"Kings" Connection Combat: Martin Luther King vs King Henry the VIII

Question

Following this week's "Kings" theme, our Connection Combat game features Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and King Henry VIII of England.

Here's how the game is played:

1. Check your connection to Martin Luther King and Henry VIII (click "Connection to Me" in each profile pull-down menu).
2. Click "Answer this post" below. Choose Team MLK or Team Henry VIII and say how many degrees are in your chosen connection path.
3. Verify each relationship along your connection path with a reliable source [more explanation].
4. Post a comment below your answer here as soon as you're done.

The players with the closest verified connection wins!

There are seven additional ways to win and enter the Connection Combat Hall of Fame. These require clearing your path of all "WikiTree Weevils."

This game runs from February 27 - March 5. Winners will be announced on March 6.

Do you want to help others? We call this "combat" just for fun. It's really more about collaboration than competition. Please participate in your team's Aid Station and stop by when you have questions or problems.

• Team Martin Luther King Aid Station
• Team Henry the VIII Aid Station

You can also chat live on Discord. See the Connection Combat help page for more information.

Are you in?

Answer 1

Winner: Anna Farrar (14) for Team Henry!

• Gold Hero: Anna Farrar (14) (Henry)
• Silver Hero: Daniel Lewis (16) (Henry)
• Bronze Hero: Nanette Rohrbaugh (16) (Martin)
• Gold Veteran: Feargal Hennigan (30) (Henry)
• Silver Veteran: Erin Breen (25) (Henry)
• Bronze Veteran: Chris O'Connell (24) (Martin)
• Scout: Kevin Smith (20) (Henry)
• Medics: Mildred Wheeler (55)
• Double Agents: Erin Breen, Nanette Rohrbaugh
• Peacemaker: Chris O'Connell
• International Legionnarie: N/A

Answer 2

It's a tie for me at 20 degrees! But King Henry is my 4th cousin 16 times removed plus I have always been rather fascinated by him so....  Team Henry it is!

Answer 3

Earlier, it was a tie. But now it says Martin is 21 degrees and not 18. So I will have to go back through his line. I also lost my blood relationship with him as this morning he was listed as my 23rd cousin, once removed. 

Here is my Team Henry 18 degrees (one branch)! Checked and verified!

Henry is my 3rd cousin, 15 times removed.

0. Henry Tudor →
1. Margaret Tudor (his sister) →
2. Alexander Stewart (her son) →
3. Margaret Stewart (his sister) →
4. Margaret Stewart (her daughter) →
5. Sibilla Drummond (her daughter) →
6. John Ogilvy (her son) →
7. Sibilla Ogilvy (his daughter) →
8. David Falconer (her son) →
9. Alexander Falconer (his son) →
10. Alexander Falconer (his son) →
11. Charity Falconer (his daughter) →
12. Nancy Barnes (her daughter) →
13. Eliza Mount (her daughter) →
14. Arthur Howell (her son) → 
15. James Howell (his son) →
16. Elmer Sayers-Howell (his son) →
17. Larry Sayers-Howell (his son) →
18. Shonda Sayers-Howell (me) 

Answer 4

Team Henry at 21 degrees through wife Catherine Howard.

Comments

Fun! Mine was through Anne Boleyn.

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Mine is also through Catherine Howard.

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Ooh jealous! Well Anne and Catherine were cousins :)

Answer 5

Just one degree difference,  King Henry the VIII is 18 degrees and my 2nd cousin 17 times removed.  Martin Luther King, Jr in 19 degrees and my 10th cousin 2 times removes.

