Kurt Potter

Ancestors

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Kurt Potter was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Proud of My Genealogy-Based Patriotic Organizations

Kurt Potter is a member of several lineage-based Patriotic organizations. If you are a close relative, then the application's document requirements are reduced by 95% to join in many of these shown.

Recognized Patriot Ancestors for my membership in the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) now includes four certified SAR Patriots; I have a total of over 35 American Patriot great-grandfathers who fought during the War for Independence.

• Capt. John Potter (1746-1818) My 6th great-grandfather served as a Lieutenant and Paymaster attached to Col. Ezra Wood’s Regiment of Massachusetts Militia, 1778-1779. In 1777 1Lt. Potter was attached to the Col. James Converse’s 4th Regiment of Militia, the Worcester County Regiment. He attained the rank of captain sometime after the war. Captain John Potter's Brookfield Massachusetts Company of Militia were called out twice in support of suppression of the Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787). Capt. Potter is the 10th cousin of Pres. George Washington.
• Sgt. Henry Hatevil Fall (1750-1845) My 5th great-grandfather served as a Sergeant in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War for six years and was attached to Col. William Bond’s 37th Massachusetts Line Regiment and Col. John Greaton's 3rd Massachusetts Line Regiment. Henry participated in the Invasion of Quebec, the Siege of Boston campaign, and fought at the Battles of Valcour Bay (where he was wounded aboard the USS Spitfire), Trenton, Princeton, and Saratoga. Sgt. Fall is the 10th cousin of Pres. George Washington.
• Cpl. David Rockwell (1748-1809) My 5th great-grandfather served as a Corporal in Capt. Zacheus Case’s Company of Col. Thomas Belding’s 6th Regiment of Connecticut Militia and was encamped at Peekskill, New York for two months in 1777. Took the Oath of Fidelity in December 1779. One of the early pioneer settlers of Colebrook, Litchfield County, Connecticut in 1769. Cpl. Rockwell is the 2nd cousin 2x removed of Pres. Ulysses S. Grant. (SAR Supplemental Application approval is pending)
• Pvt. Peter Jost Snell (1730-1804). My 6th great-grandfather served as an American Private in Col. Jacob Klock's 2nd Regiment of the Tyron County New York Militia (Palatine District) in Capt. Christian House's Company. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Oriskany at the age of 47 years and fought at the Battle of Stone Arabia (1780). He was amongst the nearly 17 Snell fathers, sons, uncles, cousins and nephews who fought in the Battle of Oriskany; as many as nine of these Snells lost their lives on that day. He was also a veteran of the French & Indian War.
• Pvt. Daniel Holloway (1755-1837) My 6th great-grandfather was born in England and came to America as a soldier of the British Army under Major General John Burgoyne. He was taken prisoner after one year, was part of a prisoner exchange, and when released he joined the American forces. Considering historical narratives, Daniel was probably taken prisoner after the British defeat at The Battles of Saratoga in October 1777, and as such, was part of the “Convention Army” that included captured British troops who were marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and were encamped there for one year. For six months in 1780, Daniel served as a Private in the Continental Army in Capt. James Keith's Company of Col. Michael Jackson's 8th Massachusetts Line Regiment.

Recognized Founder Ancestor for my membership in The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (OFPA) now includes two Founders, and based on application requirements ("double generational requirement" that connects the same male bloodline from you, to a Revolutionary War Patriot, and onto an foreign-born Founder in America before 1657), I cannot certify other ancestors as founders in the organization. Of the those listed in the Founders of Early American Families OFPA book, about far more than 120 of my great-grandfathers are identified.

• Francis Eaton (1596-1633) My 11th great-grandfather was born at Bristol, Gloucestershire/Somerset, England and was a passenger on the Mayflower, which arrived off Cape Cod on 11 Nov 1620. He was the Mayflower's ship's carpenter employed by London Merchant Adventurers group. Francis was a signer of the Mayflower Compact. The required Revolutionary War Patriot in the same family line is Pvt. Samuel Eaton Sr. (1732-1820).
• Anthony Potter (1628-1690) My 10th great-grandfather arrived in America before 1647, he was of Ipswich, Massachusetts and owned a farm, one of the best in town, on the road to Salem, about a mile southwest of Ipswich village, and extending north to Ipswich river. He was successful in the raising of fruit and became a rich landowner. The required Revolutionary War Patriot in the same family line is Capt. John Potter (1746-1818)

Recognized Loyalist Ancestors for my membership in the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada (UELAC) now includes two certified Loyalists and I have a total of 8 great-grandfathers who are identified as Proven Loyalists. To be classified as a Loyalists, individual great-grandfathers had to have settled in the 13 Colonies at the outbreak of the American Revolution; remained loyal to Great Britain during the conflict and took up the Royal Standard; and settled in what is now Canada at the end of the war. Thus, these Loyalist Ancestors most likely fought against my American Patriot Ancestors during the war in Upstate New York.

• Pvt. Johann Eberhardt Wägar (1732-1796) My 5th great-grandfather served as a Private with Lt.Col. John Peter’s Regiment of the Queen's Loyal Rangers during the 1777 Battles of Ft. Ticonderoga, Hubbardton, Bennington, and Saratoga. He was one of just 90 Loyalists survivors who escaped back to Canada after the British defeat at Saratoga. Afterwards, he served with Capt. John W. Meyer's Company (9th) and Maj. Edward Jessup’s Company of Loyal Rangers and was engaged in raids, intelligence gathering and defensive operations in the area of St. Lawrence, Lake Champlain, Quebec and Vermont.
• Pvt. Thomas Wagar (1762-1845) My 4th great-grandfather served as a Private with the 2nd Battalion of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York (KRRNY) in Capt. William Redford’s Company. During the period of 1781-1784, his unit fought a series of raiding campaigns through the Mohawk Valley and elsewhere in Upstate New York, to rescue beleaguered Loyalists and to disrupt the food supply to the Continental Army. He may have been engaged at the Battles of Stone Arabia and Klock’s Field.

Recognized Founder Ancestor for my membership in The Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford (SDFH) now includes one founder who is a great-grandfather, but 19 of my great-grandparents are identified as Hartford Founders, and a total of two are Founders of Norwalk.

• Matthew Marvin (1600-1680) My 11th great-grandfather was a founder of both Hartford and Norwalk, Connecticut. He was among the so-called “Adventurers Party” of twenty-five men who set out to explore the area that would become Hartford, led by John Steele in Oct 1635. One of 16 founders living in Hartford in 1635 prior to the arrival of Hooker’s party. His name is on the stone memorials in both Hartford and Norwalk. Matthew's 8th great-grandson is Pres. Gerald Ford, and his 9th great-grand-nephew is Pres. George W. Bush.

Recognized Patriot Ancestor for my membership in The General Society of the War of 1812 includes just one Patriot, and I have a total of three great-grandfathers who fought in this war.

• Pvt. John Potter (1777-1868) My 5th great-grandfather served as a Private in Capt. Elisha Camp's 6th Artillery Company of BGen. Jacob Brown's New York State Militia. He was engaged in the First Battle of Sackets Harbor on 19 Jul 1812. The battle was the first engagement of the War in U.S. territory and went into the history books as a victory for America.

Proud of My Famous Cousins and Great-Grandfathers

If you have an genealogy tree, you too have a portfolio of similar famous cousins to help personalize your history. The rule with genealogy-based ancestors is to take to good with the bad, but they tend to be remarkable. Although most "direct ancestors" tend to be very ordinary people, they fought as a cluster in some of the most decisive battles in world history, while the "famous cousins" tend to be touched by greatness, as the odds for fame tend to be more favorable for them as a category. They were presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens and Founding Fathers. I've balanced the extremes of valor appropriation with making genealogy interesting for subsequent generations. While it does get a bit ridiculous going past 10 generations to connect to a famous cousin (but many will go 35 generations to connect directly to Royalty), there is always a hope that their good DNA filtered through to current generations via our shared ancestors. It only takes one person to change history. If you have a direct ancestor who is traced back to America in the 1600s, usually called The Great Migration, there is a 70% chance that you are a cousin to anyone who also has any 1600s American ancestor.

American Revolutionary War Generals Who Are My Cousins. Via the luck of genealogy, I count 49 blood-cousins who were Continental Army generals, 15 Colonial Militia generals, one Continental Navy Commodore who were active during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). On the other side, I also count more than 24 British Army generals and Royal Navy admirals as cousins as well. A sample of my cousin-generals is shown below.

• Gov. Oliver Wolcott Sr. (1726-1797) My 1st cousin 10x removed was one of Connecticut’s principal delegates to the Continental Congress, and as a Founding Father he was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence. Commanding Major General of the Connecticut Militia during the Revolution. Later Lieutenant Governor and then Governor of Connecticut. Said of him, “It is doubtful if any other official in Connecticut during this period carried so many public duties on his shoulders.”
• Rev. MGen. John Peter Gabriel Mühlenberg (1746-1807) My 2nd cousin 7x removed was a distinguished Revolutionary War general in the Continental Army from Virginia who was also a Lutheran minister and later a Senator and Member of the US House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Fought at the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and Siege of Yorktown.
• MGen. Benedict Arnold V (1741-1801) My 3rd cousin 7x removed was a trusted general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War who spied and later defected to the British forces in 1780. His name is still synonymous with treason and betrayal.
• Dr. MGen. Joseph Warren (1741-1775) My 3rd cousin 8x removed was a physician by trade and an original member of the Sons of Liberty[1]. As a famed Major General he was second general in command of the Massachusetts Militia and participated in the opening engagements of the Revolutionary War, to include the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. If not for his early death, many have speculated that he may have rivaled Gen. Washington as the top military leader of the Revolution.
• MGen. Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810) My 4th cousin 8x removed was a famed general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was involved in three major surrenders during the war: Battles of Saratoga, the Siege of Charleston, and, as Gen. Washington's second in command when he formally accepted the British surrender at Yorktown. The first US Secretary of War and original member of The Society of the Cincinnati. He led the private militia that suppressed Shays’ Rebellion in 1787.
• BGen. Rufus Putnam (1738-1824) My 4th cousin 9x removed was a distinguished general during the Revolutionary War and also fought during the French and Indian War. Chief of Engineers of the Works of New York who built fortifications at West Point and elsewhere. Commander of two regiments at the Battle of Saratoga. Known as "Father of the Northwest Territory" for organizing the Ohio Company of Associates, which after the war settled the area that is now known as the State of Ohio, and included others.
• General of the Armies George Washington (1732-1799) My 10th cousin 7x removed is the legendary military personality who led the Continental Army and Patriot Forces during the American Revolutionary War, and later became the 1st President of the United States. His posthumous promotion to General of the Armies in 1976 makes him senior to all other grades of the US Army, past or present.
• MGen. Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-1794) My 12th cousin 11x removed was a famed Prussian military officer and Continental Army general during the Revolutionary War who is best known for reforming and transforming the Continental Army into a disciplined and professional fighting force starting at the winter encampment at Valley Forge. At the Battle of Monmouth and Siege of Yorktown. Prior to the Revolution, participated in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. Regarded as one of the fathers of the US Army.
• MGen. Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) Also known as Gilbert du Motier, my 17th cousin 7x removed was a legendary French army officer and Continental Army general during the American Revolution who commanded troops during the decisive Siege of Yorktown in 1781, which was the war's final major battle that secured American independence. French aristocrat, freemason, and hero in France as well.

Heroic Cousins Who Fought at the Battle of Britain 10 July until 31 October 1940. Serving under the famed R.A.F. Fighter Command during the desperate and dark hours of World War II, my American, Canadian and South African cousins participated in a battle that changed history. Of the nine Americans documented to have fought in this battle ("The Few"), four are my cousins shown below. As is often quoted: "Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few."

