More Notables: The Brits & Scots

This post concludes a series I've been writing for my children, highlighting notable ancestors in their family tree. It turns out that my kids aren't actually more intrigued by these accomplished ancestors than they are by the more humble relatives, at least at this moment in their young lives. They appear largely disinterested in all aspects of family history, to be honest, but I hope they'll develop a curiosity about it as they grow.

Here, I will provide brief summaries of some of our noteworthy ancestors of English and Scottish descent. My family is largely English, Scottish, and Irish. My husband's family is largely English and German, so there are a wide variety of early English and Scottish notables to choose from in our trees. Once again, a lot of these connections are very far back in history, and I'm never entirely comfortable with records that old, so let's consider all of this for entertainment purposes only.

King James IV of Scotland

King James IV of Scotland, my 12th great-grandfather

Yes, children, you are directly descended from kings... on an adoptive line with some questionable sources and illegitimate descendants. My great-grandfather George Rutherfurd's adoptive father, Malcolm Oliver Rutherfurd, definitely descended from a multitude of Scottish nobles, most likely including King James IV. I am always leery of such early records, so I put a big asterisk by all of them, but this connection is actually pretty plausible. Of all the kings to be related to, James IV is a pretty good one. 

"James IV is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs. He was responsible for a major expansion of the Scottish royal navy, which included the founding of two royal dockyards and the acquisition or construction of 38 ships, including the Michael, the largest warship of its time. James was a patron of the arts and took an active interest in the law, literature and science, even personally experimenting in dentistry and bloodletting. With his patronage the printing press came to Scotland, and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen were founded. He commissioned the building of Holyrood Palace and Falkland Palace, and extensive building work at Linlithgow Palace, Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle. The education act passed by the Parliament of Scotland in 1496 introduced compulsory schooling. During James's 25 year reign, royal income doubled, the crown exercised firm control over the Scottish church, royal administration was extended to the Highlands and the Hebrides, and by 1493 James had overcome the last independent Lord of the Isles. Relations with England were improved with the Treaty of Perpetual Peace in 1502 and James's marriage to Margaret Tudor in 1503 (the marriage led to the Union of the Crowns in 1603)." (Wikipedia)

King James IV was killed at the Battle of Flodden, after an ill-fated alliance with the French and invasion of England. His son, King James V, was crowned king after his father's death. James V was the father of the famous Mary, Queen of Scots. We descend from King James IV's illegitimate daughter Margaret Stewart, his child with Margaret Drummond. 

Thomas Rutherfurd "The Black Laird," my 11th great-grandfather

There are many, many fascinating Rutherfurds in our tree. They include John Rutherfurd, my 6th great-grandfather, who was twice elected member of Parliament for the shire of Roxburgh in Scotland. He was also the son of a knight and Parliamentarian. After trading his seat for an Army company, he moved to New York and was killed in action at the battle of Fort Ticonderoga. However, my favorite Rutherfurd has always been Thomas (1550-1615), because being known as "The Black Laird" is just awesome. 

"Thomas Rutherfurd, commonly styled the “black laird” of Edgerston, was the terror of the borders, his exploits against the English being numerous and daring. At the battle of the Red Swire, 7th July 1575, -- the last skirmish of any consequence fought on the borders, -- at the head of his followers and the men of Jedburgh, he was mainly the cause of the victory being secured to the Scots." (The Scottish Nation, Vol. 3)

The Rutherfurd family seat was at Edgerston, south of Jedburgh, just across the border from England. The Rutherfurds, like other border clans, were in the unique position of having to constantly deal with the English, whether that be in defense of Scottish lands from the English, the brokering of fragile peace deals with the English, or just in outright looting of English persons and estates due to a myriad of offenses. Those engaged in these back-and-forth skirmishes were called Border Reivers.

"The story of the Reivers dates from the 14th century and continued through into the late 17th century. It concerns the border between the two sovereign countries of England and Scotland. In those days, this Border displayed all of the characteristics of a frontier, lacking law and order. Cattle rustling, feuding, murder, arson and pillaging were all common occurrences. It was a time when people owed their tribal or clan loyalty to their blood relatives or families. And it was common for these families to straddle the Border. The Reivers were the product of the constant English-Scottish wars that would often reduce the Border area to a wasteland. The continuing threat of renewed conflict offered little incentive to arable farming. Why bother planting crops if they may be burned before they could be harvested? The reiving (raiding or plundering) of livestock was however a totally different matter, and so it became the principal business of the Border families." (historic-uk.com)

Thomas Rutherfurd was notorious enough in his day to earn a very cool nickname, which is something to which we all should aspire.

George Cubbitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe, husband of my 1st cousin, 5x removed

George Cubitt (1828-1917) was the son of Thomas Cubitt, a British master builder, notable for developing many of the historic streets and squares of London, especially in Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury. George was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He later became a Conservative Member of Parliament for West Surrey. In 1892, he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Ashcombe, of Dorking, in the County of Surrey and of Bodiam Castle, in the County of Sussex. He also served as Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion, Royal West Surrey Regiment, and Deputy Lieutenant of the counties of both Surrey and Middlesex. He was a founder and lifelong benefactor of St. Catherine's School in Bramley, Surrey. 

George married Laura Joyce of Hitcham, Buckinghamshire, my 1st cousin, 5x removed. Laura was the granddaughter of Robert Brakspear, the founder of the Brakspear Brewery in Henley-on-Thames. Robert is my 5th great-grandfather, and I've been to Henley and toured the brewery, which remained a family business until just a few years ago.

George Cubitt and Laura Joyce had nine children, from whom descend another very famous British relative, Camilla Shand, now known as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the English throne. Per the current queen's wishes, Camilla is likely to be known as the Queen of England in the near future. Camilla is my 5th cousin 1x removed. Despite this, we are unlikely to be invited to the coronation.

Sir Edward Neville, my 13th great-grandfather

Edward Neville (1471-1538) was the son of George Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny, and was descended from a long line of barons. "The story of the Neville family is a fascinating one. From their inconspicuous beginnings in Lincolnshire after the Norman Conquest, by the fourteenth century the Nevilles of Raby were among the most influential groups in the north of England, virtually ruling the area by means of the royal offices they held, and their political power reached its zenith in the fifteenth century with Richard de Neville, earl of Warwick, the so-called Kingmaker." (Boydell and Brewer)

Edward was a courtier and good friend of King Henry VIII. The Nevilles and their cousins the Courtenays supported Catherine of Aragon's marriage to King Henry VIII and the Pope's authority in England, which threatened to alienate them from King Henry VIII when the king sought a divorce from Catherine and started the Church of England in defiance of the Pope. 

Edward managed to stay on Henry's good side despite their differences, but he couldn't survive Thomas Cromwell. Early in 1538, Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell was warned that Edward Neville was secretly trying to obtain the estates of Moatenden Priory, which had been recently dissolved. Cromwell wanted the property for his own. He had Neville arrested for conspiracy and charged him with high treason. Neville was sent to the Tower, tried at Westminster, and beheaded at Tower Hill in 1538.

Walter Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, my husband's 15th great grandfather

Walter Devereux (1432-1485) was a member of the English peerage and a loyal supporter of the Yorkist cause during the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Sir Walter Devereux (1411-1459), who was Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1449-1451, represented Hereford in Parliament over many years, and served as sheriff of Herefordshire in 1447. His mother was Elizabeth Merbury, the daughter of Sir John Merbury, Chief Justice of South Wales.

Walter was appointed knight of the shire for Herefordshire in 1450. As a Yorkist, he held many offices under Edward IV, with whom he was close. Among other posts, Walter was made commissioner of array for Herefordshire, Shropshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire.

"In December 1460 Walter Devereux accompanied Edward, Earl of March, to Wales to raise an army to counter a Lancastrian rebellion led by the Tudors. On 30 December, Richard, 3rd Duke of York, was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, and a Lancastrian army moved south towards London. Devereux fought on behalf of Edward, now the 4th Duke of York, at his victory in the Battle of Mortimer's Cross on 2 February 1461, and commanded his left wing. He remained at the side of the future Edward IV on his advance from Gloucester to London. The Lancastrian army marching south was again victorious at the Second Battle of St Albans on 17 February, and recovered Henry VI here. On 3 March 1461, Walter Devereux was present at the council held at Baynard's Castle where it was resolved that Edward would be made King, and rode at his side to Westminster where Henry VI was deposed in absentia and Edward IV proclaimed King of England." (Wikiland) Walter Devereux fought at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 and was at the king's side when he entered London in triumph afterward. He was one of the Lords who swore in the Parliament Chamber at Westminster on 3 July 1471 to accept Edward, Prince of Wales, as heir to the crown. Walter later became a supporter of King Richard III, and was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, fighting for his king. 

