Surname Saturday

With the recent popularity of the Apple download for iPhones, We're Related, I had to give it a try.

With the large populace that I suddenly found myself related to, I simply had to pick a name and check it out for accuracy.

I chose John F. Kennedy, who quickly came up on my list. And sure enough, I can trace my ancestry back to our common Ancestor, who oddly enough, was also named John Kennedy. And yes, this is verified.

Knowing that the information provided in We're Related comes merely from individuals who have placed their family trees on Ancestry.com, and ran against mine, and thousands of others, a common ancestor in our trees is found. But the reality is that many, if not most, at least in my experience, have not been researched and verified through documentation. So, I took the app as a fun thing to bring out at a family party, and nothing more when I downloaded it.

The truth is, I am happy to say, that I am finding more and more of the matched ancestors are correct, and the paper trail lead right to me, and to the indicated individual.

Jokingly I told family members that saying we were related to the Kennedy's was one thing, after all, both families are traced back to ancestors who came to America in the 1600's. That narrows the gap all by itself. So, I said, "I'm just waiting to find out that we're related to Elvis!" Well, I had to eat my words. Elvis, is in fact, my 8th cousin. (I know, related from afar, but still related.)

The individual I was probably most excited to see and to research was an old favorite of my Dad's. Johnny Cash. Our shared ancestor is Johann Georg Buhler, who arrived in this country not long before he died with his family of grown children and their families as well. He landed in Virginia. And from there we stay in Virginia for a while. But as the wilderness went further inland, so did Cash's ancestors, while mine stayed on the Virginia frontier.

 

Johnny and June Carter Cash

And yep, you got it, we share a common ancestor with Cash's second wife, June Carter, who also stayed settled in what was the Virginia frontier.

While you might download the program as a lark, take the time, if you wish, to do a little research. you just never know who you might be related to!

(In case you're wondering, Johnny Cash and I are 8th cousins, 1x removed.)

I'm off to do a little research now. I just got a notification that Harry S. Truman and I are 7th cousins 4x removed. Hmmm, we'll just have to wait and see what the paper trail says, but stay tuned! You just never know!