• Air Commodore Sir Whitney Willard Straight (1912-1979) My 7th Cousin 3X removed was born in the United States and served as a naturalized British citizen and aviator with the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) in No. 601 Squadron during the Battle of Britain; he is credited with three aerial combat victories during the war. Prisoner of war who escaped captivity. Aviation entrepreneur and race car driver. Mother and wife were wealthy heiresses. Awarded the Commanders of the Order of the British Empire.
• Pilot Officer William “Billy” Meade Lindsley Fiske III (1911-1940) My 9th cousin 3x removed was the first American aviator to join the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) during World War II. Serving in the Volunteer Reserve, he pretend to be a Canadian in order to circumvent American neutrality laws, and is listed as one of just nine other Americans who fought under R.A.F. Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, flying a Hurricane for No. 601 Squadron, the so called "Millionaires' Squadron". He died after crash landing his plane. Billy was the first American killed in action during World War II. Olympic Bobsled Gold Medalist in 1928 and 1932, and the youngest Gold Medalist in any Winter Game; American Olympic flagbearer in the 1932 games.
• Pilot Officer (Maj.) DePeyster Brown (1915-1991) My 9th cousin 3x removed was an American aviator who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.), fought at the Battle of Britain, and is listed as one of just nine other Americans who fought under R.A.F. Fighter Command during the battle. He is credited with two aerial victories flying a Hurricane for No. 1 Squadron of the R.C.A.F. and was wounded in action. Brown would later transfer to the USAAF in 1942 and was there awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
• Pilot Officer Robert Roy Wilson (1920-1940) My 11th cousin 0x removed was a Canadian aviator for the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve, who was listed as missing in action over the sea during the Battle of Britain flying a Hurricane for No. 111 Squadron. Credited with two aerial victories.
• Pilot Officer Philip Howard Leckrone (1912-1941) My 15th cousin 4x removed was an American aviator who fought at the Battle of Britain and flew with No. 616 Squadron of the R.A.F. He joined the R.A.F. via Canada, is listed as one of just nine other Americans who fought under R.A.F. Fighter Command during the battle, and was killed in a flying accident in January 1941.
• Flight Lieutenant John Kenneth Haviland (1921-2002) My 18th cousin 3x removed was an American aviator who fought at the Battle of Britain and flew with No. 152 Squadron of the R.A.F. He joined the R.A.F. in 1939 while a student in UK and was called up at the start of the war. He is listed as one of just nine other Americans who fought under R.A.F. Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. He never integrated into the USAAF upon America’s entry into the conflict and served in the R.A.F. until 1945. Awarded the (British) Distinguished Flying Cross.
• Group Captain Hartland de Montarville Molson (1907-2002) My 19th cousin 4x removed was a Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.) aviator, flight group captain in No. 401 Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Battle of Britain, where he flew 62 missions before being shot down and wounded over England. Credited with one confirmed aerial victory flying a Hurricane. Awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. President of Molson Brewing Company and Canadian Senator.
• Group Captain Adolph (Sailor) Malan (1910-1963) My 21st cousin 7x removed was a South African aviator, R.A.F. flight lieutenant and commanding officer of No. 74 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Credited with 27 aerial victories and one of the leading aces. Multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

Heroic Cousins Who Participated in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day, 6 Jun 1944. Operation Overload was a risky amphibious assault on the Axis Forces who enslaved France and most of Europe at the time. Overlord was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Because of problems at America's Omaha Beach, the invasion was almost a catastrophic failure.

• Adm. Alan Goodrich Kirk (1888-1963) My 7th cousins 4x removed was the distinguished World War II senior US naval commander during the Normandy landings of 6 Jun 1944, embarked on the heavy cruiser USS Augusta, and was Commander of US Naval Forces, France 1944-1945. Later Ambassador to Belgium (1946-1949), The Soviet Union (1949-1951), and Taiwan (1962-1963). Awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit.
• Pvt. George Herman Baker (1923-2003) My 8th cousin 2x removed was a Canadian Private during World War II who served in the No. 3 Platoon, A Company, of the North Shore Regiment who landed with his comrades at Juno Beach, between Courseulles and St-Aubin-sur-Mer, France on 6 Jun 1944. His likeness was identified as the soldier whose face is dramatically portrayed on the Canadian 2019 Proof Silver Dollar commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.
• Gen. Maxwell Davenport Taylor (1901-1987) My 9th cousin 1x removed served with distinction during World War II as commander of the famed 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed "The Screaming Eagles." He parachuted into Normandy during the 6 Jun 1944 D-Day Invasion and was the 1st Allied general officer to enter/land in France. Later, he served as the 5th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appointed by Pres. John Kennedy. Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Army Distinguished Service Medal.
• Lt.Col. Robert G. Cole (1915-1944) My 10th cousin 2x removed was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on 11 Jun 1944 during World War II. Shortly after parachuting into Normandy as part of the airborne landings on D-Day, 6 June, he personally led his US Army 502nd Parachute Infantry Battalion to secure 4 bridges on the road to Carentan. While under assault by enemy machine guns, mortars, and artillery fire, Cole led the paratroopers into fortified enemy positions in the hedgerows, engaging at close range with bayonets in hand-to-hand combat; this bayonet charge resulted in the complete establishment of the bridgehead across the Douve River.
• Capt. James Lardner Semmes (1915-1989) My 11th cousin 3x removed was the distinguished US Navy commanding officer of the destroyer USS Frankford (DD-497) during the 6 June 1944 D-Day amphibious invasion of France. His ship provided material fire support at perilous Omaha Beach when the situation there was in-doubt, endangered his ship, might have turned the tide of the Omaha landing, and possibly the whole Normandy invasion during World War II. Twice awarded the Silver Star medal.
• General of the Army Omar Bradley (1893-1981) My 11th cousin 4x removed was a famed World War II military personality who commanded the US First Army during the D-Day Invasion of France and was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the last leader to be promoted to five stars in 1950. Awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and Army Distinguished Service Medal.

Heroic Cousins Who Participated in The Doolittle Raid on 18 Apr 1942. The Doolittle Raid was a daring World War II long-range bombing mission on Tokyo and other cities that was the first air strike against Japan, initiated in revenge for the attack on Pearl Harbor, and to boost the morale of Americans. Unconventional about the raid was that 16 land-based B-25 Mitchell medium bombers were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8). Its result was relatively minor damage to Japan but acted as a catalyst for future Japanese mistakes, namely, the Battle of Midway.

• Col. Henry (Hank) Potter (1918-2002) My 9th cousin 1x removed was a Second Lieutenant and the navigator of the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber piloted by Lt.Col. Jimmy Doolittle during the Doolittle Raid on 18 Apr 1942. After running out of fuel, they bailed out of their aircraft over China and were eventually rescued. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
• MGen. David M. Jones (1913-2008) My 9th cousin 2x removed was an American pilot and captain of a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber that participated in the Doolittle Raid. His plane ran out of fuel, crashed in China where he managed to evade capture. Later in the war his aircraft was shot down and he was a POW in Germany; while in captivity he helped with the April 1944 mass escape at Stalag Luft III, which was dramatized in the 1963 movie The Great Escape. Awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.
• Adm. Francis Stuart Low (1894-1964) My 9th cousin 2x removed was a distinguished admiral during World War II who is credited with the idea that twin-engined Army medium bombers could be launched from an aircraft carrier. This idea was later adopted for the planning of the Doolittle Raid. Submarine warfare expert. Various high level commands in the Pacific Theater. Awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
• Lt.Gen. James Doolittle (1896-1993) My 9th cousin 4x removed was Commander and pilot during the Doolittle Raid that bears his name as a Lieutenant Colonel. Notoriety during the remainder of the war in the Pacific, Mediterranean and European theaters of operation. Aviation pioneer before the war. Medal of Honor recipient that was presented by President Franklin Roosevelt.
• Col. William Marsh Bower (1917-2011) My 10th cousin 0x removed was an American pilot of the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, nicknamed “Fickle Finger of Fate”, that participated in the Doolittle Raid. He crash-landed his plane when it ran out of fuel and he and crew were eventually rescued. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The last surviving pilot of the Doolittle Raid.
• 1Lt. Dean Edward Hallmark (1814-1942) My 11th cousin 2x removed was an American pilot of the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber nicknamed “The Green Hornet” who participated in the Doolittle Raid. He ditched his plane at sea and was later captured. Hallmark was one of three captured flyers who were executed after a Japanese show trial on 15 Oct 1942. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

TOP GUNS: Notable Flying Aces – Cousins From Many Nations and Wars. While all legends shown are not from Allied nations, it seems prudent to show all aspects of my famous cousins. Many of the aces were the top in their respective wars, for their respective countries or demographic. Additional flyers of distinction can be found in my “Battle of Britain” section.

• Maj. Joe Foss (1915-2003) My 7th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished US Marine Corps flying ace during World War II in the Pacific Theater who is credited with 26 aerial victories. He is considered the Ace-of-Aces for the US Marine Corps as it’s top ace then and ever. Medal of Honor recipient. Governor of South Dakota. Later a brigadier general in the Air National Guard.
• Air Marshal Billy Bishop (1894-1956) My 8th cousin 2x removed is the legendary top Canadian and British Empire World War I flying ace who is officially credited with 72 aerial combat victories. Awarded the Victoria Cross and Companion of the Order of the Bath.
• BGen. Robin Olds (1922-2007) My 8th cousin 2x removed was the famed American triple flying ace who is credited with 13 aerial victories and 11.5 destroyed on the ground during World War II, and four more aerial combat victories during the Vietnam War. Awarded the Air Force Cross and Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.
• Flight Lieutenant (MGen.) Chesley Peterson (1920-1990) My 8th cousin 2x removed was a distinguished American World War II flying ace who joined Eagle Squadron (US volunteers units) No. 71 of the R.A.F. and eventually led it as the youngest commander in the R.A.F. He was the highest decorated/most successful of the Eagle Squadron pilots being credited with 9 aerial victories and 9 probables. He finished the war with distinction and fought in Europe as the youngest colonel in the USAAF. He survived being shot down and the bailout with a faulty parachute over the English Channel. Battle of Britain participation is disputed. Awarded the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO) personally by King George VI.
• RAdm. Edwin Parsons (1892-1968) My 8th cousin 3x removed was an American flying ace during World War I who first flew with the famed Lafayette Escadrille squadron before integrating into the US Air Army Air Service upon America’s entry into the conflict. Credited with nine aerial victories flying the French SPAD aircraft. French Foreign Legion soldier; pilot for the Mexican Army's Aviation Corps; Retired after World War II as a US Navy Rear Admiral. Awarded the French Légion d'honneur and the Bronze Star.
• Maj. Richard “Dick” Bong (1920-1945) My 9th cousin 3x removed is the legendary US Army Air Corps flying ace of World War II. He is considered the Ace-of-Aces because he was America’s top ace with 40 confirmed aerial combat victories flying the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter against Japanese aircraft. Medal of Honor recipient.
• Adm. Noel A.M. Gayler (1914-2011) My 9th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished US Navy flying ace during World War II who is one of the first aces of the war and is credited with 5 aerial victories flying from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2). Awarded the Navy Cross medal three times within a span of 4 months. Later, appointed as 6th Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) under Pres. Nixon; commander of the Pacific Command (CINCPAC) where he welcomed home as the senior military commander hundreds of released American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict.
• Capt. Francis "Razors" Gillett (1895-1969) My 9th cousin 4x remove was an American flying ace who served with the British R.A.F. during World War I and is credited with 20 aerial victories flying the Sopwith Dolphin aircraft. He was the second highest scoring American ace and only surpassed by Eddie Rickenbacker. Awarded the (British) Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.
• Maj. Thomas “Tommy” McGuire (1920-1945) My 10th cousin 1x removed was a famed US Army Air Corps flying ace during World War II in the Pacific Theater who was credited with 38 aerial combat victories; he is the second highest American ace of the war. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. McGuire Air Force Based in New Jersey is named after him.
• Cmdr. David P. McCampbell (1910-1996) My 14th cousin 3x removed was a famed US Navy flying ace during World War II who is credited with 34 aerial victors as commander of the famed Air Group 15 of the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9). He is called the Ace-of-Aces as the top US Navy ace ever, the third-highest American scoring ace of the war, the highest-ranking American ace to survive the war, and set a US single mission combat record for downing nine enemy planes in one mission. Medal of Honor recipient.
• Lt.Gen. Royal "King" Baker (1918-1976) My 14th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished US Air Force jet ace fighter pilot during the Korean War and is credited with 13 aerial combat victories flying the F-86 Sabre. During World War II he claimed 3.5 victories. Awarded the (Army) Distinguished Service Cross and Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.
• Capt. Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918) My 15th cousin 7x removed was known as the infamous "Red Baron", who was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I and one of the most famous aviators in history. He is considered the Ace-of-Aces of the war and is officially credited with 80 aerial victories. Awarded the Pour le Mérite (“Blue Max”).

