Which US Senator are you most closely connected to?

Question

This week in the Connection Finder, we're featuring US Senators to honor the recent death of Senator Bob Dole.

Featured alongside him are other US Senators:

• Edward Brooke, Massachusetts
• Margaret Chase Smith, Maine
• Jean-Noël Destréhan, Louisiana
• Everett Dirksen, Illinois
• Stephen Arnold Douglas, Illinois
• John Glenn, Ohio
• Daniel Ken Inouye, Hawaii
• John Percival Jones, Nevada
• Ted Kennedy, Massachusetts
• Rand Paul, Kentucky

Who are you most closely connected to? If you're one of the 24.4 million of us who are connected to each other on our big tree you can check with the Connection Finder.

You can 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.

Special feature: Check out how you're connected to other Kansas Senators by using the green MyConnections button in the upper right hand corner of the category page. Browse related categories like US Senators from Illinois and Presidents Pro Tempore of the US Senate.

Let us know how you're related below! If you want to share your connection on social media with cousins and friends, click the "get shareable image" below the results, e.g. Bob Dole and Ted Kennedy. Then just upload it along with the URL of your direct connection. (Please refrain from sharing your connection on the featured profiles themselves, though. It clutters conversations on research and collaboration. Thanks!)

Help us with next week's feature: Santa Claus, just in time for Christmas. Help us choose and improve profiles for it.

Comments

I was getting these lists on a weekly basis but now are not. I followed the advice given and checked my spam settings to no avail.  Did I accidently unsubscribe?  How can I fix this?  Thanks

Answer 1

I am most closely connected to John Glenn at 16 degrees of separation.

• 16 degrees from John Glenn
• 18 degrees from John Jones
• 19 degrees from Bob Dole
• 20 degrees from Stephen Douglas
• 20 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith
• 21 degrees from Jean-Noël Destréhan
• 21 degrees from Ted Kennedy
• 24 degrees from Rand Paul
• 26 degrees from Edward Brooke
• 26 degrees from Everett Dirksen
• 29 degrees from Daniel Inouye

Answer 2

 My connections:  19 degrees from Bob Dole, 24 degrees from Edward Brooke, 19 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith, 21 degrees from Jean-Noël Destréhan, 21 degrees from Everett Dirksen, 18 degrees from Stephen Douglas, 20 degrees from John Glenn, 24 degrees from Daniel Inouye, 18 degrees from John Jones, 19 degrees from Ted Kennedy, 23 degrees from Rand Paul and 28 degrees from André Laubscher. 

Answer 3

16 degrees from Jean-Noel Destrehan.

16 degrees from Stephen Douglas. 14th cousin 5 times removed. MRCA Thomas de Gresley (bef 1367 - abt 1445).

17 degrees from; Ted Kennedy.

18 degrees from John Jones.

19 degrees from Bob Dole. 13th cousin once removed. MRCA Mary (Berkeley) Johnes (abt 1510 - aft 1567).

19 degrees from John Glenn. 13th cousin once removed. MRCA Elizabeth (Scott) Henderson (abt 1519 - abt 1547).

20 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith. 11th cousin 4 times removed....NOT! Sorry, Wikitree, this relationship has been disproved by the DNA evidence. Testing has shown that the Newberry County South Carolina Pitts are not related to the Isle of Wight Virginia Pitt family.

20 degrees from Rand Paul. 17th cousin once removed. MRCA John Smyth (1370 - 1446).

21 degrees from Edward Brooke.

22 degrees from Everett Dirksen.

26 degrees from Daniel Inouye.

Answer 4

Stephen Douglas is by far the closest, at 15 degrees.  Just one marriage in between, plus a couple of brother-sister steps.

Answer 5

I am most closely connected to John Jones at 21 degrees.

Answer 6

I'm closest related to Stephen Arnold Douglas, he's my 6th cousin, 6x removed.

