# Your Celebrity Relatives

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 23, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291 "2004-12-23T05:02:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/41 "2004-12-23T23:37:01Z")

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> [@don't ask](#):
>
> Apparently way, way back I am related to Lady Hamilton who scandalised England by getting into Nelson’s pants.

Wow–Emma Hamilton? The world’s leading expert on 18th-century bedroom ceilings?

I _am_ impressed.

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**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/42 "2004-12-23T23:44:10Z")

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I seem to trot this out about once or twice a year on the SDMB, but Dick Sargent, aka “the second Darrin” on _Bewitched_, was my great-uncle (my father’s uncle).

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**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/43 "2004-12-24T00:20:14Z")

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The story goes that I am descended from Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame. Which means it goes for **jackelope** as well.

The connection is very tenuous and I put very little basis in the story, but it’s a family story gosh darnit and I’m going to keep telling it.

My mom’s side of the family is from South East Georgia and in the rural town there is a general recognition that a man who I am descended from was descended from Mr. Lewis. Whether this is by his own telling or the story of his parents or what - I don’t know. I just know what I’m told.

So the bottom line is, this is a genealogical hearsay…

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**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/44 "2004-12-24T00:34:10Z")

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Related to President Grover Cleveland. That’s it as far as I know.

**Eve** : You’re related to _Alex North_?!?! That is _so_ cool!

(Have you heard his rejected score for _2001_? I’ve heard bits of it—pretty good, I thought.)

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**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/45 "2004-12-24T00:38:01Z")

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Oh and before I forget, I noted that my “celeb” goes the same for my bro jackelope. His post on this forum however, unfortunately, doesn’t go for me. Jackelope has discussed our family in another thread, explaining our half-brother status. We’re borne of the same mother, so thus Dick Sergeant is related to him through his father and thusly, not - to me.

I don’t know why I felt the need to make sure everyone knew. Perhaps in interest of full disclosure. I don’t know.

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**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/46 "2004-12-24T00:44:09Z")

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Jimmy Stewart. That is, my maternal grandfather’s brother married Jimmy’s sister. I never met Stewart, but my grandparents knew him and my mother has an autographed glossy he sent her around 1957.

I have a friend whose second cousin is, and I believe this is the first smilie I’ve ever used…

Timothy McVeigh. :eek:

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**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/47 "2004-12-24T03:21:07Z")

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Direct descendant of Huey and Earl Long, and it’s rumored also of former Secretary of the Navy John D. Long. Sec’y Longs two main accomplishments, AFAIK, were :

1. going on vacation, leaving his undersecretary in charge with orders not to screw anything up (or, indeed, do anything without the express consent of the Secretary AND THE PRESIDENT) while he was gone. The undersecretary immediately ordered Commorored Dewey to stock his squadron and in the event of war, head immediately to the Phillipines and send the Spanish fleet to the bottom; giving similiar instructions to the commanders of the U.S. Navy in the South Atlantic and European theatres. The Undersecretary then ordered as much coal as the U.S. could pull from the far East, started stockpiling ammo, building naval guns, requested Congress to elist an unilimited number of seamen, and basically prepped for a major offensive war on three fronts. Secretary Long was on vacation for _one day_, and when he got back, the stage was set for what would later be called the Spanish-American war.

His Undersecretary’s name was Theodore Roosevelt.

and

1. getting a lake named after him that Susan Smith used to drown her children.

Think about that every time you say “I was gone for XXX and just look at the place!” Coulda been worse.

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**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/48 "2004-12-24T03:26:46Z")

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My grandfather is married to Mickey Mantle’s sister. She’s his second wife, so I guess she’s my step-grandmother… which would make him… my step-great-uncle (?) But it’s kind of cool; they have a ton of his old stuff, including his birth certificate, a picture of the 1955 NY Yankees signed by everyone, and things like that… museums are constantly calling their house.

