Author Archive

by Eowyn Langholf
 
Today’s AJ Cousin Connection is American sharpshooter Annie Oakley!

Annie Oakley was born Phoebe Ann Mosey on this day, 13 August, in 1860. Annie’s sharpshooting skills led her to a starring role in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.  This timely rise to fame allowed her to become one of the first American women to be a superstar.

Her most famous trick?  With a .22 caliber rifle, Annie could repeatedly split a playing card, edge-on, and put several more holes in it before it touched the ground.

Love at first shot:  On Thanksgiving Day in 1875, the Baughman and Butler shooting act performed in Cincinnai.  Frank Butler, an Irish immigrant, placed a $100 with Jack Frost, the hotel owner, that he, Frank, could beat any fancy local shooter.  Jack arranged the shooting match between 15 year old 5 feet tall Annie Oakley and Butler saying “The last opponent Butler expected was a five-foot-tall 15-year old girl named Annie.”  After missing his 25th shot, Frank lost the match and the bet but won the heart of Annie as the two soon began courting and were married August 23, 1876.

“I ain’t afraid to love a man. I ain’t afraid to shoot him either. -” ― Annie Oakley

A.J. and Annie have 32 degrees of separation.  Here’s what that looks like:

by Eowyn Langholf
 
Today’s AJ Cousin Connection is Scottish American industrialist Andrew Carnegie. 

The life of Andrew Carnegie has been called a true “rags to riches” story.  Born in Dunfermline, Ireland, in 1835, Andrew emigrated to America with his very poor parents in 1848.  He started off as a telegrapher and by 1860 had investments in railroads, bridges, oil derricks and railroad sleeping cars. He went on to also accumulate wealth as a bond salesman. He built the Carnegie Steel Company which he then sold to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for 480 million dollars.

The remainder of his life, Andrew dedicated to philanthropic endeavors on a large scale especially towards local libraries, scientific research, education and world peace. With his vast fortune he built Carnegie Hall, and founded, among other things, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Carnegie Institution for Science, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Carnegie Hero Fund, Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

Based on the dollar in 2007, Andrew Carnegie’s net worth was 298.3 billion dollars!

Mr. Carnegie died on this day, August 11, in 1919, from bronchial pneumonia.

Andrew Carnegie is A.J. Jacobs’ first cousin once removed’s ex-husband’s second cousin twice removed’s husband’s first cousin once removed’s wife’s second great uncle. 

Here’s what that looks like:

Today’s AJ Cousin Connection is the one and only Thomas Edison, an American inventor and businessman.  Here’s five things you may or may not know about Thomas:

1. Thomas Edison was one of the first inventors to use mass production and large-scale teamwork to process his inventions. For this he was dubbed “The Wizard of Menlo Park”.

2. Edison held 1,093 patents in his name!

3. Edison only attended school for 3 months.  His mind would wander, his teacher called him “addled” and so his mother taught him from home.  Thomas later said, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.”

4.  At the age of 24, on Christmas Eve 1971, Thomas married 16-year-old Mary Stillwell, an employee from one of his shops. They had 3 children. Mary died in 1884.  In 1886, 39-year-old Thomas Edison married 20-year-old Mina Miller, with whom he had three more children. (Bonus: Edison’s two oldest children were nicknamed “Dot” and “Dash”.

5. Edison’s last breath is reportedly contained in a test tube at the Henry Ford Museum. Ford reportedly convinced Charles Edison to seal a test tube of air in the inventor’s room shortly after his death, as a memento. [1]

Thomas Alva Edison and AJ Jacobs have 25 degrees of separation. 

Here’s what that looks like:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

Today’s AJ Cousin Connection is actor, writer and director David Duchovny, best known for his roles as Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication, both roles that won him Golden Globe Awards.

Coincidentally, today also happens to be David’s birthday! He was born August 7, 1960 in New York City.  David’s father was Jewish, his parents having come from what’s now part of the Ukraine and from Poland.  His mother is a Lutheran emigrant from Scotland.

Fun fact: David received a Master of Arts in English Literature from Yale University.

Fun fact #2:  David is a former vegetarian and current pescetarian.

In March of this year, NBC announced that a new series starring David called Aquarius has been ordered! He will play a 1960s police sergeant investigating budding cult leader Charles Manson. 

A.J. Jacobs is David William Duchovny’s first cousin once removed’s wife’s sister’s husband’s nephew’s wife’s uncle’s wife’s great nephew’s ex-wife’s second cousin.

