Comments on: Sign up to find the luminaries lurking in your past

By: Eddy

Eddy — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:23:00 +0000

You wrote.
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by Becky – October 25, 2007 – 4:32 PM A NYtimes article published today discusses DNA testing as a “family history research tool.”
Among the famous whose DNA has been tested is Marie Antoinette, who belonged to maternal Haplogroup H (along with about half of all Europeans).
Katie Couric (maternal Haplogroup K) is genetically linked to a 5,000-year-old iceman whose body was recently discovered in the Alps. And Jesse James? T2, a subgroup of maternal Haplogroup T.
Whether you’ve mapped your family’s taproots or would rather forget them, you’ve probably had to at least consider those who came before those who came before you—for scholarships, or medical histories, or perhaps to rationalize some quirk or talent. I have to say I’ve never been that interested in the fame or foibles of my own genetic line backwards; maybe I’m a hopeless solipsist, maybe I’m banking on reincarnation; my lazy historical eye aside, there are a few notables who’d stand out whether I was wrought from their blood or not. Namely, my saloon-operating great-great grandmother who partied & patrolled in Buffalo, NY. And I’d love to be able to regale you with gypsy rock stars who flanked the Vltava River on my mother’s side, but the results aren’t in yet, so I’m going to hand this one over to you: who is the most fascinating, mysterious, or just plain irreverent person occupying a box seat in your family tree? Or: would you (or have you) shed some blood to find out more about your ancestry?
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Robert E. Lee

I used to be somewhat ashamed to admit that, but since the extended family made me read up on the man, I’ve had my illusions dropped, and find him to be all around noble. I don’t want to start a Lee debate here, but he was a leader before anything, and treated those who worked for him as equals.

My Mom, her sister and all of my ancestors use Lee as a middle name because of it.

posted by Johnny Cat on 10-25-2007 at 5:35 pm

Lord Baltimore, the first governor of Maryland, back before it was a state.

had a reputation for playing cards and once bet the govenorship in a game. he didn’t lose.

posted by Patrick B on 10-25-2007 at 5:57 pm

I started doing some research on this in the last few months and found King John of England. You know, the one played by the sniveling lion in the Disney version of Robin Hood. And thereby his brother Richard Lionheart.

I have uncovered a couple other notables, but only John was in the direct line.

posted by Bo on 10-25-2007 at 6:46 pm

My 5th Great Grandfather is John Howland. He fell off of the Mayflower, but the captain casted a rope over for him and he got back on.

posted by Emily on 10-25-2007 at 6:50 pm

On my dad’s side a convict sent to Australia named Thomas. And on my mother’s side Dutch Dukes and French aristocracy (some who managed to escape slaughter). Apparently there’s still a place in France named for my grandmother’s family. haha

posted by Ashe on 10-25-2007 at 7:04 pm

A man from England who killed a man in a duel, ran to America, and changed his name from Lucas Thomas to Thomas LucasT. Years later, when approached by the government, Thomas denied the previous events, thereby giving up his (and mine, I suppose) claim to the Lucas paint company fortune.

Also on that side of the family, a man from what is now Slovakia who stole horses and sold them on the black market.

posted by jzimm on 10-25-2007 at 7:28 pm

Close but not quite,

He was born Thomas Edgar Lucas and changed his name to Thomas Edgar Lucas after arriving in the US. He was more commonly know as Dr T. He was a brother to John Lucas of the Lucas Paint Co.

He was also the first company Dr being employed by the Edward P Allis Mutual Aid Society. I’m guessing you much be a decendant of Alfred?

By: kim

kim — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:44:36 +0000

to sliverpixie to begain with you start with you mom’s parents then her parents ect. then you do you dad’s side If you want you can contact me at cookikim@aol.com and put family history in the information line. so I don’t delete it you can also find information in the libray forgive spelling 6am

By: Mindy

Mindy — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:56:34 +0000

Isn’t this fun?

I too, have some long and distant relation to Rob Roy.

Far cooler, though: my grandpa (like Jeannie’s relative) was a chemical engineer for General Mills. He invented Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Bugles, Total, and a few others.

I bet Will and Mangesh’s relatives will brag about them someday…”thanks to them, we have a one-stop nerd extravaganza of trivia, t-shirts, and famous scientist finger puppets.” (Ole Albert and I chat daily while I make my supper and he hangs out on my fridge.)

By: SilverPixie

SilverPixie — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 10:15:31 +0000

where are all of you finding out all of this awesomely astonishing bits of your past????

i have wanted to explore this uncharted territory for quite some time now but am entirely clueless as to wear to start?x

what are the most extensive ones? the ones that reach back far in history as those you have claimed ancestry to?
PLEASE HELP! :)

By: kim

kim — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:02:56 +0000

It is very clear in my fathers side of the family that we are related to Jeese James. that is not the onlycrimal in history that is connected to our family. The thayer’s around 1820 fought over some land with a man named love will love was killed and 2 or 3 was to be hung in buffalo, new york this being the first execution in that part of the state. It attacted a very large crowd and it was often repeated remark for more than a 100 yr. afterward there was never such a crowd sincne the thayer whee hung. that is why there is no death penlthy in new york.
ALL THE CHILDREN IN MY DAD’S SIDE OF THE FAMILY HAS GONE TO PRISON MY DAD JUST GOT OUT HE DIED 3-18-07 SO HE WILL NEVER GO BACK. sorry for tha capps but didn’t realize it until I lokked up and I’m not re typing My one uncle stole a mail truck and parked it outside my grandpas houes. so we are very much jeesey james

By: Jacqui Marchal

Jacqui Marchal — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:37:24 +0000

My great-great Uncle is Joseph Marshall, the first man to commercially farm potaoes in Idaho.

Recently, my grandmother died, and when my family and I were going through her apartment we found all these newspaper clippings of “Uncle Joe”, as my mom called him. Mom remembered Uncle Joe (and his brothers: Uncles Frank, Sebastian, Jule, and Michael. My mom’s grandfather was the fifth brother, William.) but she had no idea that Uncle Joe was so famous! Uncle Joe was known as the ‘Potato King’ or ‘King Spud’ from the east coast to the west coast. He donated tons (literal tons :)) of potatoes to hundreds of charaties, and even managed to send two special boxes of his best potatoes out to my mom’s family and to the White House. Yeah… everyone in the family is pretty proud of Uncle Joe!

As far as the rest of my family, the Marchals (Uncle Joe changed the family name to Marshall to make us seem less French) were the first French Pioneers to America, coming over sometime in the 1770’s. I’ve changed my sur-name to the original French spelling to match my first name, Jacqueline Marie.

By: gewurz03

gewurz03 — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:39:33 +0000

Giles Corey. He was the last person killed at the Salem Witch Trials. They stacked stones on him, hoping to get a confession (waterboarding doesn’t seem so bad, I guess). When he wouldn’t “name names” they continued with the rocks. Supposedly, his dying words were, “More stones”.

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:37:46 +0000

The good news? I am related to President John Adams through his son, also president, John Quincy Adams.

The bad news? As far as presidents go, they were not exactly the coolest ones. Oh, and about half of America is descended from the JQ line.

The ugly news? I am descended from them through both my mother AND my father. Eurgh…

By: Lin H.

Lin H. — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:57:14 +0000

I hate to admit it, but on my father’s side,I am not only kin to William Rutledge, the signer of the US Declaration of Independence who was the only other signer who owned more slaves than Washington, but also I am kin to Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy.

It’s a family skeleton.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:23:23 +0000

Jesse James
Francis Scott Key

Unfortunately, I have no cool stories to go along with it.