Which communications innovator are you most closely connected to?

Question

This week's Example Profile of the Week is Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the first practical telephone, on which the first telephone call was made on this day in history.

Featured alongside him are other communications innovators:

• Steve Jobs
• Hedy Lamarr
• Samuel Morse
• Guglielmo Marconi
• Lars Magnus Ericsson
• Claude Chappe
• Rear Admiral Home Riggs Popham
• John Logie Baird

Who are you most closely connected to? If you're one of the 21,949,000 of us who are connected to each other on our big tree you can check with the Connection Finder.

You can also check for shared ancestors with the Relationship Finder. Are you a cousin to any of them? Your Relationship Finder Quick Links page (see your profile pull-down menu under "Relationships") has quick links for several notable groups.

Let us know below!

P.S. Help us choose and improve profiles for next week's feature: Luck o' the Irish!

Comments

5th cousin 4x removed by blood to Samuel F.B. Morse.  This doesn't surprise me because I knew I had a bunch of Morses on my tree.

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I am a fifth cousin 5x removed to Samuel Morse. It turns out you and I are 9th cousins!

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Interestingly, I've been able to find no blood connection to the other Morses on my tree and Samuel FB's immediate ancrestors.

Answer 1

This one surprised me, as I had a closer connection to one of them than I normally do:

 19 degrees from Alexander Graham Bell, 32 degrees from John Baird, 31 degrees from Claude Chappe, 31 degrees from Lars Magnus Ericsson, 27 degrees from Steve Jobs, 22 degrees from Hedy Lamarr, 21 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi, 18 degrees from Samuel Morse, 14 degrees from Home Popham

Home Popham - 14 degrees. Couldn't find a blood relationship, but the biggest chunk of the connection ran through the Bearden family.

Answer 2

Samuel Morse is my forth cousin 6 times removed and 15 degrees from Samuel Morse.

Comments

I am also 15 degrees from Morse, but I am a 6th cousin 4 times removed.

Answer 3

I am most closely connected to Samuel Morse and Home Popham at 24 degrees.

Answer 4

13 degrees to Samuel Morse.  That feels pretty close, though there are plenty of "by marriage" steps in the path.  No direct relations this week.

Good theme, in my opinion.  It lends itself to a diversity of origins and some interesting, smart people I didn't know about.

Answer 5

I'm most closely connected to Samuel Morse and Home Popham at 17 degrees and the next closest to Alexander graham bell at 19 degrees.

17 degrees - Home Riggs Popham KCB KCH (1762 - 1820), 17 Degrees - Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791 - 1872), 19 degrees - Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922), 21 degrees - Hedwig Eva Maria (Kiesler) Lamarr (1914 - 2000), 22 degrees - Guglielmo Marconi (1874 - 1937), 24 degrees - Maxx Martin, 24 degrees - Steven Paul Jobs (1955 - 2011), 31 degrees - Claude Chappe (1763 - 1805), 31 degrees - Lars Magnus (Eriksson) Ericsson (1846 - 1926), 33 degrees - John Logie Baird (1888 - 1946)

Answer 6

17 degrees from Samuel F.B. Morse; coincidentally the connection goes through my 4th great-grandmother Elizabeth Fulmer Bright Kendall's 2nd husband George Kendall...her daughter, my 3rd great-grandmother Mary Ann Bright, married Samuel S. Handy, whose sister Juliet married Mathew B. Brady, who learned the art of what was then called "daguerreotypy" from Morse.

Answer 7

Popham is the closest at 15 degrees, thru his wife.  Samuel Morse is a close second at 16 degrees, my 5th cousin 5x removed thru our mutual BARNARD line.

Answer 8

I'm closest to Samuel Morse at 15 degrees. Dot-dit-dot.

Answer 9

18 degrees from Samuel Morse (13th cousins, 10x removed)
18 degrees from Home Popham
20 degrees from Alexander Graham Bell
23 degrees from Hedy Lamarr
23 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi
26 degrees from Steve Jobs
29 degrees from Lars Magnus Ericsson
30 degrees from Claude Chappe
34 degrees from John Baird

Answer 10

16 degrees from both Hedy Lamarr and Home Riggs Popham. 