Heroic Cousins Who Fought at the Battle of Midway on 4-6 June 1942. Described as the most stunning and decisive victories in the history of naval warfare, many of my cousins participated in this battle in key roles that decided the ultimate outcome and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific. Many of them died in battle. If not for the efforts of intelligence officers Joseph Rochefort and Edwin Layton, the outcome of the battle may have been different.

• Adm. Raymond Spruance (1886-1969) My 6th cousin 3x removed was a famed World War II Commander who assumed command of the Task Force 16 fleet carrier force just days before leading it at the Battle of Midway. Chief of Staff to FAdm. Nimitz. Commander of the 5th Fleet during the Battles of Tarawa, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Awarded the Navy Cross and three Navy Distinguished Service Medals.
• RAdm. Miles Browning (1897-1954) My 8th cousin 2x removed was a famed World War II leader who pioneered progressive aircraft carrier tactics used in the victory at the Battle of Midway. Chief of Staff to Adm. Spruance and FAdm. Halsey. Commander of the USS Hornet (CV-12). Awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Star.
• Lt.Cmdr. Lance (Lem) Massey (1909-1942) My 8th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished World War II naval aviator who was killed in action at the Battle of Midway as Commander of Torpedo Squadron VT-3 of the USS Yorktown (CV-5). Previously led the first airborne torpedo attack in US naval history. Awarded the Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart.
• Lt. Alberto Charles "Silver" Emerson (1909-1943) My 9th cousin 1x removed was a distinguished World War II naval aviator who escaped from the sinking USS Yorktown (CV-5) during the Battle of Midway. Served on the USS Hornet (CV-8) as Executive Officer of Fighter Squadron VF-72, and the USS Enterprise (CV-6). Missing in action after his squadron arrived on Guadalcanal while leading a strike against Japanese destroyers coming down “the Slot.” Twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
• RAdm. Maxwell Franklin "Max" Leslie (1902-1985) My 9th cousin 2x removed was a distinguished World War II naval aviator who fought at the Battle of Midway as Commander of Scout Bomber Squadron VB-3 of the USS Yorktown (CV-5); helped sink Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū. Awarded the Navy Cross, Bronze Star, and Navy Commendation Medal.
• Adm. John S. Thach (1905-1981) My 14th cousin 4x removed was a legendary World War II naval aviator who is credited with the creation of the most significant tactical aerial defense tactics of the war, such as the Thach Weave to win against enemy fighters of superior performance; and the Big Blue Blanket which was an aerial defense against Kamikaze attacks. Flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He flew off the USS Yorktown (CV-5) during the Battle of Midway and shot down three Japanese fighters. Awarded two Navy Crosses and two Navy Distinguished Service Medals.
• Capt. Norman "Dusty" Kleiss (1916-2016) My 15th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished World War II naval aviator who fought at the Battle of Midway as dive-bomber pilot for Scouting Squadron VS-6 of the USS Enterprise (CV-6). He is just one of two pilots in history to be credited with the sinking of two Japanese aircraft carriers: The Kaga and Hiryū. He also helped sink the Japanese cruiser Mikuma. Awarded two Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal.
• Maj. Floyd B. Parks (1911-1942) My 16th cousin 2x removed was a distinguished World War II US Marine aviator who was killed in action as Commander of Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-221 near Midway Naval Air Station during it’s battle in Jun 1942 leading an aggressive attack against superior number of enemy aircraft. His actions disrupted their plans which allowed for the destruction of enemy carriers. Awarded the Navy Cross.
• RAdm. Edwin Layton (1903-1984) My 17th cousin 1x removed was a famed combat intelligence officer credited with collecting and communicating the secret intentions of the Japanese Fleet in the run up to the Battle of Midway. His contributions were pivotal to the victory and for the overall war in the Pacific Theater. Awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Navy Commendation Medal.
• Lt.Cmdr. Richard "Dick" Best (1910-2001) My 17th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished World War II naval aviator who fought at the Battle of Midway as Commanding Officer of Bombing Squadron VB-6 of the USS Enterprise (CV-6). He is just one of two pilots in history to be credited with the sinking of two Japanese aircraft carriers: The Akagi and Hiryū. Awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Heroic Cousins Who Fought at the Battle of Gettysburg on 1-3 July 1863. The Battle of Gettysburg was a desperate and decisive victory for the Union Army over Confederate forces during the American Civil War, and is considered the conflict’s turning point and produced more casualties than any other battle. Many of my cousins fought in the battle, on both sides of the conflict, and were ironically trying to kill each other.

• MGen. Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain (1828-1914) My 5th cousin 7x removed was is the legendary Union Army commander of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment that defended Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg. Medal of Honor recipient. Governor of Maine. President of Bowdoin College.
• 1Lt. Alonzo Hereford Cushing (1841–1863) My 6th cousin 4x removed was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by Pres. Barack Obama in 2014 for rallying Union troops during the Battle of Gettysburg at a critical point during Pickett’s Charge. Cushing is also Pres. Obama’s 5th cousin 5x removed.
• MGen. Adelbert Ames (1835-1933) My 6th cousin 5x removed was a Union Army Brigade Commander in the XI Corps during the Battle of Gettysburg. His unit bore the brunt of the assault on East Cemetery Hill by MGen. Jubal Early and was able to hold the critical position with help from surrounding units. At one point, Ames himself took part in the hand-to-hand fighting. Medal of Honor recipient. The last living Civil War general at the time of his death. Mentor to Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain.
• MGen. Gouverneur Warren (1830-1882). My 6th cousin 6x removed was a Union Army engineering officer at the Battle of Gettysburg who arranged the last-minute defense of Little Round Top. His quick thinking and determination to defend this high-ground earned him the title “Hero of Little Round Top.”
• Pres. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). My 7th cousin 5x removed is the legendary 16th President of the United States. Commander-in-Chief during the American Civil War. He is remembered for his speech “The Gettysburg Address” that was given there on 19 Nov 1863 as part of the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. This speech remains one of the best known, greatest, and most influential statements on the American national purpose.
• BGen. Lewis Armistead (1817-1863) My 8th cousin 7x removed was a Confederate Army leader at the Battle of Gettysburg who was wounded and would die days later after leading Pickett’s Charge; his brigade would reach the farthest point of any Confederate forces during the failed charge. A personal friend of battle opponent Winfield Scott Hancock.
• MGen. George Pickett (1825-1875). My 11th cousin 5x removed was one of the Confederate Army commanders at Pickett's Charge (also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge), the futile and bloody frontal assault on Union defensive lines on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg that bears his name.
• Gen. Robert E. Lee (1807-1870). My 11th cousin 6x removed was the famed leader of the Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 until its surrender in 1865. He was in command of the invading Confederate Army at the Battle of Gettysburg.
• BGen. Henry L. Benning (1814-1875). My 11th cousin 6x removed was a Confederate Army general during the Battle of Gettysburg who led his brigade in a furious and successful assault against the Union position in the Devil's Den, during the overall unsuccessful assault on Little Round Top. Fort Benning in Georgia is named after him.
• MGen. George Meade (1815-1872) My 12th cousin 6x removed was the famed leader of of the Army of the Potomac during the Battle of Gettysburg. Promoted just three days before the battle, he was a master tactician, the contra-general (compared to the personalities of others) and was rewarded for his victory by being reorganized into a lesser position by Pres. Lincoln for failing to adequately pursue Gen. Lee's fleeing army.
• MGen. J.E.B. Stuart (1833-1864). My 13th cousin 2x removed was a famed Confederate Army general during the Battle of Gettysburg who was criticized for his long separation from Lee’s main army which left him unaware of Union troop movements. On the last day of the battle his cavalry unit was repelled at what is now known as East Cavalry Field by Gen. George Custer.
• MGen. Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886). My 13th cousin 5x removed was a Union Army Commander of the II Corps during the Battle of Gettysburg. He assumed control of the battlefield when MGen. Reynolds was killed in the early fighting. While occupying the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, his unit played a role in the fighting on July 2 and bore the brunt of Pickett's Charge the next day. He was wounded in the thigh during the battle. A personal friend of battle opponent Lewis Armistead.

Heroic Cousins Who Fought at the Battle of the Alamo from 23 February until 6 March 1836. A pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar; all of the defenders were killed. The martyrs of the Alamo inspired Americans for many decades. At least 38 of my cousins died at the Alamo in a battle that lasted just 90 minutes after a 13-day siege.

• Lt. George C. Kimball (1803-1836) My 4th cousin 7x removed was Commander of the Gonzales Ranging Company of the Texas Militia during the Texas Revolution. He commanded The Immortal 32 who were the only unit to answer the call for help from Lt.Col. Travis to reinforce and defend the besieged Alamo. He and his unit died at the Battle of the Alamo.
• Maj. James Bonham (1807-1836) My 6th cousin 5x removed was a Texas Army cavalry officer of inimitable spirit who traveled to the Alamo with James Bowie. He died at the Battle of the Alamo while manning one of the cannons in the interior of the Alamo chapel.
• Benjamin Franklin Highsmith (1817-1905) My 7th cousin 4x removed was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Gonzales "Come and Take It" cannon, the Battle of Concepción, the Grass Fight, and the Siege of Bexar. As part of the Alamo garrison, he departed the Alamo mission as a courier to deliver a message and avoided death, being one of the very few survivors of the historic battle. Later fought in the Mexican War and served as a Texas Ranger.
• Hon. Davy Crockett (1786-1836) My 11th cousin 7x removed was a legendary American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He he took part in the Texas Revolution and died at the Battle of the Alamo. It is unclear whether he died in battle or was executed after being captured by the Mexican Army.
• Lt.Col. William B. Travis (1809-1836) My 12th cousin 5x removed was the famed Texas Army Commander who set in motion the Texas Revolution and was in command of the garrison at the Alamo mission and fortress. He wrote a letter pleading for reinforcements that became known as the "Victory or Death" letter. It is considered one of the most notable documents in American history. He and his unit died at the Battle of the Alamo.
• Col. James Bowie (1796-1836) My 13th cousin 6x removed is a legendary fighter, frontiersman, and folk hero. As a Texas Militia commander, he led forces at the Battle of Concepción and the Grass Fight. He was Commander of the volunteer forces at the Alamo until illness left him bedridden during the siege. He died at the Battle of the Alamo while in bed defending himself against Mexican soldiers.

American Revolutionary War Heroines Who Are My Cousins. Not only did American women have to defend their towns and families during the war as their men departed for long service tours, they were also active participants in the conflict who put themselves in harm’s way either directly or covertly. We will never know the suffering and pain endured by all of the family members who drove the victory for American Independence.

• Parnel Manter (1757-1778, my 4th cousin), Polly Daggett (1760-1820, my 10th cousin) and Maria Allen (1758-1820, my 14th cousin) were collectively called the three famed “Liberty Pole Heroines” who as girls devised and completed a secret plan to blow-up a town Liberty Pole/Flagpole to keep it from being confiscated by the British to repair a damaged warship’s mizzen mast. The exploits of their 1776 Martha’s Vineyard sabotage mission were not spoken of for decades after the war.
• Anna Smith Strong (1740-1812) My 5th cousin 7x removed was a famed Revolutionary War Culper Spy Ring associate who used the arrangement of drying laundry outside of her house at Setauket, Long Island, New York to relay messages to other ring members for Gen. George Washington. Because of the secret nature of spying, her comprehensive contributions are probably lost to history.
• Pvt. Deborah Sampson (1760-1827) My 7th cousin 8x removed was a distinguished Patriot who fought as a Private in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War disguised as a man using the alias, Robert Shirtliff. She was wounded several times and her gender was discovered while receiving medical attention for a fever. She was one of only two women to receive a pension (and back pay) for war service. Deborah spoke of her wartime experience during lecture tours. Proclaimed the Official Heroine of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Sybil Ludington (1761-1839) My 8th cousin 6x removed was distinguished Revolutionary War heroine who is called the female Paul Revere for completing an all-night horseback ride of 40 miles to rally American militia forces in neighboring towns of the British Army presence during the burning of Danbury, Connecticut in 1777. Honored with a US Bicentennial Postage Stamp in 1975.
• Susanna Bolling (1764- ) My 9th cousin 7x removed was a distinguished Revolutionary War heroine who as a child spied on British Gen. Charles Cornwallis, learned of his plot to capture Continental Army General Marquis de Lafayette, warned him of the plot, prevented his capture which hastened the war and resulted in America’s ultimate victory. Forever known as "the girl who won the Revolutionary War."

