R.J. Hadley got more than he bargained for when he visited Thomasville recently.

The U.S. Senate candidate discovered by accident that the roots of his family reach all the way to the deepest part of Georgia.

“I was looking for a van, and I found one on the Internet. It was over there at Spence (Cadillac Buick GMC),” Hadley said during a Thursday visit at the Times-Enterprise.

Hadley, a 41-year-old Democrat who was raised in southern New Jersey, left his home in Rockdale County and drove to Thomasville to buy “the van I’ve always wanted.”

While preparing to donate his old vehicle to a local charity, Hadley’s unknown tie to Thomasville was revealed.

“When I called the Salvation Army and told her my name, the lady on the phone said, ‘Hadley? Are you related to the Hadleys down here?’” he explained. “I didn’t know anything about it.”

Hadley had a vague recollection of his father talking about his great-grandfather, Richard James Hadley Sr. Details were foggy, however.

“The Salvation Army lady said, ‘Hadley is a big name down here. You ought to check it out,” Hadley continued.

Hadley, who had returned to his Conyers home in his new van, came back to Thomasville to visit the Jack Hadley Black History Museum.

“I got to looking into it and found a whole, rich heritage here,” Hadley said. “It’s interesting how things came together in that way.”

Hadley even visited Pebble Hill Plantation where his great-grandfather emerged from slavery to acquire some wealth and land of his on as a free man.

Hadley, the former chief of staff of Rockdale County, is seeking advice from Thomas County Democrats as he tries to unseat Republican incumbent Johnny Isakson.

“I want to thank Roger Walker, in particular,” Hadley said Thursday.

“I’ve tried to be very accommodating to him,” Walker said on Saturday. “I will continue to be very accommodating to him and any other Democrat who wants to run for office.”

Walker’s role with Hadley has been limited to introducing him to other prominent Thomas County Democrats.

“I like the things he is doing right now,” Walker said. “He is traveling around the state trying to get input from citizens as to what they feel about the government and how they are represented in the U.S. Senate.”

Walker said he will likely wait until after the qualifying period ends on April 30 or even after the July 20 primary before he endorses a candidate.

Hadley, meanwhile, continues to stump across the state. He is set to speak at Citizens Meeting No. 9 at the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium on April 8 at 6:15 p.m. He jumped at the chance even though the crowd is likely to be heavy with Republicans since GOP gubernatorial front-runner John Oxendine and FairTax officials will also be on the agenda.

“I’m a Democrat, but I’m out listening to everybody,” Hadley told the Times-Enterprise on Thursday. “I’ve been to tea parties and Republican, Libertarian and Democratic events. I was even up at the Christian Alliance, places that I’m not supposed to be.”

I admire Hadley’s willingness to listen to a broad range of voices and not squelch those who are likely to disagree with him. I am confident that the citizens meeting crowd will be — to use Walker’s word — just as “accommodating” to him when he shares his views.

Hadley found some ancestral roots here. Wouldn’t it be ironic if his campaign gains traction here, too?