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/49 "2004-12-24T04:08:32Z")

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> [@False\_God](#):
>
> Direct descendant of Huey and Earl Long

That is cool. My grandfather was one of Earl Long’s best friends (until he fell completely off the deep end). Me and my family are from Louisiana. Some of my father’s earliest baby pictures show him sitting on Earl’s lap at my grandparents . Earl made my grandfather a “colonel” on his guberatorial staff. I have never figured out exactly what that is but it is supposed to be a pretty cool honorary position. We still have several pieces of furniture that he gave my grandfather.

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**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/50 "2004-12-24T04:10:38Z")

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> [@Typically Sunday](#):
>
> I am a very very very distant cousin of the Beegees.

So you are descended from a Gibb-on?

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**Author:** ![mamakat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@mamakat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamakat)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/51 "2004-12-24T04:28:16Z")

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My late step mom, (the first one) was cousins to the Osmonds. So I guess that made us second step cousins, or something. I used to love Donny Osmond, so I guess that’s pretty cool.

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**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/52 "2004-12-24T19:19:01Z")

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Growing up, my best friend’s dad was a 2nd. Cousin to the Bionic Man (Lee Majors), who was I think, at the time, married to Farah Fawcett. I thought that was pretty cool.

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**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/53 "2004-12-25T18:49:36Z")

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I’m not exactly sure how I’m related, I think she’s a great or great great neice of my Grandmothers, or something like that. Anyway, I’m apparently distantly related to Suzanne Sommers.

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**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/54 "2004-12-25T23:48:51Z")

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Marlon Brando was supposedly my second cousin, three times removed. (I confess I have no idea what that means.)

My late aunt and uncle lived for several years as caretakers of the von Fürstenberg estate in Connecticut.

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**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/55 "2004-12-26T02:31:44Z")

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If you have a 14 year old daughter then you’ve probably heard of **[Stevie Brock](http://www.steviebrock.com/)**. Stevie is the son of my first cousin.

I don’t know anything about his music. I see him at family functions, and you’d swear he was just an ordinary kid.

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**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/56 "2004-12-26T04:30:18Z")

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My cousins’ family on my dad’s side was related to John Ritter and, so obviously his dad, Tex. Apparently Tex stayed with them once when he was travelling through the country.  
-Lil

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**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/57 "2004-12-26T05:06:36Z")

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> [@AllShookDown](#):
>
> My mom’s cousin’s daughter is (was?) married to John Mellencamp’s guitar player. I’ve been told I’m related to The Amazing Randi or someone like that. I’m also a 9th or some other absurdly distant great-granddaughter of John Alden and Priscilla Mullens. \*\* A great-aunt wrote some children’s books.\*\* Who are your tenuous celebrity relations?

Now that’s just freaky. My great-aunt is Beverly Cleary.

> [@Hello Again](#):
>
> famous porn star/sex-worker advocate/performance artist Annie Sprinkle is my second cousin.

Okay,\*\* that\*\* is cool! 🙂

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**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/58 "2004-12-26T06:42:31Z")

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On my mom’s side, we’re related somehow to Jules and Paul-Émile Cardinal Léger, who were, respectively, Governor General of Canada and Archbishop of Montreal. The exact details of the relationship are unknown, since anyone who remembers it is now deceased, but it was somewhat distant. Cardinal Léger was a dead ringer for my grandpa, though.

Other than that, I’ve got nothing–mostly because, by the time you get to my great grandparents, you get to non-English speaking records. My maternal grandmother was an orphan at age 12, and the only great grandparent I ever met died when I was 2. I’m probably not related to anyone important in US culture or history…

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**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/59 "2004-12-26T07:02:12Z")

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> [@Reloy3](#):
>
> > [@AllShookDown](#):
> >
> > I’m also a 9th or some other absurdly distant great-granddaughter of John Alden and Priscilla Mullens.
> 
> Wow! what a coincidence - me too! When my grandmother did the geneology and found that out there was a write-up about it in her small local paper.

Cousins! Myself also, except not the granddaughter part, as I would be a _grandson_.

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**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-celebrity-relatives/281291/60 "2004-12-26T20:29:49Z")

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Years ago I got interested in the music of Joe Haymes, who led a fairly popular big band during the 1930s. Eventually I acquired Joe’s few remaining papers, which included the tidbit that he was an 11th generation descendent of John & Priscilla Alden.

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