Are you related to P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman?

Question

P.T. Barnum (1810-1891) is my "fourth cousin five times removed", and was born in Bethel, Connecticut, a few miles from where I grew up. I am looking forward to seeing the new movie "inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum": The Greatest Showman. 

At the age of 45, P.T. Barnum published his autobiography: The Life of P.T. Barnum. He updated his autobiography several times throughout his life. He writes in the Preface of the 1855 edition:

• "I have been a farmer's boy and a merchant, a clerk and a manager, a showman and a bank-president. I have been in jails and in palaces; have known poverty and abundance; I have traveled over a large portion of two Continents; have encountered all varieties of men, have seen every phase of human character; and I have on several occasions been in imminent personal peril."

I hope it is a good movie.

Answer 1

He is also my 4th cousin, 5 times removed (through his mother).  The commercials look like they are making him "larger than life," which is probably appropriate.  They are a very interesting family.  At least to me.

Comments

We are 7th cousins, once removed.

Answer 2

We are very distant cousins--17th cousins, three times removed.  Of the 122 common ancestors in 30 generations, the closest relationship is with Richard Peveral and his wife, Jane Elyon.

Answer 3

Just checked...he is my wife's 4th cousin x times removed.

Answer 4

Well, not me, but Patrick W. Barnum is.

Patrick is the originator and leader of several projects: Latin American Roots, Mexican Roots, Puerto Rican Roots.

Patrick and Phineas are fourth cousins five times removed

Exactly the same as you are Rick !

Comments

Patrick and I are 8th cousins. Our nearest common ancestor is Richard Barnum (1675-1739). Richard is the son of P.T. Barnum's 3rd-great-grandfather, Thomas Barnum (1625-1695). WikiTree is great at finding connections!

Answer 5

My wife (Sojat-1) and Phineas Barnum are third cousins 6 times removed!

Answer 6

Not Related. I grew up in Butler, IN, my dad ran a gas station and the next door neighbor was Garman Hallett, b 1887 DeKalb, Indiana, d 1970 Dekalb, Indiana. Garman was a farmer, farming the land that had been his parents up until he died.

The reason I'm commenting is because Garman and his wife tossed some old books that I looked through and found the book you reference but the sales version with only partial print to get you hooked. It had tin type photos and other old papers and was used as a journal for farming records. Before I took the book, I asked Garman about it and he said I could have it and that he was related to P. T. Barnum. I see several trees on Ancestry but can't find any reference to Garman.

I still have the book somewhere around here and will have to dig it out & look at it again.

Paul, Ohio, USA  Gedmatch A228451, A428058 & A852254

Comments

The tin type photos and old papers would be interesting to see.

Here is some information on Garman Hallett.

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His profile is on WikiTree - Hallett-1065

Answer 7

I guess I am, Phineas and Dale are 22nd cousins twice removed.

Answer 8

I'm not related to P.T. but my 3rd cousin, Maud Durbin, who was an actress married actor Otis Skinner and his father, who was a Universalist minister was close friends of P.T. Barnum, a member of his church. P.T. Barnum helped Otis Skinner get his first break into acting.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Skinner

Comments

Otis and his father are mentioned in "P.T. Barnum: The Legend and the Man", Page 57.

 

 

Answer 9

PT is my 7 th cousin 6 times removed through William Curtis on my grandmothers Beach family. I actually believe there are closer Barnum ties but they have not been confirmed !

Answer 10

I’m 25 degrees from him