Heroic Great-Grandfathers and Cousins Who Fought at the Battle of Oriskany on 6 August 1777. Described as the costliest battle of the Revolutionary War based on casualty percentages for the Americans, my relatives were trying to kill each other in one of the most important battles in American History. While the outcome of Oriskany was a numerical victory for my British cousins, its high sacrifice inspired American victories a few days later at the Battles of Bennington and Saratoga, as well as being a catalyst for British mistakes during these battles. My Palatine German ancestors who fought under Gen. Nicholas Herkimer are forever immortalized due to this battle.

• Cpl. Isaac Ellwood (1754-1813). My 6th great-grandfather was one of four brothers engaged at the Battle of Oriskany, where he was wounded in the shoulder as an American Corporal in the service of Lt.Col. Samuel Clyde’ 1st Regiment of the Tryon County New York Militia (Canajoharie District) in Capt. Henry Diefendorf's Company. Two of his serving brothers were twins. His son Isaac Ellwood Jr. would become a brigadier general in the New York State Militia after the War of 1812.
• Pvt. Peter Jost Snell (1730-1804). My 6th great-grandfather served as an American Private in Col. Jacob Klock's 2nd Regiment of the Tyron County New York Militia (Palatine District) in Capt. Christian House's Company. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Oriskany at the age of 47 years and fought at the Battle of Stone Arabia (1780). He was amongst the nearly 17 Snell fathers, sons, uncles, cousins and nephews who fought in the Battle of Oriskany; as many as nine of these Snells lost their lives on that day. He was also a veteran of the French & Indian War.
• Pvt. Johan Peter Kilts (abt.1725-1784). My 7th great-grandfather served as an American Private in Col. Jacob Klock's 2nd Tyron County New York Militia Regiment (Palatine District) during the Battle of Oriskany at the age of 52 years. He may have fought in this battle with his son Conrad Kilts and several other relatives named Kilts. Johan is the father-in-law to Pvt. Peter Jost Snell.
• Col. Peter Bellinger (1726-1813) My 1st cousin 8x removed was the distinguished American commander of the 4th Regiment of the Tryon County New York Militia (German Flatts & Kingsland Districts) during the desperate stages of the Battle of Oriskany. He and wounded Gen. Nicholas Herkimer (his brother-in-law) were giving the orders during their encirclement by British Allied Forces, which eventually lead to the enemy withdrawal. There were 30 Bellingers in the service during the battle.
• Col. Peter Gansevoort (1749-1812). My 4th cousin 7x removed was the American commander of the besieged Fort Stanwix during the Battle of Oriskany, during which he and his 700 strong garrison withstood the three-week-long siege. He would make a sortie during the battle to destroy the enemy’s base encampment which significantly strained the relationship between BGen. St. Leger and his Indian Nation Allies, which demoralized the allies from further offensive actions.
• BGen. Barry St. Leger (1733-1793). My 7th cousin 8x removed was the British commander of St. Leger’s Expedition which bears his name, as part of a larger diversion related to Gen. John Burgoyne’s actions near Albany NY, he unsuccessfully besieged Fort Stanwix and sent a force under the command of BGen. Sir John Johnson to ambush the American forces under the command of Gen. Nicholas Herkimer during the Battle of Oriskany. While he delivered a numerical victory at Oriskany, his forces later fled back to Canada and Burgoyne’s actions to help him escape lead to American victories shortly thereafter.
• Gen. John Burgoyne (1722-1792). My 8th cousin 8x removed was the British commanding general during the Battle of Bennington and the Battle of Saratoga. He coordinated his activities with the St. Leger Expedition that besieged Fort Stanwix, with a larger aim to split the New England Colonies into two by converging three pincers at the area of Albany, New York. Surrendering at the Battle of Saratoga, he was allowed to return to England in disgrace.
• Capt. Donald Macdonell (1756-1777). My 11th cousin 7x removed served as a British Loyalist with Johnson's Greens unit and was killed in action during the Battle of Oriskany. When Joseph Brant, a Mohawk and colonial Loyalists leader, tried a military deception of sending a company of Loyalists disguised with American hats and wearing reversed coats toward the patriot lines, Capt. MacDonell was part of this company and was killed by Capt. Jacob Gardinier with a spear during a hand-to-hand battle and general melee that occurred when the deception was discovered.
• BGen. Sir John Johnson (1741-1830). My 13th cousin 7x removed was a notorious British General and in command of Loyalist and Indian Nation Allied forces that ambushed Gen. Nicholas Herkimer during the Battle of Oriskany. He was the son of Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, who was one of the richest landowners in the New York Colony.

American Civil War (1861-1865) Great-Grandfathers and Notable Cousins. At first, I was surprised at how few of my direct ancestors participated in the war, but then a look at the genealogy tree showed that many of those of that generation tended to be (luckily) just a bit too old to be effective in service. Three of my great-grandfathers were in uniform for the Union Army, and I note just four additional famous cousins who helped lead the Union-side of the war. See the section on the Battle of Gettysburg for more cousins in both the Union and Confederate Armies.

• Pvt. William Beale Morgan Hill (1833-1903) My 2nd great-grandfather served the Union Army as a private during the American Civil War for nine months from 1864-1865 in Company K of the New York 189th Volunteer Infantry Regiment that was organized in Elmira NY. His unit engaged the Confederate Army in Virginia at Petersburg (and its fall), the Hicksford Raid, Hatcher’s Run, White Oaks Ridge, Five Forks, and participated in the Confederate Army surrender at Appomattox. William was born in England and was a relatively new citizen of the United States when he enlisted.
• Sgt. Newman Holley Potter (1829-1901) My 3rd great-grandfather served the Union Army as a sergeant during the American Civil War from 1861-1863 in Company K, from Brownville NY, of the New York 35th Volunteers Infantry Regiment, known as the Jefferson County Regiment. His unit engaged the Confederate Army in secondary roles during the major battles of the first two years of the war at Rappahannock Station, Sulphur Springs, Gainesville, The Second Battle of Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, Antietam, and Fredericksburg.
• Pvt. Henry Charles Woolever (1824-1864) My 3rd great-grandfather served the Union Army as a private during the American Civil War for ten months in 1864 in Company L of the New York 18th Corning Light Cavalry Volunteers Regiment, and the 5th Cavalry Brigade in service at Washington DC and Louisiana. He enlisted in Manheim NY. Henry was one of the many to die from non-combat-related diseases, which accounted for 63% of the deaths during the war. He was paid a $300 bonus for his enlistment.
• 1Lt. Calvin Brittain Potter, Esq. (1837-1902) My 1st cousin 5x removed served in the Union Army from 1861-1865 and ended his terms with the rank of First Lieutenant. He started his service with the 18th New York Infantry Regiment (where he was briefly a POW) and he ended the war with the 45th US Colored Troops Regiment that was created in Washington, DC. His units engaged in the battles of First Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Red River Campaign, Siege of Petersburg and was present at the Appomattox Court House surrender of the Confederate Army. At age 65, he would take his own life in protest of or out of financial despondency for not being granted a pension for his wartime service.
• General of the Army Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) My 4th cousin 5x removed is the legendary Commanding General of the Union Army during the American Civil War and led it to victory over the Confederate Army in 1865. He later served as Acting Secretary of War and the 18th President of the United States. His rank of General of the Army is the equivalent of five-star rank.
• MGen. William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) My 5th cousin 4x removed is the legendary Union Army leader who during the American Civil War was Commander of the Western Theater. He is best known for the capture and burning ("scorched earth strategy") of the strategic Confederate city of Atlanta in 1864 and his subsequent drive to the sea (Atlantic Ocean). He was promoted to the five-star rank of General of the Army after the Civil War.
• MGen. Joseph Roswell Hawley (1826-1905) My 6th cousin 4x removed was an American Civil War general in the Union Army at the 1st Battle of Bull Run and other engagements. Governor of and Senator from Connecticut.
• MGen. George McClellan (1826-1885) My 6th cousin 6x removed was the Commanding General of the US Army, sometimes called General-in-Chief of All the Union Armies, from 1861-1862, before being relieved of command by President Abraham Lincoln for not aggressively pursing Lee’s Confederate Army after the Battle of Antietam. 1864 Candidate for US President. Governor of New Jersey.

Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings, Queens and Emperors who are my Cousins and Direct Ancestors. If your family genealogy is well defined, you too enjoy a similar list of world leaders. There is not enough room to list them all. I am a "blood cousin" to 76% of all US Presidents, and related via marriage to all of the remaining 24%.

• Anne Boleyn (1501-1536) My 1st cousin 15x removed was Queen of England 1533-1536 and the unlucky second wife of King Henry VIII.
• Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) My 2nd cousin 14x removed, born Elizabeth Tudor, was Queen of England, France and Ireland 1558-1603.
• Prime Minister Sir Robert Laird Borden (1854-1937) My 6th cousin 5x removed was the 9th Prime Minister of Canada.
• MP Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) My 8th cousin 2x removed, unofficially named Uncrowned King of Ireland, was a famed Irish nationalist politician, Member of Parliament, acting as Leader of the Home Rule League, and Leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
• Pres. George W. Bush (1946-Alive) My 9th cousin 1x removed was the 43th President of the United States.
• Vice Pres. Dick Cheney (1941-Alive) My 9th cousin 2x removed was the 46th Vice President of the United States, 17th US Secretary of Defense, Presidential Chief of Staff, and Member of the US House of Representatives.
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson (1964-Alive) My 10th cousin 1x removed is was the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary for United Kingdom. Previously Mayor of London and Member of Parliament.
• Princess Diana Spencer Mountbatten-Windsor (1961-1997) My 10th cousin 2x removed was legendary Princess of Wales. She earned enduring popularity because of her activism and glamour that made her an international icon.
• Queen Elizabeth II (1826-2022) My 11th cousin 2x removed, born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, was the beloved Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. Longest serving UK monarch and longest serving head of state in history.
• King Charles III (1948-Alive) My 12th cousin 1x removed, born Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor, is the current reigning King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.
• Prime Minister Robert James Lee Hawke (1929-2019) My 14th cousin 2x removed was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia.
• Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (1919-2000) My 16th cousin 1x removed was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada.
• Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia (1859-1941) My 16th cousin 2x removed abdicated his thrown at the close of World War I and was the last monarch of German Empire, the 300-year reign of the House of Hohenzollern in Prussia, and the 500-year reign of in Brandenburg.
• King Alfonzo XIII (1886-1941) My 16th cousin 2x removed, born Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena, was the King of Spain 1902-1931.
• Pres. Barack Obama (1961-Alive) My 17th cousin 2x removed was the 44th President of the United States.
• Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) My 18th cousin 9x removed was the Emperor of the French, military commander and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars.
• William the Conqueror (1027-1087) My 27th great-grandfather was the first Norman King of England.
• Edward Charlemagne (0748-0814) My 34th great-grandfather was the King of the Franks, and Emperor of the Romans.

World War II Cousins Who Were The Architects of Victory. Aside from my many American and British cousins who put themselves in harm’s way during the war, there were many wartime leaders who were the stewards of vast organizations and who generated the invaluable resources that ensured the ultimate victory. If not for the divine providence of being at the right place, at the right time, and with the right skills, the world today may now be a very different place.

