The last thing anyone thinks when they look at me is, “She’s black”. Now don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not claiming that I suddenly changed races. In this post, I’m exploring the accuracy of FamilySearch, which states I’m related to several high-profile Black people.
I started doing genealogy in my twenties and became a certified genealogist through the CT Society of Genealogists in 1994. I mainly started so I could help my husband with his genealogy, but I digress.
As the internet developed, my research went online. Eventually, I joined FamilySearch.org, the Mormon version of the more advertised Ancestry.com. Both sites allow you to look up old records and track your ancestors. As with all crowdsourced projects, the accuracy of FamilySearch relies heavily on the user’s attention to detail when connecting family lines.
Over the years, I’ve become something of a vibe genealogist. I don’t work on it religiously, but in spurts when the mood strikes me. Because of this, I often get teaser emails to entice me back to work on more of my family line.
A popular version of the spam mail will state I’m related to someone with some level of fame. The most recent email stated that I am related to Steve Young. A link sent me to a page that lists several more famous people I’m supposedly related to. The whole page feels a little like a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but I digress.
Who am I related to?
We start with ones that aren’t surprising if they are true. Ginger Rogers (6th cousin, once removed), Susan B. Anthony (6th cousin six times removed), Emily Dickinson (7th cousin, four times removed), and Helen Keller (7th cousin, six times removed). My father’s side of the family has lived in the US since Kings, New York was a British colony. If I go back far enough and down through all the siblings, then I’m bound to be related to someone famous.
Then two names caught my attention. I’m supposedly related to Booker T. Washington (9th cousin, four times removed) and Rosa Parks (13th cousin).
This discovery made me question the accuracy of FamilySearch. So, I investigated how this link went. Here’s what I found doing a basic look through the information.
Booker T. Washington: The Michell connection
I am linked to Booker T. Washington through John Michell (1534-1573) and Jane Killigrew (1535-1574), according to the site. Both were born in Cornwall County, England. My line is through their child, Ambrose Michell. Several generations later, Mary Hickman (1665 – ~1733) gave birth to Joseph Edwards (1695-1782) in Pennsylvania. If you follow this line down, you eventually get to my father, and then to me.
Booker’s line is through John and Jane’s child, Nowell Michell (1555-1632). According to FamilySearch, Nowell’s daughter Anne Marie Mitchell (1595-??) gave birth to a son, John Robertson (1643-1689) in Henrico, Virginia. There are several notes in John’s file noting that some people are blindly linking to it. If you follow John’s line down, it eventually leads to Benjamin Hatcher (1829-1900), a white slave owner and Booker T. Washington’s father.
The accuracy of FamilySearch
If this is accurate, Booker T. Washington and I have common ancestors on our father’s side. I hesitate to fully accept this one because of the notes in John Robertson’s file. I would want to verify all the data before claiming Booker as a relative.
Rosa Parks: The Pyper/ Piper connection
My connection to Rosa Parks is through Thomas Pyper (1546-1639) and Rose Laurel Stratinge (1548-1574). This connection starts off suspiciously. Thomas and Rose have 3 children according to the profile. Lady Susannah Ann Catherina Smythe (1555-1610), Anne Pyper (1562-1648), and Anne Piper (1571-??). Please note I will refer to the first child as Susannah because I believe that Lady is her title. I’ll make a different post explaining why titles don’t belong in the name slot.
A few things to note
The obvious first issue is that if the first child was born in 1555, and her father in 1546. This means Thomas was 9 years old and Rose was 7 years old at the time of her birth. I know they married young back then, but probably not before puberty. Regardless, they were definitely not having children before puberty.
Second, there are two children with the same name, born almost 10 years apart, who both lived full lives. It wasn’t uncommon for a child’s name to be reused if the child died young. However, it’s uncommon for parents to have children with the same name without some way to tell them apart. For example, Anne Marie and Anne Jane might be sisters if the name Anne is important to the family. It’s possible that one of the two Annes doesn’t belong to this family, or that one of them actually died young. It’s also possible they are the same person. Piper and Pyper have the same pronunciation.
My line is supposedly through Anne Piper, which leads to my father. Rosa’s line starts with Susannah, who was born in England. The generations migrated to Scotland, then North Carolina. Eventually, her line gets to Anderson McCauley (1849-1917). Anderson’s father, Charles Maurice Tallyrand McCauley (1819-1896) was white. His mother, Rachel, was Native American. Anderson married Louisa Collin (1850-1941). Her entry notes her as “mixed race black American”. Anderson and Louisa had a son, James Henry McCauley (1889-1962). James was the father of Rosa Parks.
The accuracy of FamilySearch
Supposedly, I am related to Rosa through her white great-grandfather, Charles. However, I will not be comfortable claiming this connection until there is something to confirm Pyper/Piper children. Particularly the parentage of Susannah, Rosa’s direct ancestor.
Conclusion on the accuracy of FamilySearch
When I initially saw the search results, I questioned the accuracy of FamilySearch. On the surface, the site claims I’m part Black. After all, I’m related to Booker T. Washington and Rosa Parks. But after some digging, I learned that I’m related to the white side of their family lines. Something that I never knew they had until I researched how they showed up in my lineage.
In this case, I would say FamilySearch is as accurate as the data that was entered. I won’t be advertising that I’m related to anyone famous based on what my research revealed with Rosa Parks and Booker T. Washington.
If you have black or Native American ancestry, I have access to some out of print books which list residents in those areas. If you would like to know more or need me to look someone up for you, please use the link on my Story Coach page to reach me.