Answer 7

13 degrees from Stephen Douglas (7th cousins, 6x removed)
16 degrees from Jean-Noël Destréhan
19 degrees from Ted Kennedy
19 degrees from John Glenn (20th cousins, 1x removed)
19 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith (10th cousins, 5x removed)
20 degrees from John Jones
21 degrees from Rand Paul (19th cousins, 1x removed)
21 degrees from Bob Dole (10th cousins, 3x removed)
24 degrees from Edward Brooke
24 degrees from Everett Dirksen
25 degrees from Daniel Inouye

Answer 8

8 degrees from John Glenn (3rd cousin once removed)

14 degrees from John Jones

17 degrees from Jean-Noel Deshehan

17 degrees from Stephen A. Douglas

18 degrees from Bob Dole

19 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith

19 degrees from Ted Kennedy

20 degrees from Rand Paul

20 degrees from Everett Dirksen

22 degrees from Edward Brooke

24 degrees from Andre Laubscher

25 degrees from Daniel Inouye

Answer 9

18 degrees from Stephen Douglas, Ted Kennedy and Margaret Chase Smith and 19 degrees from Rand Paul.

Answer 10

The closest that I'm connected to is Stephen Douglas. He's my 13th cousin 6times removed. Quite a distance.

Answer 11

RIP cousin and fellow Kansan Bob Dole. Other cousins on the list: Margaret Smith, Stephen Douglas, John Glenn, and Rand Paul.

Answer 12

15 degrees from Ted Kennedy but not kin

16 degrees from John Glenn & Stephen Douglas, both are 9th cousins (1 & 5x removed respectively)

Answer 13

Mine are 20 degrees from Bob Dole, 25 degrees from Edward Brooke, 19 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith, 21 degrees from Jean-Noël Destréhan, 22 degrees from Everett Dirksen, 17 degrees from Stephen Douglas, 20 degrees from John Glenn, 26 degrees from Daniel Inouye, 21 degrees from John Jones, 19 degrees from Ted Kennedy, 24 degrees from Rand Paul

Only Steven Douglas is a relative, a 6th cousin 4 times removed.

Answer 14

My results:

24 degrees from Bob Dole,

27 degrees from Edward Brooke,

23 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith,

22 degrees from Jean-Noël Destréhan,

28 degrees from Everett Dirksen,

20 degrees from Stephen Douglas,

21 degrees from John Glenn,

27 degrees from Daniel Inouye,

21 degrees from John Jones,

24 degrees from Ted Kennedy,

25 degrees from Rand Paul

Answer 15

Jean-Noël Destréhan is 15 Degrees from Virginia Fields

This is through my husband's line and his family is all from Louisiana and Acadia.

Answer 16

20 degrees from Bob Dole

25 degrees from Edward Brooke

18 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith

20 degrees from Jean-Noël Destréhan

22 degrees from Everett Dirksen

16 degrees from Stephen Douglas

21 degrees from John Glenn

23 degrees from Daniel Inouye

22 degrees from John Jones

20 degrees from Ted Kennedy

24 degrees from Rand Paul 

28 degrees from André Laubscher

None by blood this week.

Answer 17

Degrees and kinship:

14 degrees: Stephen Arnold Douglas, 8th cousins 4x removed

17 degrees: Margaret Chase Smith, 17th cousins 1x removed and Bob Dole, 17th cousins 5x removed

21 degrees: John Glenn, 19th cousins 2x removed

Answer 18

For a few weeks I'm 15 degrees from Nathaniel P. Hill, if that counts?

Answer 19

• 16 degrees from Stephen Douglas
• 19 degrees from Margaret Chase Smith
• 20 degrees from Jean-Noël Destréhan
• 21 degrees from Ted Kennedy
• 21 degrees from Bob Dole
• 22 degrees from John Glenn
• 23 degrees from John Jones
• 25 degrees from Everett Dirksen
• 25 degrees from Rand Paul
• 26 degrees from Daniel Inouye
• 26 degrees from Edward Brooke
• 28 degrees from André Laubscher

Answer 20

I found that I am related to Margaret Chase Smith. She is my 10th cousin three times removed.  Not close enough to have been mentioned in the Will, I would guess.