• Dr. James Bryant Conant (1893-1978) My 4th cousin 4x removed was the distinguished Chairman of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) during World War II and oversaw vital wartime research projects, to include the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb. Later president of Harvard University. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
• Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) My 7th cousin 2x removed was the leader of Great Britain throughout World War II. His leadership and stubbornness probably shortened the conflict by five years. Churchill has very deep roots in America via his mother.
• Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) My 7th cousin 3x removed as the 32nd President of the United States and wartime leader during World War II. Before his death, he oversaw the military buildup is credited with the eventual ultimate victory. Inspired Americans during the Great Depression. Longest serving US president. Governor of New York State. Assistant Secretary of the Navy during World War I.
• Lt.Gen. Leslie Richard Groves Jr. (1896-1970) My 7th cousin 3x removed was the famed US Army Corps of Engineers officer who, staring in 1942, directed the Manhattan Project, a top secret research project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. Project manager for the construction of the Pentagon building. Awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit.
• Harry Lloyd Hopkins (1890-1946) My 7th cousin 5x removed was President Franklin Roosevelt’s closest advisor on foreign policy during World War II, chief diplomatic troubleshooter and liaison with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Supervisor of the $50 billion Lend-Lease program of military aid to the Allies. Architect of the New Deal relief programs during the Great Depression. 8th Secretary of Commerce of the US.
• Hon. Henry Lewis Stimson (1867-1950) My 8th cousin 2x removed served twice as US Secretary of War, but most notably during World War II under Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, overseeing American military efforts. Secretary of State during the Hoover Administration. Brigadier General during World War I.
• General of the Army George Marshall Jr. (1880-1959) My 13th cousin 3x removed was a famed World War II military personality who was Chief of Staff of the US Army, later US Secretary of State, and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as the only Army general ever to be so honored. Architect of the Marshall Plan to provide economic recovery to post-World War II Europe. Awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Star.
• King George VI (1895-1952) My 16th cousin 2x carries the legal name of Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor, and was crowned King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India in 1937. During World War II he inspired Britain, Commonwealth nations and the world to fight on during the darkest days of the war. He would develop the closest personal relationship in modern British history between a monarch and a Prime Minister (Churchill).

Notable War-Time Cousins. These leaders and individual contributors have special places marked in American and British military history. Few need to be introduced.

• Gen. Christopher P. Bellinger (1770-1837) My 2nd cousin 7x removed was the distinguished American colonel of a Mohawk Valley/Herkimer County New York State Militia Regiment during The War of 1812 who was credited as one of three commanders who helped secure the victory during the First Battle of Sackets Harbor on 24 July 1812. Later commissioned the General of the New York State Militia.
• MGen. Robert Tryon Frederick (1907 - 1970) My 7th cousin 2x removed was a distinguished US Army officer who led the 1st Special Service Forces "Devils Brigade," a joint US-Canadian commando force, and the 1st Allied Airborne Task Force. He was the only American serviceman who was awarded the Purple Heart eight times during World War II. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, declared that Frederick was "the greatest fighting general of all time." Also, twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
• RAdm. Chester William Nimitz Jr. (1915-2002) My 7th cousin 2x removed was a distinguished World War II US Navy submarine commander who was awarded the Navy Cross for sinking and damaging of three Japanese destroyers and various commercial ships during one tour; one of these destroyers was damaged or sunk during a rare and heroic surface duel. Also awarded three Silver Star medals. Son of legendary World War II Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz Sr.
• Capt. Slade Deville Cutter (1911-2005) My 8th cousin 1x removed was the famed US Navy submarine commander of the USS Seahorse (SS-304) who is credited with sinking the second most tonnage of Japanese ships (21) during World War II. Awarded the Navy Cross four times. All-American football player.
• BGen Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (1915-2007) My 8th cousin 3x removed was a US Army Air Corps officer and lead pilot of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in the history of warfare that helped end World War II in 1945. Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart and Air Medal.
• Col. Rex T. Barber (1917 - 2001) My 8th cousin 3x removed was a famed World War II US Army Air Corps fighter pilot and flying ace who shares the credit (with Thomas Lanphier) for shooting down a bomber carrying Pearl Harbor Attack planner Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in April 1943, during the top-secret mission called Operation Vengeance. He is credited with at least five confirmed aerial victories. Awarded the Navy Cross.
• Adm. Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) My 8th cousin 8x removed is the legendary British Navy admiral who led decisive naval victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history.
• CPO Christopher Kyle (1974-2013) My 10th cousin 0x removed was a famed US Navy SEAL sniper during Operation Iraqi Freedom who is credited with 160 confirmed kills, more than any other American service member, past or present. He served in four tours during the war. Awarded two Silver Star and five Bronze Star medals.
• Lt.Gen. Lewis "Chesty" Puller (1898-1971) My 10th cousin 2x removed was the most decorated US Marine in American history. Engaged in Central America/Caribbean Guerilla Wars, World War II and Korea. Awarded five Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
• Adm. Richmond “Kelly” Turner (1885-1961) My 10th cousin 5x removed was a famed US Navy amphibious operations commander during World War II in the Pacific Theater who pioneered and improved strategies and tactics during countless invasions of Japanese-held islands, to include Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Awarded the Navy Cross, and Navy and Army Distinguished Service Medals.
• Gen. George Patton (1885-1945) My 11th cousin 1x removed is the legendary US Army general who achieved notoriety as a tank commander in World War I and World War II. Multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Cross & Army Distinguished Service Medal.
• VAdm. Charles A. Lockwood (1890-1967) My 11th cousin 4x removed was the famed US Navy commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet during World War II. He devised tactics for the effective use of submarines, making the members and elements of "silent service" key players in the Pacific victory. Awarded three Navy Distinguished Service Medals and the Legion of Merit.

Five-Star Generals and Admirals Who Are My Cousins. A very rare distinction as just 14 Americans held the rank, which is equivalent to Field Marshall in other countries and nine of them are my cousins. Nine Americans were promoted to five-star rank starting in 1944 during World War II; one of them is related to World War I; Adm. George Dewey is shown in the Spanish-American War section; George Washington was posthumously promoted to the rank in 1976; and Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman (shown in the Civil War section) were promoted to the rank after 1865. Four of my cousins are shown below (and a few elsewhere on this page).

• General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) My 7th cousin 4x removed is a historical military personality who gained notoriety in in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Medal of Honor recipient. Field Marshal of the Philippine Army.
• Fleet Admiral William Halsey (1882-1959) My 7th cousin 4x removed was a famed World War II Commander of Task Force 16 who was hospitalized just days before the Battle of Midway and recommended command be transferred to Adm. Raymond Spruance. Commanded 3rd Fleet and Southwest Pacific Area. Awarded the Navy Cross, four Navy Distinguished Service Medals, and the Army Distinguished Service Medal.
• Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976) My 15th cousin 3x removed is a historical military personality who gained notoriety in World War I, the Irish War of Independence and World War II. 1st Viscount of Alamein. Awarded the Knight of the Order of the Garter and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.
• General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold (1886-1950) My 18th cousin 3x removed was a famed World War II military personality and aviation pioneer who was commander of the US Army Air Forces. He held the rank of General of the Army and when the US Air Force was created as a separate branch of the armed forces, he was awarded the rank of General of the Air Force. He is the only person to hold the five-star rank in two different branches of the service. Awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit.

Heroic Cousins Who Fought in Spanish-American War of 1898. Lasting just four months, a conflict precipitated by the explosion of the USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana Harbor which was blamed on Spanish sabotage. War was declared and the US intervened in the Cuban War of Independence. Subsequent related conflicts included the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. The American victory signaled her ascent as a world power and the decline of the Spanish Empire.

• Pvt. DeForest A. Spicer (1870-1898) My 3rd Cousin 4X removed served as a Private in Company A of the 9th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment of the US Army during the Spanish-American War of 1898. He was killed in action on 1 July 1898, and his unit's history shows that this was the date of the Battle of San Juan Hill. Military records show that his remains were not returned to the US. He enlisted at the famed Madison Barricks on Military Road, Sackets Harbor, Jefferson County, New York.
• MGen. Joseph M. Wheeler (1836–1906) My 3rd cousin 5x removed was the distinguished commander of the Volunteer Cavalry Division during the 1898 Spanish-American War; led the forces during the first engagement of the war, the Battle of Las Gausimas, and the last engagement of the war, the Siege of Santiago. Confederate Army lieutenant general during the American Civil War. Brigadier general during Philippine–American War. US House of Representatives.
• MGen. Samuel Storrow Sumner (1842–1937) My 4th cousin 6x was the distinguished commander of 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, V Corps at the Battle of Las Guasimas during the 1898 Spanish-American War. Commander of the Cavalry Division during the beginning of the Battle of San Juan Hill. Union Army cavalry officer during the American Civil War. Served during the Philippine-American War and Boxer Rebellion in China.
• Admiral of the Navy George Dewey (1837-1917) My 5th cousin 5x removed is a historical military personality who is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the 1898 Spanish-American War, with the loss of only a single crewman on the American side. He is the only person in American history to have attained that specific rank, and some state that it is equivalent to a “six”-star rank.
• Col. Emerson Hamilton Liscum (1841-1900) My 6th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished US Army officer who was wounded many times while fighting the American Civil War (Battle of Gettysburg and others), the 1898 Spanish-American War (Battle of San Juan Hill), the Philippine-American War, and was killed in action while leading his 9th Infantry Regiment during the 1900 Battle of Tientsin, during the Boxer Rebellion in China.
• BGen. Albertus Wright Catlin (1868–1933) My 7th cousin 2x removed was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading a Marine Regiment during the 1914 Battle of Veracruz. He was a survivor of the USS Maine Disaster in 1898 which precipitated the Spanish-American War. Served with distinction and wounded at the Battle of Belleau Wood during World War I. Awarded by France the Legion of Honor and two Croix de Guerre medals.
• Pres. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1858–1919) My 7th cousin 3x removed was the legendary commander of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry “Rought Riders” regiment during the Cuban Battle of San Juan Hill during the 1898 Spanish-American War. Helped plan US Navy strategy for the war with Spain. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001 by Pres. Bill Clinton. 26th President of the United States (youngest ever elected), Vice President and New York Governor. Memorialized on Mount Rushmore. Nobel Prize laureate.

Famous Cousins Who Continue to Shape Everyday Americanism

• Flora Adams Darling (1840-1910) My 5th cousin 5x removed. Had a role in the founding of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in 1890 [2].
• Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) My 6th cousin 4x removed. Painter and illustrator whose work in the magazine “The Saturday Evening Post” reflected the ideal of typical American life and culture in the 1900s.
• Rev. Francis Julius Bellamy (1855-1931) My 7th cousin 2x removed. The original author of the "Pledge of Allegiance of the United States", which he created for a patriotic magazine in 1892 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America.
• Hon. Lucius Parmenias Deming (1836-1920) My 7th cousin 4x removed. The first President General (PG) of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), which was founded 1889 [3]
• Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) My 8th cousin 3x removed. Wrote the words to the song “America the Beautiful” that were inspired by a 1893 summer visit to Colorado Springs and nearby Pikes Peak.
• John Austin Stevens (1827-1910) My 8th cousin 4x removed. Founder of the General Society of the Sons of the Revolution (GSSR) in 1876 [4].
• Byron McCandless (1881-1967) My 9th cousin 2x removed. Prominent in the field of vexillology (the study of flags), in 1916 he helped design two separate versions of the "Flag of the President of the United States" and the Presidential Seal. His son RAdm. Bruce McCandless was awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II; his grandson Bruce McCandless Jr. was a famed NASA Astronaut.
• Francis Scott Key, Esq. (1779-1843) My 12th cousin 5x removed. Author of the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” in 1814 from which the United States of America's national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" is composed.

Medal of Honor Recipients Who Are My Cousins — While there are over 180 MOH recipients who are my cousins, I've carved out a random sampling and cross section that is representative of the whole. Two of my cousins were awarded the MOH medal twice. There are MOH recipients shown in other sections of this page. The MOH is the Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to combatants who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.

