Any DUers related to anyone famous even somewhat famous wil do

[JohnKleeb]

I am not sure about this but I have heard I am related to one of the Iwo Jima flagraisers most of you all know this but I am just curious.

IM me to and ask me for my picture and tell me if we look alike and also if he is hes not that closely related to me. I dont know the details but I hope it is true I admire Mike Strank a lot.

[CO Liberal]

1. My Mother Was a Distant Cousin of James Joyce, The Author

Her maiden name was Consuelo Joyce.

[liberalhistorian]

18. Lucky her, he's one of my absolute

favorite writers!

[greyl]

2. Adam and Eve? but seriously...

Don Knotts and Lyle Alzedo distantly.

[GainesT1958]

3. On my father's mother's side...

My ancestry has been traced back to Robert the Bruce of Scotland.

B-)

[methinks2]

4. I am a

descendent of Henry Clay, the greatest senator and secretary of state we ever had. (ok maybe I'm biased) When I protested the war as wrong I thought of him and gave him credit. He was one of the few politicians who had the balls to oppose the indian removal acts and Pres. Jacksons murderous policies.
:toast:
a toast to my noble ancestor

[trof]

7. Any kin to the late

Bill or Sam Clay of Kentucky?
Know the family.

[methinks2]

10. My maternal

grandmother is a Clay. I haven't bought the book they published with all of this stuff spelled out. Is your branch also related to the Dials?

[trof]

24. My uncle

was a law partner of William for several years in Mt. Sterling, KY.
He was close friends with Bill's brother Sam, who passed away recently. I believe they were descended from Henry.
Very wealthy family. Ran tobacco warehouses/markets and raised thoroughbreds.
I liked Sam and Loraine.

[methinks2]

34. My great-grandfather

died due to a gambling incident in Arkansas (I believe near Arkadelphia) But he was the Clay man. Like I said, I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to this stuff, I figured there would be time for that later when I'm older and don't get around so well . But I do know that whenever any of my nephews show a little brillance or darkhaired good looks my granny swears it's from the clay side of the family.
:D

[trof]

49. Sounds teddibly dashing

I'm not kin, just know the family.
I'm 62 and Bill and Sam would be my parents generation if that gives some perspective.

[liberalhistorian]

26. He certainly deserves a toast!

It took a tremendous amount of courage at that time to oppose Jackson's genocidal policies toward the Indians and his ruthless determination to wipe them out no matter what it took, since almost everyone thought he was just the greatest thing next to God. I still cringe at all the continued adulation that still seems to be lavished on Jackson, who was a murderous fascist genocidal racist tyrant!

[BrotherBuzz]

84. My great, great, great...

grandfather Richard Clough Anderson Jr.(brother of Robert Anderson) served together with your great, great, great...Henry Clay in the U.S. Congress from 1817 to 1821. I find so few references to him (Anderson) without being associated Henry Clay in some capacity that one could assume they were close friends and after extensive reading I have come to feel that Henery Clay is almost a part of my extended family in a cool way. Unfortunately, my distant grandfather died an early death acting as a plenipotentiary (what the heck is that?) to the Republic of Colombia while Clay was Secretary of State. and as they say, The rest is history.

[BurtWorm]

5. I am related to Lucy

[liberalhistorian]

20. LOL!

Good one!

[blondeatlast]

44. What a coinkydink--so am I!

At last, my long lost brother/sister?!

[trof]

6. George Washington

His grandfather was my (insert # of "greats" here)_______________
grandfather.
We're cousins.

[JohnKleeb]

9. whoa thats something Trof

now how did the Washingtons get to Alabama?

[trof]

29. Well, it's a long story.

Several generations back a female great grand-daughter married and begat a few generations that came down to a lady who married my great grandfather. He was a doctor in Jackson, Greene County, Alabama. That branch of the family (my second cousins) still have a big farm up there.

[JohnKleeb]

31. interesting and all this went on well my family was in the old country I

bet

[trof]

52. Well, indirectly.

Col. John Washington got to VA from England in the mid 1600s or thereabouts.
I've traced a direct ancestor (Edwards) back to South Carolina in the 1750s.
That and a buck will get me a cup of coffee almost anywhere in Foley, Alabama.
;-)

[JohnKleeb]

53. trust me on that trof

My first ancestors got here around the civil war and the most recent ones came when Strom Thurmond and Bob Hope were wee little boys like 1910 or something.