Lord Howe on the Deck of the 'Queen Charlotte', 1 June 1794, by Mather Brown

General William Howe, 1777

Admiral Lord Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, and General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, my husband's 3rd cousins, 9x removed

In the musical Hamilton, the characters gather on stage to mark the beginning of the Revolutionary War with the song Right Hand Man, in which they sing, "British Admiral Howe’s got troops on the water. Thirty-two thousand troops in New York Harbor." Admiral Howe was Richard Howe, my husband's 3rd cousin, 9x removed. He was a great naval commander who led fleets in multiple wars, including the American Revolution, the Seven Years War, and the French Revolutionary Wars. 

Richard's brother, General William Howe (5th Viscount Howe), was Richard's equal in military prowess, and while Richard commanded the seas for the British forces, William was on land leading the Redcoats against the American Colonists as the Commander in Chief of the British forces. While he had many great victories, including the Battle of Long Island and the capture of Philadelphia, William did not succeed in subduing the Americans and was eventually forced to resign his post. 

Richard Howe did indeed have about 32,000 troops in New York Harbor. Captaining the largest assembly of British Naval might in history, Admiral Howe was able to overpower New York and temporarily take control of the city. "In 1778, France had entered the war on the colonists’ side and a French fleet, commanded by the Comte d’Estaing, sailed to New York where it came to blows with the British. Outnumbered, Howe achieved a stunning victory over the French. When reinforcements arrived in the form of Admiral John Byron, Howe headed back to England." (Battlefields) 

Richard and William were two of the sons of Emanuel Scrope Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe, a prominent public official who served as a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire, and later the Governor of Barbados. Their mother was German-born Mary Sophie Charlotte von Kielmansegg, Countess of Darlington and Countess of Leinster, who was a half-sister of King George I.

A 16th century portrait of Edward North, 1st Baron North of Kirtling, Cambridgeshire

Edward North, first baron of Kirtling, my husband's 13th great grandfather

Edward North, 1st Baron North (1504-1564) was an English peer and politician who served as Clerk of the Parliaments and Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. He was the stepson of Sir Ralph Warren, Lord Mayor of London. He was also a lawyer of much renown, and after being made 1st Baron North, he took a seat in the House of Lords.

"In 1546 he was made a member of the Privy Council of England, received some extensive grants of former abbey lands, and managed by prudence to retain the favour of his sovereign, although on one occasion towards the end of his reign Henry VIII was induced to distrust him, and even to accuse him of peculation, a charge of which he cleared himself. North was named as one of the executors of King Henry's will, and a legacy of £300 was bequeathed to him. On the accession of King Edward VI, North was induced, under pressure, to resign his office as chancellor of augmentations. He continued as a Privy Councillor during the young king's reign, and was one of those who attested his will, but his name does not appear among the signatories of the deed of settlement disinheriting the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth. North was among the supporters of Lady Jane Gray." (Wikipedia)

Edward's sister, Joan North Wilkinson, was the silkwoman to Anne Boleyn, importing silk and fine threads and turning them into garments fit for the future queen.

Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales, my 11th cousin, my husband's 14th cousin

Born Diana Frances Spencer at Althorp in Northamptonshire, Princess Diana (1961-1997) captured the world's imagination upon her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales, becoming one of the most famous women in modern history. In addition to being the ex-wife of the future king, Charles, she was also the mother of the future king, William. 

While I have long known of my relation to Diana's nemesis, Camilla Shand, now the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, I did not realize I was also related to Diana until recently. Our common ancestor is Sir George Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny, the father of Sir Edward Neville mentioned earlier in this post. My husband is also connected to Diana via his Goodwin line. The Goodwins married into the Spencer family in the 1500s.

