# Were your ancestors famous? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822 "2002-03-18T03:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ringmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9e8a1a/32.png) [@ringmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ringmaster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/1 "2002-03-18T03:12:16Z")
Were your ancestors famous? What did they do that made them so famous? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/2 "2002-03-18T03:47:34Z")
There are claims from my mother’s side of the family that some Amry general who commanded some phase of the construction of the Panama Canal. However, no one seems to remember his name. So how famous could he be? But, if the Bible is right, Adam and Eve.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RaCha\_ar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@RaCha\_ar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaCha_ar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/3 "2002-03-18T03:50:37Z")
One of my boyfriend’s ancestors is Billy the Kid. ::shrug:: ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Kahuna_Burger)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/4 "2002-03-18T04:01:16Z")
Irving Berlin, my great-grandfather’s brother. My grandfather was mentioned in his biography, and the author said he was “energetic.” It’s hard to believe considering now, to borrow from _ER_, he’s a test pilot for Barcalounger. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/5 "2002-03-18T13:40:37Z")
A pirate, a musician, a pilgrim and a chieftain that fought with Robert the Bruce. ---
**Author:** ![LiquidLobotomy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/898d66/32.png) [@LiquidLobotomy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiquidLobotomy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/6 "2002-03-18T14:51:11Z")
I’m related to Edgar Allen Poe on my mother’s side. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/7 "2002-03-18T15:07:14Z")
Father’s side: the man who invented the jet engine. Mother’s side: the man who designed the Titanic. 1 out of 2 ain’t bad… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/8 "2002-03-18T15:47:15Z")
AFAIK, none of my ancestors were famous. But several of my wife’s ancestors were important folk in Colonial times (may family didn’t arrive until this century). ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/9 "2002-03-18T16:25:01Z")
I am the grandson (several “greats” down the line) of John Summerfield Staples from [http://www.142dpvi.org/lincoln\_&\_draft.htm](http://www.142dpvi.org/lincoln_&_draft.htm) : “During the Civil War, men who had the resources were permitted to hire substitutes for themselves to serve in the army if they received a draft notice. Aside from being President and Commander-in-Chief, Abraham Lincoln was too old for the draft, but he hired a substitute for himself anyhow, probably to set a good example. John Summerfield Staples, an otherwise unremarkable young man from Stroudsburg, PA, became the President’s “representative recruit”. He was enlisted in the 176th Pennsylvania Volunteers, survived the war, and is buried in Stroudsburg Cemetery, under a regulation GI headstone.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/10 "2002-03-18T17:09:07Z")
My great-uncle, Jack Elgart, wrote a highly successful series of dirty jokebooks, “Over Sexteen.” He used family names in all the dirty jokes, which makes for startling reading for anyone related. Also related, somewhat distantly, to film-score composer Alex North and testy diva Lauren Bacall. ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/11 "2002-03-18T18:24:55Z")
Not famous, but apparently notorious: My wife’s family did some geneological reseach and came up with a document describing one of her English ancestors as being so vile that the river changed its course rather than flow past his manor house. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/12 "2002-03-18T18:50:25Z")
A very distant relative of mine invented fire. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/13 "2002-03-18T19:24:22Z")
Though “famous” is a strong word for it, my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather (or maybe it’s four “greats” instead of three) does have an entry in the _Texas State Handbook_: [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/RR/fro93.html](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/RR/fro93.html) ---
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/14 "2002-03-18T19:56:15Z")
ok lets see if I can get this right. grandma’s grandma’s father would make it… my great-great-great-grandfather was Brigham Young. For those of you who aren’t up on the history of the American West, he’s the guy who led the Mormons to Utah. ---
**Author:** ![hedra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/779978/32.png) [@hedra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hedra)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/15 "2002-03-18T20:04:29Z")
I’ve just been entering a bunch of **epeepunk** ’s relatives in our genealogy program… lessee… Direct ancestors: William Brewster (one of the founding members of the ‘Puritan’ church in England) Lady Godiva (her granddaughter married into his line) one of the ‘knights’ at the Battle of Hastings (on the winning side) one of the early members of the Religious Society of Friends/Quakers (excommunicated for ‘nonconformance to the church’) - kinda makes up for William Brewster (a tiny bit, anyway) Robert the Bruce’s sister (I haven’t seen the reference on this one, though) and on our side: um, someone who served with distinction at the Battle of Hastings, and who was granted a title as a result (also on the winning side - bet he knew the other guy, from epeepunk’s side!). ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/16 "2002-03-18T20:10:35Z")
Well, I’m supposedly very distantly related to Robert Bruce (1st king of Scotland). Also, he’s not actually an ancestor, but I have a cousinlike relationship involving about seven “greats” with Johnny Cash. ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/17 "2002-03-18T20:41:09Z")
I’m related on my mother’s side to W.E.B. DuBois. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/18 "2002-03-18T21:38:17Z")
Well, according to family ledged my grandmother’s grandfather (or great grandfather, I can’t quite recall), “Shorty” Krause, was the illegitimate son of Napoleon III. Apparently he got his maid pregnant, gave her a few franks and shipped her off to America before anyone found out. There is a lot of circumstantial evidence to support it, but it’s not provable. I choose to believe. 😉 I’m also a distant cousin to Cap’n Janeway herself, Kate Mulgrew. She went to high school with my dad. We can’t figure out where a little Dubuque, Iowa girl such as herself got that friggin’ weird accent… ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/19 "2002-03-18T21:43:29Z")
Ethan Allen is a distant cousin on my father’s side. I also have several relatives from Dad’s side of the family who participated in the Boston Tea Party. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822/20 "2002-03-18T21:43:56Z")
If any more Bruce relatives show up, they’re gonna need a new thread of their own. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-ancestors-famous/98822.md?page=2)