[trof]

59. A newbie!

But I bet you don't get a coffee discount either.
;-)

[JohnKleeb]

60. lol you should meet one of DU buddies

Shes first generation and says I am far away from the harbor. No I dont get the discount. I am a noob yeah I guess more than average but less than the extremely new.

[iluvchicago86]

76. That's right Kleeb!!!!!!

If your family has been here for damn near 100 years or something I am pretty sure that you dont qualify as "right off the boat". but hey man, technically were all immigrants except for the native americans*sigh*. But on another note since I'm so new to this here land maybe you should give me a tour around;-) help me get a feel for my surroundings lol.

[JohnKleeb]

86. Yep I infered to you

Umm on average Ive only been here since McKinley or TR or Taft. I know but I can still see the dock Trof there well Trof hes so far removed from the dock I dont even know. Look statue of liberty.

[On the Road]

8. The Ballet Dancer Suzanne Farrell is My Second Cousin

Our grandmothers were sisters.

[alpizzy]

11. Ambrose Bierce....

by marriage. My cousin married his grandson Stephen Bierce. They are now divorced.

[Sequoia]

38. Hey, found a little Civil War story book by him

for a buck at a resale shop. I'm related to Roger Williams, the original gov. of Rhode Island. But I like the singer too, especially the song about "Westminster Abby the Tower of Big Ben, the rosy red cheeks of the little chil-ren" and "old stogies I have found, short but not too big around. Man of means by no means...King of the Road."

[Spirochete]

90. Those were Roger Miller...

Not Roger Williams. I used to get them mixed up too - that's why I know this. :)

[Heddi]

12. Heh. not related

but (and this is a totally honestly true story!!!) I once dated the guy who was the best friend of the cousin of Zach from Rage Against the Machine. Yes. It's true. I'm that close to infamy :-/

[gully]

13. William Penn here...

Supposed to be a decendant of his...

[mlawson]

54. Me, too, or at least a cousin.

Are you descendant through the Bradshaws???? That is my 'line'. The Penns and Bradshaws intermarried in London in the late 1500s.

[northernsoul]

14. um, this is slightly embarassing

but there's a very strong chance I'm related to Alanis Morisette. She annoys me to death, so I hope it's not true - but she looks just like my cousin Mary.

[Brotherjohn]

15. Josephine Bonaparte, supposedly.

Not in her direct line, mind you, but her mother was supposedly directly in my family surname's line. That would make her, I guess, my great-great-great-great-great.... aunt (?).

[Ripley]

16. Robert E. Lee.

That's what I was told at my grandmother's funeral by some distant relatives. (Her maiden name was Lee.) But no one has provided me with a family tree...so who knows?

The other side of the family are said to have been just non-famous horse thieves in the hills of North Carolina.

[MiltonLeBerle]

100. when I was in high school-

I went to a New Year's Eve party at the home of Robert E. Lee III(IV?)...I knew his daughter, Torie, from work, and she was the one having the party...It was a very drunken time, and my friends and I ended up leaving with a cow skull in the trunk of our car- which had been hanging on the chain-link pen of the hunting dogs that were barking at us as we were pissing on them thru the fence...did I mention that we were very drunk?

[liberalhistorian]

17. I am a very distant cousin of Phil Lynott of

Thin Lizzy (Lynott's also my last name, so I get that question once in awhile!).

My mother thinks we're related to Ringo Starr since his real name is Richard Starkey, which was my maternal great-grandmother's maiden name, and he's from the same area in England that that side of the family is from. But who knows?????????????? I love the Beatles, so I wouldn't mind, but there's no way of really knowing for sure.

[sweetladybug]

23. I quess in a way I'm related to Al Gore

My grandchildren's 2nd cousin married President Gore's 1st cousin's son.

[Kellanved]

19. A GDR interior minister

Can't say exactly which one - sort of anathema in my father's family.

[DarkPhenyx]

21. Frank and Jessie James...

Al Gore, and Chuck Yeager...for starters.

[Enraged_Ape]

22. The corpse in "Weekend At Bernie's" is my cousin

And that is no joke.

[anti_shrub]

25. My aunt did a family tree a while back

and said we were related to Charles Dawes, who was Vice President under Coolidge. Charles's great great (don't know how many greats) grandfather was William Dawes who rode with Paul Revere, so I guess political activism is a family tradition.

[Scout]

27. Baseball player Charlie Gehringer

was my grandfather's cousin.

pretty distant relationship, but there it is.