Winston Churchill in 1946, by Douglas Granville Chandor

Winston Churchill, my husband's 8th cousin, 1x removed

"Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965) was a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. Best known for his wartime leadership as Prime Minister, Churchill was also a Sandhurst-educated soldier, a Boer War hero, a Nobel Prize-winning writer and historian, a prolific painter, and one of the longest-serving politicians in British history. Apart from two years between 1922 and 1924, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1900 to 1964 and represented a total of five constituencies. Ideologically an economic liberal and imperialist, he was for most of his career a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955. He was a member of the Liberal Party from 1904 to 1924.

Widely considered one of the 20th century's most significant figures, Churchill remains popular in the UK and Western world, where he is seen as a victorious wartime leader who played an important role in defending Europe's liberal democracy against the spread of fascism. He is also praised as a social reformer." (Wikipedia)

My husband is connected to Winston Churchill via his Wheeler/ Sherman line.

More Notables: Ancestors in the Military and Politics

This is a follow up to my last post about notable relatives in my family tree. It was written for my children, since they seem to be primarily interested in famous ancestors. I read the post to my kids, and they deemed it fairly interesting, but too long. In my daughter's words, it was a "seven out of ten, and it would have been an eight if it was shorter." Note taken.

In this post, I'll highlight a few politicians and American military notables in my children's family tree.

Commodore Robert F. Stockton

Robert Field Stockton, 4th cousin 7x removed

"Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey." (Wikipedia) 

Robert was the grandson of Richard Stockton, signer of the Declaration of Independence. The cities of Stockton (California), Fort Stockton (Texas), and Stockton (Missouri) are all named after Robert Stockton. Robert's son, John P. Stockton, also became a U.S. Senator representing New Jersey. Robert was offered the role of U.S. Secretary of the Navy by President John Tyler in 1841, but he turned down the appointment in order to manage construction of an advanced steam warship, the USS Princeton, which he later captained with great success during the Mexican-American War. He was a delegate to the Peace Conference of 1861 that unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the Civil War. When that war began, he commanded a Union militia in New Jersey.

Robert's 3x great-grandparents, Richard and Abigail Stockton, are my tenth great-grandparents. I descend from their son John Stockton (b. 1674). The Stocktons married into our Bellangee line in the early 1800s.

Portrait of Matthew Clarkson by Gilbert Stuart (ca. 1794)

Major General Matthew Clarkson, husband of 1st cousin 7x removed

Matthew Clarkson "entered the Army to serve in the Revolutionary War, first on Long Island, subsequently under Benedict Arnold. He was at Saratoga and, later, on the staff of General Benjamin Lincoln, was present at the surrender of Burgoyne, at Savannah (1779) and at the defense of Charleston (1780). He was also present at the surrender of Cornwallis. After the war, Clarkson was commissioned brigadier general of militia of Kings and Queens Counties in June 1786 and Major General of the Southern District of New York in March 1798. For a time, he was engaged in merchant business with John Vanderbilt under the company Vanderbilt & Clarkson." (Wikipedia) 

When the war ended, Clarkson became the assistant to General Benjamin Lincoln, who had been named the Secretary of War. He served as a Federalist member of the 13th New York State Legislature in the New York State Assembly, where he introduced a bill for the abolition of slavery in the state. He was presented at the court of the French King Louis XVI, served as State Senator representing both the 17th and 18th districts in the New York State Legislature, and as president of the New York City hospital. He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate but was defeated by DeWitt Clinton. "Clarkson was married to Mary Rutherfurd (1761–1786), the daughter of Walter Rutherfurd and Catherine (née Alexander) Rutherfurd and the sister of U.S. Senator John Rutherfurd. Through her mother, she was the niece of William Alexander, Lord Stirling, and the granddaughter of James Alexander and Mary Alexander Provoost." (Wikipedia)

Clarkson's wife, Mary Rutherfurd, is my 1st cousin, 7x removed. Her grandparents, John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland, are my 7th great-grandparents, on the adoptive line belonging to my great-grandfather, George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd. 

