History is Not Boring discussion

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relatives in history

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message 1: by Marian (new)

Marian (gramma) | 98 comments My mother is a direct descendant of John Dickinson. He helped write & sign the constitution but he & Jefferson had a disagreement over the Declaration of Independence & instead of signing, he walked out & joined the Continental Army. When he is portrayed on TV, ect. They don't show him the way he looked in the family portraits. He has white hair, receding hairline, broad forehead, double chin. My mother's family was into who your family was, but they didn't approve of my fathers' family whose parents were born in Germany.


Boreal Elizabeth | 145 comments my uncle discovered an ancestor who was a revolutionary war drummer or fifer (i can't remember which) in the revolutionary war

interesting if not exactly an important role

also, my father was an engineer on the oil pipeline in iran in the early 60's

i always found that personally interesting

on a like note i have some good friends who are dog mushers and one of them (sharon) was feeling a little blue one day and i just said (and thought) are you kidding? how many dog mushers do you think there are? you are one of an elite group! she really is a wonderful person and amazing

i think we all sometimes forget how neat we really are




message 3: by Stacie (new)

Stacie Heyen (sheyen) | 2 comments I have two. I am related to Nathaniel Greene who was a famous Revolutionary War general, you pretty much cant know either Revolutionary War history or RI history without know about Nathaniel Greene. To be honest its a distant relative tho, his 2nd great grandparents are my 10th great grandparents. Now one of my aunts, she is married to my dads brother, her cousin (see told you it wasnt on my side!)He is related to Dr Mudd that set John Wilkes Boothes leg.


message 4: by Manuel (new)

Manuel | 1439 comments We are related to the dictator (I wont mention his name, but its not hard to figure out who it was) who toppled Mexico's elected popular president in 1913 (Done with US aid)


message 5: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads, Crazy Cat Lady (new)

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (susannag) | 1011 comments Mod
Oliver Cromwell was a cousin, if you go up the family tree a bit.


message 6: by James (new)

James Hmm! Marian, my stepfather was named George Douglas Dickinson. He was born in 1923 in Monroe, Louisiana, grew up in New Mexico, served in both oceans in the Navy in WW2, and died in 2003. I wonder whether he was related to you via your mother? He told me that one of his ancestors had been Mad Anthony Wayne, but didn't mention anyone who actually shared the surname Dickinson.

Other than that, unless one of my children or grandchildren gets famous, my family is fated for continued obscurity...


message 7: by Marian (new)

Marian (gramma) | 98 comments Hi James

John Dickinson had 10 children. His son David moved to Virginia, then Kentucky. My grandfather was the youngest of 12 children. There is also a branch of Joseph Dickinson who settled in MA. Emily Dickinson is from that branch. There are also Dickinsons still living in England.
There was an article in the New Yorker about how everybody is related at the degree of 15th cousin. So we're all related to famous (or infamous) people. And also to each other.


Tim (Mole) The Gunslinger (Mole) | 30 comments All of you have very interesting historical ties! My last name is Smith and I would like think that somewhere down the line there has to be something interesting in my family tree but I really cant say I wish I knew! And on my mothers side she is a German immigrant and its not really historical but Stephie Graf is my cousin!lol


message 9: by Lea (new)

Lea | 14 comments Steffie Graf is a former number-one-ranked tennis player, now retired and married to Andre Agassi< I believe(not that the retirement and the marriage are necessarily related -- just two fun facts).


Tim (Mole) The Gunslinger (Mole) | 30 comments I dont speak much unfortunatley! let me see you said I speak a litle german and not sure on the last word!lol


message 11: by Boreal Elizabeth (new)

Boreal Elizabeth | 145 comments and you?

your mother is a german immigrant but it's not historical?

when did she immigrate?

what did her parents do during the war?

what did her grandparents do during world war I?

good god-modern history = germany and germans


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