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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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My grandfather's cousin was the famous British historian and TV personality, A.J.P. Taylor. My great aunts stayed with AJP during the school holidays. Unfortunately my great-grandfather was kicked out of the family business so, after the 1920's, our two families had no more contact.
I'm embarrassed to say that I have too many to list here. I'd feel like I was bragging about them, or something. But, here are a couple (excluding several Presidents and the monarchs of medieval Europe):

David Bushnell (1740-1826), inventor of the first submarine ever used in combat (during the Revolutionary War). 4th cousin, 7 times removed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bushnell

Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895-1993), architect, author, designer, futurist, inventor and visionary, most noted for his invention of the geodesic dome. 8th cousin, 8 times removed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Buckminster_Fuller
Like Gary, some american presidents, including both presidents Roosevelts and Bushs, and some monarchs, and many nobles, of medieval europe. Possibly William Thomas Stead, the journalist. James Matthew Barrie, Robert Louis Steveson, Lucy Maud Montgomery, all authors.

Etc... The list just goes on.
I've got the Bushes in my tree (??), also, Ryan. Prescott and both Georges. Also, Abraham Lincoln and William Howard Taft.

Gary
I have been searching for 15 years now trying to find how my family connects to Queen Elizabeth I. I have been told all my life that the family is related to her but I have yet to find how!
Hi, my husbands family is very blue blood and I always laughed that we were the servants. My husband's connected to all the Meriweathers, Lewis, Washington, etc. The book "Lewis of Warner Hall" is written by his uncle. They have so much blue blood in them.. I don't know where to begin so I will just say, Mayflower, Magna Carta and Charlemagne.. Do my boys or my hubby care... not at all.... it is so strange.

As for me.. I am trying to find my grandfather's real father and found out today my great grandmother was living with her sister in Wyoming. Her sister was Married to Benjamin Covey, brother of Stephen Covey, founder of Little America's and also the ancestor to Stephen R Covey.. not my direct line but fun to say my great grandmother's sister married a Covey.
I am supposed to be related to Hank Williams, the country music singer. I have not ran the Williams side of the family yet but I will be doing soon.I remember as a child when my grandparents would hold ice cream socials at their house and he would come with his band and family and play for us. It was a lot of fun cranking those old ice cream makers and grandma always had four of them going when they decided it was ice cream time. It was always the kids that had to crank them and that included Hank Williams Jr. I always thought it was a lot of fun because if it finished when you were cranking you got the paddle inside and of course I always managed to get the chocolate or banana one!
Sherry, if you have Autrey's or Skippers in the line, these are Hank's line. His grand daughter Holly Williams has done some of the family line and I remember her talking about those names.
Ours is pretty obvious. . .my husband has the founder of the Pillsbury Mill in his genealogy. He doesn't have any claim to the mill though because way down the line his family was disowned for allegedly marrying a divorced Indian woman (although I haven't been able to confirm that).
During my mother's life she used to mention that her family was related to Clara Barton. When I first started tracing the family tree I found no link at first - but I hadn't explored all the lines, especially back through her maternal grandfather. Very shortly after I focused on his line there Clara Barton was!

On my father's side we are supposed to be descended from Blue Jacket, the Shawnee warrior. I haven't yet been able to establish that link though...
Hello!

I'm not sure if this counts or not, but I'm currently in the process of trying to verify if I am the great-granddaughter of Charley Patton, the famous Delta bluesman who played with Howlin Wolf, and a few other big names in the dawn of the Southern Blues era. My grandfather passed away in 1991; he would never speak about his father, but to name him as Charley Patton, the bluesman and no good bastard that never really fathered him. Their pictures (and there is only one known one of Charley) are damn near identical. I am currently trying to find a way to verify this via DNA, etc. Wish me luck! You can see more about Charley Patton at:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendI...
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It is fascinating to hear these stories, but some genealogists keep hitting their heads on the wall in pursuit of Charlemagne, the Indian princess, the brothers who left the castle in the old country, and on and on. I wish I better understood the fascination and amazing efforts to connect with someone infamous or famous.

Meanwhile, I've started a Forum: Fanfare For the Ordinary Ancestor, in addition to the groups on Coats, skeletons, personal history and such.

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