Genealogy can be a real trip. Explore the family tree back far enough and you're guaranteed to come across a few head-scratching details.
Sometimes it's a scandalous pregnancy, or maybe a secret marriage. Tales of stowaways are not unheard of. And then, of course, there are the famous great-uncles or even older matriarchs, notable for some outlandish 1800s behavior.
One Reddit question brought plenty of ancestral discoveries to the surface.
Household names carry long lineages, and some folks are proud to call themselves distant cousins to a legend. For some, it's the more obscure kind of fame: an absurd crime or a coincidental collision with a historical event.
But they are all good stories. They make the historical past feel a bit more human and relatable. After all, these ancestors were simply people like us, full of schemes and blunders. They may have had different wars and technologies, but the resemblance is easy to spot.
DreamSailor01 asked, "Do you have a famous ancestor? If so, what were they known for?"
One of those Faces
"I'm related to the bald guy who posed for the "American Gothic" painting with the pitchfork."
"I looked it up, and it turns out he's my fourth cousin, twice removed."
Namesakes
"One of my great-great-great grand fathers was Chang Bunker, who was conjoined at the stomach to his brother, Eng. They were born in Siam (now known as Thailand) became famous for being in the P.T. Barnum's circus."
"The term 'Siamese Twins' comes from them."
-- SKW1DZ
Generational Change
"Johann Jakob Astor"
"John Jacob Astor was a German–American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul and investor who mainly made his fortune in a fur trade monopoly and by investing in real estate in or around New York City."
"Known for: First multi-millionaire businessman in the United States."
"Still living in his home town and he is still sort of getting glorified here."
"I'm poor though."
-- Pandafishe
A Sequel?!
"My uncle is a Power Ranger, you may know him as the green ranger or Jason David Frank."
"He's known as a Power Ranger and is working on another Kickstarter movie and even has his own karate class."
A Historic Schemer
"I have an uncle who is the reason DUI breathalyzer ignitions have a timer because he would drive to the bar and let it idle while he drank." -- williebobthornton
"He's the problem AND the problem solver. Excellent." -- Mercurial8
"Your uncle is Jean Ralphio Saperstein? You know your boy is a question on the bar exam, right?" -- adjust_the_sails
Dying Industries
"Great-grandfather on my mom's side was a samurai. He emigrated to America because that was the point Japan didn't need samurai anymore."
"I still have the family mon (crest), but the sword was lost during WWII... the family that offered to look over the farm while they were gone stole it."
Bit of a Reach, but Acceptable
"Johann Sebastian Bach. One of his daughters married into my family, which makes him my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather." -- warboy3
"You're within 7 generations of Bach so you may have roughly <1% chance of having some of his DNA!" -- jamjamsify
These Actors Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The Role | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The Actors Who Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The RoleFew people bought into the idea of Bryan Cranston in the role of Walter White before Breaking Bad...Legendary Clutz
"He was on the Mayflower. And fell off." -- fi55ion
"Thank goodness he made it back on or a lot of us wouldn't be around! My dad and I did our family tree years ago and had fun tracing our ancestors back to him." -- eosean
"He wasn't in a knife fight was he? I had a relative in the Mayflower that was in technically the first knife fight and I think he was the loser." -- Steveisnotcaptain
An Important Trip
"She wasn't famous but my great grandmother was on the ship that rescued the Titanic survivors." -- dahopppa
"Great! My great grandfather was on the titanic himself! He survived so maybe he has met your great grandmother lol" -- tijoyo
"My grandmother was just a child, but she was sailing from Wales at that time and remembers the adults talking about a ship that was sinking." -- JibbityJabbity
Finally Making Amends
"Related to Bridget Bishop, first woman hung in the Salem witch trials." -- dadoliver
"I'm descended from John Hale, who was instrumental in starting the Salem witch trials, and later changed his mind and helped get them stopped."
"A belated 'sorry' from my family to yours." -- rickpo
Intersecting Family Trees
"William Randolph Hearst. Famous for being Citizen Kane." -- broberds
"Patricia, his daughter, robbed my uncle's gun store with the Symbionese Liberation Army." -- SalesAutopsy
"I've been to his house. Nice place." -- Hazi-Tazi
"Legend has it he was instrumental in getting pot demonized and illegalized because hemp was a major competitor to his business interests, paper or petroleum or something." -- timsstuff
Not a Legend, But a Family Treasure Nonetheless
"He's not extremely famous now but my great great grandfather was Joe Fox. Joe Fox was a famous English boxer in the 1920s, he won a Lonsdale belt by the time he was 23 when that achievement was very competitive and (i think) he ended up winning three total."
