# Famous Relatives **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 17, 1999, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282 "1999-11-17T20:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![keystream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a3d4f5/32.png) [@keystream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keystream)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/1 "1999-11-17T20:05:00Z")
What, if any, interestng historical figures are all the Dopers related to? Missy2U mentioned that she was related to Edgar Allan Poe, and as far as I’m concerned, my 9th great-uncle is Tecumseh (Shawnee leader, sided with the British in the War of 1812). Anybody else have any interesting branches in their family tree? ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/2 "1999-11-17T20:18:00Z")
According to my great aunt (dad’s mother’s side), I am a great-great-great (dunno exactly how many "great"s) grandnephew of General George Pickett. He’s the guy who participated in that charge. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/3 "1999-11-17T20:25:00Z")
My aunt’s second husband was Lawrence Welk’s baritone saxophonist. Hey, it was a job. * * * Uke ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/4 "1999-11-17T20:31:00Z")
Wow Strainger, small world. My best friend is the great-great-great-great grandson (may not be the right amount of greats either) of the good General. As for me, my Grandpa caught a dead body in a lake once. It was pretty big news in southeast Kansas. I am probably the most famous in my family simply because I have been on TV and in print much more often than any ancestors or currently alive relatives. * * * Well, shut my mouth. It’s also illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/5 "1999-11-17T20:32:00Z")
Dominie Everardus Bogardus, an early settler of New Amsterdam. It was said that he delivered two kinds of sermons - drunk and dead drunk. That’s my (number of greats) grandpa! * * * Official Poster of the Millenium ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/6 "1999-11-17T20:34:00Z")
Err… unfortunately my family didn’t keep too great of records when they immigrated here, but I do know that my great (great great? Dunno, someting like that) aunt and uncle got shot during a Jesse James train robbery. * * * [http://www.madpoet.com](http://www.madpoet.com) The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/7 "1999-11-17T20:34:00Z")
One of my nieces is a talented actress. (Really!) She’s not famous now, but she will be. I’ll say who she is once she’s well-known. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MissTangerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MissTangerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTangerine)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/8 "1999-11-17T20:35:00Z")
My father’s side of the family is(was) huge on the vaudeville circuit in the early 1900s. And my great aunt on his side is Emme Jean Coco (sp?), who played the dead grandmother they strapped to the car in one of the national lampoon movies. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/9 "1999-11-17T20:38:00Z")
Hmmm, actual blood relatives? Alex North was a great-uncle; he wrote the scores for lots of films, like “Giant” and, umm, can’t remember the others. Lauren Bacall is a distant cousin several times removed. ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/10 "1999-11-17T20:41:00Z")
My mother has told me that I’m n[sup]th[/sup] cousin (X-removed) from Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali to you). ## SterlingNorth Float like a boulder, sting like a sock. I just want to be funny like Chris Rock. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/11 "1999-11-17T20:47:00Z")
## One of my great-greats was the **other** speaker when Abe Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. No, his words aren’t engaved in granite anywhere. “Vandelay!! Say Vandelay!!” ---
**Author:** ![SaxFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SaxFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaxFace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/12 "1999-11-17T20:48:00Z")
No famous relatives for me, but my friend Dave’s uncle is the guy who played Grandpa Munster. He lives on Roosevelt Island and recently ran for office. ---
**Author:** ![tatertot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@tatertot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tatertot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/13 "1999-11-17T20:51:00Z")
Mad Poet: > [@](#): > > but I do know that my great (great great? Dunno, someting like that) aunt and uncle got shot during a Jesse James train robbery. Wow! I’m related to Jesse James on my paternal grandmother’s side (I think he was her second cousin or something). My relative shot your relative. Weird. I hope this doesn’t stop us from being friends. 🙂 On the same grandmother’s side, I’m related to the guy who founded the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain. I think his name was Clarence Saunders. Unfortunately, I own no stock in the company, nor do I receive free groceries. ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/14 "1999-11-17T21:15:00Z")
My husband’s family insists Suzanne Somers is a distant cousin, but can’t recall exactly how they’re related. * * * “I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy [The Kat House](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/home.htm) [Join the FSH Webring](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/fshwebring.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/15 "1999-11-17T21:18:00Z")
> [@](#): > > On the same grandmother’s side, I’m related to the guy who founded the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain. I think his name was Clarence Saunders. Hey, my husband is a Saunders! I’ll have to do some more digging and see if I can find a connection 🙂 \<–very amateur genealogist * * * “I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy [The Kat House](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/home.htm) [Join the FSH Webring](http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/fshwebring.htm) ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/16 "1999-11-17T21:29:00Z")
I’m releated to jesse james also. very distant though. but that’s not really a big deal, he had lots of illegitimate children. I been in the paper four times, and seen in the background on walker texas ranger. So probably me right now. * * * We live in an age that reads to much to be wise, and thinks too much to be beautiful–Oscar Wilde ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/17 "1999-11-17T21:33:00Z")
Well, I have the same last name as the singer/actress/writer Jewel. Jewel’s grandfather was from Switzerland (needless to say, so am I.) The name is one that’s not very common even in Switzerland, so I imagine we must be related in some very distant way. Sorry, that’s the best I can do. * * * La franchise ne consiste pas à dire tout ce que l’on pense, mais à penser tout ce que l’on dit. H. de Livry ---
**Author:** ![keystream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a3d4f5/32.png) [@keystream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keystream)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/18 "1999-11-17T21:48:00Z")
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. One of my best friends is actually a descendant of William Henry Harrison. He “defeated” (masssacred) Tecumseh’s “forces” (village consisting mainly of women, children, and elderly) at the Battle of Tippicanoe. He was also holds the record for being President for the shortest amount of time. He caught a cold on his inauguration day that turned into pnuemonia and killed him. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/19 "1999-11-17T22:11:00Z")
**Gr8Kat** – > [@](#): > > My husband’s family insists Suzanne Somers is a distant cousin If he can’t get you a discount on a Thighmaster it doesn’t count. **MissTangerine** – It’s Imogene Coca and she is famous for a whole lot more than her role in National Lampoon’s Vacation. ---
**Author:** ![eden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f9b8f/32.png) [@eden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eden)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 1999, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282/20 "1999-11-17T22:18:00Z")
As long as we’re straying somewhat from the important historical figures… The only famous relative I’m aware of in our family is my dad’s cousin, painter Tom McKnight. I like his work, but he’s apparently a primadonna asshole. But as compensation, I have found reproductions at Target for cheap 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-relatives/12282.md?page=2)