Famous (or Infamous) Relations
Who's in Your Family Tree?
So today I was a part of a thing. My father’s second cousin, Bill Strickler, made a short film. It was shown today in a local high school, Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, PA. The reason why it was shown there is because it takes place there. Bill has won several awards for this 24-minute film, and I am honored to have not only read the screen play before it was filmed, but also be there to support him while it was being shown. Bill had his sister, Sharon, in the film as well, supporting the main character. So now I have famous cousins!
Bill and Sharon are not the first people in my family tree to be notable. Sharon is a competitive ballroom dancer, and has won many competitions. She has authored a book about Jazz dance. My father’s 3rd cousin, Jerzy Bonczak, is an actor in Poland who has had a successful career, appearing in films since 1974. My 4th Cousin’s son, Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek is a baritone opera singer. My half-third cousin was Olypmic skier Gene Kotlarek, who passed away in 2017.
These are the people that I know, without a doubt, are related to me, who I can trace via genealogy records and DNA evidence. Now onto the less certain famous relation.
My mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup is T2c1. Putting it simply, mtDNA is inherited from the mother. Because mtDNA only comes from the mother, it does not change very much, if at all, from generation to generation. The genetic lineage of Nicholas II, the final Tsar of Russia, has been identified as belonging to Haplogroup T, specifically the T2 subclade. So technically, I should be able to trace my maternal lineage, and that of Nicholas II, back to a common ancestress. Assuming the accuracy of relevant pedigrees, Nicholas II (and, theoretically, I) can be traced back to Barbara of Celje (1390–1451), the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Some of the notable people in history who share this maternal lineage include:
George I of Great Britain
George III of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
Charles I of England
Frederick William I of Prussia
Electress Sophia of Hanover
Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Olav V of Norway
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
George I of Greece
So how far back can I trace my maternal line? Not very far. My Mother is 100% Polish. My maternal Great Grandmother immigrated in 1902 from Ostrusza, Poland. In what is already an uphill battle of research, I will need to research in depth Nicholas II’s maternal ancestors, and bringing them down to near present day to see if she is our most recent common ancestor. Since I am not even sure my maternal 2nd Great Grandmother is Maria Pawlowska, this seems a daunting task at best. I will just have to keep chipping away at my maternal lines to see if I am truly, at some point, related to Nicholas II.
Do you have any famous (or infamous) relatives in your family tree? Let me know in the comments!
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