# Geneology. Anyone famous in your ancestry ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589 "2011-08-22T00:39:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/1 "2011-08-22T00:39:55Z")
A cousin of my wife just came back from Iceland with 90 copied pages of geneology records to show that my wife has as an ancester [Harold Wartooth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Wartooth), king of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the historical northern German province of Wendland, in the 8th and 9th century. Have you or yours got someone noteworthy in your ancestry ? ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/2 "2011-08-22T00:54:22Z")
Funny thing, I was just thinking of starting a thread like this but now someone’s done it for me.😃 Anyway, I’m one of those who’s gotten roped in by [Ansestry.com](http://Ansestry.com). In terms of famous or noteworthy people, I’ve discovered that [Edward Wightman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wightman)is my 12th great-grandfather. Wightman’s notoriety came from the fact he was the last person in England who was burnt at the stake for heresy. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/3 "2011-08-22T01:39:45Z")
Sure, Charlemagne 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/4 "2011-08-22T03:54:08Z")
Sure: Mayflower travelers, presidents, Declaration of Independence signators, much of European royalty. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/5 "2011-08-22T05:01:16Z")
Richard Humphrey, famous cricket player in the late 1800s, was my great-grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliothecarius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Bibliothecarius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliothecarius)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/6 "2011-08-22T09:10:11Z")
Sir William Wallace, who brought us Mel Gibson yelling a lot and getting cut into little pieces before he started abusing everybody and talking crazy talk all the time. And Henry Ford, who brought us pollution, Fordism and, well, Detroit (thank Our Ford I didn’t grow up there :D). ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/7 "2011-08-22T13:02:25Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Sure, Charlemagne 😉 My family on my father’s side is also related to Charlemagne. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/8 "2011-08-22T13:06:45Z")
Adam ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/9 "2011-08-22T13:53:27Z")
Herbert Hoover is a very distant cousin. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/10 "2011-08-22T13:54:19Z")
Direct descendant of [Bathsheba Spooner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba_Spooner), last woman to be hanged in Massachusetts. Also from the same Howard family as President William Howard Taft. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/11 "2011-08-22T14:29:24Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Direct descendant of [Bathsheba Spooner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba_Spooner), last woman to be hanged in Massachusetts. That was in 1778. I recently heard a story of a woman whose husband went on a fishing trip and didn’t return for something like 6 years. When he returned he said “Hi honey, guess what happened to me today? I’m a pirate now!” The couple enjoyed a long and happy career as pirates. When she was finally caught, she was hanged on Boston Common – the last woman ever to be hanged in MA. That was in the late 1880s. But I can’t find that story online. But it has to be true – it’s a pirate story and was told to me by a sea captain. What better source of information could there possibly be? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/12 "2011-08-22T14:31:06Z")
> [@monavis](#): > > My family on my father’s side is also related to Charlemagne. Just about _everybody_ is related to Charlemagne 😛 ( exaggeration, but not much of one ). At least if you have any substantial northern European heritage. Which I believe was **jasg** ’s point. Due to [pedigree collapse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedigree_collapse) it is a near certainty that everyone on earth is related to someone of prominence. Your ancestors would have had to work hard not to be. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/13 "2011-08-22T14:37:10Z")
Well…infamous. [Dutch Schultz aka Artie Flegenheimer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Schultz). He’s a great-great uncle on my mother’s (nee Flegenheimer) side. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/14 "2011-08-22T14:47:44Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > Adam C’mon guys, this is genius :D. I’m fairly related to Howard Hughes. I know, you’d think I’d be rich and all, but Howard was on my great grandfathers brother’s side, or something like that. Just too distant to get any of that wealth, but close enough to get a couple eccentricities :D. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/15 "2011-08-22T14:49:34Z")
Not that I’ve found so far and that’s just fine with me. I’m sure that back far enough, going to Europe, there are people, but getting that far back is going to be iffy and I’m not sure I would trust all of the records. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/16 "2011-08-22T14:53:10Z")
Lou Boudreau, on my mothers side: > **[Lou Boudreau (1917-2001) - Find a Grave Memorial](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5860309/lou-boudreau)** > > Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. He was a Hall of Fame shortstop for the Cleveland Indians. Coming to the Indians in 1938 as a 22 year old, he was named the player/manager for two years making him the youngest manager ever. Eight times he... ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/17 "2011-08-22T15:04:44Z")
William Henry Giaque, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. ---
**Author:** ![geneb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@geneb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geneb)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/18 "2011-08-22T15:33:46Z")
I’m descended from the Armstrong clan through my mother’s side so, technically, I am related to Neil Armstrong. Also Revolutionary General [John Armstrong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Armstrong,_Sr.) and [John Armstrong, Jr.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Armstrong,_Jr.) Not sure how far back the lines diverged, though. Neil Armstrong also wouldn’t be an ancestor but more of a cousin many times removed, I’d guess. My dad’s side of the family is less documented since they came from the Appalachian mountains. There are a lot of people here with my last name (it is one of the core Melungeon group names), though, and some of them are bound to have been famous for something. Wikipedia has a huge list of famous people with my last name but God only knows if I am related at all. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/19 "2011-08-22T15:34:17Z")
My father’s side of the family boasts [George E. Dixon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_E._Dixon), commander of the [H. L. Hunley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley_%28submarine%29), and thus the first commander [to sink an enemy ship by submarine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_USS_Housatonic). We were delighted to learn that the “gold coin” legend is apparently true, and the [coin itself](http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc4/hunley_dixon_coin1.htm) has been recovered. In an interesting coincidence, my brother designs submarines for a living. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589/20 "2011-08-22T15:42:12Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > That was in the late 1880s. Correction, October 8, 1789. Her name was Rachel Wall. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geneology-anyone-famous-in-your-ancestry/593589.md?page=2)