TIME Magazine: Error in Barbara Bush Ancestry

Deane W. MERRIL
dwmerrill@charter.net
24 September 2000
revised 7 August 2009

In the Merrill Newsletter, Volume 6, Number 1, January 2000, I presented an article "Correction - First Lady Barbara Pierce Bush," in which I showed that Barbara PIERCE Bush b.1925 is a fourth cousin four times removed (4C4R) of President Franklin PIERCE 1804-1869, and not a third great grandniece as was reported in Volume 1, Number 2, October 1991, of the Merrill Newsletter. Since the latest common ancestor is Thomas2 PIERCE 1618-1683 who predates Elizabeth MERRILL b.1727/8, Barbara PIERCE Bush b.1925 does not have (known) Merrill ancestors.

A similar, but different, error in Barbara Bush's PIERCE ancestry was reported in TIME Magazine, issue dated August 7, 2000, pg. 45, in an article "The (Bush) Family Tree." In that article it was erroneously stated that "Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the US,... is an ancestor of Scott Pierce, Barbara Bush's grandfather." If true, this would imply that Franklin Pierce is a direct ancestor of Barbara Bush.

I pointed out the error to the Time Magazine editors in a letter I wrote them on August 4, 2000. I received the following reply on August 23, 2000 and (again!) on September 1, 2000:

"Dear Deane Merrill:

"You are correct, of course, that President Franklin Pierce and his wife suffered the loss of three children and had no issue. Accordingly, TIME's characterization of Pierce as an ancestor of Barbara Bush's grandfather [August 7] was not accurate. Like his mother and his maternal grandfather, George W. is properly described as a collateral descendant of the 19-th-century president --- someone in a parallel line in the family who shares a common ancestor with President Pierce. Thank you for calling our attention to this lapse in genealogy. We appreciate your taking the time to correct the family record.

"Cordially yours, Susanne Washburn, For the Editors."

On September 24, 2000 the preceding information was distributed to the PIERCE genealogy mailing list, PIERCE-L@rootsweb.com.

Deane11 Whitney MERRILL Jr. (Deane10, Charles9, Cordeanio8, Moses7, Joseph6, Daniel5, John4, Nathaniel3,2) (b.1938) See http://merrill.olm.net/ancestor2/merrill.html.

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