My paternal grandmother was Odessa James, descendant of Jesse James.
My wife has found links (univerified) that lead from me back to Charlamagne.
So why am I a mid-level civil servant in a small technical college? :rolleyes:
Probably because of that other entry we found:
Father: Henry I of England
Mother: 1st Concubine
My FIL took great pleasure in pointing out that I was not just a bstrd, but a ROYAL bstrd.
Well,
On my Dad’s side my Great, Great (add a few more greats here), Grandfather invented the breach loading canon, or something similar. He was famous enough that the US named an Army base after him. Dahlgren, VA.
I sort of like the idea that he found a better way to kill people. None of this “My ancestors were abused” crap in my family. They were Vikings, they created weapons. Tremble Before My Ancestors. 
Slee
The Herbert Family of Muckross House in Ireland. My great-great-grandmother was one Jane Herbert, of whom I know very little other than that she was from Ireland. During a trip to Ireland, idly toured Muckross Abbey and Muckross House and was jolted by the mention of the Herbert name. Did a little cursory research (i.e. comparing Coats of Arms) and discovered that this was my ancestral home. Other than the fact that this means my ancestress wasn’t really Irish, it was a pleasant discovery.
Other Irish (non-Herbert) ancestors included the first of the Bloody O’Neals. At some point in Irish history (very murky on the details - I should probably find this stuff out before the last link passes on), there was a land lottery a la Far and Away in Ireland. My ancestor had one parcel of land he wanted, and another person wanted the same bit. Their agreement was that “whoever lays hand on the land first gets it” and so off they rode. As they neared the border, the other person pulled ahead and my ancestor, sensing the need for desperate action, chopped off his hand and threw it on the land. He won. 
My grandma’s uncle was Sheriff of Nottingham.
The Duchess of Windsor was a cousin on my mother’s side of the family. Additionally, I have the dubious distinction of being related to the guy who hanged abolitionist John Brown.
My uncle’s done a lot of genealogical work that shows us being related to British royalty back in about the 1700’s, but I’m pretty much your average Caucasian mutt.
My family does have a history of dying in idiotic ways—my great-grandfather drowned in the C&O Canal at a place that was three feet deep (um, ever heard of standing up?) and a relative in the Civil War died when he was walking backwards (talking to troops marching behind him), fell into an old well and broke his neck.
Several Greats back was Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy.
Another branch of the family wrote a book on the history, and it includes members who crossed the Cumberland Gap with Daniel Boone, as well as a bunch of other stuff I don’t remember. Wish I remembered where that book was.
My husband’s great-great etc. grandfather was Mayflower passenger John Billington, who was found guilty of murder and became the first Englishman to be hanged in New England.
The family claims it was all huge misunderstanding over ownership of a horse.
Twiddle
I’m descended from Rob Roy on my mom’s side, supposedly… (maybe I should see that movie?)
My husband is descended from the (I think) only baby born on the Mayflower, Peregrine White.
And I think I’m descended from some Irish Duke somewhere back there, but it’s been a long time since I’ve looked at our family’s genealogy notes.
My great grandfather was Philip Sharples, inventor of the Sharples cream separator. Not too famous, but probably known by some in the industry. He made millions off of his invention and lived in Graystone mansion in Pennsylvania. There are now several buildings at Swarthmore named after him due to his contributions.
Going back further, James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine is an ancestor of mine. We believe him to be a direct ancestor, but there’s some dispute about whether he ever had any children, so this isn’t certain.
Going way back, I’m allegedly descended from William the Conqueror, Charlemagne, Pepin the Short, and a whole host of other famous European kings. But I’m highly skeptical of any genealogies prior to around 1500, so I take this all with a grain of salt.
Grace O’Malley on me dad’s side:
Meaghan Patricia Siobhan O’Malley
My grandfather claimed to be a distant cousin of President Herbert Hoover, but then, he also claimed to possess the mind of God, so, you know…
My ancestors were prominent citizens of New Amsterdam before 1700, but the next generation decided that rather than stay in Manhattan and become the ancestors of real estate multimillionaires, they’d prefer to go west and become sodbusters. Oh well.
Supposedly Grace Murray Hopper, the inventor of COBOL, is a distant cousin, probably fifth.
A great*(not sure how many) uncle was the general contractor for the Chicago Water Tower.
Well, I’m a Mayflower decendant (Via Alden, I think). And one of my more recent ancstors, George Partridge, almost signed the declaration of independance…he left the conferance before the end because it was dragging on, and he had to get back to his business.
That would be my family: Practical, if not very far sighted. :rolleyes:
Ranchoth
Dude, me too! Except, on my dad’s side. I haven’t seen the movie either.
Somehow, on my fathers side, I’m related to Ulysses S. Grant.
Somewhere, somehow Miss Elly (Barbara Bell Geddis- From the TV series Dallas - wow what a claim to fame! lol)) was a great grandmothers aunt or something but essentially good comman stock here. How is it that whenever people are regressed they never discover that their whole family never did anything important and probably ate mud for breakfast, lunch and dinner, rather than having the queen of england (or something similar as a direct ancestor). Personally I know that my great-grandfather was an undertaker, and assuming he buried someone famous that’s as close I’ll get.
Merrin
I’m a direct descendant (several times over for each) of King Edward II of England, his gay lover Hugh le Despencer, his Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer. No Robert the Bruce, though. Darn.
Though Edward II I’m also a descendant of his grandson, John of Gaunt, and JoG’s 1st and 3rd wives. Wife #3, by the way, was Katherine de Roet, whose sister was married to Geoffrey Chaucer, making him my uncle-by-marriage.
This line also allows for Eleanor of Aquitaine, Lady Godiva (yes! she was a real person), William the Conqueror AND Harold of Wessex, the last two respectively the winner and loser of the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
There’s a persistant family legend that we’re related to Sam Houston of Texas fame SOMEHOW, and I’ve mentioned before my distant cousinship to Hermann Goering, not a fellow you’d like to have at the family reunion.
.:Nichol:.
My Mom has recently gotten into determining the family geneology. She recently informed me that Christopher Knight (Peter on The Brady Bunch) is my third cousin.
On Dad’s side, my greatX3 Uncle survived the Nazi concentration camps and was instrumental in the founding of Isreal. He signed their Declaration of Independence and was the first Israeli ambassador to the U.N.
Haj
Charles Goodnight - “famous” Texas cattle rancher who blazed cattle trails is a distant great great uncle. He found that when he drove cattle, the bulls would chaffe their scrotums, causing infection, so he developed a process called “Goodnighting” whereby a bull’s scrotom would be opened, the testicles would be pushed into the body, and the scrotom was then sewn shut.
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/GG/fgo11.html
James Joyce - Irish author is a cousin of sorts
Al Stump - Sports writer and author of the Ty Cobb Story which was made into a movie is also a cousin of sorts