2013 A.D.:  Do all US Presidents except one share a certain common English ancestor?

King John Lackland Plantagenet  (b. 1166 A.D. and d. 1216 A.D., authorized Magna Carta, died of dysentery)

  There was a recent news story claiming to disclose a remarkable finding about the U.S. Presidents, a finding which to my knowledge still needs to be examined by other competent genealogists, just because that's always a good practice with any new finding.  But if the claimed finding proves legitimate after scrutiny by other independent investigators that are experienced in researching descendency, then it is a pretty remarkable find.  The claim is being made that all U.S. Presidents except one (Martin Van Buren) have as their ancestor a king of England named John Lackland Plantagenet who lived from 1166 A.D. to 1216 A.D.  This is the king that 'Robin Hood' opposed.  This king was reigning when the Magna Carta was written.  He even signed it, under political pressure it is true, but....signed it.

  Of course, if we take it for granted that King John was the various U.S. Presidents' common ancestor (all but one) then we can say that we know 12 of their common ancestors by name.  We all have Adam and Eve, Seth, Enosh, Keenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methusaleh, Lamech, and Noah in common.  Even all of our Presidents have those 11 in common!   

  As for the Magna Carta, this important document gave peasants a certain few rights that were essentially inherent.  It placed limits on the actions of kings in certain cases.  It was a landmark document concerning the royal acknowledgement of personal freedoms for those of lesser status in society.  So, how odd that the king who reigned at this pivotal time for the expansion of personal freedoms would be the common ancestor of the Presidents of the land that thinks itself a great upholder of personal freedoms in an often oppressive world:  the United States of America.  Is the U.S. actually such a country?  Some do strongly disagree!  But, I think we have sometimes served that purpose to great affect, though the glory goes to God, who allowed it.  When rulers talk of going to war the motives are seldom pure.  But, there can be outflows from war that seem to be almost good at a later time.  War is to be avoided though.  Much evil, harm, and damage comes from war and the spilling of blood.   

  Though still not fully confirmed to my knowledge (and I mean no disrespect to the admirable 12 year old California girl named BridgeAnne d'Avignon, nor to her grandfather who worked with her on this, who believe they have worked all these ancestral lines out) if verified it will certainly give us all an interesting point to ponder!  Those who study and believe in the existence of a conspiracy involving the great families of the world being in secret control of world events will probably see something rather ominous in it.  And perhaps they are right. I wouldn't specifically know.  God's plans always fulfill His aims, but the mechanisms, organizations, and persons He uses are often quite surprising.  He can bring His good plans to fruition via a lot of events that may seem very bad to the humans involved in the unfolding of those plans.     

  But, many of us are Christian, and we are told that Yahweh our Father sets whoever He wishes in place as rulers.  Sometimes His plans even involve rather bad rulers being put into place, but scripture assures us that such things are in His hands.  Christians aren't specifically forbidden from voting at all, though enquiring of God and then choosing lots would probably be more scriptural!  After all, screaming "Crucify Him, Crucify Him" louder than the other group shouts "No, let Him go, He has done nothing!" was a form of voting in Jesus' day (and since!) so let's not make the results of voting out to be too noble and holy of a thing in every case! But, who ever the leaders are, Christians are commanded to pray for them.  Whether leaders seem good or wicked, we are to pray for them.  We aren't commanded to  obey them if their commands contradict God's commands.  But, we are to otherwise respect our leaders.  While some will be wicked, and some better, yet all are emplaced as a part of God's grand plan.

  What about Martin Van Buren?  Well, he was a President of largely Dutch descent.  Most Presidents could say that their ancestors stemmed quite largely from the U.K., and prior to that from Germany and the Anglo Saxon lands around today's Denmark.  Germanics were the most numerous European immigrants to America as a matter of fact.  But many Germanic peoples moved into the British Isles, then later moved on through to America. 

 President Martin Van Buren, 8th President and apparent 'odd man out.'

  The Dutch as a group are somewhat distinct from the Irish and the Welsh and the Scottish and the Anglish and Saxons and Picts and Jutes of the U.K.  True, some those people crossed over the English Channel from lands quite close to the Dutch lands.  But it's not too surprising that a largely Dutch President wouldn't or wouldn't seem to have links with an English king.  But, what is somewhat interesting is that all Presidents share a common thread of lineage, except one:  the 8th President. 

  Many eschatologists think that the number eight is a number particularly associated with Jesus in many ways.  It's a good subject to look up if you are curious, so I won't go into it.  But many people do think that Jesus has so many connections to the number eight that it is 'His number'.  So, Jesus is a king with a lineage like no other king.  He descended from Yahweh (was directly of Yahweh is probably a better way to speak of this holy relationship) so Jesus is a great exception to the rule, just as the claim is being made that President number eight Martin Van Buren is an exception to the rule of all other Presidents being related to a certain John.  Isn't it also odd that in scripture, John the Baptist was involved with a charter (Carta) that prepared great numbers of men and women for the coming of Christ, in whom is found true freedom.  A John baptism led to a Jesus baptism, which had even more freedom.  A King John charter in England led eventually to the United States constitution, a charter with even greater freedoms in a land dedicated at its birth to Jesus, who seems to some to have a relationship with the number eight.

  God can juggle an uncountable number of shifting variables all at once and produce the exact outcome that He desires.  No one is like the Father.  So says even Jesus, who always deferred to the Father's greatness despite His own.

** Update:  It occurred to me to ask whether Donald Trump, US President number 45, is related to this same King John.  It turns out that there are postings saying that yes, Donald Trump is related to John of Gaunt, First Duke of Lancaster, and his 3rd wife Katherine Swynford.  John of Gaunt it says was a son of King Edward III.  King Edward III is listed by this source as a descendent of King John.  And so, according to this source, yet another US President is a descendent of King John.  The source I saw this on is a website called  theunknownbutnothidden.com   but I have never personally done any genealogical research, so I am just passing it on.