• Dr. Mary E. (Walker) Miller (1832-1919) My 3th cousin 6x was a distinguished American Civil War field surgeon and doctor for the Union Army and the only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor. She was and unpaid volunteer surgeon because of her gender. Provided medical support during and after the Battles of First Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chickamauga. Civilian prisoner of war for four months. The second female doctor in the United States.
• MGen. Francis Leonard Dwight Baldwin (1842-1923) My 6th cousin 4x removed was twice awarded the Medal of Honor and is the only American to be nominated for the distinction three times. Awarded for service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.
• Maj. Kenneth Dillon Bailey (1910–1942) My 8th cousin 2x removed was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt to his widow for defending Henderson Field as a US Marine during the 1942 World War II Battle of Guadalcanal.
• Col. William Earl Barber (1919-2002) My 9th cousin 2x was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the 1950 Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War as a US Marine Corps Captain in the 1st Marine Division. Battling both sub-zero temperatures and a determined enemy while surrounded in treacherous mountains, he led his Company F of 220 men while wounded against more than 1,400 Chinese soldiers during six days of fighting. Faced with insuperable odds, his unit killed over 1000 enemy troops and only 82 of his men survived the battle and this allowed 8000 Marines to escape destruction.
• Capt. Steven Logan Bennett (1946–1972) My 10th cousin 0x removed was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as an Air Force pilot who sacrificed his life in South Vietnam in 1972 while trying to save the life of his observer who had a shredded parachute, and for the strafing actions to protect a ground unit while in command of his OV-10 Bronco light observation aircraft. Also awarded Purple Heart, Air Medal and Air Force Commendation medals.
• TSgt. Francis Sherman Currey (1925-2019) My 10th cousin 2x removed was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as a US Army Private while attached to the 30th Infantry Division during World War II during the Battle of the Bulge at Malmedy, Belgium. While suffering from frostbite due to the lack of winter clothing, he repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire, killing several of the enemy, disabled four SS German tanks with a bazooka, and rescued five compatriots who were pinned down by enemy fire. Also awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Heart Medals.
• Sgt. Alvin York (1887-1964) My 11th cousin 4x removed was a legendary World War I US Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, gathering 35 machine guns, killing at least 25 of the enemy and capturing 132 prisoners during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in France toward the end of the war in 1918. He is one of the most decorated combat soldiers of the war.
• MSgt. Gary Ivan Gordon (1960-1993) My 12th cousin 1x was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in 1993 while serving as Sniper Team Leader, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta ("Delta Force”) while in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was inserted into a battle area in support of the rescue of American Forces from two downed helicopters. He saved a pilot’s life and killed 50 enemy combatants.
• MGen. Smedley Butler (1881–1940) My 14th cousin 2x removed was awarded the Medal of Honor twice and at the time of his death he was the most decorated Marine in US history. Known as the Maverick Marine and The Fighting Marine.
• 1Lt. Audie Murphy (1925-1971) My 16th cousin 0x removed was a legendary World War II US Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for single-handedly holding of a company of German soldiers and leading a counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition during a battle at the Colmar Pocket in France in 1945. He is one of the most decorated combat soldiers of the war and received every military combat award for valor that is available. Successful Hollywood actor after the war.
• Col. Justice Marion Chambers (1908-1982) My 16th cousin 2x removed was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima where he was Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines. He fearlessly led his depleted (50% casualties) unit by example, rather than command, and captured the high ground from Japanese forces, who effectively used their artillery from these heights on the beaches below and almost defeated US landings on D-Day. Also awarded the Silver Star, Legion of Merit and Purple Heart.

Heroic Cousins Who Were Awarded the Badge of Military Merit. This award is considered America's first military decoration given to non-commissioned officers and privates. The award was created by George Washington 1782 which includes three badges: two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit. The last known award of this decoration was in 1783. By today's standards, it was then considered the Medal of Honor of the Revolutionary War, and was precursor to the current Purple Heart medal. While there are now only ~20 documented soldiers who’ve received the award, there are probably more to be found. Twelve of the 20 known recipients are my cousins; a sample is shown below.

• Sgt. Elijah Churchill (1755-1841) My 3rd cousin 9x removed served with the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons of Connecticut during the Revolutionary War, and was awarded with the rare Badge of Military Merit by Gen. George Washington. Elijah and PM Sir Winston Churchill share the same ancestor.
• Pvt. Peter Shumway (1757-1832) My 3rd cousin 9x removed served with the 4th Massachusetts Line Regiment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was personally awarded the rare Badge of Merit by Gen. George Washington when he was discharged after six years of faithful service. Participated at the encampment at Valley Forge; Battles of Saratoga, Monmouth and Yorktown.
• Sgt. Daniel Bissell IV (1754-1824) My 4th cousin 8x removed started the Revolutionary War serving the 5th Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Army. He posed as a deserter, joined the British Army and spied for the Americans. He was to become the last recipient of the rare Badge of Military Merit in June 1783 that was awarded by Gen. George Washington.
• Sgt. William Brown (1761-1804) My 4th cousin 8x removed served with the 8th Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Army from 1777-1783. Participated at the encampment at Valley Forge. Awarded the Badge of Merit by Gen. George Washington for leading a "forlorn hope" [5] at the Siege of Yorktown.
• Pvt. Tristram Daggett (1758-1848) My 4th cousin 8x removed served with the 7th Massachusetts Continental Line Regiment for over five years during the Revolutionary War, and was personally discharged and awarded the rare Badge of Merit by Gen. George Washington.

Heroic Cousins Who Were Awarded the Congressional Presentation Sword by the Continental Congress for meritorious actions during the Revolutionary War. Aside from the Fidelity Medallion ("silver medal", awarded to three New York Militiamen for the capture of British spy Major John André), and the Badge of (Military) Merit, the presentation sword is one of the United States' earliest awards for military gallantry, exceptional bravery and commitment to the cause of independence. Only ten American officers received the honor and were awarded their swords starting in 1786. Awards were initiated based on congressional resolutions and the prioritization process for selection of award recipients is unknown. The swords were manufactured in France and procured by one of the awardees, David Humphreys. Five of the ten recipients are my blood cousins.

• Lt.Col. David Humphreys (1752-1818) My 2nd cousin 7x removed was awarded a presentation sword by the Continental Congress for bringing 24 captured British regimental colors from the 1781 Siege of Yorktown to Congress and “as a mark of esteem.” Lieutenant colonel, aide-de-camp and military secretary to Commander-in-Chief General George Washington.
• Col. Return Jonathan Meigs (1740-1823) My 4th cousin 7x removed was awarded a presentation sword by the Continental Congress for leading the 1777 Meigs Raid against the British forces in Sag Harbor, New York. With just 220 men in a fleet of 13 whaleboats, he crossed Long Island Sound from Connecticut to Long Island to attack British forces at night. The raid succeeded in burning 12 small boats and taking 90 prisoners without losing a single man.
• Col. Christopher Greene (1737-1781) My 10th cousin 8x removed was awarded a presentation sword by the Continental Congress for leading a spirited defense against a superior force who attacked Fort Mercer during the 1777 Battle of Red Bank. Hessians soldiers attacked the fort hoping to take revenge for their defeats at the two previous Battles of Trenton.
• MGen. Andrew Pickens (1739-1817) My 11th cousin 6x removed was awarded a presentation sword by the Continental Congress for his spirited conduct during the 1781 Battle of Cowpens. Also, a veteran of the Battles of Kettle Creek, and Eutaw Springs, and the Sieges of Charleston, Augusta and Ninety Six.
• Lt.Col. Tench Tilghman (1744-1786) My 12th cousin 6x removed was awarded a presentation sword by the Continental Congress; he was given the honor of carrying the surrender papers from the 1781 Siege of Yorktown to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on behalf of Gen. George Washington; also, “...in testimony of Congress’s high opinion of his merit and ability.”

Nobel Prize Laureates Who Are My Cousins — There are over 31 Nobel Prize winners who are my blood cousins, and they were bestowed the honor as one of "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." There are six separate prizes and awards started in 1901. Award created by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist who invented dynamite and died in 1896.

• Emily Greene Balch (1867-1961) My 5th cousin 5X removed, born in the United States, was awarded the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize because of her work as a central leader of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) based in Switzerland.
• Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) My 7th cousin 2x removed, born in the United States, was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature because for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style.
• Sir. Frederick Grant Banting MC (1891-1941) My 7th cousin 2X removed, born in Canada, was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with John Macleod for their co-discovery of insulin and its therapeutic potential. Banting remains the youngest Nobel laureate for Physiology/Medicine after receiving the award at age 32.
• Owen Chamberlain (1920-2006) My 8th cousin 1x removed, born in the United States, was awarded the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physics with Emilio Segrè for their co-discovery of the antiproton, which is a sub-atomic antiparticle. Also served on the Manhattan Project during World War II.
• Philip John Baker (1889-1982) My 8th cousin 3X removed, born in England, was awarded the 1959 Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy of multilateral nuclear disarmament, rather than a policy of unilateral disarmament. Baker is the only Nobel Prize Laureate to have won an Olympic medal, where we won a Silver Medal for the 1500m in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp (and carried the British team flag).

Heroic Cousins Who Were Awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. During the early years of these United States, military awards and decorations were extremely minimal compared to what we see today. The Congressional Gold Medal was awarded under a joint resolution of the US Congress. The medal today has evolved to persons who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture (like actors or authors). Shown here are the military-related awards.

• MGen. Peter Buell Porter (1773-1844) My 2nd Cousin 7x removed was a famed American commander of the New York Volunteer and other regiments during the War of 1812. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for gallantry and good conduct during the Battles of Chippewa and Niagara, and Siege of Fort Erie. Member of the US House of Representatives.
• BGen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (1782-1839) My 4th Cousin 6x removed was a famed American commander who was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his successes during the War of 1812. He was commander of the 21st US Infantry Regiment during the Battles of York, the Second Battle of Sackets Harbor, and Crysler’s Farm. As commander of the Second Brigade, he fought in the Battles of Niagara River and Lundy’s Lane, and the Siege of Fort Erie. He was the grandson of Dr. Eleazar Wheelock, who founded Dartmouth College.
• Commodore Isaac Hull (1773-1843) My 4th Cousin 6x removed was a famed commander of the USS Constitution during the War of 1812. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for the success of his encounter with the British frigate HMS Guerriere, at sea, and pounded her to a wreck in an action that electrified the Nation and demonstrated that the small US Navy was a worthy and dangerous opponent for Britain's otherwise overwhelming maritime might. He also served in the Quasi War and the Barbary Wars.
• Commodore James Biddle (1783-1848) My 5th Cousin 6x removed was a famed US Naval commander who was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of the gallantry, good conduct and services during the War of 1812 while captain of the sloop-of-war Hornet, in capturing the British sloop-of-war Penguin, after a brave and skillful combat. As sometime during Barbary Wars he was an officer on the USS Pennsylvania that became disabled and led to his imprisonment by Tripoli pirates for 19 months.
• MGen. William “Billy” Mitchell (1879-1936) My 8th Cousin 5x removed is considered the Father of the US Air Force. He was an aviation visionary and change agent who was court-martialed for insubordination for accusing Army and Navy leaders of treason for not investing in air power (over ships), believing that this would prove vital in future wars. Posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1946 and promoted to the permanent rank of Major General.

First Ladies of the United States (FLOTUS) Who Are My Cousins — While there are over 34 First Ladies who are my blood cousins (and another 18 via marriage relationships), shown here is just a sample of those who’ve inspired me over the years. Technically there is just “one” First Lady per President, but at times there were multiple marriages or daughters stepped in as the hostess of the White House. Although the First Lady's role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the United States.

