Do you Have Any Historical Figures In Your Family?

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2006-03-31 04:04pm

In the immigration thread I mentioned that I have a distant relation, Francisco I. Madero, who was briefly president of Mexico until his untimely death at the hands of his political opposition. He was the son (along with at least 3 other siblings) of my great-great-great-grandparents on my father's side. Madero apparently died without any offspring.

So thinking back on ol' Franky got me to wondering, does anyone else here know of a historical individual in your family? Or famous people, whatever.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-03-31 04:05pm

Susan B. Anthony.

Additionally, although it's been a long time since I've read the fine historical details, my family is also decended from French nobility dating back to at least 1300 CE, and spread out from there (going through England, Canada, and finally America by 1800) during the whole Huguenot ruckus, with at least two being executed.

Duckie · Post by **Duckie** » 2006-03-31 04:09pm

Charlemagne is somewhere in my family tree.

But then again, so does all of Europe's other residents/former residents except maybe the Basques according to some studies

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2006-03-31 04:12pm

I'm afraid that I, and all of my family are mythical.

We were invented by the christians.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2006-03-31 04:14pm

I am a direct decendent of a Revolutionary war general.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2006-03-31 04:16pm

CaptainChewbacca wrote:I am a direct decendent of a Revolutionary war general.

On which side?

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2006-03-31 04:18pm

Direct lineage from John Hancock. A former President of The Philippines was my mother's distant cousin. The oldest famous person I'm directly descended from was this guy Hendi who was listed in the Domesday book, but I don't know if being listed in the Domesday book counts as fame.

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2006-03-31 04:18pm

Back in Scotland, in the 1400s, there were two sisters. One sister married into Clan Stuart, just before they became heirs to the throne. The other sister's children were my ancestors.

Deathstalker · Post by **Deathstalker** » 2006-03-31 04:29pm

Nathan Hale is a relative on my fathers's side.

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » 2006-03-31 04:50pm

Supposedly, I am directly descended from Ulysses S. Grant, and am vaguely related to Robert E. Lee as well. If that's true, I'd be related to Washington as well, but by marriage, rather than blood.

Of course, I've never done any research of my own on this and it's all from my dad.

TheBlackCat · Post by **TheBlackCat** » 2006-03-31 05:12pm

I'm not sure this actually qualifies someone as a historical person, but my father developed the S&P 500 index we currently use when he was working for McGraw Hill.

His father was The Auditor General of the Army, the head of the army audit agency (4 star general equivalent rank). Apparently he and his family were on the list of people to save in the event of a nuclear war. They had to move a telephone pole so a helicopter could land in the street to pick them up, and they had drills where a helicopter would land in the street to pick them up and others where they would rush out of the house to where the helicopter would be.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2006-03-31 06:19pm

TheBlackCat, I think this qualifies.

Archaic` · Post by **Archaic`** » 2006-03-31 06:58pm

On my mother's side, Scott Goodman (Atlanta Olympics Bronze medalist) is a cousin, and I'm related by marriage to Ned Kelly (a name I'm sure few outside of Australia know), and Joseph Aspdin (Inventor of modern Portland cement). We've apparently also got links to the Spanish royal family, but those are pretty far back, and I don't know what the links are exactly. By marriage to someone far down the line of succession, I'd imagine.

On my father's side, I'm a decendant of Ilbert de Lacy, who constructed Pontefract Castle and Kirkstall Abbey. Not sure if we're direct decendants or not though.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2006-03-31 07:30pm

Apparently, my great-great-great-great-great grandfather was George Washington's personal secretary. There are probably others that I haven't uncovered, as it's been traced back nine generations with plenty of blank spots in between.

Laughing Mechanicus · Post by **Laughing Mechanicus** » 2006-03-31 07:34pm

Not particularly much from my family bar one exception; one of my blood ancestors, Hughe D'Ashbrooke, was in the battle of Agincourt as a longbowman in the English army.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2006-03-31 07:49pm

"Gentleman" Jake Daubert is a great-great-uncle of mine. Not well known outside baseball historians, but he was the team captain of the Reds the year they won the World Series in the Black Sox Scandal, and one of the founders of the Players' Union. Still holds three records in MLB, despite dying in the 1920s. The Dauberts also held a land grant that was essentially an entire county in Pennsylvania after the Revolutionary War (been in America since 1752, two fought in the Revolution for General Washington).

We're apparently also descended from the Mac an Mhaoir of County Ulster, who were the hereditary guardians of the Book of Armagh, which is the earliest record of St. Patrick.

And my great-grandmother was a Waterhouse, although from a very junior branch of the family.

We're still researching our family, because the family legends are so numerous and contradictory. We're uncertain whether the Dauberts were originally French, German, Russian, or something else entirely. We can trace them back to Rotterdam, and diaries suggest they went through Germany to get there, but there are no actual records we're aware of.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2006-03-31 07:54pm

Variety of high muck-a mucks and such nobility on the Korean side.

American...nothing special as the Italian and Irish sides....might have something but that's likely pushing it.

Ninja of the North · Post by **Ninja of the North** » 2006-03-31 08:09pm

From what I understand, I am related to William Bradford and Miles Standish. All I can remember this late at night is that the two were rather well to do in the Plymouth colony and traveled on the Mayflower.

JediMaster415 · Post by **JediMaster415** » 2006-03-31 08:09pm

Unfortunately, nobody on either side of my family knows anything past my great-grandparents so I can't say. But, I am trying to compile a family tree for myself so I might find out.

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2006-03-31 09:07pm

I've got a few relations. Line to John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. Through that apparently I'm also related to John Wayne as he was related to John Chapman, but I got that off of a game of Balderdash so I'm not sure of that one.

My family also thinks we have a distant relation with Aaron Burr. I don't remember how we know that though.

I also had two relations on my mother's side who were in the American Civil War, I believe both were in the Cavalry. I can't remember what famous battles they were in.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2006-03-31 09:12pm

Daniel Boone is a distant great-uncle on my mother's side.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2006-03-31 09:23pm

One of my great aunts was an aide to Doctor Jonas Sauk, the man who, at the University of Pittsburgh, developed the Polio vaccine.

Sonnenburg · Post by **Sonnenburg** » 2006-03-31 09:30pm

Great-something grandmother is apparently Mozart's sister.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2006-03-31 10:20pm

The family name apparently descends from Geoffrey of Monmouth, the firstchronicler of the Arthur legend, but that's about it.

Kadaeux · Post by **Kadaeux** » 2006-03-31 10:41pm

I'm related distantly to Ned Kelly.