Sarah Palin has Canadian roots

Not only does Sarah Palin claim to see Russia from her doorstep, but now she can also boast Canadian roots - and I'm not referring to her hair.

According to press reports it appears that Palin has relatives in the town of Hartney, approximately 80 km southwest of Brandon, Manitoba. Obviously pleased with this news, the mayor of Hartney is planning to extend an invitation to Palin to visit the town, where she can stand on the front porch to see if she can see the U.S. I mean, it only stands to reason.

The Canuck connection was revealed following a speech Palin gave in Hamilton, Ontario recently, where she told a crowd of 900 people that "the foundation of the Palin family" originated in Canada, where "one grandfather was born in Manitoba, this was a farming family there." She went on to comment that her family has "some pretty funny stories of our relatives who were bootleggers" in Manitoba and Saskatchewan many decades ago. I wonder whether the descedents of these relatives appreciate this being pointed out.

Genealogically-speaking, it appears that it's actually, Todd Palin, Sarah's husband, whose roots are in the province. One Frederick William Palin, Todd's grandfather, was born in the town in February 1905. He moved to Washington state where his son James - Todd's - father - was born.

"I don't know how to go about contacting her but I'm going to try to invite her to come," Harney mayor Bruce Evans opined.

You betcha!

Information about Hartney, Manitoba: www.communityprofiles.mb.ca/cgi.bin/csd/index.cgi?id=46-5063