CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Question of the day

Re: Question of the day

texan in chicago — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:01:38 -0000

Both on my maternal side: a judge from the Salem Witch Trials (though I can't remember his name), and President John Adams.

Re: Question of the day

carbon deforestation — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:13:50 -0000

Nobody famous, but a late great uncle was an advertising man who's claim to fame was putting Jane Byrne into some Chevy commercials.

Nobody in family in politics, except another late great uncle was some high ranking army / intelligence official in Vietnam era.

Re: Question of the day

Notsure — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:58:07 -0000

I received an email from facebook on April 1st that said Barack Obama had confirmed that I was his fourth cousin once removed. I'm thinking they were being funny.

Re: Question of the day

whitecollarjob/bluecollarmind — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:43:49 -0000

Leroy Herrmann-pitcher '33 Cubs. Fifth in rotation so did not play in series as yanks swept in 4. Have a series program with his picture in it along with the Babe and Lou Gehrig (both teams).

Re: Question of the day

Boone Logan Square — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:12:28 -0000

32nd Ward Roscoe Village:

No, he wrote the story treatment (see URL) for Jack Arnold.

Re: Question of the day

32nd Ward Roscoe Village — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:58:36 -0000

Boone Logan Square:

Your grandfather's Jack Arnold who also directed The Mouse That Roared?

Re: Question of the day

ahem — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:42:06 -0000

The only truly famous ancestor that I know of is Mitochondrial Eve.

Re: Question of the day

Cinho — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:19:29 -0000

My grandmother was a violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra--rare for a woman in those days.

Re: Question of the day

cermak_rd — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:05:45 -0000

Lefty Lefty,

Actually the illegal crossing into the States from Canada was also used by my great grandfather (himself was also from Ireland). Must've been a common ploy at the time.

My favorite ancestor is on my father's side. It's my tons of grand-father who was the first of the family to come over to the states in the 1600s. Seems the Bavarians were harassing the Jews at the time so he got a ride over with some Quakers who were either not anti-Semitic, or figured one Jew couldn't do a whole lot of damage to Pennsylvania. He came over and the family has left branches in Penn, Ohio, Ind, IL and IA. Seems they stopped advancing west in IA, though. If I weren't so used to the Chicago Met culture, I'd probably move to KS to advance our front!

Re: Question of the day

Boone Logan Square — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:32:10 -0000

My grandfather wrote for Perry Mason and created the Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Re: Question of the day

Commonsense in Illinois — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:09:04 -0000

Absolutely nobody...

Re: Question of the day

Irish — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:48:14 -0000

My great great great grandfather was William H. Seward the Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. Another ancestor was Jean Baptiste Ste. Marie one of the founders of Vincennes Indiana. On the other side my great grandfather was welterweight champion of England.

Re: Question of the day

SIUE — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:18:30 -0000

On my maternal side: Shadrach Bond- 1st governor of Illinois. Also had an ancestor who was supposed to sign the declaration of independence but couldnt because he couldnt get across a flooded river.

Re: Question of the day

Lefty Lefty — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:04:05 -0000

Rep. Sullivan:

From New York and Chicago in Sydney and in Perth
The Gaelic storm is growing it's sweeping across the earth
To serve the Queen or Kremlin in freedom we shall dwell
And to try to step in England's shoes we'll see them all in hell

Wordslinger:

His brother moved to Australia before WWI and made it through Gallipoli but died in battle later in the war.

Quite a family. And now they're famous in CapFaxland.

Re: Question of the day

wordslinger — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:09:33 -0000

==He was wanted by the English government, escaped to Canada, crossed illegally into the US, and became a Chicago police officer.==

I love the chronology there!

Re: Question of the day

Frank Sobotka — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:56:25 -0000

Adam...

Re: Question of the day

been there — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:45:50 -0000

my maternal grandmother becamse a republican election judge immediately after women got the vote.

my paternal grandmother made vodka in the bathtub. my paternal grandfather brought the alderman home with him to drink it (hinky dink kenna or bathhouse john, probably).

Re: Question of the day

Carl Nyberg — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:43:50 -0000

Direct descendant of Revolutionary War martyr Jason Russell.

Re: Question of the day

IlliniBon — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:36:47 -0000

My great, great uncle was Will Rogers. We all know what he thought of politicians, so none of us would have dared become one.

Re: Question of the day

Blog Addicted — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:28:29 -0000

My paternal grandfather, a policeman in Gary, IN, was asked to be a security guard for Al Capone. He declined.

Re: Question of the day

Rep. Ed Sullivan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:12:38 -0000

Lefty Lefty:

XXVI + VI = I

Re: Question of the day

Lefty Lefty — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:57:50 -0000

My grandparents were dirtfarmers from Ireland and eastern Europe so no Illinois politicians in the family tree.

My great uncle took part in the Lispole Ambush in 1921 when his regiment in the IRA attacked the Black and Tans in MArch. He was wanted by the English government, escaped to Canada, crossed illegally into the US, and became a Chicago police officer. That's the best I have.

Re: Question of the day

What planet is he from again? — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:49:16 -0000

Rayne: A. Lincoln has no surviving direct descendents, so either your cousin is mistaken, or he used the word incorrectly. A cousin/neice/nephew/in-law is not a direct relationship.

Re: Question of the day

Muskrat — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:44:51 -0000

My family didn't do the whole family history thing, and since neither Dad, Mom or any of he grandparents were famous, that's about it.

But if I have to claim someone, Britain's second-highest scoring flying ace of WWI was almost certainly an insanely distant cousin, as we share a last name.

Re: Question of the day

Cheswick — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:42:03 -0000

Dick Durbin is a distant cousin, and though we live in the same town, we've never met.