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Do you have a famous family ancestor? What is he/she famous for?
coolarmydude Posts: 3039	Jun 13, 2009 1:10 AM GMT I just happened to think of this and wanted to throw this out there. My great-great-great grandfather designed the Washington Monument, amongst other things. Robert Mills (August 12, 1781 – March 3, 1855) is sometimes called the first native born American to become a professional architect, though Charles Bulfinch perhaps has a clearer claim to this honor. In 1820, he was appointed as acting commissioner of the Board of Public Works in South Carolina. In 1823, Mills was the superintendent of public buildings. In the next few years, he designed numerous buildings in South Carolina including court houses, the campus of the University of South Carolina, jails, and the Fireproof Building in Charleston. In 1825, he authored an Atlas of the State of South Carolina. One year later, he published Statistics of South Carolina. In 1836 he won the competition for the design of the Washington Monument which is his best known work. He also designed the Department of Treasury building and several other federal buildings in Washington, D. C. including the U.S. Patent Office Building. In South Carolina, he designed county courthouses in at least 18 counties, some of the public buildings in Columbia, and a few private homes. He also designed portions of the Landsford Canal, Chester County, on the Catawba River in South Carolina. Mills was an early advocate of buildings designed to include fireproof materials. A fire in Kingstree, South Carolina destroyed much of the upper floor of a courthouse called the Fireproof Building which had been designed by Mills, but the county records on the first floor were protected due to his fireproofing measures.

Sparkycat Posts: 487	Jun 13, 2009 7:02 AM GMT My ancestry can be traced to King James I, through the male line. I don't know if that means I'm in line for the throne. I think there are a few people ahead of me.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 7:12 AM GMT I guees the nearer to famous it gets in my family is my maternal great grand father who died a martyr in the Cristero War defending his Roman Catholic faith (practice) against the Mexican government. It's so surreal thinking about him in that way... a fight you'll think is from another, well, century. Now, if only he could have seen some of his great grand sons now BTW, COOLARMYDUDE... Way cool great-great-great grandfather... I can only imagine what does it feels looking that monument knowing that.
stevendust Posts: 133	Jun 13, 2009 7:13 AM GMT Crazy Horse and Chief Spotted Tail.
jprichva Posts: 4651	Jun 13, 2009 7:16 AM GMT The chief rabbi of Amsterdam in Rembrandt's day. Not that this is so significant, but Rembrandt painted his portrait, which hangs in the Jewish Museum there. I'd like to go one day and see what an actual ancestor looked like.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 7:23 AM GMT jprichva saidThe chief rabbi of Amsterdam in Rembrandt's day. Not that this is so significant, but Rembrandt painted his portrait, which hangs in the Jewish Museum there. I'd like to go one day and see what an actual ancestor looked like. Is this him? Looks kinda like you http://taichateau.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/r2.jpg
jprichva Posts: 4651	Jun 13, 2009 7:24 AM GMT ActiveAndFit said jprichva saidThe chief rabbi of Amsterdam in Rembrandt's day. Not that this is so significant, but Rembrandt painted his portrait, which hangs in the Jewish Museum there. I'd like to go one day and see what an actual ancestor looked like. Is this him? Looks kinda like you http://taichateau.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/r2.jpg Honestly? I have no idea. Where was that picture from?
justinscotts Posts: 59	Jun 13, 2009 7:28 AM GMT My great Grandmother was known (historically) as The Wash Woman of Mauna Kauai or Kai or some Mauna... in Hawaii during WWII...that's all I got so far...