So I am Team Henry the VIII

Comments

     0.  King Henry VIII

1. his son  Henry Fitzroy
2. his brother George de Tailboys
3. his wife Margaret Skipworth
4. her brother Henry Skipworth
5. his son William Skipworth
6. his son Henry Skipworth
7. his daughter Diana Skipworth
8. her daughter Elizabeth Dale
9. her husband William Rogers
10. his wife Mary Stott
11. her son William Pullen
12. his daughter Elizabeth Betty Pullen
13. her son Obadiah Hammons Jr
14. his daughter Nancy Hammons
15. her son George Riley
16. his wife Eliza Warren
17. her son James Jones (my grandfather)
18. his son my dad
19. his daughter ME

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This is my verified line:

0. Henry Tudor
   →
1. ✖Catherine Howard
   (his wife)→
2. ✖Ralph Leigh
   (her brother)→
3. ✖John Leigh
   (his son)→
4. ✖John Leigh
   (his son)→
5. ✖Thomas Leigh
   (his son)→
6. ✖Anne Leigh
   (his daughter)→
7. ✖John Stockman
   (her son)→
8. ✖Joseph Stockman
   (his son)→
9. ✖Dorothy Stockman
   (his daughter)→
10. ✖Hannah Evans
    (her daughter)→
11. ✖Jonathan Dalton
    (her son)→
12. ✖John Dalton
    (his son)→
13. ✖Eliza Dalton
    (his daughter)→
14. ✖Edward Brown
    (her son)→
15. ✖Helen Brown
    (his daughter)→
16. ✖Lawrence Haggerty
    (her husband)→
17. ✖Catherine Rooney
    (his mother)→
18. ✖Rose Rooney
    (her sister)→
19. ✖Michael Doherty
    (her son)→
20. Father (Private)
    (his son)→
21. ME

Answer 6

Henry VIII is 20 degrees and MLK 23 degrees.  Team Henry VIII for me, completed.

Answer 7

Closest to Henry VIII through his Sister Margaret at 21 degrees MLK was 27 so I'm in team Henry VIII not sure what Im doing but off to clean a few profiles lol

Comments

I'm doing my best but the line goes through one of my LDS relatives (Mercer), who at the time practised Polygamy so hard to figure out which child belongs to which wife thought I might switch teams but the other line also goes through a LDS relative (Moss). I've connected a few lines in (Kirkham) also LDS. there appears to be two Kirkham lines one originating from Bolton-le-Sands, Lancashire the other from Surrey thats when my head fell off!

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The line also goes through Robert Bruce which is pre 1600 so I think I'm well and truly out 

Answer 8

King Henry by  land slide (17 vs 28 for MLK).

My grandmother's third husband was a  direct descendant of William Stafford, who was married to Anne Boleyn's sister Mary Boleyn.

King Henry is also my 7th cousin 15 times removed, through Edward I and his wife Leonor of Castille.

My connection to MLK is through Catherine Goland, who emmigrated from England (London area) to Michigan (US) sometime between 1842 and 1850.

Comments

The complete path from me to Henry VIII is confident.

Answer 9

Team Henry VIII at 17 degrees; 1st cousins 16 times removed.

Will have to work on a couple of unk confidences

Comments

The unk confidences are all verified:

The parentage for Sir Thomas Grey - Elizabeth Woodville and John Grey is well established. Elizabeth’s 2nd marriage was to King Edward IV and in part because of that marriage her life story is well documented. Here is a link for reference. https://thewarsoftheroses.co.uk/elizabeth-woodville-queen-consort/

Gov. Simon Bradstreet and Anne Dudley are for certain the parents of Dorothy Bradstreet. There are family histories posted on Ancestry.com that verify this, but it’s behind a paywall. Considering both her parents were notable people for their time, both their family histories are well documented. 

Here is a birth record l found on Family Search for Thomas Cotton. It Shows his parents as John Cotton and Ann(Lake)

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLL6-9QW

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1. Cathy is the daughter of [private mother] 
2. [Private] is the daughter of Mary Shaw (Pope) Kerr (1900-1973)
3. Mary is the daughter of Fanny Laura (Shaw) Pope (1875-1961)
4. Fanny is the daughter of Mary Alice (Bissell) Shaw (1843-1910) 

5. Mary is the daughter of Martha Cotton (Moulton) Bissell (1815-1858) 

6. Martha is the daughter of Maria (Cotton) Moulton (abt.1794-1875)
7. Maria is the daughter of Bybe Lake Cotton (1763-1846) 

