Famous and Infamous Kin

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Comment by Gail Winstanley on July 16, 2009 at 6:47pm

I'm related to Barbara Fritsche on both my mother and father's side. She is my 6th Great Grand Aunt on my mother's side. Her husband, John Casper Fritchie is my 4th Great Grand Half Uncle on my father's side. His mother, Susanna Weisshaar Fritchie married my 5th great grandfather Michael Houser/Hauser after her first husband, John's father Casper Fritchie was executed for treason in Frederick during the revolutionary war. Gov George Platter had an act passed for her benefit to care for her and her three children from that marriage.

Comment by Ethel Marie Silcock on July 15, 2009 at 5:35pm

My 21st great-grandfather was Robert De Bruce, King of Scotland. When I was growing up the story was one of his sons was running from the law and changed the u in Bruce to a y to make it Bryce. My mother even put his name on her genealogy paperwork in the Bryce line. When I started doing genealogy about 10 years ago, this is one of the lines I wanted to persue. Turns out, we are related, just not in the straight line my mother proposed and it is from one of his daughters. My mother's grandfather was Ebenezer Bryce of Bryce Canyon, Utah fame.

Another story I was raised on was that Doc Holliday was a great uncle to my mother as her mother was a Holladay. He isn't!

Comment by Heather Valdez Chambers on July 15, 2009 at 1:24pm

Famous: My stepdad's direct great grandfather (something like 23 or 25th great) is Geoffrey Chaucer. I thought that was neat.

Infamous: The same stepdad - his great grandfather shot and killed the sherriff. My stepdad has the gun he shot the sherriff with. The great grandfather claimed self-defense, so was never tried.

Heather

Comment by Cheryle Hoover Davis on July 15, 2009 at 6:26am

My famous ancestor would be Jesse DeForest who was the founder of New Amsterdam (which later became New York)...

Comment by Clorinda Madsen on July 11, 2009 at 10:04pm

One ancestor had only a death date and the note "killed". Nobody had a place or any confirmation. Stories were as simple as being killed during a hurricane, because it was hurricane season in Mississippi, all the way up to being killed by the James gang as he was hauling freight somewhere.

The truth found accidentally via Google searching on his name, in a New York newspaper with a line item out of New Orleans: My ancestor stabbed the local county sheriff in the back during an argument over politics. The crowd that gathered around then shot him.

Truth: He was killed. Death date is actually a little more muddled because each newspaper I've found a copy of the story in has the dates a little differently. Lots of newspapers picked up the one paragraph story.

Now I want the local paper's version!

Comment by Margaretann on July 10, 2009 at 9:28pm

My granpa was Jesse James and my great-grandfather was Frank James- but not the outlaws. It's still fun to say it though.

Comment by Cindy Johnston Sorley on July 10, 2009 at 1:40am

I have done research for about 20 country singers in Nashville over the years. Nothing abnormal there....

My boys are related to Meriwether Lewis through his sister Jane, (direct descendant). We bought a house in Parker Colorado on Lt William Clark Road. Meriwether Lewis Road was one street over. Our family thought we were traitors.

Comment by Emily Doolin Aulicino on July 9, 2009 at 11:43pm

Is anyone connected to the Oklahoma Outlaw Bill Doolin?

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