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+--- Thread: Who is your most famous, infamous, or interesting relative? (/showthread.php?tid=243665)
Re: Who is your most famous or interesting relative? - DeusxMac - 07-14-2020
Walt Disney is (was) a distant cousin. There’s a family tree chart at the Disney Family Museum, and surnames do line up.
Re: Who is your most famous, infamous, or interesting relative? - cbelt3 - 07-14-2020
Chevy Chase, MD was founded by my ancestor with a land grant from the Baron of Baltimore. His grandfather arrived in the New World as an indentured slave in 1632.
I have the linked ancestor's autobiography somewhere. My aunt has his battle sword from the civil war. His troops loved him because he was careful and didn't get them slaughtered.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus_D._Keyes
My dad is well known in the field of Flood prediction for his seminal work on the Missouri river flood in 1972 (I helped him with some of his field work and analyses), and his scientific proofs that the current (and still) flood control methods make floods worse. His 1973 paper gets cited all over the place.
Dad's brother's work on fossil organisms is cited in a variety of studies that helped prove plate tectonics. He did a lot of work in Canada and the Outer Hebrides. Entirely coincidentally he had more red hair than his brothers, his wife is a red head, and all four of his daughters are red heads. They were often mistaken for locals in the islands. My cousins had quite the scottish burr when they came back after a couple of years.
And my grandfather is famous in a small part of Long Island for saving the Shinnecock Indian territory from a rapacious developer who tried to steal it from them in the 60's. He rallied the locals and got the whole corrupt scheme involving local government officials overturned. The tribe made him an honorary chieftain for it, and he would attend their annual ceremonies in his full outfit. Which went back to the tribe upon his death.
And finally there was a poorly known outlaw in the Oklahoma territory who was probably related, who robbed a few stages and then worked as a school teacher. And was known for shooting the clock in the schoolhouse because it annoyed him. I can relate to him when the alarm goes off in the morning.
Re: Who is your most famous, infamous, or interesting relative? - MikeF - 07-14-2020
Wife is related to James Madison's (4th US President) wife Dolley.
cbelt3 wrote:
My dad is well known in the field of Flood prediction for his seminal work on the Missouri river flood in 1972 (I helped him with some of his field work and analyses), and his scientific proofs that the current (and still) flood control methods make floods worse. His 1973 paper gets cited all over the place.
Would he be cbelt2?
Re: Who is your most famous, infamous, or interesting relative? - ztirffritz - 07-14-2020
My Great Great Grandfather was the mayor of McKees Rocks, PA. There are two streets named after him and his wife, Frank and Lilly. He was also the owner of a regional wagon manufacturing business.
Re: Who is your most famous, infamous, or interesting relative? - chopper - 07-14-2020
My like 7 times over grandpa was a drummer boy in the Revolutionary War. Left France with Lafayette at age 14, stayed on here in the USA, went on to work a whaling ship then a cabinetmaker on the east coast. His wife was given a revolutionary war spousal pension.
Re: Who is your most famous, infamous, or interesting relative? - rz - 07-14-2020
I have a cousin who is an actor. He was in a soap opera for a few years and has had a few movie roles. My wife's mother's family are descended from a very famous "wild west lawman". Same last name.
My dad basically invented something that's probably in a lot of your houses. He didn't become rich from it (but his company made a LOT of money from it), but he was given a substantial bonus. After his passing, I was able to estimate it was probably in the mid six figures.
Re: Who is your most famous or interesting relative? - mrbigstuff - 07-14-2020
RgrF wrote:
My lineage is well enough known that none of us would ever attempt to write or publish under the family name. Some have published under pseudonyms but never achieved more than the fact they actually became published.
You share a relation with that heavyweight? Wow, I can understand the pseudonym in that case.
Re: Who is your most famous or interesting relative? - timg - 07-14-2020
NewtonMP2100 wrote:
....Pocohantas [ .15% Native American ]......
You're related to Elizabeth Warren? Congrats!
Re: Who is your most famous or interesting relative? - tuqqer - 07-14-2020
RgrF wrote:
My lineage is well enough known that none of us would ever attempt to write or publish under the family name. Some have published under pseudonyms but never achieved more than the fact they actually became published.
Now you have us really curious, RgrF! Can you at least give a hint to the type of notoriety it's related to?
Re: Who is your most famous, infamous, or interesting relative? - Lew Zealand - 07-14-2020
I am 6th cousins with John Rockefeller IV. Which, if you know your math and genealogy, makes me 999,999th in line for the $$. We do share the middle name though it'll die with me as nobody on our branch has it anywhere and my late great aunt was the last with it as a surname.