A Family History - Half-Breeds and Heretics

I come from a long line of Republicans. The Grand Old Party was founded in 1854 with its principal platform opposition to the expansion of slavery. My ancestors, several of whom fought in the Revolution against the British, lived primarily in New England. My great-grandfather, Henry Freeman Barker (pictured above) was born in Naples, Maine in 1850. He moved to Minnesota in 1868, where he practiced law. He was a big supporter of Republican politician James G. Blaine, who was also from Maine.
Blaine led a faction of the GOP known as the Half-Breeds. The Half-Breeds were the moderate wing of the GOP, opposing political patronage and favoring civil service reform and a merit system. Blaine, an early supporter of Abraham Lincoln, opposed the Radical Republican approach to Reconstruction. He favored voting rights for freed slaves and was primarily responsible for the 14th amendment. But he was opposed to military occupation of the South, a position he shared with Lincoln.
Blaine was also primarily responsible for federal laws promoting separation of church and state. This support probably cost him the presidency in 1884, losing narrowly to Grover Cleveland. Though he never said it, the phrase by a minister labeling the Democrats as the party of 'Rum, Romanism and Rebellion' was attributed to him (much the same way Rev. Wright's diatribes were attributed to Obama in 2008).
My great-grandfather was elected to state house and then senate. He named his oldest son, my grandfather, after Blaine. Blaine Barker was elected to various county offices until the backlash against Republicans in the Great Depression ended his political career. He then worked as the Postmaster of Cambridge until he retired.
'Grandpa Blaine,' as we called him, told wonderful stories about Barker family history. He claimed we missed getting on the Mayflower because we overslept. He also claimed our family left England because we were horse thiefs on the lam from the law.
According to Grandpa, the Barkers were run out of Andover, Mass. on a rail in the 1640s because we opposed the Witch Trials. Some Barker women were also accused of being witches. Even way back then, our family was opposed to extremism. I come by this heretical stuff honestly.
Regarding theology, I remember Grandpa's saying that early Christians were Communists. As a Republican and Baptist, I interpreted Grandpa as being opposed to both early Christians and Communists. Today, I'm not so sure. I'd love to be able to talk to him about it. To talk about Half-Breeds and Heretics.
Sadly, he died in 1976 when I was too young to be aware of the full meanings of what he was sharing. I wish he could read my book and we could 'cuss and discuss' it. From one heretic to another.
I don't think my great-grandfather or grandfather would appreciate Michelle Bachmann today. Just a guess.