Is it common to have a great many "famous relatives"?

WilliamLafferty3

Dennis J Yancey

going back 10-20 generations we are related to just about everyone . . .

famous or not famous .

if they at least have ancestry in a common world region.

but dont confuse the terms "descended from" and "related to"

ie. ancestors vs cousins.

Dennis J Yancey

Dennis J Yancey

however . . . not everyone can trace all their lines back 10-20 generations.

so even knowing that we are related to millions of people . . . doesn't always mean that we can trace the connection or not.

But the "famous relatives" as reported in FS is based on connections within the Family Tree.

so actually you are related to even a much greater number than that which is reported - simply that not every famous person has their line well documented in Family Tree.

also note the huge difference between a famous person being an ancestor and a famous person being related (a N'th cousin) - - are worlds apart . . . the relatives FS is reporting are in many cases VERY VERY distantly related cousins.

though if a famous person lived long enough ago - - such as Charlemagne and other royals of many centuries ago . . . it almost becomes a certainty that they would be an ancestor of ours on some one of our millions of ancestral lines. (though we may or may not be able to trace the connection)

Dennis J Yancey

Here is just one of numerous applications of the fact of how we are related to so many people

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw2mkHmIKOA

Dennis J Yancey

also see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krUz052oZXM

WilliamLafferty3

Thank you, Dennis, that is pretty much what I expected. I do appreciate the youtube videos and the reference to Geni.com. I've been interested in genealogy for many years and find it fascinating. I especially appreciate FamilySearch.