"I remember my grandma showing it to me in a glass display box before we sent it to a museum."
-- wheatgrass-
A Very Normalizing Comment Thread
"I have two. John Adams, and John Quincy Adams." -- CantSpeakSpanish
"WHAT'S UP RELATIVE. I TOO AM A DESCENDANT." -- counterspell
"WAIT ME TOO, WHATS UP GUYS" -- smith-512
"Same here; that means you're related to a shitload of early American names - from pilgrims on down." -- this_is_trash_really
"Edit: My lineage apparently got around." -- CantSpeakSpanish
Morbid Claims to Fame
"Grandfather was the first person to be sentenced to death after Texas reinstated the death penalty in the 70's." -- OneFeedback3
"Wait they cancelled it then brought it back?!" -- JackofScarlets
"My ancestors Blackjack Ketchum is the only person to have been executed in New Mexico. The executioner botched the hanging and decapitated him, offending the townspeople so much they voted to ban capital punishment." -- greenIdbandit
Powerhouse
"My great great (not sure how many greats) grandfather was the checkers champion of England." -- thisnameisfineiguess
"Now this one is the best one on here." -- ThrowRA407
"I wonder how many generations pass before the good-at-checkers gene is gone. I'm sure the checker champ's son is pretty good at checkers, but is his son?" -- [deleted]
"My dad won my church domino tournament once." -- whogonecheckme
The Most Current of Ancestors
"My uncle is a famous singer from Ireland, he's not big in the US but massive everywhere else, he's part of a band called Westlife, his name is Shane Filan He's still alive but yeah there you go." -- bigboomer420
"I am Irish. Can confirm that Shane Filan is very famous." -- fofieflamingo
"Misread that as porn star and was slightly bewildered and also slightly impressed that you were so comfortably dropping your uncles stage name." -- Vibr8_
Wonder if They Were All Friends
"My great great uncle murdered an FBI agent and subsequently spent time in Alcatraz. He was there at the same time as Machine Gun Kelly and Al Capone."
"For those curious, his name is Guy Osborne and he murdered Truett E. Rowe." -- PeavyNeckVeins
"I have an ancestor who was an FBI agent and was shot in the head by Baby Face Nelson. Survived, too!" -- tadadaism
"That rapper that squared up with Eminem?" -- nicholasgnames
Bloodlines to the Losing Side
"Both Robert E. Lee and William T. Sherman. One led the Confederate forces and the other burned down Atlanta and everything in his path on the way there..." -- Gonty_68_RS
"Robert E. Lee is a descendant of George Washington, so you've got that, too." -- JPMcGowan
"But he spared Savannah! Thank goodness!" -- NotWorriedABunch
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
I miss people being sane. Though that maybe election cycle issues not COVID. We'll never know.
I thought I was Alone...
Black Friday Nbc GIF by SuperstoreGiphy"Being able to grocery shop after 11 pm."
Reading_Rainboner
"Hell yes. I miss the days where the Walmart across the street was open 24 hours."
Small_Tax_9432
let's just go...
"I miss spontaneity... everything now seems to have a barrier of difficulty."
iidosee
"I live very close to Disneyland so I have an annual pass. My friends and I would just go there after work and hang out and grab a bite to eat."
"Now, we have to reserve a day to go. And most of the time, the days are at 'full' capacity so we couldn't even reserve. I don't want to schedule to hang out at Disneyland for a couple hours for July. So yeah, I definitely miss the 'lets go eat at Disneyland tonight?' texts."
mymymissmai
Not til 24-25
"Functioning global supply chains. Ah, the product you want has got microchips in it? 9 month wait."
richard-king
"Minimum, I'd been saying for a while now that I wouldn't expect a true return to normalcy in terms of electronics prices till 2024-2025. Although Crypto crashing through the floor really took some of the pressure off graphics cards which I really appreciate."
statiiic
WTF?!?!
"How affordable everything was!"
Disastrous_Hour_6776
"Yep. Today I was bagging up my things at the grocery store and I heard the cashier say to the lady behind me 'thats $78.12.' She had -- 2 boxes of Kellogg's corn flakes, a carton of 12 eggs, milk, strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, a small cheese cake, English muffins, coffee, and a small whole frozen chicken that could maybe feed 3 people if the meat portioning was small."