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 7:38 AM GMT jprichva saidHonestly? I have no idea. Where was that picture from? I went to google images and looked up Jewish rabbi Rembrandt .. i can't fond the original page, but several seemed to suggest he painted a lot of Jewish people .. here http://taichateau.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/rounders-quote/ here is another that looks like the same rabbi http://www.fineartprintsondemand.com/artists/rembrandt/rabbi.htm
adaminmariett... Posts: 343	Jun 13, 2009 7:54 AM GMT coolarmydude saidI just happened to think of this and wanted to throw this out there. My great-great-great grandfather designed the Washington Monument, amongst other things. Robert Mills (August 12, 1781 – March 3, 1855) is sometimes called the first native born American to become a professional architect, though Charles Bulfinch perhaps has a clearer claim to this honor. In 1820, he was appointed as acting commissioner of the Board of Public Works in South Carolina. In 1823, Mills was the superintendent of public buildings. In the next few years, he designed numerous buildings in South Carolina including court houses, the campus of the University of South Carolina, jails, and the Fireproof Building in Charleston. In 1825, he authored an Atlas of the State of South Carolina. One year later, he published Statistics of South Carolina. In 1836 he won the competition for the design of the Washington Monument which is his best known work. He also designed the Department of Treasury building and several other federal buildings in Washington, D. C. including the U.S. Patent Office Building. In South Carolina, he designed county courthouses in at least 18 counties, some of the public buildings in Columbia, and a few private homes. He also designed portions of the Landsford Canal, Chester County, on the Catawba River in South Carolina. Mills was an early advocate of buildings designed to include fireproof materials. A fire in Kingstree, South Carolina destroyed much of the upper floor of a courthouse called the Fireproof Building which had been designed by Mills, but the county records on the first floor were protected due to his fireproofing measures. I have no idea how to find out without paying for it
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 8:19 AM GMT The family claims my great grandfather was the first rice farmer in Arkansas. According to this book, he was a big part of the effort, but his neighbor (and brother-in-law) gets credit for being the actual pioneer of rice production in the state.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 8:34 AM GMT coolarmydude saidMy great-great-great grandfather designed the Washington Monument, amongst other things. Robert Mills (August 12, 1781 – March 3, 1855) Is that enough "greats"? That doesnt seem like enough generations for someone born in 1781.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 8:34 AM GMT Very distantly related to Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. Not something I'm proud of in any way, shape, or form, but still kind of cool/interesting (I guess?) nonetheless.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 9:32 AM GMT coolarmydude saidI just happened to think of this and wanted to throw this out there. My great-great-great grandfather designed the Washington Monument, amongst other things. That's quite an honorable heritage. Even a little touching.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 9:34 AM GMT jprichva saidThe chief rabbi of Amsterdam in Rembrandt's day. Not that this is so significant, but Rembrandt painted his portrait, which hangs in the Jewish Museum there. I'd like to go one day and see what an actual ancestor looked like. I'll be in Amsterdam next week. I'll be sure to check it out!
coolarmydude Posts: 3039	Jun 13, 2009 10:49 AM GMT wyrln said, "The family claims my great grandfather was the first rice farmer in Arkansas. According to this book, he was a big part of the effort, but his neighbor (and brother-in-law) gets credit for being the actual pioneer of rice production in the state." I find that interesting considering that where I'm from in south Louisiana, we have a lot of rice fields and it's one of our biggest crops in the area. In 1974, my grandfather on my mother's side had the best rated sugarcane crop in the state of Louisiana.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 2:40 PM GMT I personally don't think so... but my father thinks he's God's gift to the world. Does that count? BTW, coolarmydude, that IS really cool!
surferdude110... Posts: 174	Jun 13, 2009 2:42 PM GMT my great great great great great great great grandfather was the pirate Sir Francis Drake yup, I'm a pirate by blood
carabin Posts: 376	Jun 13, 2009 2:43 PM GMT i am a son of god.
Hidden member	Jun 13, 2009 2:55 PM GMT One of my direct Dutch ancestors founded a New Jersey city in the 1600s, originally named after him (his house is now a museum), and another did the same in the 1850s. Among others in my direct bloodline is a General in the US Revolutionary War, a hero of the Civil War, and soldiers in every war the US has ever fought before me. I'm the only undistinguished slug in the bunch.
coolarmydude Posts: 3039	Jun 13, 2009 2:56 PM GMT SAHEM62896 said, "I personally don't think so... but my father thinks he's God's gift to the world. Does that count?" That depends on how hung he is.
ShawnTX Posts: 2449	Jun 13, 2009 7:31 PM GMT One of my ancestors was the first recorded French farmer in Canada (on my fathers side).
dashdashdash Posts: 235	Jun 13, 2009 7:47 PM GMT surferdude1101 saidmy great great great great great great great grandfather was the pirate Sir Francis Drake yup, I'm a pirate by blood Drake wasn't a Pirate!
Hidden member	Jun 14, 2009 2:21 PM GMT dashdashdash said surferdude1101 saidmy great great great great great great great grandfather was the pirate Sir Francis Drake yup, I'm a pirate by blood Drake wasn't a Pirate! He was a privateer. Which means he attacked and looted Spanish galleons and trading towns under the Queen's blessings. A pirate by any other name... LOL We now have the Geneva Convention so yeah, he was a pirate!
