.

Cornelius Van Schaick Roosevelt,  (January 20, 1794 - July 17, 1871) married Margaret Barnhill in 1821.  They were the parents of Theodore Roosevelt, born on September 22, 1832.

Theodore Roosevelt  (September 22, 1832 - February 9, 1878) married Martha Bullock (1836 - February 16, 1884) on December 22, 1853, at Bulloch Hall, Roswell, Cobb County, Georgia.  They were the parents of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. born on October 27, 1858.

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.  (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919) graduated from Harvard University (magna cum laude) in 1880, was elected Governor of New York in 1898, and, on September 14, 1901, following the assasination of William McKinley, became the 26th President of the United States.

Thus, my Eight Greats Grandfather and President Roosevelt's Five Greats Grandfather is the same man.  There is ample evidence for the accuracy of this line.  Among the places easiest to examine it is a web page devoted to the ancestry of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Among the many, many, interesting facts about T.R. are the following:

• Neither Theodore Roosevelt nor his father had a middle name.



• At the age of 6, he watches Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession from an upstairs window of his grandfather's house on Union Square, New York City.  With him are his younger brother Elliott and a friend named Edith Kermit Carow.



• He remains the youngest person ever to become President of the United States when he was sworn in after President McKinley's assasination.



• He was the first president to: have a telephone in his home, dive in a submarine, ride in an automobile, and fly in an airplane.



• He was the first president to invite an African-American (Booker T. Washington) to the White House.



• He was the first U.S. Citizen to be awarded the Nobel Prize.



• He is the only president to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

— Theodore Roosevelt