POLITICAL GENEALOGY

5 Things You Didn’t Know about Joe Biden’s Roots

“Megan — I truly appreciate what you’ve done for me. My Mom would be so very proud. Love ya! Joe Biden” (Irish America, pages 56–59)

By now, just about everyone knows how proud Joe Biden is of his Irish heritage. I began researching his roots even before he became Vice President and wrote about his 5/8 Irish ancestry in 2013. That same year, I had the opportunity to meet him when he was inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame, and since then, as is typical of his welcoming nature, he’s invited me to his St. Patrick’s Day events perhaps half a dozen times. Sure, he knows all the world leaders, but Joe has no problem mixing it up with “average Joes” like me.

So many of us know about his Blewitt and Finnegan roots in Counties Mayo and Louth, respectively — especially since his 2016 visit to meet his Irish cousins — but what about the other 3/8ths, the non-Irish portion of his family tree? What about his Biden line for starters?

1. The Biden family traces back to Westbourne (Sussex) and Portsmouth (Hampshire), England.

Joe Biden’s family hails from Westbourne in Sussex, England, though Portsmouth in Hampshire gets an honorary second. This is because two Bidens — Joe’s 3rd great-grandfather, William, and his brother, John — left Westbourne for America, while a third brother, James, stayed in England. Like his brothers, James initially lived in Westbourne, but moved roughly 11 miles…