On my mothers side my greatx3 uncle was mass murdererIssac C. Haight.
On my father’s side I’m related to The 4th Earl of Sandwich who is credited with inventing the sandwich.
Several generations back (5 or 6) and then down a few on a different branch from Miles Garrett’s first wife, I’m related to Sherriff Patrick F. Garrett, who shot Billy the Kid.
I’m related to Alfred Lord Tenyson. I think that’s my family’s only claim to fame. 
Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply I knew any more than what I stated. All I really know is that my family were the first settlers in the area (1623) and, therefore, had a hand in most events that took place in the area, in those days. All I really know, not having actually looked into it, is that it appears that half my ancestors in that area, at the time, were listed as founders of churches, constables, members of various legislatures, and held assorted positions in the courts. So, it’s likely they were involved, somehow. No actual hangmen, that I know of, though. 
But, my gf is actually the real authority on my ancestry. It bores me, but she’s very good at it. She’s traced one branch of my family back as far as 6 BC! I don’t descend from that branch, but I have to admit, that’s kind of cool, in spite of my general lack of interest in genealogy.
She also just mentioned (and, no, I can’t explain why we’re both up this early on a Saturday) that I have a distant relationship to Laura Ingalls Wilder, of Little House on the Prairie fame, who was from Plymouth, Mass., and there may be a connection from the Wilders to your Wilde ancestors. I stress the “may” because she has not researched that line.
My mother was related to the Howards, who produced President William Howard Taft.
I’m a direct descent of Bathsheba Spooner, the last woman to be hanged for murder in Massachusetts. She killed her much older, very wealthy husband. She claimed she was pregnant and wanted to live longer enough to have the child, but a midwife said she wasn’t. After she was dead, the autopsy revealed a 4 1/2 month old male fetus.
My great-grandparents were suppose to start their honeymoon on the Titantic, but they missed the boat. I still have one of the tickets for the madien voyage (my sister has the other one).
No one has really done any searching on our family tree - I occasionally attempt to, but then I get bored.
One of the family stories is that we’re descended (on my mother’s side) from Sir Thomas More. I’ve got my doubts (but no proof), though my vague attempts at tracing that side tend to die out once I get to about 1890.
My father’s side is a bit easier, because of a very unusual last name. There’s a road in Glasgow with a name that’s very similar (2 letters off), but again, no proof, and no real motivation to do any serious tracing of the family tree.
There’s a Telesphore Duguay on my father’s side…
I guess a stupid name is a better claim to fame than none at all
My junior high math teacher was a direct lineal descendant of one of the judges…she got a lot more respect from a bunch of wiggly twelve-year-olds when she told us that.
Nobody terribly interesting in my family so far, but then I only know much of relevance for about 4 generations back. Both sets of maternal great-grandparents became bootleggers during the Depression to support their families, when the regular family businesses went under. My maternal grandmother’s mother, in particular, used to supply fine Kosher fruit liqueurs to the local rabbi. How else can a non-English-speaking woman with no formal education support five daughters in the Depression, with no husband? It was probably a choice between that and prostitution, and well, I think booze is a much better idea.
Thanks, I was about to ask about your name.
Now see, that is cool Second Star to the Right. I’d give my eyeteeth just to have anything resembling a literary figure in my lineage, instead of the sharecroppers on my Mother’s side and the county sherriff and rednecks from my father’s.
The only claim to fame in my family is that my Grandmother on my dad’s side is former Texas Senator Lloyd Benson’s cousin. However, she was disowned from the family for marrying my renegade and common gandfather when she was just 18, so we never got to meet him, just hear about him. My grandmother from my Mother’s side did run a chain of successful restaurants in the Louisville area.
My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather was second-cousin to John Tillotson, Archbishop of Canterbury. John Tillotson married Elizabeth French in 1664. Although there is no direct lineage to me, I think that makes me very distantly related to Oliver Cromwell.
My father’s uncle Captain Thomas Leroy Kirkpatrick was chaplain on the USS Arizona and was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I’m a distant cousin of singer Townes Van Zandt, and also through this line I’m related to the fellow for whom Van Zandt Co., Texas, was named.
On the notorious side, Hermann Goering of Nazi infamy was a distant relative. I actually got in touch with some Neree cousins through this line a couple of years back.
Sam Houston, the first and only president of Texas, was a great-uncle a few times removed. I’m descended from one of his brothers.
.:Nichol:.
I know I’ve told this previously but here goes again.
My uncle 5 generations back is one Col. William Crawford. He has a county in Ohio named for him. He was a childhood friend of George Washington and they often spent time as youths at each others homes.
His claim to fame is that he managed to piss of a local Native American chief so badly that he was captured. His limbs were torn off and given to the wolves and his torso was burnt on a limb.
Here in Ohio, we are required to learn state history in 8th grade, which was about the time my father tracked this bit of information down. My teenaged sensibilities were crushed to have such a not nice guy in the family
There is a person with the same last name as I who won a gold medal in the Olympics. My last name is unusual enough that it must be a relation of some kind.
Regards,
Shodan
Some interesting family tree discoveries from my past:
As most of you know from GD and the “Ask The Mormon” thread, I’m no longer a member of the LDS Church, having broken away many years ago.
That being said, my great great great grandfather is Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon.
My great great great great grand-uncle is Brigham Young, second President of the LDS Church, husband to over 37 wives, the man who brought the Mormons to Salt Lake City, and the namesake of Brigham Young University.
My wife cadolphin is my fifth cousin once removed, my sixth cousin, AND my seventh cousin!
And to top it all off, I’m my own fourth cousin! :eek:
Damn good thing I was adopted in to this family - I might have two heads or something! :smack:
My great great, etc. grandfather founded Jonesboro, Tennessee. There’s a monument of him plop in the middle of town, if I remember correctly. Don’t remember his name though…I should probably look that up.
It seems we’re likely cousins. I’m related to Robert E. Lee on my mother’s side.
In addition, I’m related to pirate/privateer Jean Lefite (aka Lafite) on my father’s side.
I have a long genetic history of rebellion. Why were my folks so surprised when I was a teenager?
I’ll just hijack for a second… a former classmate of mine is the **great, great niece of Charles Darwin. **
Nothing really interesting from my family tree though
[/hijack]
Thanks, ** presidebt **. I always thought it was pretty cool myself, cause he’s always been one of my favorite poets. I can only hope I inherited a fraction of his talent. 
I’m fairly closely related, apparently, to Jesse James. I use this genetic heritage to excuse all sorts of bad behavior – though I haven’t held up any trains or robbed any banks yet.
And, like most Americans of British descent, I’m a direct descendant of Edward I. Please, don’t bow.