8. Bybe is the son of Samuel Cotton (1733-1770)
9. Samuel is the son of Thomas Lake Cotton (1695-1770)
10. Thomas is the son of John Archibald Cotton (1658-1710)
11. John is the son of Dorothy (Bradstreet) Cotton (1633-1672)
12. Dorothy is the daughter of Anne (Dudley) Bradstreet (1612-1672)
13. Anne is the daughter of Thomas Dudley (bef.1576-1653) 
14. Thomas is the son of Roger Dudley (abt.1550-1586) 

15. Roger is the son of Henry Dudley (abt.1517-abt.1568)
16. Henry is the son of Cicely (Grey) Sutton (abt.1488-bef.1554)
17. Cicely is the daughter of Thomas Grey KG KB (1455-abt.1501)
18. Thomas is the son of Elizabeth (Woodville) York (abt.1437-1492) 
This makes Elizabeth the 16th great grandmother of Cathy.

Answer 10

Count me in for Team Henry.

Comments

0. Henry Tudor ✓
1. Mary Tudor (his sister) ✓
2. Frances Brandon (her daughter) ✓
3. Catherine Grey (her daughter) ✓
4. Edward Seymour (her son) ✓
5. Francis Seymour (his son) ✓
6. Charles Seymour (his son) ✓
7. Frances Seymour (his daughter) ✓
8. Ann Hungerford (her daughter) ✓
9. Southcote Luttrell (her son) ✓
10. Edward Luttrell (his son) ✓
11. Alfred Luttrell (his son) ✓
12. Ann John (his wife)
13. Mary John (her sister)
14. James Blackman (her husband) ✓
15. Henrietta Blackman (his sister) ✓
16. Richard Merrick (her son) ✓
17. Arthur Merrick (his son) ✓
18. Mary Bull (his wife) ✓
19. Henry Bull (her father) ✓
20. Edmund Bull (his brother) ✓
21. Yvonne Bull (his daughter) ✓
22. William Colelough (her husband) ✓
23. James Colclough (his father) ✓
24. William Colclough (his father) ✓
25. John Colclough (his brother) ✓
26. John Colclough (his son) ✓
27. Patricia Colclough (his daughter) ✓
28. Living (her daughter) ✓
29. Living (her daughter) ✓
30. Feargal Hennigan (her son) ✓

Answer 11

Team Henry VIII for me this week – He and I are 20 degrees apart (but I can see a problem in there, so who knows how things will shake out). MLK Jr. and I are 25 apart.

Comments

Verified my connection to Henry VIII, in 23 steps. This was a good exercise, I don't often get into the pre-1700s and it was interesting to see what is considered a reliable secondary source (and what isn't!)

0. Henry Tudor →
1. Elizabeth York (his mother)→
2. Thomas Grey (her brother)→
3. Cicely Grey (his daughter)→
4. Henry Dudley (her son)→
5. Roger Dudley (his son)→
6. Thomas Dudley (his son)→
7. Mercy Dudley (his daughter)→
8. John Woodbridge (her son)→
9. Mercy Woodbridge (his daughter)→
10. Benjamin Ruggles (her husband)→
11. Rebecca Ruggles (his sister)→
12. Joseph Read (her son)→
13. Eliphalet Read (his son)→
14. Eliphalet Read (his son)→
15. George Read (his son)→
16. James Read (his son)→
17. Sarah Bowser (his wife)→
18. Johnson Bowser (her brother)→
19. Lloyd Bowser (his son)→
20. Private →
21. Private →
22. Private →
23. Erin Breen
     

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Verified my connection to Martin Luther King Jr. 

0. Martin King →
1. Coretta Scott (his wife)→
2. Bernice McMurry (her mother)→
3. Molly Smith (her mother)→
4. Adaline Blackburn (her mother)→
5. Sidney Blackburn (her father)→
6. Elizabeth Gantt (his mother)→
7. Joseph Gauntt (her father)→
8. Israel Gaunt (his father)→
9. Zebulon Gaunt (his father)→
10. Hannaniah Gaunt (his father)→
11. Lydia Gaunt (his sister)→
12. Thomas Burgess (her son)→
13. Edward Burgess (his son)→
14. Sarah Burgess (his daughter)→
15. Elizabeth Mosher (her daughter)→
16. Abigail Black (her daughter)→
17. Hannah Smith (her daughter)→
18. William Pipes (her son)→
19. Mary Pipes (his daughter)→
20. Celia Morris (her daughter)→
21. Vera Simmonds (her daughter)→
22. Private →
23. Private →
24. Private →
25. Erin Breen

Answer 12

Team Henry for me, at 17 degrees. Need to add some sources to one profile. I'll reply to this when I'm done. (Martin is 21 degrees and waaay too much work.)

