Ancestral brushes with the rich or famous

[Janny3]

Gordon, can you ask your Gran if she remembers the Murray family from Nimmo's Rows, in particular John, my father? He was at school along with Alexander Gibson and I would love to find someone who knew him. Thanks
Jan

[gracie23]

Hello and Happy Easter from across the pond!

My Aunt told me that my grandmom was friends with Edith Head, famous fashion designer while growing up in Montreal. It wasn't until I started researching her side of the family that I found Edith Head and family on the census down the block from my grandmom.

My gg grandfather Patrick Kearney was a gilder/carver/cabinetmaker and made furniture for the Vanderbilt family in NYC. Oh why couldn't they have adopted him!!

Deborah

[Velveteen]

I have a few...almost all are through marriage though. My g-g-g-g-g-aunt Caroline Choppin married Joseph Protheroe, a decendant of welsh royalty(according to a celtic genealogy site on rootsweb, that is), and through the same family, Edward Protheroe, MP for Bristol around the same time(early 1800's)was some sort of cousin, as was an MP for Halifax. There is a possible link by marriage to Frances Nisbit, wife of Horatio Nelson. Another remoter offshoot of my family line, Lydia Bunbury, married Alfred De Vigny, who was a French poet/Playright whom I'd never heard of until then. My great-great uncle James Clement Choppin was Solicitor-General for the caribbean island of Saint Vincent...big fish-small pond. Another slightly more recent offshoot from my direct line was a politician in St Vincent...actually I think two generations were.

Oh, and my 6x great grandparents attended the same church(St Swithin Walcot, Bath) around the same time as Jane Austen and her family. -That might be stretching a connection just a tad but 

I'm afraid the family doesn't move in such esteemed circles these days 

Edited to add a couple.

[vic1]

My Gran grew up in ST Thomas's in swansea.
She knew Dylan Thomas and his wife - having lived closed to  his grandparents
She also knew Harry secombe and remembered him singing in the choir at church.

Grandad whilst away at war was offered a job a WALT Disney by some one high up there  but he wouldn't accept as My Nan and Mum couldn't go. Thank goodness or I wouldn't be here.

[richarde1979]

"around the same time as Jane Austen and her family"

I've also got a bit of an Austen connection as a branch of my fathers family were from Chawton, Hampshire, one of our distant relations Biggs-Withers, proposed to her there, though was refused. She also mentions the death of another relative, mrs budd, in her diary 1811. It was a small village so I'm sure they all knew eachother, though my rellies would have been considerably down the social scale, as they were simple ag labourers, shepherds and carters.

[coombs]

Mine is with the Kray Twins.  :oAnd it was Richarde79 who helped me find that out.

[richarde1979]

Remember it well Ben, wasn't there a possible link to President Johnson as well through your French Huguenots?

[coombs]

I remember vaguely but cannot remember the exact details. We discussed it on another forum. Something to do with the Moncoutant Huguenots.

Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier) and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran have Huguenot ancestry like me.

[MurphysLaw]

My great Auntie Irene knew Max Bygraves during WW2 - she was operative as a WREN. I dont know what Max did but i know there are photos here and there of them together during this period.

Murf