The Honorable Ogden Livingston Mills

Ogden Livingston Mills, husband of 5th cousin 3x removed

"Ogden Livingston Mills (August 23, 1884 – October 11, 1937) was an American lawyer, businessman and politician. He served as United States Secretary of the Treasury in President Herbert Hoover's cabinet, during which time Mills pushed for tax increases, spending cuts and other austerity measures that would deepen the economic crisis. A member of the Republican Party, Mills also represented New York in the United States House of Representatives, served as Undersecretary of the Treasury during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge, and was the Republican nominee in the 1926 New York gubernatorial election." (Wikipedia) 

Mills was highly critical of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, and campaigned for President Hoover when Roosevelt ran against him for President. Ironically, Mills and Roosevelt were college friends and neighbors, so their differences appear to have been largely political. Mills was also the owner of Wheatley Stable, which raised race horses. His stable produced the champion Seabiscuit, as well as Bold Ruler, the father of Secretariat. Mills married his first wife, Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd in 1911. She is such a fascinating character that she receives her own paragraph below, despite not being a politician herself. 

Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd

Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd, 5th cousin 3x removed

"Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd Murat (November 11, 1891 – February 10, 1976) was an eccentric American heiress, dancer and sometime actress. Margaret was born on November 11, 1891 in Manhattan. She was the second daughter of Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Jr. (1859–1901) and Anne (née Harriman) Sands Rutherfurd (1861–1940). After her father's death in 1901, her mother remarried to William Kissam Vanderbilt, the first husband of Alva Erskine Smith. From her mother's marriage to Vanderbilt, she was a stepsister of Consuelo Vanderbilt (wife of Charles Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough), William Kissam Vanderbilt II (husband of Virginia Fair Vanderbilt), and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (wife of Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt). Her paternal grandparents were astronomer Lewis Morris Rutherfurd and Margaret Chanler (née Stuyvesant) Rutherfurd, the niece and adopted daughter of Peter Gerard Stuyvesant. Her paternal uncle was Winthrop Rutherfurd. Her maternal grandparents were Oliver Harriman and Laura (née Low) Harriman." (Wikipedia)

Margaret's exploits are so numerous that it's difficult to condense them into a short paragraph. She was married six times to four different men. One of the men she married twice was Prince Charles Michel Joachim Napoléon, a direct descendant of the former King of Naples, who was also the brother of Napoléon. She was a devotee of Oom the Omnipotent. She danced on stages in New York, London, Paris, and Monte Carlo. She lived in Morocco. She dyed her hair pink.

Margaret is not to be confused with her aunt, Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd (b. 1854), who married American diplomat Henry White, settled with him in London, and was a popular socialite there. She was a favorite of Queen Victoria and was immortalized in a portrait by John Singer Sargent.

The common ancestors in this line are, again, John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland, my 10th great-grandparents.

Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd White, in a portrait by John Singer Sargent, which hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.

I am not doing a good job of making this post shorter than the last. Apologies, kids! The mention of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt above made me think that I should include another relative here, who was not a politician, but had a huge impact on the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Lucy Page Mercer Rutherfurd

Lucy Page Mercer, wife of 4th cousin 4x removed

Lucy Page Mercer (1891-1948) is known primarily for being the longtime mistress of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was born in Washington, D.C. and in 1914 became Eleanor Roosevelt's social secretary. Her affair with Franklin Roosevelt likely began in 1917, and continued for the rest of his life. She was with him at his death in 1945. Much has been written about the toll this took on the Roosevelt marriage, and how it may have propelled Eleanor into the social and political work for which she is revered. Lucy married Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd, who is best known for being the true love of Consuelo Vanderbilt, who was forced into an unhappy marriage to the ninth Duke of Marlborough and became the grandmother of Winston Churchill. Winthrop is my 4th cousin 4x removed, on the same Rutherfurd line descending from John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland.

Last but not least, kids, let's turn to your father's line. While the trees we saw at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City predicted many presidential connections on my side of the family, the only one I'm somewhat close to proving is our relationship to John Adams, second President of the United States. On your father's side, you have a proven Presidential connection.

President Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr., my husband's 3rd Cousin 5x removed

Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from New England, born in Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of Massachusetts. His response to the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight and gave him a reputation as a man of decisive action. The next year, he was elected the 29th vice president of the United States, and he succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative and also as a man who said very little and had a dry sense of humor, receiving the nickname "Silent Cal". He chose not to run again in the 1928 election, remarking that ten years as president was (at the time) "longer than any other man has had it—too long!" (Wikipedia) 

Coolidge was opposed to Prohibition and in favor of giving women the right to vote. He was pro-business and a fiscal conservative. "He signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted US citizenship to the indigenous peoples of the United States, and oversaw a period of rapid and expansive economic growth in the country, known as the "Roaring Twenties", leaving office with considerable popularity." (Wikipedia). However, it is quite possible that Coolidge's conservative policies set in motion the stock market collapse of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression, one of the most challenging periods in the history of America.

