Dockstader-Wegert Family

If you want to know the simple, but boring, explanation of the process...read on. Otherwise...you may skip the next couple paragraphs...smiles.

So...There is a feature on Ancestry.com which allows you to find famous people who might be connected to your family tree. Once you post your tree on the Ancestry.com site, and make a connection in your tree to a name in the Ancestry.com One-World Tree, you are presented with a list of celebrities who are probably family. Then the fun begins...when you start following the tree branches to determine if there is a credible connection. Ancestry.com rates the accuracy of the suggested relationships on a five-star rating system. All of the relationships I make notes of below are four or five-star rated...the relationships point to a high probability of an accurate connection.

Of the list of names suggested by Ancestry.com, I was able to connect my tree with several celebrities. There were a few names they suggested as possible relationships, which did not pan out.

Some of the cool names that DID NOT connect were Eli Whitney, Elvis (he left the building), Julia Child (busy looking for wine glass), Florence Nightingale, Freddie Prinze, George W. Bush (Whew...that was close), Ernest Shackleton (still lost, but found), and Ferdinand von Zeppelin.

It was still very interesting with the investigating into all of the names suggested. It's like playing detective...one clue leads you to another. I must say...my tree did get pretty close to a connection to the above names. Close...but no cigar!

(I am working on the following links...they will become clickable when that page is done...)

You may click on the names for a more detailed explanation of their biography,
and how they are related to my tree.

Philo Taylor Farnsworth (1906-1971), Inventor of the Electronic Television, grew up in Rigby, Idaho and tinkered with electronics for fun. His "image dissector tube" was the first prototype of the modern electronic television which showed only one straight line across the screen.
5th Cousin 3 times removed
General Tom Thumb (1838-1883), Circus Performer, (born Charles Stratton) was taught to sing, dance, and act by circus pioneer P.T. Barnum. His small frame and many talents made him famous around the world.
5th Cousin 3 times removed
Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893), 19th President, was known for his honesty and military involvement in the American Civil War. After the scandal ridden years of the Grant administration, Hayes restored trust to the presidency and ended Reconstruction during his term.
4th Cousin 5 times removed
Daniel B. Wesson (1825-1906), Gun Company Owner, partnered with Horace Smith in Norwich, Connecticut in the early 1850's to develop the first repeating rifle, the volcanic rifle.
4th Cousin 5 times removed
Samuel Adams (1722-1803), Massachusetts Representative, helped to organize the Boston Tea Party. From the beginning he was a loud voice for independence.
2nd Cousin 9 times removed
Frances Folsom Cleveland (1864-1947) married President Grover Cleveland in the White House, the only couple to have done so. Their 27 year age difference proved no disadvantage to their romance.
4th Cousin 4 times removed
Samuel Huntington (1731-1796), signed the Articles of Confederation as a member of the Continental Congress. Later he signed the Declaration of Independence as Governor of Connecticut.
3rd Cousin 6 times removed
Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003), four times Academy Award winning Actress, maintained a successful acting career for over 70 years. Her notable performances in The African Queen and On Golden Pond, as well as countless other films, contributed to her title as the AFI's Greatest American Female Star.
6th Cousin 2 times removed
Mamie Doud Eisenhower (1896-1979), was the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Her popularity came from her beautiful clothes, her pride in her home and her husband, and her million dollar fudge recipe.
6th Cousin 2 times removed
James Abram Garfield (1831-1881), 20th President, serving the second shortest term in U. S. history (only 6 months), was the second President of the United States to be assassinated.
5th Cousin 4 times removed
John Piermont Morgan I (1837-1913), Banker, was one of the wealthiest men at the beginning of the 20th century. A financier and banker, he arranged the merger for General Electric, and his bank today is known as Morgan Stanley.
5th Cousin 4 times removed
William Williams, (1731-1811), Connecticut Representative, a merchant and politician from Connecticut, signed the Declaration of Independence. He was a Harvard graduate who studied theology.
3rd Cousin 8 times removed
Lucy Ware Webb Hayes, (1831-1889), First Lady, convinced her husband, Rutherford B. Hayes, to fight in the Union army and to oppose slavery. He later became an influential part of the abolitionist cause.
6th Cousin 3 times removed
Isaac Newton (1643-1727), is regarded as one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians in history. He described 3 laws of motion that also govern the entire earth and the celestial bodies surrounding it.
2nd Cousin 11 times removed
Willa Cather (1873-1947), has been called one of the most eminent American Authors. A muckraking journalist at first, she penned the famous My Antonia.
7th Cousin 2 times removed
John Steinbeck (1902-1968), who's writing is characterized by portrayals of working class families in California. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature as well as the Pulitzer Prize. Two of his most famous works are The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.
7th Cousin 2 times removed
Chester Alan Arthur (1830-1886), became the 21st President of the United States after the assassination of James Garfield. His presidency is remembered for the Pendleton Act, which helped reform civil service, and Tariff Reforms.
6th Cousin 4 times removed
Florence Mabel Kling Harding (1860-1924), was the wife of President Warren G. Harding. Though she had struggled to support herself and her young son, she thrived as the hostess of the White House.
7th Cousin 3 times removed
Lillian Gish (1893-1993), or Lillian Diana de Guiche, is known as the "first lady of the silent screen" and starred in many silent films including The Birth of a Nation and The Scarlet Letter. Her career spanned over 75 years and countless television and film appearances.
8th Cousin 1 times removed
Sir Arthur John Evans (1851-1941), was the British archaeologist known for uncovering the Minoan civilization.
7th Cousin 6 times removed
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English author, immigrated to England with his scientifically genius family. He was known for his novels, such as "Brave New World" and "Time Must Have a Stop".
11th Cousin