My husband is decended from Mayflower passenger John Billington, the first man hanged in the colony. The records say it was for murder - but the family insists it was all a misunderstanding over a borrowed horse.
Twiddle
I am distantly related to George Bernard Shaw on my mother’s side, and Daniel Webster on my father’s side. Other than that, I come from a bunch of poor potato farmers and drunken lumberjacks. Exciting stuff.
I am told that somewhere back in my mother’s lineage, the family was a prominent samurai clan on the island of Kyushu. And that the family castle stood as late as WWII - and then had to be sold off to pay war debts.
My grandmother actually drove us by the lands the castle stood on, once - it’s all a very nice field of rice now.
I am descended from the famous British Jewish family the Sassoons (Vidal is among the more recently famous), who trace their lineage directly back to King David. So yes, in theory, I could be the Messiah. Nobody seems to believe me on that point though.
Fang, perhaps you can answer a question that I have been wondering about for a while, is the famous British poet of the second world war Siegfred Sasson related to the famous hair dresser, and you relation, Vidal Sasson?
Sorry for the bump, I just happened to return to this thread while looking for something else. To answer your question, I believe yes, very distantly, as they are both descendants of that same family. I certainly can’t say I’m an expert, but there’s a book (unfortunately rather hard to find) The Sassoons by Stanley Jackson which gives some of the family’s history (published in 1968, so obviously wouldn’t include Vidal), though I haven’t read it. I didn’t mean to say I was particularly closely related to Vidal, just an example of a famous descendant of the family. To be specific my grandmother’s maiden name was Sasson, made French as that branch of the family comes from the Levant (Syria) and the Maghreb (Algeria). AFAIK, which is not much, the Sassoons largely rose to prominence in Spain and Syria, while Sigfried and Vidal are/were British. The book is considered a worthwhile read, so if you’re interested, I’d recommend picking it up. If I remember I will ask my father (who tends to know more about this subject) in greater detail.
There are some interesting branches in my family tree–no famous ones (fortunately? :)), but the most interesting IMHO has always been this one:
My dad’s family is from Virginia, and most fought for the Confederates during the Civil War. I saw most, because apparently one great-great grandfather, who was born and raised Quaker so was indeed a pacifist by upbringing, did not want to fight, and to avoid conscription disguised himself in a woman’s dress, escaping across the lines to a Union-held fort. In an additional tidbit of interest, it was at this fort that he met my future great-great grandmother, who had run away from home and was working as a dance hall girl … Honestly, that’s the most I know of that part of the story! She was working as a dancer. I used to wonder if the story about my great great grandfather was true, but apparently it was.
Off my dad’s side, I’m supposedly related to George Washington and James Madison. Apparently, there’s some sort of link there. My great aunt showed me the lineage and everything, though, so its all good
Well, I can’t claim anyone famous as an ancestor in my family tree but there ARE some interesting branches. My great-great-great grandfather in Louisiana was said to have practiced voodoo and had a unique ability to “charm chickens to sleep”.
Well, that’s covered in MY defintion of “interesting” anyway. Maybe “strange” is a better word?
My husband’s great-great grandfather had the “interesting” job of rounding up “ladies of ill-repute” for Pancho Villa. There’s even a photograph of his great-great grandfather with Pancho Villa. This lead to an interesting misunderstanding between my husband and I when we first began dating. I thought it was pretty neat that his great-great grandfather rounded up “HORSES” for Pancho Villa and told everyone I knew all about it. I didn’t figure out my mistake until I asked him if Pancho Villa had his own herd.
I still haven’t lived that one down…:smack:
Sorry it took me so long to answer- I missed this post first time around. Anyhow, I believe it’s the latter. I did some Googling because I wasn’t positive of the answer, and she’s not in any family tree or bio that I can see.
I’m related to Eric the red…
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/vikings/ericred.htm
And Leif Erickson, too.
Don’t ask me how, because it was my gramma that looked into it, But yeah. I’m half icelandic.
I spent a few days in Iceland a couple of years ago. One thing that I found out that really impressed me was the fact that theIcelandic government(?) has kept very tedious records of births, deaths, etc over the past 1,000 or so years. I was told by some natives that anyone who has Icelandic ancestors can trace their family tree back at least 1,000 years with virtually no effort.
Eric
Pocahontas.
4 people on the Mayflower.
Peyton Randolph Jennings, Governor of Virginia way back when.
The guy who founded the Gorham Silver Company (can’t remember his name but the company is still around today).
I just found out at Christmas that I am descended from Remember Allerton , who was on the Mayflower. Of course, I’m descended from her parents too, but I can never remember their names 
I also have the dubious distinction of being related to Admiral Joe Fyfe, who is the only person on record to have accidentally given the Queen of England a 22 gun salute. I can’t find a link for that one, so it may be a family legend.
AL
I am related to the Wright Brothers. I remember my grandma showig me tat part of the family tree. I want to know why I don’t get any royalties.
1 penny a flight, for every flight is all I ask. Is that so much? I’ll but all of you that wnat one a beer if I can get those royalty cheques. 
Preview is my friend. Sigh.
Apparently on my other side, I am related to the old Scottish royalty, but I am not sure quite how.
One day though, a hundred or more years from now, someone will say they were related to me.
Not sure, but this guy shares my maiden name, is it a common one in the Netherlands??
Apparently they build cranes too
Also my great uncle was one of the first farmers to sell in Market square
Lastly, unsubstantiated, one of my other great uncles was in teh Ducth mafia.
My sister and I have been researching our family tree and all its branches for years. Of course there is always the hope of finding that famous twig. So far we have managed to find a branch with the name Rommel/Rummel (as is, Erwin, Desert Fox Nazi) and another with the name Speck/Speckel (as in Richard, Chicago mass murderer). Guess we may have to settle for possible INFAMOUS twigs. On a lighter note, we are related by marriage to Lyndon Johnson, 36th Prez of the US.
I’m related on my mother’s side to Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, the highest ranking organized crime figure to go to the electric chair. They even made a movie about him.
I have some sort of great-great-great-etc. uncle (surname was Thomson) who died at Custer’s Last Stand.