Relative Finder Says I'm Related to George Washington!

While playing around with FamilySearch.org I found a new toy - Relative Finder, which I suppose is their answer to the now defunct We're Related app by Ancestry. Relative Finder has found connections to 180 famous, infamous and otherwise notable people including 13 US Presidents. I was aware of distant connections to two presidents, Herbert Hoover & Richard Nixon through my own research. Today I verified my connector ancestors to George Washington. 

Curious thing as I look at this chart, my patriot ancestor Bancroft Woodcock and George Washington are 6th cousins. Contemporaries, the two corresponded with at least one letter from Bancroft to the General still in existence. At one point when Wilmington, Delaware was under consideration to become the US capitol, Bancroft's beloved Bellveau set upon a hill overlooking the city was a candidate for the presidential residence. 

Laundry, errands and reports beckon, more discoveries will have to wait until another day. 

Your Family Came From Where?

Wednesday, June 10 the Morristown Festival of Books’ One Community, One Book initiative is hosting “Your Family Came From Where?” that will be held at the Madison Public Library beginning at 7 PM.

The program based on the family heritage theme from this year’s One Book selection The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Laura Schenone.  We are partnering with the Morristown Library's genealogical department to showcase the information available in Morris County. Cher Turkington from the Morristown & Morris Twp Library will be our speaker on how early immigrants transformed the Morristown community. Philip Hussa from the Family History Center in Flanders will be presenting information on the area Family History Centers collections and of course familysearch.org. Both of these organizations will have materials on hand for attendees to learn more about the breadth of genealogical services here in the Morris County area.

The book that the OCOB committee selected to be this year’s featured selection that we hope you will enjoy is The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken written by Laura Schenone of Montclair.  By offering this and other programs leading up to the Festival which will take place on October 2 and 3, to generate enthusiasm for the book as well as the Festival. To find out more about One Community, One Book and the Morristown Festival of Books visit the website www.morristownfestivalofbooks.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.