[JohnKleeb]

28. have heard of him a hall of famer you know

[5thGenDemocrat]

40. Which, in turn, Scout

Makes you distantly related to my first wife, Sandy -- whose grandparents were Gehringers in Auburn, MI. Her maiden name was Taylor, if you want to do the checking.
I am related pretty directly to US Grant (a fact I don't mention much here, as I also have a Confederate g2-grandfather (AKA 1stGenDemocrat). I'm also related to Grayson Lynch -- best known as a main CIA architect of the Bay of Pigs fiasco.
Oh, and my stepmom's dad, Clarel Lewis Gillenwater, pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 1923 and gave up a home run to Babe Ruth for the highlight of his five game major league career. I'm sure I've told the story here before, but his final resting place is a Shop-Vac outside a BP gas station in Bradenton, FL.
John
Oh, also (distantly) to Levi Garrett of chewing tobacco fame, though NOT to Pat Garrett -- who shot down Billy the Kid.

[catzies]

30. Johnny Weissmuller (the first Tarzan) is my grandmother's cousin.

n/t

[Nay]

32. Lord Hamilton of Scotland, the famous surfer, is a very distant cuz.

.

[Character Assassin]

35. Hold on, do you mean Laird Hamilton, the big wave guy?

If so, he was born at UCSF, quite some ways from Scotland.

[ScreamingMeemie]

33. My husband is a second cousin of Hugh Hefner...

and it is very funny because his cousin Russ is a dead ringer for Hugh, just 30 years younger.

He is related through his grandmother, Anna Hefner.

[Darth_Ole]

36. My second cousing is Ken Dryden, the great hockey goalkeeper of the 70's.

And my fourth cousin is Dale Hawerchuck, also a former hockey player. I think he was rookie of the year in 1982 with Winnipeg.

My dad was on the Ed Sullivan show once, but he's not famous. :)

[Nikia]

37. Two presidents

I am the descendent of a niece of President Cleveland. My great-grandmother was a cousin of President Eisenhower.

[mitchum]

39. U. S. Grant

really weird since I'm a southerner

[MaryBear]

51. He was a good man.

Read Jeff Shaara's description of him and Lee in his book on the Civil War. They were both good men. Be proud.

[5thGenDemocrat]

77. Jeez Mitchum

Almost verbatim what I said. Though I was born in Saginaw, Michigan (didn't someone write a song about that?).
John
I even look a bit like Uncle Ulysses when I've got my winter beard on.

[kmla]

41. My Granny told me...

...that one of her great-greats signed the Declaration of Independence. His last name was either Carrol or Carroll, which is my late grandmother's maiden name.

Supposedly, not only that, but this Carrol fellow supposedly deeded the land that he owned to the government that the White House is now presently standing on.

Hmmm. Maybe I should look into that. I could reclaim that land, and evict the squatter that presently occupies the place.

:bounce:

[JohnKleeb]

43. Charles Caroll I would assume

Did your granny come from around Maryland?
Interesting tidbits about Mr. Caroll
lone Catholic signer of the declaration
richest one
and one of the last to die I think.

[lazarus]

42. way back on my maternal grandmother's side

is one of the knights who forced John to sign the Magna Carte.

[1monster]

45. Amelia Earhart

was my maternal grandmother's cousin... Both Amelia and my grandmother died before I was born.

[Cheswick2.0]

46. William Bradford

GGGGGGGGG Grandfather, several other minor generals and such, several people named Stark who fought in the battle of Wyoming (pa) during the revolution.

I also found out I am distantly related to the white house squater.

[JohnKleeb]

48. to Bush? poor you ches here have my pity bowl

[Cheswick2.0]

81. yup, my sister slapped that on me saturday

pretty darn gross. Thanks for the sympathies!

[LeinesRed]

98. wait!

Any of the following surnames in your tree? Vandehey, Kennedy, Carpenter???? My cousin just turned up the Bradford and residunce's families in our tree...we are related to Bradford's wife and somewhere the other family is in there... distantly of course!

[proud patriot]

47. My Great Grandfather was an inventor

Everyone uses what my Great Grandfather helped to invent ..
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
..
The Ford brake

[The Lone Liberal]

50. My Cousin was in the Miss America contest.

Three great, great uncles were Congressmen, two at the same time and one followed. My Granda was Sheriff in West Texas, until he hung Grandmother’s brother for stealing horses.

[mlawson]

55. Millions of people are descendent from Charlemagne.

But linking it up is the trick. "Ordinary" people in the 800s thru the 1400s had no surnames, and thus the existing records are virtually useless. Only the 'aristocracy' had last names, so many pedigrees are very similar; there are only so many that exist, and that is it.