• Mamie Eisenhower (1896-1979) My 7th cousin 1x was born Mamie Geneva Doud and married Dwight David Eisenhower in 1916. She is a descendant of Mayflower passenger William Brewster and one of the 1639 founders of Guilford, Connecticut, Henry Doude.
• Abigail Adams (1744-1818) My 7th cousin 8x was born Abigail Quincy Smith and married John Adams in 1764. She also served as an unofficial adviser to her husband, and their letters show him seeking her counsel on many issues, including his presidential aspirations. Mother of future US President John Quincy Adams.
• Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) My 8th cousin 2x was born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and married Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1905. Eleanor started the sometimes-current standard for expansion of the role of wife and advisor of the President to an activist-role of the First Lady. Served as the US Representative and Chair of the United Nation Commissions on Human Rights, and was the First Chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.
• Nancy Reagan (1921-2016) My 8th cousin 2x was born Anne Frances Robbins and married Ronald Reagan in 1952. Nancy was a successful actor before her marriage, and while First Lady helped lead the “Just Say No” anti-illegal drug use campaign. Also known as a fashion icon.
• Barbara Bush (1925-2018) My 11th cousin 1x was born Barbara Pierce and married George H.W. Bush in 1945. Barbara drove a campaign to improve literacy in the US which culminated in the passage of the 1991 National Literacy Act, as well as creation of the National Literacy Foundation. She was the architype of being the trusted advisor to her husband. Mother of future US President George W. Bush.
• Lady Bird Johnson (1912-2007) My 12th cousin 3x was born Claudia Alta Taylor and married Lyndon Johnson in 1934. Notably well-educated for a woman of her era, a capable manager and successful investor. She used her inheritance to bankroll Lyndon’s congressional campaign and then ran his office while he served in the Navy. As an activist-First Lady, she broke new ground by interacting directly with Congress, employing her press secretary, and making a solo electioneering tour. She inspired the Highway Beautification Act, which was informally known as "Lady Bird's Bill". Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1984.
• Edith Wilson (1872-1961) My 13th cousin 3x was born Edith Bolling and married the widowed Pres. Woodrow Wilson in 1915 during his first term as president. Edith played an influential role in President Wilson's administration following the severe stroke he suffered in 1919. For the remainder of her husband's presidency, she managed the office of the president. Pres. Wilson’s daughter, Margaret Woodrow Wilson, served as the First Lady until Woodrow's second marriage to Edith.

Famed University Founders and Presidents.

• Rev. Eleazar Wheelock (1711-1779) My 2nd cousin 8x removed was the founder and first president of Dartmouth College in 1769; also known as a leading American Congregational minister and orator.
• Aaron Burr Sr. (1716-1757) My 3rd cousin 10x removed was the co-founder and second president of Princeton University in 1746, which was then called the College of New Jersey; he was the father of Aaron Burr, the third vice president of the United States.
• Mary Mason Lyon (1797-1849) My 5th cousin 5x removed was an American pioneer in women's education, and founder of Wheaton College in 1834, and Mount Holyoke College in 1837.
• Brigham Young (1801-1877) My 5th Cousin 6x removed was the second president of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Led Mormon pioneers west from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Salt Lake Valley. Founder of Salt Lake City. 1st governor of the Utah Territory. Helped establish University of Utah and Brigham Young University.
• Rev. Bethuel Cooley Church (1813-1889, my 5th cousin), Rev. Amos West Coon (1817-1904, my 5th cousin), Dr. Jonathan Macomber Allen (1823-1892, my 6th cousin), and Rev. William Colgrove Kenyon (1812-1867, my 8th cousin) were collectively known as the four founders of modern Alfred University in New York.
• Rev. James Pierpont (1660-1714) My 6th cousin 11x removed led a group of Congregationalist ministers in the founding of Yale University in 1710.
• Hon. Ezra Cornell (1807-1874) My 7th cousin 4x removed was a co-founder of Cornell University in 1865. Also, the founder of Western Union and a New York State Senator. The other co-founder was Andrew Dickson White (1832-1918), my 14th cousin 6x removed.
• Rev. James Manning (1738-1791) My 10th cousin 8x removed founded Brown University in 1764, which was then called Rhode Island College, a Baptist school of higher learning.

Founders, Pioneers and Notable Cousins and Direct Ancestors

• Clarissa Harlowe Barton (1821-1912) My 4th cousin 6x removed. Founder of the American Red Cross and nurse participant on American Civil War and Spanish-American War battlefields.
• Thomas Edison (1847-1931) My 5th Cousin 4x removed. Electronics, sound and motion picture inventor and innovator.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) My 6th cousin 5x removed. Author of the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which illuminated the truth about human slavery.
• Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) My 6th cousin 6x removed. Abolitionist, social reformer and women's rights activist.
• Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) My 8th cousin 9x removed. Natural philosopher and key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment.
• Anneke Jans (1605-1663) My 10th great-grandmother. Rich widow who once owned all the land that his now Manhattan, New York.
• Augustine Clement (1604-1674) My 12th great-grandfather. Considered the Father of American portrait painting.

Eclectic Collection of Cousins Who Were SPIES. While not all of these American and British cousins are exemplary (and it's quite a collection of personalities), they were leaders of intelligence organizations, codebreakers, specialists in all types of covert operations, and generally heroic. The bad apples are easy to identify; they either misused their trust of others or betrayed the trust of their nations. Few were trained to be spies, but all had to rely upon their God-given talent to accomplish a secret goal — usually for the greater good — and they changed the world.

• Dr. Edward Bancroft (1745-1821) My 3rd cousin 9x removed was a physician and chemist who became a double-agent, spying for both the United States and Great Britain while serving as secretary to the American Commission in Paris during the American Revolution; as such, he was a close associate of the Hon. Benjamin Franklin, who was then a commissioner and then later Ambassador to France. Bancroft would later receive a generous pension for is spying activities from Great Britain.
• Capt. Nathan Hale (1755-1776) My 4th cousin 8x removed was famous for the Revolutionary War quote "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." He was a spy for the Continental Army and while on an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City he was captured by the British and executed. Official Hero of the State of Connecticut.
• Sgt. Daniel Bissell IV (1754-1824) My 4th cousin 8x removed started his service in the Revolutionary War serving the 5th Connecticut Regiment. Later he posed as a deserter, joined the British Army and spied for the Americans. He was to become the last recipient of the rare Badge of Military Merit in June 1783 that was awarded by Gen. George Washington.
• Benjamin Tallmadge (1754-1835). My 5th cousin 6x removed was instrumental in organizing the Culper Spy Ring in 1777 to relay information to Gen. George Washington to keep him informed of the British activities around New York City and Long Island during the Revolutionary War. In this operation, Tallmadge assumed the name of "John Bolton."
• MGen. Grenville Mellen Dodge II (1831-1916). My 6th cousin 5x removed was pioneering figure in military intelligence during the American Civil War, who served as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence chief in the Western Theater. He established a spy network of around 100 undercover agents that included women and blacks.
• Pres. George H.W. Bush (1924-2018). My 8th cousin 2x removed served as the 41st President of the United States, and as the 11th Director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1976-1977. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals as a Naval Aviator during World War II assigned to the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30).
• E. Howard Hunt (1918 - 2007) My 8th cousin 2x removed served as an American intelligence officer for the OSS and CIA. Hunt was one of Pres. Nixon’s plumbers who was convicted of charges related to spying on the National Democratic Headquarters in the early 1970s, better known as the Watergate Scandal. He was also involved in clandestine operations in South America and the failed invasion of Cuba, known as the Bay of Pigs. Published author of 73 books. His wife was also a spy.
• Virginia (Hall) Goillot (1906-1982). My 8th cousin 4x removed was an American-born spy for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II, where she was successful in disrupting German operations in France until they saturated the countryside with wanted posters for the “limping lady” (she had a wooden leg). She was the only civilian woman to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (by Gen. William Donovan); honorary member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE); awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palme by France.
• Sir Anthony Blunt (1907-1983). My 10th cousin 3x removed was a leading British art historian, writer and professor. He confessed to having been a spy for the Soviet Union after being offered immunity from prosecution in 1964; his crime was kept a secret. He was considered to be the "fourth man" of the Cambridge Five, a group of Cambridge-educated spies who worked for the Soviet Union from the 1930s to the early 1950s.
• Nigel de Grey CMG OBE (1886-1951) My 10th cousin 4x removed was one of the famed British codebreakers who decrypted the Zimmermann Telegram which help drive United States entry into World War I. During World War II he was assigned to the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where he concentrated on German traffic encrypted on the Enigma cipher machine.
• Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) My 13th cousin 8x removed was a famed American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery, she aided the escape of enslaved Americans using the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she worked for the Union Army as an armed scout and spy, and was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war which liberated more than 700 enslaved people.
• Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884). My 13th cousin 9x removed served in the Union Army during the American Civil War where he was head of the Union Intelligence Service from 1861–1862. He wrote a book “A Spy for the Rebellion,” and would later establish the famed (or infamous) National Pinkerton Detective Agency.
• RAdm. Edwin Layton (1903-1984) My 17th cousin 1x removed was a famed American combat intelligence officer credited with collecting and communicating the secret intentions of the Japanese Fleet in the run up to the Battle of Midway. His contributions were pivotal to the victory and for the overall war in the Pacific Theater. Awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Navy Commendation Medal.

Infamous Great-Grandfathers and Cousins — History has a way of forgiving one's sins... If one is to celebrate their famous cousins, they must also own the infamous. While there are many more infamous relatives, just a relatively harmless sample is shown here (and like all categories on this page). I tended to show those who are not too disturbing to the casual viewers of this Wikitree page. With a little searching, you can easily find those bad apples who are not shown here.

• Pvt. Henry Whitmoser (Died 1778) My 6th great-grandfather was executed by order of his commander Col. Peter Gansevoort in 1778 at Fort Stanwix for British Loyalist tendencies. He was a soldier of the 3rd New York Regiment of the Continental Army who served at the Siege of Fort Stanwix during the time of the Battle of Oriskany.
• John Billington (1580-1630) My 12th great-grandfather was from Lancashire, England and was one of the many London Merchant Adventurer passengers of the Mayflower Voyage. He was a signer of the Mayflower Compact and the first person executed for the crime of murder at Plymouth Colony; he was hanged after a trial by jury.
• MGen. Sir William Goffe, M.P., Lord (1605-1679) My 11th great-grand uncle was a known regicide and a signatory of the death warrant in Parliament for the beheading of King Charles 1st in 1649. He died at an unknown location while hiding in America. Legend states he was The Angel of Hadley who came out of hiding and rallied the townsfolk during an Indian attack while in hiding.
• Capt. William Harwar Parker (1826-1896) My 3rd cousin 5x removed was a graduate of the US Naval Academy and although born in New York, he chose to serve as Lieutenant in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War, and commanded or served aboard infamous ironclad ships, to include CSS Beaufort, CSS Palmetto State and CSS Richmond. He was also superintendent or commander of the Confederate States Naval Academy near war's end. Later, Parker was a ship’s captain, president of Maryland Agricultural College and US General Counsel to Korea.
• Vice Pres. Aaron Burr Jr. (1756-1836) My 4th cousin 8x removed was an infamous political figure after the Revolutionary War, known mostly for the murder of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton during an illegal duel. Burr would also be tried for treason surrounding unsuccessful covert schemes that included the creation of a paramilitary force to separate the Louisiana Purchase and Ohio Territories from the United States. Third Vice President of the United States.
• Hon. Lorrin Andrews Thurston, Esq. (1858-1931) My 6th cousin 5x removed was an American-Hawaiian lawyer, politician, and businessman who is descended from early Hawaiian missionaries. He played a prominent role in the revolution that caused the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Queen Liliʻuokalani and was a driver in the Annexation of the Republic of Hawaii by the US in 1898. His wife Harriet Elvira (Potter) Thurston (1871-1941) is also my 2nd cousin 4x removed.
• Pres. Richard Nixon (1913-1994) My 9th cousin 2x removed was the 37th President of the United States who resigned in disgrace due to his role in the Watergate Scandal coverup. US Vice President under Pres. Dwight Eisenhower. He was a US Navy Veteran of World War II and retired from the US Navy Reserve with the rank of Commander. Awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
• Pete Rose (1941-Alive) My 10th cousin 2x removed is a legendary Major League Baseball player who holds league records for hitting, singles, games played and more. Three-time World Series Champion and once MVP. Listed as permanently ineligible from playing and managing in MLB, and Hall of Fame consideration due to gambling accusations.
• G. Gordon Liddy (1930 - 2021) My 11th cousin 2x removed was an eccentric celebrity thrust into fame as one of Pres. Nixon’s plumbers who was convicted of charges related to spying on the National Democratic Headquarters in the early 1970s, better known as the Watergate Scandal. He was also a former FBI agent, attorney and published author.

Great-Grandfathers and Cousins Who Fought in The French and Indian War (1754–1763). A Colonial War which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. Two years into the war, in 1756, Great Britain declared war on France, beginning the worldwide Seven Years' War. My great-grandfather’s participation in the war seems very limited and includes only marching to the alarm of the Siege of Fort William Henry, a British defeat that was followed by Natives torturing and massacring their colonial victims. My three ancestors who answered the alarm were quickly turned around and disbanded. My famous cousins who participated were more prominent in the events of this conflict.

