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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.

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.

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.

Crazy Horse and Chief Spotted Tail.

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.

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

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?

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...

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

my great great great great great great great grandfather was the pirate Sir Francis Drake

yup, I'm a pirate by blood

i am a son of god.

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.

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.

One of my ancestors was the first recorded French farmer in Canada (on my fathers side).

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!

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!

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.