I love genealogy. I love the research aspect and more than anything I love the discovery aspect. My husband clings diligently to the “Adam & Eve” theory that we are all related and the rest is just a waste of time. That’s fine for him, but I guess I am more about the how of the connections. If I am potentially connected to someone, I want to know how, by who, or is it whom. Either way, I want to know.
So, I am a huge fan of Ancestry’s “We are Related,” and Family Search’s “Relative Finder.” I spent yesterday tracking my connections to some of the famous movie stars I am potentially related to. I am always tickled when I can line everyone up to fit.
Below is my most current list of potential famous movie star relatives.
- Francis Phillip Wupperman (Frank Morgan)
- Eldred Gregory Peck
- William Edgar Buchanan
- Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery
- Humphrey DeForest Bogart
- Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (Burl Ives)
- Jackson DeForest Kelley
- Harry Lillis Crosby II (Bing Crosby)
- Jane Waddington Wyatt
- Jesse Donald Knotts (Don Knotts)
- Lloyd Vernet Bridges II
- Margarita Carmen Cansino (Rita Hayworth)
- Joseph Frank Keaton (Buster Keaton)
- Fess Elisha Parker II
- Lucille Desiree Ball
- Mary Frances Reynolds (Debbie Reynolds)
- Frances Ethel Gumm (Judy Garland)
- James Harrison Coburn

I look at this list and two things stand out for me. I am potentially related to the two main characters of the Wizard of Oz, and I am related to a number of strong, beautiful and very funny ladies. Must be in my genes.

Or the poor confused man might be hiding from the frothing at the mouth “journalists” and photographers who track his every movement! He could have gone underground…with his wife’s blessing…to find some much needed and deserved peace and freaking quiet, away from prying eyes and whining, fainting, screaming, lunatic fans. Now this is not really a slam against his fans, but imagine if you had to live your life like that? I know he made a choice. But what choice did he make? I am CERTAIN he did not choose to be the butt of industry jokes, hounded by the media about things that are none of their damn business, or even to be the subject of criticism about the most mundane aspects of his life.