Hidden member	Jun 14, 2009 2:30 PM GMT dashdashdash saidDrake wasn't a Pirate! Correct, he held a naval commission under Queen Elizabeth I, was given command of a part of the English fleet for a time, and had Royal Letters of Marque for his other naval enterprises (aka privateering). The Spanish, however, did view him as a kind of pirate, and at various times wanted to prosecute him as such.
twomack Posts: 472	Jun 14, 2009 2:59 PM GMT My most colorful ancestor is John S. Mosby of Mosby's Raiders. He originated Guerilla warfare.
Hidden member	Jun 14, 2009 3:44 PM GMT My grandfather helped found United Air Transport in the 1920s, which became United Air Lines. One of his grandfathers was Senator John Logan (Illinois) who is credited with co-founding Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) and who ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 1884 (James Blaines was running for president). Another relative on my Mom's side was Henry Phipps - who was treasurer and later v.p. of Carnegie Steel and founder of Bessemer Trust. None of these relatives was "famous" really - - - and my grandmother used to say, "None of us is very far removed from a pick - or a shovel."
Gun_Show Posts: 7	Jun 14, 2009 3:51 PM GMT My family's claim to fame is that one of our cousins was the original Uncle Fester from the 60's TV show the Adams Family.
triniboy Posts: 232	Jun 14, 2009 3:56 PM GMT Jean Michel Cazabon, my great-great-, etc. grandfather. Trinidad and Tobago's first world renowned artist back in the 19th century.
Hidden member	Jun 14, 2009 4:32 PM GMT I really wouldn't know... I never looked into my ancestry further back. My grandma was famous for her cooking though LOL.
jprichva Posts: 4651	Jun 14, 2009 4:36 PM GMT HeyJude saidDavid Beard, lead singer of ZZ Top, is my uncle David BEARD? Now, that's funny.
afkaway Posts: 50	Jun 16, 2009 3:55 AM GMT Supposedly I'm related to John Proctor from the Salem Witch Trails. I guess that's where the sexual deviance comes from?
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 4:03 AM GMT Annie Oakley
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 4:05 AM GMT Eva Van-Bron. Not a direct descendant, however my family is part of hers. So I am not a secret Hitler offspring lol.
nashguy74 Posts: 11	Jun 16, 2009 4:23 AM GMT I'm a direct descendant of Governor Simon Bradstreet (1603-1697), a colonial governor of Massachusetts, and his wife, Anne (Dudley) Bradstreet (1612-1672). You probably might remember being inflicted with Anne's poetry in your American Lit. class in high school. My grandmother told me that we are related to Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon's painter, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, but I have found nothing to substantiate these claims as yet.
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 4:32 AM GMT My grandmother's maiden name is Chauvin and there are many with that name in South Louisiana, many claim to be descendents of Nicolas Chauvin "a semi-mythical soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte who is supposed to have served in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars (1789–1815)" who is responsible for the term Chauvinism. Quite a funny etymology, really http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvinism On my father's side Senator John Breaux and my father is from Breaux Bridge, LA. What's up Breaux?
GuerrillaSodo... Posts: 2946	Jun 16, 2009 4:34 AM GMT
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 4:58 AM GMT ^LOL Anyway, I'd have to do some extensive research to know who my ancestors are, and even then, there's no guarantee that I'd ever know for sure whether a certain person was really an ancestor...darn slavery
jprichva Posts: 4651	Jun 16, 2009 5:12 AM GMT nashguy74 saidI'm a direct descendant of Governor Simon Bradstreet (1603-1697), a colonial governor of Massachusetts, and his wife, Anne (Dudley) Bradstreet (1612-1672). You probably might remember being inflicted with Anne's poetry in your American Lit. class in high school. If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee. If ever wife was happy in a man, Compare with me, ye women, if you can. I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold Or all the riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that Rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee give recompense. Thy love is such I can no way repay. The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. Then while we live, in love let's so persevere That when we live no more, we may live ever.
