Tom’s brother, Gary, has been researching their family tree. It has branches upon branches that surprise us. Tom is not only distantly related to the Current Occupant, but the Current Vice-Occupant as well. Ewww… The only bright side is that if he’s distantly related to the Current Vice-Occupant, then he’s also related to Barack Obama as well. I’m waiting for an invitation to a State Dinner. I’ll let you know when it shows up; I’ll need dress input.
But yesterday’s discovery was the cherry on top. Gary discovered that Noah Webster, the super-duper language dude, compiler of the first dictionary, wordsmith of the highest order, is a distant relative as well.
There’s a delicious irony that the men in my family are related to both the guy who developed the dictionary of the English language, and the guy who is most responsible for the destruction of the English language.
I’m afraid to search too deeply back in my heritage; God only knows what I’ll find back there.
Let me know if you see me on there. At least the I’ll have an excuse to come to the family reunion!
I’ll help you shop for the dress.
I’m thinking Webster would love the word researchification LOL.
wow…… i’d never admit to being related to the Occupant!!!!!
What crazy connections!
been working on my own family tree, nobody famous, but have traced back to 1839—but there the trail stops , can’t find any records of who HIS parents were, or where he was born—-no anything about the Gilmers of Butler, Pa.??—-Got your site from reviewing MrMacrum’s —and liked the way your present your blog. New at it myself, but this old dude is having fun with it.
Yes, but did you discover your lineage to Kevin Bacon?
I think it’s a gas kowing about ancestors. It seems that my great,great grandfather was related to the family we eventually bought a house from here in Maine almost 100 years after his death. He was chased out of this area because of some legal trouble. My mom thinks it was something to do with another richer man’s woman or wife. That’s the family rumor anyway. He moved to the Bay area in 1844 and became a ship’s chandler for all the clippers dumping gold diggers off. He was also a ships carver ( his work is found in a San Francisco museum. We have a table carved by him. He did beautiful work.
Ooohhh…interesting.
Nucular.
Well my favorite things (my mom has been doing this for years) that have been found are that I am related to both Atilla the Hun [Gordons? of Ballybay, Ireland, County Donegal] (which I do remind my husband of, frequently) and Robert the Bruce [McBurney’s of Ballybay, Ireland, County Donegal]! I do love the Atilla thing, because honestly, how accurate can that be, the guy was roaming around pillaging, were people really keeping accurate written records of all his “encounters”?
The very best though, is that my mother in some of searching came across a fellow who traced one of the lines (again those Scots/Irish from County Donegal) back to NOAH! (now, though she has it all written down, it does seem rather remote that someone can accurately trace a written record of that)… however, the week that she found this out, I went to the Chiropractor (who is doctor to all my extended family) and he asked about my mom… I said, “oh she’s so excited, she found some new lines in our genealogy and she’s found a line back to Noah” — and he says, “well yeah, everyone goes back to Noah”
LMAO at momumo!
MPS is related to the previous pope and the English Queen.
Meh.
Fat lot of good it did me. Poor and pregnant out of wedlock.