Answer 11

• 22 degrees from Alexander Graham Bell
• 31 degrees from John Baird
• 32 degrees from Claude Chappe
• 36 degrees from Lars Magnus Ericsson 
• 33 degrees from Steve Jobs,
• 20 degrees from Hedy Lamarr
• 14 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi
• 18 degrees from Samuel Morse 5C7R
• 17 degrees from Home Popham

Edit: Added only blood relation

Answer 12

Samuel Morse is my 16th cousin 8 times removed. (tap tap tap!)

Answer 13

5th cousin 4x removed by blood to Samuel F.B. Morse.  This doesn't surprise me because I knew I had a bunch of Morses on my tree.

Answer 14

Here's a good one.  During college I did some video work for a religious group who decided I was the re-incarnation of Alexander Graham Bell, so I guess I would be a zero, LOL.

Answer 15

My dearest Abby,

How do you do? A most captivating query indeed, as you know that communication is the bedrock of my intellectual life.

I am 7 degrees from Samuel Morse, he being my paternal aunt-in-law's brother-in-law's nephew.

Yours Truly,

Oliver Wendell Holmes

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Holmes-2054

Answer 16

I am most closely connected to Samuel Morse at 17 degrees of separation.

Cousins:

• 17 degrees from Samuel Morse (12C, 7R)
• 23 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi (16C, 6R)

No Relationship Found:

• 18 degrees from Home Popham
• 19 degrees from Hedy Lamarr
• 21 degrees from Alexander Graham Bell
• 25 degrees from Claude Chappe
• 27 degrees from Steve Jobs
• 30 degrees from Lars Magnus Ericsson
• 31 degrees from John Baird

Answer 17

18 degrees from Alexander Graham Bell, no blood relationship

32 degrees from John Baird

29 degrees from Claude Chappe

30 degrees from Lars Magnus Ericsson

24 degrees from Steve Jobs

22 degrees from Hedy Lamarr

19 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi

17 degrees from Samuel Morse, no blood relationship

15 degrees from Home Popham, no blood relationship

26 degrees from Maxx Martin

Answer 18

I am 13 degrees removed from Samuel Morse.  He is a fourth cousin four times removed.

Answer 19

This was fun!

17 degrees from Samuel Morse and a 5th Cousin 6 times removed through William Carpenter III.

.---- --... / -.. . --. .-. . . ... / ..-. .-. --- -- / ... .- -- ..- . .-.. / -- --- .-. ... . / .- -. -.. / .- / ..... - .... / -.-. --- ..- ... .. -. / -.... / - .. -- . ... / .-. . -- --- ...- . -.. / - .... .-. --- ..- --. .... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. .. .- -- / -.-. .- .-. .--. . -. - . .-. / .. .. .. .-.-.-

Here's a fun website: Morse Code World.

19 degrees from Home Popham
19 degrees from Alexander Graham Bell
23 degrees from Hedy Lamarr
24 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi

28 degrees from Lars Magnus Ericsson
28 degrees from Steve Jobs
32 degrees from Claude Chappe
32 degrees from John Baird.

Answer 20

This was fun!

17 degrees from Samuel Morse and a 5th Cousin 6 times removed through William Carpenter III.

.---- --... / -.. . --. .-. . . ... / ..-. .-. --- -- / ... .- -- ..- . .-.. / -- --- .-. ... . / .- -. -.. / .- / ..... - .... / -.-. --- ..- ... .. -. / -.... / - .. -- . ... / .-. . -- --- ...- . -.. / - .... .-. --- ..- --. .... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. .. .- -- / -.-. .- .-. .--. . -. - . .-. / .. .. .. .-.-.-

Here's a fun website: Morse Code World.

19 degrees from Home Popham
19 degrees from Alexander Graham Bell
23 degrees from Hedy Lamarr
24 degrees from Guglielmo Marconi

28 degrees from Lars Magnus Ericsson
28 degrees from Steve Jobs
32 degrees from Claude Chappe
32 degrees from John Baird.

Answer 21

I am 20 degrees from Alexander Bell.  14th cousin 1 removed.