{"id":12328,"date":"2016-01-27T10:21:10","date_gmt":"2016-01-27T15:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=12328"},"modified":"2017-02-20T14:49:30","modified_gmt":"2017-02-20T19:49:30","slug":"do-you-have-relatives-named-after-famous-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/do-you-have-relatives-named-after-famous-people.html","title":{"rendered":"Do You Have Relatives Named after Famous People?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hear from distant cousins every week. This week I was contacted by a \u201cnew\u201d Sawyer family cousin that wrote me to compare notes on our mutual family history.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Elbridge Gerry and Julia Clifford (Hanson) Sawyer. Source: Kemp family papers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We quickly realized that yes, we are related and in fact we were both descended from Elbridge Gerry and Julia Clifford (Hanson) Sawyer and \u2013 even more \u2013 she had a photograph of them, which she copied and sent to me.<\/p>\n

Wow \u2013 how cool is that!<\/p>\n

It got me to thinking of his name: Elbridge Gerry.
\nHe was named for Elbridge Thomas Gerry (1744-1814) \u2013 signer of the Declaration of Independence & Articles of Confederation, vice president of the U.S. (serving with James Madison), and later a governor of Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

What an impact Elbridge Gerry must have had.
\nMy 2nd-Great-Grandfather, Elbridge Gerry Sawyer (1826-1918) was named for him and so were some of my other relatives:<\/p>\n