Brad Geist

Ancestors

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Biography

Brad is a Roman Catholic.

Brad is a member of the Legion of Mary.

Brad Geist was born in Kansas.

Brad Geist has German Roots.

Descendant of Volga Germans.

Brad Geist has Austrian Roots.

Brad Geist has English ancestors.

Brad has Irish ancestors.

Brad has Scottish ancestors.

Brad has Dutch roots.

Brad has Spanish roots.

Brad has French ancestors.

Brad Geist is a member of the Korte Name Study Project.

Brad is the 1st cousin, eight times removed of Daniel Boone.

Brad is the 1st cousin, eight times removed of Brigadier General Daniel Morgan.

Brad is the 3rd cousin, four times removed of Jesse James.

Brad is the 3rd cousin, seven times removed of President Abraham Lincoln.

Brad is the 4th cousin, ten times removed of President George Washington.

Brad is the 5th cousin, four times removed of President Harry S. Truman.

Brad is the 7th cousin, four times removed of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Brad is the 5th cousin, nine times removed of John Hancock III.

Brad is the 12th great grand nephew of William Shakespeare.

Brad is the 24th great-grandson of St. Ferdinand III, King of Castille and León.

Brad is the 25th great-grandson of St. Louis IX, King of France.

Brad is the 1st cousin, twenty three times removed of St. Elizabeth, Queen Consort of Portugal.

Brad is the 23rd great grand nephew of St. Louis of Tolouse.

Brad is the 27th great-grandson of St. Humbert, Count of Savoy.

Brad is the 25th great grand nephew of St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary.

Brad is the 29th great-grandson of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland.

Brad is the 29th great-grandson of St. David, King of Scotland.

Brad is the 30th great-grandson of St. Adele of France, Countess of Flanders.

Brad is the 1st cousin, thirty one times removed of St. Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Brad is the 31st great grand nephew of St. Edward the Martyr, King of England.

Brad is the 32nd great-grandson of St. Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev.

Brad is the 32nd great-grandson of Bl. Richeza of Lotharingia, Queen of Poland.

Brad is the 34th great-grandson of St. Olga, Princess of Kiev.

Brad is the 36th great-grandson of Bl. Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor.

Brad is the 39th great-grandson of St. Itte of Nivelles.

Brad is the 1st cousin 42 times removed of St. Dagobert II, King of Franks.

Brad is the 45th great-grandson of St. Clothilde, Queen of the Franks.

I grew up on the wide expanse of plains in Northwest Kansas and spent my childhood hunting, fishing, perusing the library, reading, fossil hunting, and more. I attended Benedictine College in Atchison, KS and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Philosophy. I spent three years discerning life as a Benedictine Monk at St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, KS, during which time I was Br. Benedict Mary Geist, OSB. I eventually discerned that it wasn't where God was calling me. Since then I have married my wonderful wife and we have two beautiful daughters. I now work as a Pastoral Associate at two Catholic Churches in Kansas City, MO. I run the office of one parish, lead many ministries including the Legion of Mary, a Bible Study, and an adult catechesis program, as well as coordinate the weddings and funerals at the parishes among many other duties.

I've always been interested in history and genealogy since I was a kid, having grown up attending family reunions and hearing about and reading the exploits of my great grandfather on my mother's side, Leslie Linville, who was a farmer and an amateur Kansas historian. He and my great grandmother have helped to do some of the heavy lifting on their sides for genealogy, which has made filling in his pages and those around him fairly easy. Now that I have kids of my own, I have taken an even greater interest in preserving my heritage for my children so that it can be passed down.

I currently rent about half a mile from a nice genealogy center and it's what spurred me into getting into my family's history. I told myself that if I moved away from here without ever having taken advantage of the center, I would never forgive myself. Since then, it's become a fun hobby to keep adding to the story- to find more sources, the next ancestor.

I have been deeply fascinated by the fact that my mother's side has so many notables, including those that helped to build the United States and those that had a huge impact on history. I'm related to roughly 3/4 of the U.S. Presidents and many other famous Americans. Of great note is the fact that I am descended from the Lincolns, making Abraham Lincoln my 3rd cousin 7 times removed. This comes by way of the Linville line, that goes back to the early days of our country. Two Linville brothers came to America in the late 1600's and it is through them that practically all the Linvilles in the United States are descended. If you have ancestry with the Linvilles, you are almost certainly related to me.

Through my mother, I am descended from the Plantagenet family by way of John of Gaunt, the son of King Edward III of England and Duke of Lancaster. Due to the intermarriage of many royal houses in Europe, this makes me the descendent of a large number of nationalities including Byzantine, German, Hungarian, Polish, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and so much more.

One of the most particularly interesting aspects of my family tree to me is the number Catholic saints in my family through the Plantagenets. Ever since I began to take my faith and relationship with God more seriously in high school, I've always been drawn to the stories of the saints- those that lived lives of heroic charity and intimate friendship with God, showing us the way to live a good life of exceptional virtue. These are people that once walked among us, struggled with many of the same things we do (as well as many different ones) and, as I've learned, passed on not just their example of sanctity, but often their lineage as well. In 2017, I proposed to my wife at the relic chapel in the convent of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, MO. They have housed there the relics of over 500 saints and I was pleased to learn that at least a handful of my ancestors and family were present to witness the next step in their family's story.

My mom is also part German and I've been very pleased to be able to find so much already up on her side. I've been adding to it as I can.

My father's side of my family is pretty much entirely Volga German, Austrian, or just German. It's been a tremendous learning curve as I explore German records. It's led me to begin learning German, at least to better read and understand the records I'm going through. My Geist ancestors helped to build St. Fidelis (aka the Cathedral on the Plains) in Victoria, KS.

I am also proud to say I am the descendent of many veterans including:

Elmer Joseph Geist Sr.

Valentine Gruber

Benjamin Francisco

Benjamin Tallman

Aaron Williams

Jasper Marion Linville

William Henry Burch

Wooten Harris

Isaac Harris

Gottfried Hubert Mumm

On the side of my bio are stickers telling some of the more notable people I am related to. Needless to say, it is not exhaustive.

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Brad Geist at registration.