In fact, Romney's great grandfather, Miles Park Romney, led that first expedition to escape not persecution but prosecution for polygamy, or what Mormons called ‘plural marriage.’ After polygamy ended, the family remained in Mexico. Mitt Romney's father, George, was born in Colonia Dublan, one of the colonies in northern Mexico that the Romneys settled in after their arrival. His mother, Lenore LaFount Romney, was born in Utah.
When Romney’s father was five years old, the Mexican Revolution broke out and his parents moved back to the United States to avoid the violence. Mitt Romney was eventually born in Michigan. But the other branch of the family – leading down to Romney's cousins Leighton, Mike and Meredith – stayed behind in Mexico, their numbers growing. The Romneys chose to remain in Mexico because they established good lives for themselves and their families there. Most of them are now dual-citizens. Read on
The Washington Post also has a story on Mitt's roots (Jan. 7). Unlike Mitt, who hides who he is, Obama embraced his story and shared it with people:
Like President Obama, Romney has a family tree that crosses borders and cultures, and a genealogy that does not unfold neatly from a Mayflower landing or a dogged immigrant’s tale. His forebears came to the United States for spiritual reasons but had to flee a generation later, finding in Mexico the freedom they were looking for.........
Mitt Romney briefly mentions his great-grandfather in his 2004 book, “Turnaround,” about his management of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, but does not mention Miles Park’s multiple wives. Romney campaign staffers did not respond to requests for interviews. Read on