• Peter Jost Snell (1730-1804) My 6th great-grandfather served in the French and Indian War for the British Colonial Service in Deycherts Company, which was ordered out by Sir William Johnson in an aborted effort to relieve the Siege at Fort William Henry; he saw just nine days of service, 20-29 Mar 1757. Peter would later serve during the American Revolution at the Battle of Oriskany in 1777.
• Daniel Potter (1712-1779) My 7th great-grandfather served the British Empire in the French and Indian War while attached to Nathaniel Wolcott's Company of militia from Brookfield, Massachusetts that marched August 9, 1757 and was out for just 16 days. This was in response to The Great Alarm about the taking of Fort William Henry. “The alarm of the peril of our troops reached this town before the surrender; and our companies began the march for relief, Aug. 9. Finding themselves too late, our men returned in a short time."
• Gen. Sir John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudon (1705-1782) My 7th cousin 9x removed was the Scottish-born British Commander-in-Chief during the Seven Years' War who planned the aborted expedition to seize the French Fortress of Louisbourg in 1757 (but the fortress would be captured later in 1758). While Loudoun was engaged in Canada, French forces captured Fort William Henry from the British. He was replaced as commander due to poor management of these events.
• BGen. John Forbes (1707-1759) My 8th cousin 8x removed was a Scottish-born British commander of the 17th Foot Regiment during the Seven Years' War who led a force sent to Nova Scotia in an unsuccessful attempt to capture the French Fortress of Louisbourg in 1757. In 1758, he led the successful operation to capture Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) known as The Forbes Expedition. He died of disease in 1759 and previously played a key role in suppressing the 1745 Jacobite Rising.
• MGen. James Wolfe (1727-1759) My 10th cousin 6x removed was a famed British-born commander during the Seven Years’ War who led troops during the capture of the French Fortress of Louisbourg, the capture of Quebec City, and victory at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, where he would die as commander during the height of the battle from musket ball wounds. He was posthumously dubbed "The Conqueror of Quebec.” Wolfe also participated in War of Austrian Succession and the 1745 Jacobite Rising.
• MGen. Sir William Henry Johnson, 1st Baronet (1715-1774) My 12th cousin 8x removed was an Irish-born British commander during the Seven Years’ War who led Iroquois and colonial militia forces during the British victory at the 1755 Battle of Lake George, where he was wounded early in the battle, and which earned him a baronetcy of New York. He also captured Fort Niagara from the French in 1759 which brought him additional renown. He became one of the largest landowners in British America.

Great-Grandfathers and Cousins Who Fought in King Philip’s War (1675-1678). A brutal armed conflict of mutually-escalating massacres between a coalition of the Wampanoags and Narragansetts tribes and a coalition of New England colonists and their Mohegan and Pequot allies. The war was the greatest calamity in 17th Century New England and was the deadliest war in Colonial American history. Twelve of the region’s towns were destroyed, 50% of the region’s towns were attacked by Indians, economies were ruined, and their populations were decimated with 10% of all men dying who were available for military service. Hundreds of Wampanoags and their allies were publicly executed or enslaved, and they were left effectively landless. Thus, it's difficult to state that I'm "proud" of my ancestors' part in this war, but their personal bravery must also be recognized.

• Sgt. Humphrey Johnson (1620-1693) My 9th great-grandfather served with the 4th Company of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Militia, under his brother Capt. Isaac Johnson, during King Philip’s War and fought in the Great Swamp Fight at West Kingstown RI, which was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Humphrey is a direct ancestor of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Gov. Robert Treat (1625-1710) My 10th great-granduncle was the Commander-in-Chief of Connecticut's forces during King Philip’s War who had a prominent role in the fighting at Deerfield MA and took part in the Great Swamp fight at West Kingstown RI, which was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Founder of Newark, New Jersey and Governor of Connecticut Colony.
• William Hills II (1640-1693) My 10th great-grandfather was shot by the Indians and badly wounded in 1675 at the beginning of King Philip's War.
• Lt. Thomas Cooper (1617-1675) My 11th great-grandfather was the lieutenant in command of the Springfield Company during King Philip’s War. He was in command at Springfield MA and lost his life, dramatically, at the burning of that town on 5 Oct 1675. Also, commander of a rescuing force of 27 dragoons and Springfield Indians when the Indians attacked Brookfield MA on 7 Aug 1675. Previously, a Representative to the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Edward Elmer (1613-1676) My 11th great-grandfather died during King Philip’s War in Jun 1676. While inspecting his property he was attacked and murdered by Native Americans. He was a Founder of Hartford CT in 1635 and a veteran of the Pequot War in 1636.
• Gov. Josiah Winslow (1628-1680) My 1st cousin 11x removed was Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial Army during King Philip’s War and Governor of Plymouth Colony at the same time. Cited as being more responsible for the origin of the war than any other stakeholder due to poor handling of events. He was the Harvard College-educated son of Mayflower Passenger Edward Winslow.
• Maj. Samuel Appleton II (1625-1696) My 8th cousin 12x removed was Commander-in-Chief of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Militia during King Philip's War and led troops during the Attack on Hatfield MA the Great Swamp Fight at West Kingstown RI. Deputy to the Massachusetts General Court and remotely related to the Salem Witch Trials.

Great-Grandfathers Who Fought in The Pequot War (1636-1638). A brutal armed conflict in New England between the Pequot tribe, colonists from the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook colonies, and their allies from the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes. Many of the engagements were in fact mutually escalating massacres. The result was the elimination of the Pequot tribe, and the colonial authorities classified them as extinct. Thus, it's difficult to state that I'm "proud" of my ancestors' part in this war, but their personal bravery must also be recognized. Over 11 of my great-grandfathers participated in this war, and eight cousins as well.

• Sgt. Edward Riggs (1589-1672) My 10th great-grandfather. Commended for bravery during The Battle of Munnacommock (Pequot) Swamp, the last battle of the Pequot War, in what is now Southport, Fairfield, Connecticut. Ancestor of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
• Capt. Thomas Tibbals (1613-1703) My 10th great-grandfather. Served as an Indian expert and scout under Capt. John Mason during the Pequot War. Fought at The Battle of Munnacommock (Pequot) Swamp in Southport, CT. In 1654 named sergeant of the train band and sent on an expedition against the Dutch. He guided the Milford settlers from New Haven to the area they purchased from the Indian owners. Listed as a founder of Milford, Connecticut.
• Sgt. Benedict Alvord (1619 - 1683) My 10th great-grandfather. He served as a sergeant in the Pequot War and was present at the Mystic/Pequot Massacre at the Mystic Fort on 26 May 1637, under the command of Captains John Mason and John Underhill. He is listed as a founder of Windsor, Connecticut.
• Lt. Samuel Smith (1601-1681) My 10th great-grandfather. He enlisted for service in the Pequot War in Wethersfield, Connecticut. He was one of the founders of both Wethersfield, Connecticut and Hadley, Massachusetts. Part owner of a ship built by Thomas Deming.
• Samuel Hale (1615-1693) My 11th great-grandfather. He served as a soldier of the Pequot War and enlisted in Hartford, Connecticut. Deputy to Connecticut General Court, from Norwalk, 1656-1658. He was one of the founders of both Norwalk and Hartford, Connecticut.

Mayflower Passengers Who Are My Great-Grandparents. Of the 134 potential Mayflower passengers and crew, 22 of them are my ancestors, or 16.5%. The Mayflower dropped anchor off Cape Cod on 21 Nov 1620 and the first Pilgrim to set foot on North American soil in Nov 1620 is rumored to be my 11th great-grandfather John Alden; subsequent to this, Mary Chilton's — my 10th great-grandmother — is rumored to be the first to step first on Plymouth Rock on 18 Dec 1620. Shortly thereafter they established Plymouth Colony. There is a strong possibility of eventual membership in the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD). Shown below is a sample of my Mayflower great-grandparents.

• John Alden (1598-1687) My 11th great-grandfather was born at Harwich, Essex, England and was employed by the Mayflower to look after barrels (cooper). Upon arrival in the new world, he decided to stay. John was the last surviving signer of the Mayflower Compact upon his death in 1687. John is historically rumored to be the first of the Mayflower flock to set foot on North American soil.
• Francis Cooke (1583-1663) My 11th great-grandfather was one of the many Leiden Separatist passengers of the Mayflower voyage and a signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was a founding member of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Samuel Fuller (1580-1630) My 11th great-grandfather was baptized at Redenhall, Norfolk, England and was one of the many Leiden Separatist passengers of the Mayflower voyage. Samuel was a deacon and the only doctor for Plymouth Colony in the very early days. He signed the Mayflower Compact.
• William Brewster (abt. 1566 - 1644) My 12th great-grandfather was born at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England, was one of the many Leiden Separatist passengers of the Mayflower voyage, and a signer of the Mayflower Compact. As the only university-educated member of Plymouth Colony, he was the Patriarch of the Pilgrims, a preacher, religious leader and their Ruling Elder. Later, he would become an advisor to Gov. William Bradford.

Great American Pioneers and Explorers Who Are My Cousins. There aren’t many “firsts” who are close relatives, but there are many distant cousins who risked their lives in pursuit of eternal fame and notoriety. Many would follow them after their epic journeys into history and help build the America we now celebrate. While many “firsts” often happen by accident, these firsts had goals and ambitions to achieve historical legacies. For all of these firsts, they did not do it alone, but had help and teams to reach their greatness. We all stand on the shoulders of those who've come before us.

• First to Cross the North American Continent. Known as The Lewis and Clark Expedition, Capt. Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809; 9th cousin 8x removed) and Gov. William Clark (1770-1838, 7th cousin 8x removed) led an expedition from 1804-1806 across the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean; for a century afterward, pioneers who followed could only walk in those intrepid footsteps.
• First Into Space and First on the Moon
  • Alan Shepard (1923-1998) My 8th cousin 3x removed was a legendary NASA Astronaut who was the first American to travel into space in 1961 and fifth man to walk on the moon; he was also a World War II Navy Veteran and attained the final rank of Rear Admiral.
  • Col. Guion S. Bluford (1942-Alive) My 16th cousin 0X removed is a famed NASA Astronaut who was the first African American to travel into space in 1983 and would return to space three more times. Vietnam War Air Force Veteran, Colonel; awarded Defense Superior Service, Legion of Merit and Defense Meritorious Service medals.
  • Sally Kristen Ride (1951-2012). My 16th cousin 1x removed was a famed NASA Astronaut who in 1983 became the youngest American to travel into space at age 32 years; the first American woman to travel into space; and the first astronaut known to have been LGBT. Two space flights. Posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  • Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) My 17th cousin 4x removed was a legendary NASA Astronaut who was the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969; he was also a Korean War Navy Veteran, Lieutenant Junior Grade.
• First Man to Fly an Engine-Powered Airplane. Orville Wright (1871-1948) and his brother Wilbur Wright are my 8th cousins 3x removed were legendary American aviation pioneers who are credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane; brother Orville made the first controlled, sustained flight of an engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft in 1903.
• First Woman to Fly Across the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia Mary Earhart (1897-1937) My 8th cousin 3x removed was a famed aviator who accomplished several firsts, including becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. She also established altitude and distance records. Amelia disappeared in 1937 flying across the Pacific Ocean. Awarded the US Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Légion d'honneur.
• First To Walk and Fly to the North Pole. RAdm. Robert Edwin Peary (1856-1920) My 11th cousin 2x removed was the famed leader of the 1908-1909 ground expedition that reached the geographic North Pole; Matthew Henson, Peary’s assistant and an African American, was actually the first person to stand on the ultimate North Pole. RAdm. Richard Evelyn Byrd II (1888-1957) My 11th cousin 3x removed was a famed naval aviator and explorer, and the first to reach both the North and South Poles by air in the 1920s and 1930s; he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, Medal of Honor and Navy Cross.
• First To Break the Sound Barrier. BGen. Charles Elwood Yeager (1923-2020) My 12th cousin 3x removed was a distinguished World War II flying ace, and later a famed record-setting test pilot who in 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Awarded both the Air Force and Army Distinguished Service Medals, Silver Star and Legion of Merit medals (and others).