SnowyInuk
Sushi
sushi GIFGiphy"My favorite sushi place. It was good quality, close by, kid-friendly, and not too expensive."
InannasPocket
All of this... it was a simpler time.
NASTY
Janet Jackson Reaction GIFGiphy"As a retail worker, just how f**king NASTY some people have gotten."
DmitriPetrov*itch
"They applauded you for being an essential worker but won’t vote for policies that’ll raise minimum wage while insisting a wage cap for heavily paid employees."
sketchysketchist
CHANGES your DNA...
"Some of the people closest to me became very bitter and petty over the last 2 years. So many people have the 'crazy eyes' now."
__--__7
"So true and holidays with the family is like who has the biggest tinfoil hat building contest. How many jumps does your brain have to go through to think that the Covid vaccine CHANGES your DNA into the patented DNA so that the government now controls your body."
"So like vaccinated people now have a singular DNA set. I feel like I still have a chunk of my brain just broken off due to that comment alone. I was also told by same family member that I could never donate blood again due to the vaccine. I guess it is so my patented DNA doesn't affect people?? FYI my vaccinated butt just donated today fine and multiple other times after the vaccine."
tyreka13
Homeward Bound
"House prices."
adrianinked
"I'm resigned to never thinking I have a chance on owning property where I live. I'm 30 and just can't imagine it anymore. And I don't want to live anywhere else so, whatever."
Osdab2daf
"That didn’t happen because of the pandemic. That was already happening regardless."
CH11DW
Oh Mickey
"All Day Breakfast at McDonalds."
hutch2522
"It was honestly hell to do, and not very popular. ITs margins aren't anywhere dinner and lunch specials. ON top of that, the temperatures are such that They require its own grill, meaning that if you have 2 grills in shop, you are down 50% of lunch capacity."
Freyas_Follower
Way back when...
Season 5 Friends Tv Show GIF by FriendsGiphy"Hanging out with friends. And I mean waaaaaay before Covid. Like 2006 back when I had some friends."
LoocsinatasYT
I miss the old days. Maybe we'll get back there.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
I'm waffling between G-O-D and nothing. So please give me some education.
911
Role Playing Reaction GIF by Hyper RPGGiphy"We need to look out for each other because help isn't coming."
cknipe
Peace Out
"More than 2 decades ago, a priest was giving a sermon in my church and he said 'our faith requires you to believe without question. Why call it faith if you have to ask questions?' I haven't returned to church. Not until my wedding day but you know what I mean."
asiangontear
Delusion
"When I was young I used to think that after death you would have access to a PC that you could see absolutely anything about your life. Stats, any question you had no matter how obscure, replays of moments, perspectives of others in relation to you. No matter what you wanted to know, if it was relatable to you, you could see it. I know it's silly, but as time goes on I just want it to be real, and I don't think I'd have any issue allowing myself to fall into that delusion."
eggwardpenisglands
I think nothing happens...
"Realistically, I think nothing happens. We literally experience nothing after death. Same thing that we experience before birth. We don't exist, so it's nothing. I think the tenant that we should follow while living is to try to be happy and healthy while minimizing the damage we do to each other."
"What I would LIKE to happen after death is whatever you believe in, exists. I think Christians should get to go to heaven if they truly believe in it, Hindus and Buddhists get reincarnated, and everyone else also gets to experience what they believe they will experience."
"'I would still experience Nothing. Maybe it's one of those things where at the moment of death their brain makes them experience what feels like an infinitely long moment in time where they experience their afterlife. I just think it would be neat for everybody."
Better_Meat_
Shrug
Happy GIFGiphy"Best advice I received from a dear senior on their way out. 'You win some, you lose some' shrug. Nothing divine, life is that simple and wonderful, accept it and move on."
Tune_Kindly
It all sounds pretty simple. Why are people so up in arms about Atheists?
Whatever
Bored Episode 15 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do."
imCIK
Cool with Empty
"Nothing. [Serious]."
rumblingtummy29
"I feel this way about death. When I was 5, my grandfather died and my cousin simple said, he is dead, that means you are gone forever. Everything ends up dying, even plants and animals. I'm now in my 40's and still have this simplistic view of life and death. People think I'm ambivalent to life and death but it's just what it is."
thepigfish82
puppet-masters...