FirefighterBl... Posts: 1270	Jun 16, 2009 6:02 AM GMT my last name is Ford
caesarea4 Posts: 2080	Jun 16, 2009 6:52 AM GMT My grandfather produced films with stars such as Artur Schnabel (who taught briefly at the Univ. of Michigan), Joseph Schmidt and Leo Slezak. Unfortunately his works were either destroyed or aryanized (stolen) by the nazis who shipped him off to Buchenwald in 1938 (he was arrested along with some guy named Rothchild). http://www.imdb.com/company/co0178206 My grandmother's grandfather was a famous rabbi, but way too far east for Rembrandt to paint him. The archeologist who found Herod's tomb is is my grandma's nephew. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081119-herod-tomb-paintings-missions.html Another cousin heads the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She is the highest ranking openly gay official appointed by Obama. (:
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 7:14 AM GMT I do...but he's younger than me
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 8:24 PM GMT I'm pretty sure I have a greatX20 grandad that was an original minuteman at Old North Bridge in Concord, MA on 4/19/1775 (1st military victory against the British.) This is why when people misrepresent terms like "patriot" and "minutemen" in the modern context I pointedly take exception. My family still owns the farm they settled in 1635 in that town (now a B&B). Last name: Wheeler. Apparently I'm a descendent of Brigham Young as well...but I'll bet most WASPs are. ...and that's all I got boys.
code_joe Posts: 87	Jun 16, 2009 8:31 PM GMT Not sure if I should admit this or not .. but here it goes. Joseph Smith - Founder of the Mormon religion. Also happens to be where my middle name comes from.
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 8:34 PM GMT Thomas Jefferson is my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. And not on the Sally Hemmings side
jarhead5536 Posts: 1255	Jun 16, 2009 8:35 PM GMT William and Mary of Orange...
jprichva Posts: 4651	Jun 16, 2009 8:36 PM GMT DClifterguy saidThomas Jefferson is my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. And not on the Sally Hemmings side It was important to make that point.
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 8:38 PM GMT Its usually the first thing people ask. Figured I would get a jump on it. Just like when I tell people I grew up in Hawaii, the first thing they ask is if I surfed, I always disappoint them when I say no.
jgymnast733 Posts: 797	Jun 16, 2009 9:20 PM GMT My family became the first american perfumers in 1855, which everyone assumed was of foreign origin[french] because of the family last name, but was established officially by 1902 by the coffin/ Ladd group.. The products also consisted of perfumed waters, i.e. lavender water and perfumed powders....
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 9:43 PM GMT HeyJude saidDavid Beard, lead singer of ZZ Top, is my uncle get the fuck out of here...wow. i'm sorry but fuck the washington monument..thats some lineage!!!!
coolarmydude Posts: 3039	Jun 16, 2009 9:48 PM GMT xuaerb said, "My grandmother's maiden name is Chauvin and there are many with that name in South Louisiana, many claim to be descendents of Nicolas Chauvin "a semi-mythical soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte who is supposed to have served in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars (1789–1815)" who is responsible for the term Chauvinism. Quite a funny etymology, really http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvinism On my father's side Senator John Breaux and my father is from Breaux Bridge, LA. What's up Breaux?" Uuuuuhhhh! DUDE! I'm from Church Point!!!
coolarmydude Posts: 3039	Jun 16, 2009 9:51 PM GMT DClifterguy said, "Its usually the first thing people ask. Figured I would get a jump on it. Just like when I tell people I grew up in Hawaii, the first thing they ask is if I surfed, I always disappoint them when I say no." I know what you mean when I tell people I'm from Louisiana and people ask if I've been to Mardi Gras. What they infer is New Orleans Mardi Gras, which the answer is no, but I've been to more local traditional Mardi Gras celebrations.
coolarmydude Posts: 3039	Jun 16, 2009 9:53 PM GMT blackcaesar said, "get the fuck out of here...wow. i'm sorry but fuck the washington monument..thats some lineage!!!!" Well you can keep to those girls with legs. At least my ancestor was on track whith a phallic symbol!
Hidden member	Jun 16, 2009 10:02 PM GMT I did graduate from the same High School as Obama, but he was 13 years ahead of me, LOL
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 12:46 AM GMT DClifterguy saidI did graduate from the same High School as Obama, but he was 13 years ahead of me, LOL and light years behind the rest of the world
BiGymGuy Posts: 582	Oct 13, 2009 12:50 AM GMT Conrad Weiser http://www.conradweiserhomestead.org/
jackofhearts4... Posts: 167	Oct 13, 2009 12:56 AM GMT i have a saint in the family. that's about all i know as of yet.
B71115 Posts: 247	Oct 13, 2009 1:01 AM GMT Darth Vader is my father.
