A so-called “scientific investigation” into the ancestry of President Roosevelt and of Mrs. Roosevelt, published in the entire German press, “proves” that both of them are of Jewish descent.
The article, which was originally published in the National Socialist Party Correspondence, states that “experts” who examined the genealogical tree of the Roosevelt family discovered that the President’s progenitor was one Claus van Martensen, who immigrated to New York (then New Amsterdam) in 1649 and married a Jewess named Janet J. Samuels (alias Thomas). The mother of the President is also stated to be a Jewess, being the descendant of an Italian Jewish family “de Illan.”
Mrs. Roosevelt is alleged to be a daughter of “the Jewess Rebecca Hall.”
The “scientific investigation” proceeds, with typical German thoroughness, to prove its case twice over by showing that the Roosevelt family, having reached New Amsterdam in 1649 and being descended from the van Martensens, also reached New Amsterdam in 1621 and was descended from a Spanish Jewish family named Rossocampo. The task of reconciling these two statements is not attempted.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
