How to Complete a Famous Ancestors Family Search: A Quick Guide

Are you related to a celebrity? Is there a president in your family lineage?

More people than you might think have famous ancestors. For example, did you know that more than 60% of Americans are descended from royalty?

Statistics like these make sense when you consider that at least 650 of the original American colonists had traceable royal ancestry, with 387 leaving descendants.

Conducting a famous ancestors’ family search is a fun way to discover whether any illustrious family members are in your ancestry. Here’s everything you need to know about uncovering your famous family tree.

How to Find Your Famous Ancestors

Uncovering a famous face in genealogy rarely involves looking up a surname and making a direct connection. The chances are you would already know of a celebrity ancestor if this was true. But millions of Americans are related through distant relatives.

So, what are some of the resources you can use to find your ancestors?

Old Newspapers

Census records can only tell you so much about your family tree. See them as a starting point because they offer a mere snapshot into history.

On the other hand, old newspapers follow the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the people at that time. If you genuinely want to know the stories of famous ancestors from their earliest days, newspapers are the ideal source.

GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives are the most extensive exclusive archives of historical newspapers in the country, covering more than three centuries of U.S. history. Use these newspapers to dig up stories, photographs, and more about your ancestors.

FamilySearch Relative Finder

Another way to conduct a famous ancestors’ family search is to use RelativeFinder.org. It’s a unique software program that helps users find out if they’re related to anyone famous, including connections to U.S. presidents and European royalty.

You can also use this platform to see how members of a particular group are related. For example, you can choose your ancestors and figure out who’s related through cousins.

Keep in mind that this search option is not without its limits. One caveat to this program is that your family tree must be accurate. The Relative Finder is incapable of filling in any gaps. Your search will be limited if you’re unsure of an ancestor or have little information about them. In these cases, you’ll need to take any results with a grain of salt.

Shared Names

Shared surnames are the most common reason people think they may be related to a celebrity or historical figure. While it’s possible, names are often shared among thousands of people who aren’t related.

Names alone don’t necessarily point to a connection, especially in the arts, as many people change their names once they reach prominence.

For example, Elton John’s birthname isn’t Elton John. The Rocket Man’s real name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Likewise, Bob Dylan’s original family name was Zimmerman.

Although names are helpful, they’re not enough to go on alone.

Shared Locations

Perhaps you’re not related by blood to a celebrity, but maybe one of your ancestors took a future superstar to the prom. Hometown heroes always generate interest, so local historical and genealogical societies thoroughly research these people’s lineage.

One example is actress and singer Rosemary Clooney. In 1997, she returned to Maysville, Kentucky, to marry Dante DiPaolo. The town had already thoroughly studied Rosemary’s family and its ties to Maysville.

If your family has been in the same place for generations, beginning your search with your hometown heroes is an excellent starting point. Your local genealogical society may have already created a full celebrity family tree for each hometown hero.

Family Legends

How much should you wager on a family legend?

Millions of Americans are convinced they are direct descendants of George Washington. Yet this is simply not true because Washington never had any children of his own. All of Washington’s children were from his wife’s first marriage.

It demonstrates the minefield that relying on family legends can create. Generally, it’s best to discount any family legends while searching for celebrities in your family tree unless you have concrete evidence to back it up.

Celebrity Family Trees

It may amaze you to learn that many stars are directly or distantly related, linking some of the most significant figures of the present to those of the past.

Here are a few surprising celebrities who are related to each other.

Madonna

Madonna has a family tree filled with famous faces through marriage and blood. One of the most exciting parts of the musical icon’s family tree is that she is the 14^th cousin, twice removed, of Kate Middleton, the heir to the British throne.

She is also distantly related to fellow singer Celine Dion and is more closely related to Sting, as he is the godfather to her son, Rocco.

Queen Elizabeth II

The recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, also has an intriguing family tree. While a famous ancestors’ family search will bring up the usual array of European monarchs, she is also related to several contemporary celebrities.

For example, did you know that Johnny Depp is her 20^th cousin, or that Hillary Duff is her 18^th cousin? Through this connection, Duff is also related to Scottish King Robert the Bruce as her 21^st great-grandfather.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks is one of America’s most beloved actors. His narration of an Abraham Lincoln biography was considered a triumph – but became even more poignant after a famous ancestors’ family search.

Turns out, Tom Hanks is a direct descendant of the Great Emancipator through his mother’s side. Through extensive research, it was discovered that Hanks and Lincoln are third cousins.

Uncover Famous Relatives with GenealogyBank

Saying “I’m related to a celebrity” is the dream of so many amateur family researchers. Many people will find a famous face if they go back far enough, but uncovering those direct connections is always a great triumph for any genealogy expert.

With GenealogyBank, we help you make connections between your ancestors and the famous faces of history. Whether you’re related by blood or association, our newspaper archives can help you discover those connections.

Step back into history by signing up for GenealogyBank today to learn more about your family story.

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Start a 7-Day Free Trial

Note on the header image: a portrait of the American writer Mark Twain taken by A. F. Bradley in New York, 1907. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.