HeyJude Posts: 183	Oct 13, 2009 1:06 AM GMT My uncle is Dusty Hill of ZZ Top Guy on the left
jrs1 Posts: 1474	Oct 13, 2009 1:18 AM GMT judoguy saidI really wouldn't know... I never looked into my ancestry further back. My grandma was famous for her cooking though LOL. haha. same here.
zdrew Posts: 2822	Oct 13, 2009 1:32 AM GMT My grandmother was descended from a Japanese court painter. How distantly and how far back, I'd have to ask. Grandfather by marriage was a great-grandson (or great-great, maybe) of Jesse James.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 1:33 AM GMT This is a fascinating thread. My ancestors were quite dull - that's farmers for you - though we've traced them well back on my paternal side. They were Jews in the central lands and forests of Europe that became Germany and became staunch Catholics during the Holy Roman Empire. They left for America before it ever became Germany and started the community and church where I grew up.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 1:36 AM GMT I am the fifth generation of the President Sylvain Salnave (1827 - 1870) was a Haïtian general. He was the President of Haïti from 1867 to 1869.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 1:49 AM GMT My brother was arrested for peeing on the courthouse steps...... Sorry.....that's all I have..... I didn;t want to "lurk" without posting.
jprichva Posts: 4651	Oct 13, 2009 2:00 AM GMT RunintheCity saidThis is a fascinating thread. My ancestors were quite dull - that's farmers for you - though we've traced them well back on my paternal side. They were Jews in the central lands and forests of Europe that became Germany and became staunch Catholics during the Holy Roman Empire. They left for America before it ever became Germany and started the community and church where I grew up. That's very interesting. In 1648, on the way home from the Thirty Years' War, the peasants celebrated the end of hostilities in the usual way, by murdering Jews and looting their shops. My father's family descends from twin brothers who lived in Mainz, Germany at the time. To escape the marauding peasants, one brother moved his family east, to Latvia, and we are all descended from him. The other one converted to Catholicism, and there is a large group of my (very) distant cousins in Germany today, all Catholic. In the 1700s, the Catholic branch of the family was raised to the aristocracy, and the head of that family to this day takes the title of Baron. We also have a coat of arms, which according to heraldic rules we are all entitled to, even us Jews, but since the central figure in the coat of arms is a representation of the Virgin Mary, it's doubtful any of us will sport it anytime soon.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 2:28 AM GMT jprichva said RunintheCity saidThis is a fascinating thread. My ancestors were quite dull - that's farmers for you - though we've traced them well back on my paternal side. They were Jews in the central lands and forests of Europe that became Germany and became staunch Catholics during the Holy Roman Empire. They left for America before it ever became Germany and started the community and church where I grew up. That's very interesting. In 1648, on the way home from the Thirty Years' War, the peasants celebrated the end of hostilities in the usual way, by murdering Jews and looting their shops. My father's family descends from twin brothers who lived in Mainz, Germany at the time. To escape the marauding peasants, one brother moved his family east, to Latvia, and we are all descended from him. The other one converted to Catholicism, and there is a large group of my (very) distant cousins in Germany today, all Catholic. In the 1700s, the Catholic branch of the family was raised to the aristocracy, and the head of that family to this day takes the title of Baron. We also have a coat of arms, which according to heraldic rules we are all entitled to, even us Jews, but since the central figure in the coat of arms is a representation of the Virgin Mary, it's doubtful any of us will sport it anytime soon. That sounds similar to my ancestors. Although many of them remained Jewish apparently and didn't move to the States until the 1840s (which was the same time most of my dad's side moved,) as from my paternal grandmothers side there are a bunch of them now living out in Oregon. After contact in the early 1990s with my granny, they came to the big family reunion one summer and many were stunned to discover they were Jewish. All the old Catholics were aghast and the Orthmeyer branch was apparently not invited back. My maternal side is a little more murky, as few have wanted to investigate. My maternal grandmother's side is the same as both of my dad's, minus the Jews. My maternal grandfather's is more complicated, as my great grandmother's grandfather was a free black man! (I think that made great grandmother a quadroon [Her father was biracial, her mother was white.] in the old terms, but I'm unsure of all those weird southern racial categories.) It's all rather hush hush and has never been discussed. All the people with real knowledge of it are now dead or senile. I only discovered it from an old family bible and questions to my mother, who answered reluctantly. This was pre-internet. I suppose I should dig that bible out of my mom's things and do the research.