Calvin Coolidge's mother, Sarah Almeda Brewer, was the great-granddaughter of Jonathan Brewer (1689-1752) and Arabella Goulding (1693-1774) of Framingham, Massachusetts. They are my husband's 7th great-grandparents. He descends from their son Moses Brewer. Sarah Almeda Brewer was the daughter of Moses' brother, Eliab Brewer.

My children are not going to be happy about the length of this post, but I hope they'll find the stories interesting. There are more to come!

Notable People In Our Family Tree

This series is for my children. My family history research has never been about finding connections to famous ancestors. I fell in love with genealogy while sitting with my grandmother, listening to her tell stories about her parents. For me, this has always been about knowing who the people who came before me were, and honoring all the paths that they took in life. I have never been much concerned with whether my ancestors were born wealthy or became famous. The relatives that interest me the most tend to be the ones with humble origins who made interesting decisions when challenged by a particular moment in history. I share their stories with my kids all the time.

Last summer, we visited Salt Lake City and the Family History Library. My kids, whose eyes typically glaze over when I try to engage them in family history, were suddenly dazzled by the multimedia displays connecting them to notable ancestors. My 8-year old daughter asked me to take photos of her in front of some of the more illustrious family lines illuminated on large screens. I looked at the long list of famous people FamilySearch suggests I'm related to and was puzzled. These connections were largely unfamiliar to me. Am I really related to 10+ American presidents? I do not have any of these individuals sourced and confirmed in my tree. The glee with which my kids greeted the possibility, however, made me think a little about famous relatives. Is it so wrong if a notable relative is the one that initially attracts someone to genealogy? If my children get excited about being related to a president, might it guide them to an interest in our less celebrated ancestors?

After that trip, I tried to track down some of the notables the FamilySearch database had suggested are my kin. When I could make the connections, they were typically pretty distant, down lines of my tree that go beyond what I feel can be proven and sourced. I have not added all these individuals to my tree because I'm not completely comfortable with those relationships yet, but clearly FamilySearch users think they're a match. I did find many "famous" ancestors, on both mine and my husband's sides of the tree, that are reasonably well proven, and so I also made a list of those people for my kids. Most of them are fairly distant relations, or in-laws of those distant relations, so I'm not entirely sure I see a lot of value in the connection. My kids find it interesting, though. I'm going to share a bunch of those names here in hopes that those larger-than-life stories provide a gateway to curiosity about all the other, fascinating stories contained in our tree. I will begin with my side of the tree.

The Early Americans

Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War Hero, 3rd cousin 8x removed

"Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga early in the Revolutionary War." (Wikipedia) Allen was also the leader of an attack on Montreal which led to him being captured and imprisoned on a British Naval ship. He was known far and wide as one of the most dedicated American patriots during the Revolutionary War era, and remains an oft-referenced hero in the state of Vermont. Yes, the furniture store is named after the man.

This connection is on our Smith line. Our common ancestors are Henry Burt, Jr. (b. 1595, Harberton, Devon, England; d. 1662, Springfield, Massachusetts) and Eulalia Marche (b. 1601, Sherford, Devon, England; d. 1690, Springfield, Massachusetts). They were Ethan Allen's 2nd great-grandparents and they're my 10th great-grandparents. Henry and Eulalia's daughter Elizabeth Burt married Samuel Wright, Jr. The Wrights married into my Smith line in the mid-1700s.

Ethan Allen

John Jay, American Founding Father, father-in-law of 2nd cousin 6x removed

"John Jay was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, Founding Father, abolitionist, negotiator, and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783. He served as the second governor of New York and the first chief justice of the United States." (Wikipedia) Fans of the musical Hamilton will also remember the mention of John Jay in the song Non-Stop. In 1788, Jay joined forces with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to write a series of articles encouraging New York state convention members to ratify the proposed Constitution. Jay wrote five of these articles, which became known as The Federalist Papers. I should also note that despite his work on behalf of abolition, John Jay was in fact, a slave owner, a paradox that is confusing and infuriating. We cannot discuss the good Jay did for our country without also acknowledging his abhorrent decision to enslave human beings. He is not the only slave-owning Founding Father in our tree (see also Richard Stockton), unfortunately. 