Here’s what that looks like:

Hello Cousins! We’ve got another tip for you this week.

After putting all your grandparents in order last week, you may be left with information on all their children; not just your parents. What are you supposed to do with that? Is it really useful to you? Of course it is! You’ll soon learn as a family researcher that those lateral connections can offer great clues when you are having troubles figuring out who is who. You want to keep all that information as much as you want to keep your grandparents’ information. One great way to keep track of it is using family group sheets. Pedigree charts from last week do an excellent job of helping us see our direct line, but for each set of those parents, there is a family attached. I like to write the page numbers of the family group sheet to corresponds to someone after their name on the pedigree chart so I can find them quickly.

Post by Abby Glann

AJ wrote a piece for the Guardian about Barack Obama and Congress and how they’re just one big family. Think we can get ’em to have a group hug??  You can read the article here.

Barack Obama kisses a lot of babies, but what about Republican David Vitter? He is the president’s first cousin seven times removed’s wife’s great niece’s husband’s second cousin thrice removed’s wife’s third cousin, after all. Photograph: Pete Souza / White House via Flickr

P.S. Thanks to great researchers at Geni.com and WikiTree for helping us find connections between President Obama and many U.S. Senators!

Today’s AJ Cousin Connection is Anne Hathaway, the wife of playwright William Shakespeare. 

Anne Hathaway was born in 1555/6 and died on this day, August 6, in 1623.  Not much is known about Anne beyond references in legal documents and many historians and creative writers have speculated about her personality and her relationship with William Shakespeare. 

Anne was 26 when she married the then 18 year old William in November of 1582.  She was pregnant with the child she would give birth to six months later.  Because of the age difference, there are some historians who postulate that this was a “shotgun” wedding forced onto the young Shakespeare by the Hathaway family.

Anne and William would have three children – Susanna, born in 1583 and twins, Judith and Hamnet, born in 1585.  Hamnet died at the age of 11. 

Anne died August 6, 1623.  On her tombstone is an inscription in Latin which reads as “Breasts, O mother, milk and life thou didst give. Woe is me – for how great a boon shall I give stones? How much rather would I pray that the good angel should move the stone so that, like Christ’s body, thine image might come forth! But my prayers are unavailing. Come quickly, Christ, that my mother, though shut within this tomb may rise again and reach the stars.”

This may have been written by John Hall, on behalf of his wife Susanna, for her mother.[1]

A.J. Jacobs is Anne Hathaway‘s husband’s first cousin 13 times removed’s husband’s nephew.

Here’s what that looks like: 

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hathaway_%28Shakespeare%27s_wife%29

Today’s AJ Cousin Connection is American actress, singer and model Marilyn Monroe, who, sadly, died on this day 5 August in 1962.  Can you believe she’d be 88 if she had lived?!

Marilyn spent most of her childhood in foster homes then went on to start a career in modeling.  By 1946 she landed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox.  She starred in numerous commercially successful films in the 50s and 60s.  Marilyn won a Golden Globe award for her performance in Some Like It Hot.  Regrettably, her later years were plagued with illness and personal problems.  It is debated whether her death was a probably suicide or accidental overdoes but either way the world lost a brilliant diamond on this day 52 years ago.

“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.”  – Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe is AJ’s second great aunt’s aunt’s husband’s first cousin twice removed’s wife’s great niece’s husband’s great nephew’s wife’s father’s ex-wife.

Here’s what that looks like:

Today’s AJ Cousin Connection is French fashion designer Louis Vuitton, who was born on this day, 4 August, in 1821.

In 1835 at the age of 14, Louis ran away from home to walk the 292 miles to Paris. He supported himself with odd jobs along the way, sleeping wherever he found shelter. I’m 1837 at the age of 16 he arrived in Paris. He apprenticed in the workshop of a successful box-maker and packer named Monsieur Marecha. There Louis learned the 19th century craft of custom box making. This involved not only making the fitted boxes, but packing and unpacking them also. Louis established a good reputation for his craft and service.

When Eugenie de Montijo, married Napoleon IIII, she hired Louis as her personal box-maker and packer. Vuitton now had access to a class of elite and royal clientele who would seek his services for the duration of his life. [1]

Louis Vuitton is AJ’s wife’s second cousin’s husband’s first cousin’s wife’s fourth cousin once removed’s wife’s second cousin twice removed’s husband’s brother’s wife’s second great grandfather!

Here’s what that looks like (You = AJ):

1. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Vuitton-1