jprichva Posts: 4651	Oct 13, 2009 2:33 AM GMT RunintheCity said After contact in the early 1990s with my granny, they came to the big family reunion one summer and many were stunned to discover they were Jewish. All the old Catholics were aghast and the Orthmeyer branch was apparently not invited back. Because they're Jews?? Yikes.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 2:37 AM GMT jprichva said RunintheCity said After contact in the early 1990s with my granny, they came to the big family reunion one summer and many were stunned to discover they were Jewish. All the old Catholics were aghast and the Orthmeyer branch was apparently not invited back. Because they're Jews?? Yikes. Um...yeah, my family has a bunch of very conservative, old school Catholics. At my old family parish they still do that 'pray for the Jews' thing because, you know, they killed the Jesus and all that. I know my granny keeps in touch with Oregon bunch, but even she doesn't like to admit they're Jewish. Meanwhile, after I left the farm world of the family, and ventured forth...I've often been assumed to be Jewish, especially when my hair's grown out. On the first day of my first real job, my now-deceased coworker gave me a big hug and said, "I'm so thrilled to have a cute jewish boy working here!" LOL PS: Apologies for derailing this thread!
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 2:41 AM GMT jprichva said In the 1700s, the Catholic branch of the family was raised to the aristocracy, and the head of that family to this day takes the title of Baron. We also have a coat of arms, which according to heraldic rules we are all entitled to, even us Jews, but since the central figure in the coat of arms is a representation of the Virgin Mary, it's doubtful any of us will sport it anytime soon. Now that you're revealed to be the rightful Baron von Richva your posts will be seen in a new light.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 3:16 AM GMT Swedish peasant farmers & millworkers. Newfoundlander fishermen. Nothing too exciting here.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 3:22 AM GMT I am in some way related to Thomas Paine, the author of the American Revolution era pamphlet Common Sense. In more recent lineage, my grandfather (who died long before I was born) was sadly a Nazi general.
jprichva Posts: 4651	Oct 13, 2009 3:24 AM GMT Global_Citizen saidIn more recent lineage, my grandfather (who died long before I was born) was sadly a Nazi general. I've always wanted to ask my German aristocrat cousins whether they'd been gung-ho Nazis too. But I'm sure they wouldn't answer.
zdrew Posts: 2822	Oct 13, 2009 6:27 AM GMT Hmmm...if we're looking for unsubstantiated dirty family laundry...there's a rumor of a geisha somewhere back there in the murky family history. My mom and grandmother won't talk about it...but I kinda hope it's true. How cool would that be, seriously?
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 7:16 AM GMT We have a little book (well a big book) on my mother's father's side of the family that shows my family tree going back a few hundred years and it includes the composer Richard Wagner. It was made famous in this movie scene below from Apocalypse Now. Also used in that Bugs Bunny episode What's Opera, Doc? (aka "Kill the Wabbit"). I'm also supposedly related to Pocahontas on my mother's mother's father's side. But we can't prove that really. What's Opera, Doc? - The most amazing home videos are here
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 7:30 AM GMT My ancestors were the first original Christians, going back to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. ;-)
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 7:38 AM GMT Maria Felix, aka La Doña, the famous Mexican actress, was my mother's second cousin.
juishe Posts: 242	Oct 13, 2009 7:58 AM GMT His Eminence, Paul-Émile Cardinal Léger. My great great uncle or something like that. The Cardinal was a leading liberal force at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). With the assistance of Cardinals Antonio Caggiano and Norman Gilroy, he delivered one of the closing messages of the Council on December 8, 1965. From May 2, 1989 until his death, he was the Cardinal Protopriest, or the longest-serving member of the order of Cardinal Priests. Léger died from pneumonia at the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, at age 87. His funeral Mass was celebrated by Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte. He was the last surviving cardinal elevated by Pope Pius XII.
texasman123 Posts: 18	Oct 13, 2009 8:09 AM GMT jprichva said HeyJude saidDavid Beard, lead singer of ZZ Top, is my uncle David BEARD? Now, that's funny. HeyJude saidMy uncle is Dusty Hill of ZZ Top Guy on the left HeyJude, both of your uncles are in ZZ Top? As for my own family, none that I'm aware of.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 8:16 AM GMT my forefathers were of North Indian Aryan royalty of various kingdoms of the North.
Gannon Posts: 17	Oct 13, 2009 8:43 AM GMT A descent from Thor, who settled in Scotland during the reign of David I of Scotland. Thor was son of the Viking chief.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 9:10 AM GMT texasman123 said jprichva said HeyJude saidDavid Beard, lead singer of ZZ Top, is my uncle David BEARD? Now, that's funny. HeyJude saidMy uncle is Dusty Hill of ZZ Top HeyJude, both of your uncles are in ZZ Top? Frank Beard is the drummer for ZZ Top (I only remember this fact, because he is the only one without a beard). There isn't anyone named David Beard. I found this a little confusing too. As for me, I'm a Mayflower (White) and a Jamestown (Thomas Pritchard) descendant.
jprichva Posts: 4651	Oct 13, 2009 10:57 PM GMT zdrew saidHmmm...if we're looking for unsubstantiated dirty family laundry...there's a rumor of a geisha somewhere back there in the murky family history. My mom and grandmother won't talk about it...but I kinda hope it's true. How cool would that be, seriously? Now, someone rude and unprincipled would say something like, "So that's why you're a big whore," but that would be rude and unprincipled and so I'd never.