We are connected to John Jay via our Rutherfurd line, which begins with my great-grandfather George Rutherfurd's adoptive father, Malcolm Rutherfurd. Mary Rutherfurd Clarkson (1786-1838) married Peter Augustus Jay, the son of John Jay, in 1813. Mary was the great-granddaughter of John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland. They are my 7th great-grandparents.

John Jay

Lewis Morris, American Founding Father, father-in-law of 1st cousin 7x removed

"Lewis Morris was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continental Congress from New York." (Wikipedia) We have two other signers in our tree, Richard Stockton and Dr. Benjamin Rush. Upon being warned of how dangerous it would be to sign the Declaration of Independence, Morris famously replied, "Damn the consequences. Give me the pen." There were, in fact, a lot of consequences. The Morris family lost much of their wealth and property during the war, and struggled to rebuild after America's victory.

Lewis' daughter, Helena Morris, married John Rutherfurd, my 1st cousin 7x removed. Rutherfurd was a lawyer in New York City who was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1788 and then to the United States Senate in 1791. The Rutherfurds, originally from Edgerston, Scotland, are my maternal grandmother's line. As with John Jay, the common ancestors here are John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross, my 7th great-grandparents, and the grandparents of John Rutherfurd, who married Helena Morris.

Lewis Morris

These connections are both distant and, in the case of Jay and Morris, on an adoptive line and involve in-laws, and are thus not biological relationships. I've never set much store in them, but they may be interesting to my children.

FamilySearch also says we're related, on my side of the tree, to American Presidents George Washington, James Polk, John Adams, Millard Fillmore, William Howard Taft, Richard Nixon, William McKinley, Franklin D. Roosevelt, James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. I can find no substantiation of any of this.

I have not yet written much about my husband's family tree, which is fascinating and includes a great cast of characters, including many interesting early Americans. My husband's paternal line is English, and many of his ancestors arrived in America in the early-to-mid 1600s. They were often the founders of New England towns and held leadership roles in local governance. Here is one standout ancestor from that time.

Philip Sherman, Founding Father of Rhode Island, my husband's 10th great-grandfather

"Philip Sherman (1611–1687) was a prominent leader and founding settler of Portsmouth in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Coming from Dedham, Essex in southeastern England, he and several of his siblings and cousins settled in New England. His first residence was in Roxbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where he lived for a few years, but he became interested in the teachings of the dissident ministers John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson, and at the conclusion of the Antinomian Controversy he was disarmed and forced to leave the colony. He went with many followers of Hutchinson to establish the town of Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island, later called Rhode Island. He became the first secretary of the colony there, and served in many other roles in the town government. Sherman became a Quaker after settling in the Rhode Island colony, and died at an advanced age, leaving a large progeny." (Wikipedia) Wheelwright and Hutchinson were devotees of Puritanical minister John Cotton, and their beliefs, which came to be known as Antinomian or Anabaptist, argued that one's spiritual condition had no bearing upon one's outward behavior. The established religious conventions of the time centered around the Holy Spirit, and the idea that an individual's salvation is demonstrated by righteous behavior and the good they do for others. Philip Sherman was dedicated to the Antinomian beliefs, which led to his ostracization and the co-founding of Rhode Island.

The Shermans married into my husband's Wheeler line in the mid-1700s. Many of Philip's descendants were, by that point, back in Massachusetts, specifically in Berlin, where my father-in-law was born a couple centuries later.

Among the many descendants of Philip Sherman and his wife Sarah Odding are former United States Presidents George H. W. Bush (9th cousin 1x removed of my husband) and George W. Bush (9th cousin 2x removed of my husband). Other descendants include James S. Sherman, US Vice President in the administration of President William Howard Taft (6th cousin 3x removed of my husband), Susan B. Anthony (5th cousin 4x removed of my husband), Janis Joplin (9th cousin of my husband), Sir Winston Churchill (8th cousin 1x removed of my husband), Mamie Eisenhower, Taylor Swift and possibly even Marilyn Monroe. This is a very interesting line that is peppered with well known names.

The Philip Sherman House in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

In future posts, I'll share notable names from other moments in American, British, and Scottish history. We will see if my kids find any of this compelling.