But, if you can trace your lines back past about 1500, you can probably make it WAAAAAAY back. I have done it with several lines, but it takes a lot of time and patience.

[JohnKleeb]

56. I cant even trace my lines back to the 1800's

That must have been interesting lawson the 1500's. What country?

[mlawson]

57. England, Normandy, Scotland -- they are all mixed up with the Vikings.

I have done most of it online. Try rootsweb.com; and familysearch.org. They are both free.

Do you have grandparents or great grandparents living?? An old family Bible?? Those are your best resources, but ask them before too much time passes. Once they are gone, you will never have the opportunity again. Try to get a concensus; there is much genealogical material out there that is wrong.

[JohnKleeb]

58. hmmm

Yeah I have three grandparents still living but one cant remember anything. Ok Thanks for the suggestion. If we had an old family bible I couldnt read it in fact come to think I think we have one but its in another language and the other really isnt old but its no help. I will try that sometiem. On edit I did some neat research found DK's parents a little older than my grandparents and sadly passed on.

[mlawson]

71. John, please check your inbox!!

I found something for you online.

[JohnKleeb]

83. saw it lawson I appreciates it

[shirlden]

61. Fifth Great-Aunt

was wife of Alexander Hamilton. Also direct decendent of Welsh kings and collateral decendent of Henry the 8th and William, the Conq.

[burr]

62. Benedict Arnold...

Always a great rolemodel of mine. Never recognized for the great work he did under General Washington. Should have been placed on the 10 dollar bill, rather than that rat...Hamilton.

[Capn Sunshine]

63. My Uncle was Daniel Ellsberg's boss

If you know about the Pentagon Papers you know him.

OH.I'm related to some yanqui country yahoo on my moms side: Denver Pyle

Related to Teresa Heinz( Mrs. JF Kerry)

Hey John. My dad was at Iwo Jima. one of two in his company who survived.

[unluckythirteen]

64. my uncle is Skinner.

hey UD! (if you're reading this)

I guess that counts as someone famous around here.

[JohnKleeb]

82. I take it you are thirteen Yeah Skinner would count

Thats rather neat. I think people we have a new record for youngest DUer. Man breezy is gonna be disappointed. You're more closer in age to my younger brother than you are me. Hey I love the work your uncle has done here and I am pretty young myself just turned 16.

[CBHagman]

65. Saint Thomas a Becket, supposedly

But that could simply be family lore! :-) No matter; I still mark his feast day each year.

[SOteric]

66. A well-known photographer

and some minor members of European peerage.

[ronnykmarshall]

67. The cloest I can get is.....

My step mother's, god mother's, grand daughter was married to Kelsey Grammar. This was the former stripper that beat the shit out of him.

[AngryWhiteDemocrat]

68. No

I'm not related to anybody famous, but the rest of my family is.

[SiobhanClancy]

69. Michael Collins

Irish patriot. My gr-grandmother was a sister of Marianne O'Brien Collins,his mother...which is some degree of kinship.(?)cousin(?)removed:)

[JohnKleeb]

80. coolness

[Vitruvius]

70. Mother's father invented the bug-zapper --

originally marketed as the "Sing-Sing Bug Chair" (ugh!). Plus a host of more useful inventions.

As for skeletons in our closet, Mother was also distantly related to Charles Lindbergh -- I remember her torturing him by reminding him that he (like Mother) was a little bit Jewish. (CAL was anti-semitic -- and a right-wing Republican -- at best.)

[brook]

72. One fraternal...

ggggggggggggreat-grandfather owned Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands (Mayhew). The other was one of the founders of Sandwich, Ma.(Tupper)Both arrived here from England about 1620.
My direct line descends from the sons (or grandsons, I can't remember and I'm too lazy to go get the file) of Thomas and Martha Tupper who went to Nova Scotia for 2 generations at which time my GGgreat-grandfather returned to Cambridge. On my mother's side, her Scot Dad was one of the founding members of the PGA...and her mother was an Irish beauty, through and through.

edited to switch g's to proper geographical locations.:silly:

[AnnabelLee]

73. My ex-husband

is related distantly to Abraham Clark, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

[Ivory_Tower]

74. My aunt's husband's brother's son was...

The Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot. At least for a little while.

Does that count for anything?

My grandfather played in a band conducted by John Philip Sousa (at least that's the legend).

Other than that....I got nuthin'.

[Ellen Forradalom]

75. Distantly related to one of Liz Taylor's ex-husbands.

I decline to say which.