Hidden member	Oct 13, 2009 11:17 PM GMT dumdedum said I'm also supposedly related to Pocahontas on my mother's mother's father's side. But we can't prove that really. Well if you are related to Pocahontas, then we are related! I fortunately do have the family that shows my relation to her.
Hidden member	Oct 15, 2009 4:03 AM GMT DClifterguy said dumdedum said I'm also supposedly related to Pocahontas on my mother's mother's father's side. But we can't prove that really. Well if you are related to Pocahontas, then we are related! I fortunately do have the family that shows my relation to her. Really? Well my mother's maternal grandfather was supposedly part of the Delaware Indian nation and somehow that forms the link to Pocahontas somewhere (even tho she's not part of the Delawares). But we only have a family tree on my mother's maternal grandmother - which verifies my Chickasaw lineage (I'm registered at the Chickasaw nation). And the Wagner link is on my mother's father's side. On my dad's side - we supposedly have Apache blood but no true link. So basically i am more native american than anything - even though I am only registered at 1/16th with the Chickasaws.
victor8 Posts: 53	Oct 15, 2009 4:09 AM GMT pope clement the xii, st corsini's day is in feb on the catholic callendar...my name is victor aldo corsini
Hidden member	Nov 05, 2009 4:44 PM GMT Sparkycat saidMy ancestry can be traced to King James I, through the male line. I don't know if that means I'm in line for the throne. I think there are a few people ahead of me. Unfortunately, there are no legitimate male-line descendants of James I. His heirs general are HRH The Duke in Bavaria and HRH The Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein (father and daughter), who represent the Jacobite heritage. Currently, succession to the British throne is limited to the descendants of Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover, of legitimate descent who are not Catholics :-)
Hidden member	Nov 05, 2009 4:48 PM GMT TexDef07 said jprichva said In the Now that you're revealed to be the rightful Baron von Richva your posts will be seen in a new light. What I gather is that the Catholic branch was ennobled. If there were also given a coat of arms, that and the title belong only to the descendants, in the male-line, of the original grantee (unforunately meaning, not the Jewish branch).
Hidden member	Nov 05, 2009 6:03 PM GMT Let's see. A couple of cousins (11 generations back) - William and Michael - were companions of Capt. John Smith in Virginia. History has not documented whether the responsibilities of "companions" then included what an escort might do today. My favorite would be my great uncle about 15 generations back who beat up a Cambridge University professor. There's no documentation over what started this "conflict between town and gown", but he had to pay reparations. Maybe my ancestor had something against gown wearers.
Hidden member	Nov 05, 2009 6:08 PM GMT Adam & Eve, Napoleon, Chairman Mao... Ok, not really But I am related to Brett Favre. His and my great great x 5 grandfathers were brothers. That is actually true.
Hidden member	Nov 05, 2009 6:10 PM GMT Vlad the Impaler. Sometimes assumed as the inspiration for Bram Stokers Dracula.
leixguy Posts: 56	Nov 07, 2009 4:01 AM GMT we have a family tree at home stretching back over a thousand years i know im descended from Brian buru high king of ireland, but i never really looked into any of my other ancestors, i should look into it a bit more
Ciarsolo7 Posts: 309	Nov 07, 2009 4:26 AM GMT Nope, I'm common as dirt!
Celticmusl Posts: 981	Nov 07, 2009 4:37 AM GMT Norman Rockwell is my Great Uncle, on my Dad's mother's side. He is a famous American painter, now deceased. A Great Aunt was the oldest living person in Ohio when she was still alive. She lived in Columbus Ohio and when she hit 100 the mayor sent her a 100 roses and the local senior center had a big party for her. That was the first time I met her, or even heard about her.
Crucializer Posts: 43	Nov 07, 2009 4:40 AM GMT My ex is related to President James Madison - is that close enough?? hahah!!