"I think a lot of religious people struggle with the fact that we are all just swirling units of chaos. There is no grand plan or great orchestrator. I think that’s why people who are prone to religion are also susceptible to things like Q anon and the Cabal and all that. They REALLY want to believe that there is some almighty puppet-master who determines all of humanity’s fate."
Lngtmelrker
“we’re living in a society!”
"Just be a kind and empathetic person not because you’re worried about some cosmic justice, but because it’s the right thing to do. If there is some being that created us there’s no way they actually care about believing in it or adhering to some rules from over 2000 years ago."
"Also a big thing for me is that I find the idea that you need religion or the Bible in order to have morals and ethics pretty dumb. It’s pretty f**king clear that most evangelicals have neither. But my main thing is being a good person simply because, as George Costanza once said we’re living in a society!' If you’re only a good person in order to make it to heaven you probably aren’t actually a good and moral person."
conservative_genius
That's All
Circle Of Life Loop GIFGiphy"You're born. You live. You die. That's it. After you die you cease to exist, the same as before you were born."
serefina
Believe what you want. We're all here together. So let's focus there.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
I feel like this article can go on forever. Let's get some highlights.
Wasted Time
Nbc Im Done GIF by SuperstoreGiphy"Meetings that could and should have been an email."
Sirena609
Lotto People
"Getting stuck behind people playing the lottery at a corner store."
thenuggetlover
"I also used to work in a gas station and you’re SO right. I f**king hated the lottery people. Especially since my store had a small staff and there was usually only one of us working at a time, which meant that I couldn’t get any of my other work done as long as they were there."
"And you’re right, it’s also pretty sad to watch. I had one lady who used to come in every day and spent hundreds and HUNDREDS of dollars on scratch tickets. One day, she won $200 after spending probably around $600 and she was so excited and saying she can 'finally pay her bills.'"
i-am-your-god-now
Aware...
"No situational awareness. Job, home, shopping, driving. Think for one minute and go about. OBSERVE!!"
Dizzy-Foundation8122
"My mom is one of those people who leave the shopping cart in the middle of the damn aisle and proceed to walk twenty feet away. After correcting her a million times to no effect I just walk away now so people don’t know I’m with her."
OutrageousEvent
Shut Up!
"Endless barking in the middle of the night, I love animals but that sh*t I can't stand."
Acceptable-Lemon2924
"Endless barking in general drives me up a wall. One of my friends dogs was barking almost an entire gaming session the other day. I wanted to reach through the computer and smack him for letting it go on."
bangersnmash13
Kindness
customer service waiter GIFGiphy"People being mean to service workers, especially if the workers are very young."'
scaryboilednoodles
All of these things. I hate them all.
Admit It
Admit It Tell The Truth GIF by TV LandGiphy"People who never accept fault when they mess something up. Like, why blame a million people when it was clearly you who did it???"
Quirky-Area-8978
From Above
"My upstairs neighbors."
lutzow89
"I had terrible neighbors at my previous apartment. It was a one person studio for students, but her boyfriend was clearly living with her illegally and he was loud."
"One night we knocked n the door at 3 AM because of the loud music and an unknown girl opened the door. I just thought they were having a little party. But the next door I saw the girl living there come home with a suitcase after having been away for the weekend... Her BF was cheating on her in her own apartment."
Th3_Accountant
Move Away
"People who sit directly next to me at the airport, movie theater, any other place where you can choose a seat when there is PLENTY of other seating."
BacardiPardy33
"I can’t YES this enough and the ones who can’t park for crap so they park so close you can’t open doors on one side of the car or the ones who park directly behind when you pulled through so the door won’t open to load groceries."
BacardiPardy33
It's Over
"People who try to restart old drama. Like I'm done with you, just leave me alone."
Tired_Potatos
"Yep, half the reason I've basically quit playing one of my favorite online video games. People keep bringing old crap up or sh*tting on on someone who used to be our friend. I got tired of it so I just ejected the game out of me."
CaucasianHumus
AHHHHH!!!
move leading GIFGiphy"People walking too slow in front of me with no way to get around them. It’s even worse if it’s a couple or group taking up the whole sidewalk. HAVE SOME SPATIAL AWARENESS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!"
_-v0x-_
Life in general pisses me off. I'm easy.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.