[kskiska]

78. Joe Eula, the illustrator,

is my uncle's nephew. Most people wouldn't know who he is, but in art circles, he's pretty famous. He hung with Andy Warhol and the Studio 54 crowd, and did a lot of those snazzy ads for stores like Lord & Taylor and posters like "Liza's Back!" He used to stop over my aunt's house in the years after my uncle died and slip her money.

[brook]

92. Once upon a time in the wooly west..

I had a roomate that hung out with him. She was also banging my husband- or, as it turned out, ex-husband to be. No reflection on Joe intended. :)

[kskiska]

97. I saw Joe on TV recently

commenting on Liza in a bio. He's getting old but looks pretty good – rich, tan, and rested. I guess with his money aging isn't quite as bad. I must have seen him around as a kid, but was too dumb to realize just who he was.

[Spirochete]

79. My grandfather (maternal)

said that he'd traced his ancestry back to the family of Mary, Queen of Scots.

[LincolnMcGrath]

85. Daniel Boone

Via Dads Mothers side

[HEyHEY]

87. Related to? Buddy I AM famous!

Or I was, for a bit, during my journalism internship on a tiny little island here in BC, people knew me, I didn't know them, they bought me drinks told me things, gave me news tips. And always said, "Hey your the new reporter guy!" It was fun!

Other than that some old relative of mine was like the first person to swin the english channel or someting

[JVS]

88. My father's Grandma was named Adams and a descendant of ..

John Quincy Adams. So I'm related to both J. Adams and J.Q Adams.

I remember reading somewhere that everyone in the world is at most 53rd cousins due to the way family trees expand exponentiall, but the previous population is smaller than it is now.

[burr]

89. Does this mean we can have a duel?

duel - a prearranged combat between two persons, usually fought with deadly weapons.

I always loved taking potshots at federalists and whigs! ;-)

[librechik]

91. Red Skelton and Jimmy Stewart

Red is a cousin on my Mom's side, and Jimmy's brother was married to my husband's mother's sister.

never met either of them, though.

[izzie]

93. I lived in So. and every So. I meet had Robert E, Lee in the family.

Does that count?

[Throckmorton]

94. Christopher Lowell

he is my brother.


http://christopherlowell.com/

No, he didn't decorate my house, but he has tried a few times.

[never cry wolf]

95. gee duh-bya

is my monkey's uncle.

seriously, there is a street in hamburg where city hall and all the government offices are located called sievekingplatz. i have been told it was named after an ancestor, on my mom's side.

on edit: i forgot my uncle played in the rose bowl, trombone at halftime.

[Aristus]

96. My great-great-great-great grandfather was Bright W. Hargrove, the

man who signed the secession papers for the state of Georgia. His daughter, Fanny, was one of Margaret Mitchell's inspirations for Scarlett O'Hara when writing "Gone With The Wind."

[MiltonLeBerle]

99. Sam Houston is my great-great-great-great grandfather.

And I have a hard time abiding anything from Texas.
:shrug:

[Samuraimad]

101. Eastman of "Eastman Kodak"

he is like a great great...whatever uncle.

My mom has managed to trace lineage to 16th century ireland england...


not related but my Grand father was childhood and life long friends with Carl Albert.

[MiltonLeBerle]

103. Doesn't that make you related to Linda McCartney?

Did you get to talk to Paul at the funeral?

[Snow]

104. Ha! A match.....

Of course, what is the statistical probability of a match given the number of posts, etc. Anyway, I'm related to the Eastmans through my mother's family, the Wrights (of architectural fame. motto: "We're not just Frank Lloyd - and frankly, most of us don't even like him!").

[GumboYaYa]

102. My Great Aunt was Huey Long's mistress.

Not Blaze, the stripper. She was Earl Long's mistress.

My aunt was Huey's personal secretary for years. T. Harry Williams alleges that they had a long-running affair in his Biography of Huey. My great-grandmother denies it and call T. Harry Williams a lying sack of dung.

I think my great-grandmother may have been engaged in wishful thinking. When Huey built the LA state capitol he dedicated it to my great aunt and not Mrs. Long. Hmmmmmmm!

[ikojo]

105. My family's claim to fame is a "little person"

I have a great uncle (on my mom's side) who was brought from Czechoslovakia (then Bohemia) to be in vaudeville....here is a pic:





Jean (the guy) is my great uncle. He and his wife must have done well because they had a house built to scale in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

If anyone knows where I can obtain a copy of this card it would be too cool to give to my mom.

Other than Jean I don't know of any other famous or nearly famous people to whom I am related.