Hidden member	Nov 07, 2009 4:42 AM GMT Norman Rockwell did some amazing work. I viewed the largest private collection of his paintings this summer in New England. There's a Rockwell museum composed of it now that you should visit :-)
Kev1962 Posts: 49	Nov 07, 2009 4:56 AM GMT Actually you'd all be surprised what you could dig up. I had a couple of DAR spinster great aunts who had clitty hard ons from their research their entire retired life and they live to be over 100 and totally lucid but really nuts until the day they tipped over. Older under sexed old ladies (sadly). OK. Remember Patric Henry? "I regret I have only 1 life to live for my country". He was hanged in the green house of an ancestor of mine. A proper loyalist who fled to England after the war. The revolution. I also just realized "gland" is part of England. Explains a few things. My family was here (both sides) stealing the North American continent from the Native Americans from almost the time of the Mayflower ... but not quite. That Mayflower Sr. crews decendents are the standing blue blood families of America. The difference between the longstanding blue bloods and me. They still have their wealth and apparently we drank it all up long ago LOL My Mom and I guess I too am a direct descendant (350+ yrs later) (descendant?) of Ol' Peter Stuyvesant. Remember him? NY guys? Peg legged guy. The original Governor of New Amsterdam. Which is now NYC and lower NY State. The English convinced the Dutch to GTF outa there and they did. 1640? We are now as common and as old as dirt too. Happy that way. Wish I could still afford to drink top shelf though
Hidden member	Nov 07, 2009 5:01 AM GMT sxydrkhair saidMy ancestors were the first original Christians, going back to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. ;-) well said... plus irish-scottish in me too.
rdberg1957 Posts: 82	Nov 07, 2009 5:37 AM GMT My father's uncle Meyer Berger was a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the New York Times and had a column called "About New York." He wrote eight books, including a history of the New York Times. I was two when he died so I only met him once and the story my mother told me about him was that I was delighted with him because he would play with me by biting my shoe and gnawing. On my mother's side, I don't know of anyone famous, but they were descended from Sephardic jews of Spain and Portugal, became British subjects, settled in the colonies and fled for Jamaica when the American revolution broke out.
flex89 Posts: 1402	Nov 07, 2009 5:57 AM GMT My great-great-great-great grandpa was one of Joseph Smith's (the Mormon fucker) bodyguards and I'm so lucky as to have the fucker's last name as a second middle name.
DrobUA Posts: 436	Nov 07, 2009 6:30 AM GMT My great grandfather is Doane Robinson who thought up and created Mount Rushmore. On my mom's side, my aunt won two gold medals in the olympics for swimming and held the world record for 30 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doane_Robinson
gymguy81 Posts: 205	Nov 07, 2009 6:47 AM GMT on my fathers side i can trace my roots back to Gov. William bradford. doubt that has a ton of significence, and my moms side can be tracked to the first setlers of rhode island. all that tells me is I am a swamp yankee.
caesarea4 Posts: 2080	Nov 07, 2009 7:09 AM GMT jprichva> My father's family descends from twin brothers who lived in Mainz, Germany at the time My partner, on his German side, may descend from the Baron Rindfleisch, who was responsible for the massacres of Jews in some 140 (perhaps as many as 400?) communities, including Mainz, in the late 13th century. One branch of my family came from Mainz, at some point (not sure when) fleeing east and getting to Czernowitz in the Bukovina region.
waywardson1 Posts: 53	Nov 08, 2009 1:17 AM GMT I'm not sure how but I've been told I'm related to Martin Luther. Other than that our family used to have a castle in Aberdeen; it's a bed and breakfast now.
Hidden member	Nov 17, 2009 10:24 PM GMT One ancestor assembled, and was the engineer on the first steam locomotive in Manitoba. Another did a little sailing for England and landed at Hawai'i and discovered a little place called Australia along the way. Sorry to all the aboriginals about that one.
abm1985 Posts: 66	Nov 17, 2009 10:30 PM GMT Robert E. Lee and through him Martha Washington.
musclebuilder... Posts: 42	Nov 17, 2009 10:43 PM GMT I am related to Billie Burke, who played Glinda in The Wizard of Oz.
lovemymen Posts: 3	Nov 18, 2009 1:19 AM GMT I'm a descendant of French and Austrian nobility, but thats it.

Hidden member	Nov 18, 2009 2:17 AM GMT My great-grandfather invented a spectrometry machine that allows us to test the purity of metals by the color of the spark they make. My step-sister is closely related to Fred Astaire. ...yet I'm bad at science and can't dance. At least I can suck a dick.