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I'd be interested to hear anyone's story or stories about being linked to someone famous. I think these stories are facinating and love to hear how it all came about.

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This is so true. I have a grandfather, who had an illegal liquor operation in the 1920's & 30's. He brewed his owned Corn Liquor and kept it stored in warehouses throughout Chester and Lancaster County Pennsylvania. I also have ancestors who were not heralded, but fought in the Revolutionary, War of 1812, and Civil Wars. The ones that are most interesting are those whose deeds were not recorded.
My grandparents told me that we are related to the writer Booth Tarkington. I was told this when I was younger, before I was researching genealogy, and my grandparents are no longer alive, but even then I knew enough to ask exactly what the relationship was. They couldn't tell me exactly, but apparently he was some sort of cousin. I haven't been able to get any further back with my Tarkington line than my great-great-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington. His granddaughter was my grandfather's mother. Joseph Tarkington was from Tennessee and is believed to be related to the other Tarkingtons in Tennessee, who had come there from North Carolina. Booth Tarkington's ancestors came from that area too. So my grandparents were probably right, but I would like to know exactly what the relationship was!

And like many others, I am also descended from medieval royalty.

I'm uncertain I have any medieval royalty in my line, but I do have a Knight.

I think I may be related to Tomas Kundratek, the famous Czech ice skater but haven't confirmed it yet...
Im still growing my tree but something I have always known about and is a terribly unfortunate way to be famous ,...is the relation to Elizabeth Short aka The Black Dahlia.
My grand mother is her second cousin.
Their grandmothers were sisters.
Im sure if you havent heard of her if you google her you will get pages and pages of stuff.

I never really thought to find out about famous relations. Although it would be interesting. If they are not in my direct line or a sibling of my direct line I wouldnt consider it a relation.
I don't know if this counts as famous (Ok, I KNOW it doesn't), but it's the best I've got. My great great grandfather was the 8th Mayor of Mitchell, South Dakota in 1892 and cut the ribbon for the first Corn Palace. (Woo Hoo!)

My boyfriend claims you can trace his mom's line back to Spanish Royalty, but I'm skeptical.

With time I'm sure I'll find an 8th cousin 10 times removed who's got a claim to fame somewhere. ;-) Or maybe I'll become the famous link! ;-)
Erin,
Your ancestor made his mark in history, just as others have. It is up to us to keep our ancestors and their stories alive. We should have a posting for those whose deeds went unheralded.

Thank you for sharing.

Anita
I agree with Anita. All of our ancestors are equally important, even if they are unknown to everyone else. Without any one of them, we wouldn't be here.

My great-grandfather worked his way up from a printer's apprentice to the owner and publisher of the Tracy Weekly Trumpet, a small town paper he founded in rural Southwest Minnesota in 1894. He was never famous, but he was a successful businessman who owned real estate in the town of Tracy and was also the founder of the Houston Pen Company, which was the first manufacturer of fountain pens. He later sold the company and it was relocated to Iowa. He retired to Florida in 1922, when retirement in Florida was just becoming popular with the wealthy.

Gary
When I was a little girl and my Mom would come in to say "good night", I use to say "good night Lucy". My Mom looked a lot like Lucille Ball at the time. Decades later after many years of researching my Mom's side of the family I discovered that she was a distant cousin of Lucy's, through Lucy's mother's line.
One of John Ritter's 3rd g-grandfathers and one of my 3rd g-grandfathers were brothers. Richard and Shadrack Golden, were the brothers' names.

I also descend from William of Normandy, the 1st Norman King of England. Of course that goes so far back, that I'm sure that means that there are quite a few of us that are related thru him.LOL

I am the 13th ggd of Pocahontas - the young woman who linked two worlds and cultures.  'Although my research proves that a lot of what is/was written about her, most was romanicized or sssssssssssssugarcoated by the then white elite press.  The truth is that she was taken prisoner by the captain of a ship and held aboard but was taken to Jamestowne where she met John Rolfe.  He tutored her in English and the Church of England Religion along with English culture.  He fell in love with her but wrote a letter to the Gov. of Virginia stating he wanted to marry her but needed the approval of the Crown.  He expressed his feelings that marrying beneath him might jeopardize his standing in the new colony.  The Governor wanted the marriage to take place because it would help show that he had peaceful relations with the Natives and also promote more settlers to the colony.  Of course, the peaceful state of the Colony did not come about until after the marriage.

I am a Williams and have researched and documented my family for 38 years.  When I got back to my 3rd ggfa, John Jefferson Williams, I found he married Namcy M. Bowles and that her mother was Frances "Fanny" Bolling.  That rang a bell as Pocahontas' grand daughter married Robert Bolling.  However, we all know that sharing a surname does not necessariloy mean we are related in any way.  But, fortunately, with lots of document research, I was able to prove the connection and very proud of Lady Rebecca aka Pocahontas who lived a short life that joined two worlds.

It's wonderful to find a famous ancestors but all ancestors share the same value to me.  .    

 i WAS A

My sixth great-grandfather turns out to be Governor John Sevier, first governor of the State of Tennessee. He is also credited for having founded said State. (This was after the overwhelming mishap of the failed State of Franklin, which in its own way led to the founding of TN.) He is best known for his leadership in the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Kings Mountain, 7, October, 1780. The battle began against Major Patrick Ferguson and his army of Tories about 4:00 p.m. and ended in about forty-seven minutes. Many casualties, some fatal, including Major Ferguson (the only British member of the Army) and many captives. This Battle, as it happens, was a turning point in the War, in the South, giving renewed hope to the Continental Army. I don't have the quote on me at this moment, but I do know Thomas Jefferson was impressed. As I have read about this man, it turns out he was a bit of a icon in his time. I've dubbed him the family "rock star". The caveat, be careful when you shake your family tree, as you never know who might fall out of it. ;)

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