Answer 13

First time player here.

I will go with Team Henry. Henry is currently 18 degrees away and MLK is 24 degrees away. I have no blood relationship to MLK, but Henry and I are 2C 17R.

I am connected to Henry through his son Henry Fitzroy's wife.

Answer 14

No contest for me; Henry with 16 degrees is my 3rd cousin, 15x removed. Rev. King is not even related to me, and is connected only through my husband! While I would much rather be connected to such a remarkable man, I am dutifully reporting for Team Henry!

My 8th Great Grandmother Sarah Humphrey’s sister’s grandfather’s brother was Henry Clinton, 1/2 brother to Margaret Clinton who shared a mother with Henry Fitzroy, son of Henry VIII. 

Comments

So I am still working on this. In verifying the connection, I have found that my 3rd GGrandmother is likely not the daughter of the parents that are listed. This is a huge change in our lineage that has been accepted for probably decades. Still working to prove her parentage around 1815 in New York...

Answer 15

Team Henry VIII. I'm 17 degrees away. But also 20 degrees away from Martin Luther King. 

Answer 16

Both Kings are about the same distance from me, so I'm going to choose the Doctor since the family line is more interesting.

0. Martin King

1. Coretta Scott (his wife)

2. Obadiah Scott (her father)

3. Jefferson Scott (his father)

4. Delia Clements (his mother)

5. Peter Tubbs (her husband)

6. Carter Tubb (his father)

7. William Tubb (his father)

8. William Tubb (his father)

9. George Tubb (his father)

10, William Tubb (his brother)

11. Susannah Tubb (his daughter) Need help. Her parents are unsourced.

12. Elizabeth Few (her daughter)✔️ expanded bio

13. William Jenkins (her son) ✔️ expanded bio, added categories

14. Mamie Jenkins (his daughter)✔️ expanded bio, added categories

15. Ida Pearl Jenkins (her daughter)✔️ expanded bio, added categories

16. Private (her daughter)✔️

17. Living (her daughter)✔️

18. Living✔️

19. Living✔️

20. Living ✔️

21. Me

Answer 17

Henry 8th is my first cousin a bunch of generations removed.  I’m surprised more people here aren’t descended directly from Edward 4th … nearly everyone is?

Comments

Instead of Edward IV, I descend from James IV of Scotland and get to Henry through his sister, Margaret Tudor.

Answer 18

I am 18 degrees from Henry VIII and he is my 3rd cousin 17 times removed. Jane Seymour his 3rd wife I think is also my 14th Great Grand Aunt.

Answer 19

16 degrees through his wife Jane Seymour

0.Henry Tudor

1.Jane Seymour his wife;

2.Elizabeth Seymour her sister;

3.Thomas Cromwell her son;

4.Elizabeth Cromwell his daughter;

5.Isabel Barbage her daughter;

6.Thomas Wiswall her husband;

7.Ichabod Wiswall his son;

8.Hannah Wiswall his daughter;

9.Faith Robinson her daughter;

10.David Trumbull her son;

11.Abigail Trumbull his daughter;

12.Peter Lanman her son;

13.Charles Lanman his son;

14.Esther Lanman his daughter

15.private her daughter;

me

Answer 20

I am 14 degrees from Henry VIII

Henry VII

Margaret Tudor- His sister

Henry Stewart- Her husband

Margaret Stewart - His daughter

Andrew Stuart - her son

Robert Stewart - his son

George Stewart - his son

Alexander Stewart - his son

Alexander Stewart - his son

John Stewart - his son

William Stewart - his son

Luther Stewart -  his son

Alvie Stewart - his son

Audrey Stewart - his daughter

Anne McNabb - her daughter