Have you uncovered any surprises while researching your family history?

**Kris10** · 05-07-2008, 08:05 AM

Are you related to anyone famous (or infamous)? Share your family history finds in this poll.

**MrKhay** · 05-08-2008, 01:21 PM

Vincent Kartheiser...actor, "Angel" tv series, and a show on A&E about pushing cigarettes back in the 40's... I also have some wealthy relatives in Europe...Germany and Luxembourg.

Terimarie · 05-08-2008, 09:50 PM

oh,yes there is gangest on one side and the other side is native american and England royla kings and queen's..I have got back as far as 1400 on mom's side.But dad's side is a bit harder to find because they were Jewish.
Terimarie

pk · 05-09-2008, 10:36 PM

My cousin Olin Rusti, (on my mother's side) did alot of the hand carvings on a building in the Little Norway Settlement, in Wisconsin.

My sister has spent years doing extensive reserch in our family history dating back into the 1300's. Way back (I could get the dates, names etc. and post later), on my mother's side in Norway she found several dukes, earls, and a King.

I always thought that my mother would have been famous but with family obligations wasn't able to further her singing. But way back many, many years ago.. (before I was even born!) she and her brothers formed a country band called the Cliffnotes. (there last name was Cliff). They use to sing all the time at dances. She use to also write a lot of the songs. A well known radio station out of Chicago, WLS, wanted to give them a contract to travel but she was married at the time and couldn't travel.

She did become a piano teacher and taught for over 50 years and was in the Music Hall of Fame for having so many Piano Graduates.

My mother's oldest brother use to hand crave beautiful violins and sell them. A few I believe may be in a museum.

The elderly cousin that taught him to make violins also made beautiful violins and has one on display in a museum near Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin.

geri_s · 05-12-2008, 10:33 AM

I have a few, which I have kept trying to verify as fact, and I have old documents proving it. The first one was my great-great Uncle Norman Lilley. He was from a cavalry unit out of Wisconsin. He was from Weyauwega, and was taken prisoner, was sent to a notorious prison camp during the Civil War, and actually made it home alive. I think the camp was Rock Island or something like that.

Next, my great -grandmother's name was Angie McCoy. She was from the Tennessee/Kentucky borderline, and was a member of one of the clans that were legendary for it's fighting, the Hatfield's and McCoys. ( No wonder everyone in my family argue all the time!!!)

Last one, and my favorite, my grandmother's best friend in elementary school was Evelyn Frechette, later to be known as Billie, the girlfriend of John Dillinger. My grandmother went to school with her at the Menominee Tribal School, even though my grandmother was not Native American, but her family( the McCoy side) lived in the town of Red Springs. A few days before the big shoot-out at Little Bohemia, my grandfather waited in his car by the five & dime store in Clintonville, John Dillinger was waiting across the street, sticking out like a sore thumb in a black new shiny car, which wasn't seen in many of these parts back in the depression days era. Billie and my grandma were in the store, talking, and catching up on what had been going on. They weren't there long, because of the fear of being noticed, but my grandfather always said he will remember how John Dillinger looked; he said he was like a rich, dapper gentleman, the way he was dressed in a pinstriped suit, and spats and a fedora. Imagine, my grandparents knew when a most wanted man was around. They were dirt poor and could have used the reward, but never told a soul. My grandma loved her friend, and always told me how bad she felt about Billie's life turning out like it did. I believe this did happen, as I had seen photos of my grandma and Billie from school together, and my grandfather was a simple, honest, hardworking man, who I don't think would make something up like that.

CindyLouWho · 02-25-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geri_s

Next, my great -grandmother's name was Angie McCoy. She was from the Tennessee/Kentucky borderline, and was a member of one of the clans that were legendary for it's fighting, the Hatfield's and McCoys. ( No wonder everyone in my family argue all the time!!!)

How interesting! I also have McCoys in my family tree, but mine came from England so I don't think we're related.

I started working on my family history years ago when I was a volunteer at the Family History Center at the Mormon church in Elkhorn. A couple of my aunts had been working on our family tree for over 50 years and had gone back many generations, but since the advent of the internet, I was able to track it much further. I wrote two books, one on my father's side titled "The Howell Family Tree" (a copy of which is at the Grant Co. Genealogical Society Library in Lancaster) and one on my mom's side titled "The McCoy Family Tree" (a copy of which is in the Wisconsin Historical Society library in Madison).

In doing my research, I found that I am descended from many famous people in history including William the Conqueror and Charlemagne. Also, I found it quite interesting to discover that another ancestor, Rev. James Pierpont who was a descendant of the family of Pierreponts originally in Nottingham shire County, England, was the co-founder of Yale University. Also, Rev. James Pierpont's great grandson was Aaron Burr, Vice President under Thomas Jefferson and well know for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Another of Rev. Jame's great granddaughters married Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin. I also found that descendants of the original Pierrepont family still live in the castle, named Holme-Pierpont Hall, in Nothingham shire, England, and you can rent it for special occasions or stay there during certain times of the year. You can view more info about it at: Holme Pierrepont Hall, Wedding Receptions in Nottingham

On the Wisconsin branch of my family, I found that my great, great grandfather was Henry Edson who was the first postmaster of Meeme in Manitowoc County and the first post office was in his home. I actually visited the site where his house was several years ago which made him seem more real to me and not just a name on a chart. Henry later moved his family to Almaden, California during the gold rush where he ran a hotel until he died.

History is like a mystery...it's just waiting to be solved!

Blue Baboon · 02-25-2009, 06:35 PM

Someday I hope to find out where my ancestors all came from. Considering my family name, I just might be related to some families of a couple of big name companies out there. There are other things that contain my family name like a town, a river and even hospital. I'm sure I will find others.

This has been on my list of things to do before I die. My mom wants to research the family, too.

My grandfather was a very interesting person that played in a band years ago. They were quite popular back in the day, at least in Wisconsin. They once had a chance to go out to California to open for Rosemary Clooney, but couldn't afford the travel expenses. There are many stories about his band and he was quite the clown. It got him in trouble a few times, too. Either my mom or my aunt has a scrapbook of his somewhere. I've been asking to see it for years as I want make copies of everything and get it printed. I've only seen the scrapbook once and it was briefly a long time ago.

**dgridley** · 02-25-2009, 07:29 PM

I have at least four: Robert the Bruce on my dad's side (ever seen the movie Braveheart?), Reuel Gridley (sold the same sack of flour over and over and raised $250,000 for the Civil War relief effort, was friends with Samuel Clemens and once pushed him into the Mississippi when they were young), Charles V. Gridley (captain of the flagship during the Battle of Manila "You May Fire When Ready, Gridley") and

Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition

on my mother's side (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition).

"You may fire when you are ready Gridley."

Commodore George Dewey, 1 May 1898, at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. The American squadron entered Manila Bay and took fire from the Spanish fleet, anchored under the guns of Cavite, for half an hour until in the position Dewey wanted. Then Dewey addressed his order to Charles Gridley, captain of Dewey's flagship Olympia.

[Dewey, George. Autobiography of George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1913) 214.]

ekarvala · 06-06-2009, 12:16 AM

My husband's family tree has been traced back to the 1600's in Norway where, at that time, one of his relatives died from having her skull impaled by a giant icicle. I think enough time has passed that we can laugh about it now....

**dgridley** · 06-06-2009, 12:57 AM

Having lived in the North for many years, I've had a few close calls with falling icicles myself..

Quote:

Originally Posted by ekarvala

My husband's family tree has been traced back to the 1600's in Norway where, at that time, one of his relatives died from having her skull impaled by a giant icicle. I think enough time has passed that we can laugh about it now....