2022 WikiTree Challenge 15: Tom Cruise's week has ended! Thank you for your participation! [closed]

Question

Hello WikiTreers!

The week has now ended for the 15th WikiTree Challenge of 2022. We spent the week researching the branches of Academy Award-winning actor Tom Cruise.

The week officially began on Thursday, August 4 at noon EDT (4pm UTC) and ended at noon EDT (4pm UTC) on Thursday, August 11. You didn't need any particular research skills to help. We're happy that so many of you joined us! 

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the next challenge!

Answer 1

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandfather Thomas Cruise Mapother, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty: Bounty claimed and verified on this line!

Brick Wall Ancestor: Andrew Cruise  Solved!!

Comments

Added another son on this line Mapother-30

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Thanks Tracey!

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Added Tom's mother's first husband, Dillon Henry Mapother-31 (presumed namesake) with biography

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Added his younger half-brother George Brace Mapother-32.  He died as a child.  No spouse or descendants.Added Henry's wife Wilhelmina Warren-21662, who died of swallowing strychnine tablets at her home, leading to an investigation into her death, believed by the family to be accidental when she mistook the tablets for aspirin.
Connected his half-brother Wible Lawrence Mapother-29, rising from errand boy to become President of the L&N railroad employing over 40,000.  He dropped dead on the streets of Panama suddenly at age 53 while on vacation.
Added Wible's spouse Amelia Porter-23528
Added their daughter Helen Marie Mapother-33
Added Helen's husband Leonard Godfrey Strater-74
Added their daughter Sarah Morgan Strater-75

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Awesome Lisa. You've been busy!

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I've proposed a merge of Johnson-125387 and Johnson-125315.  Johnson-125315 has no sources attached to her profile.  I am mystified as to where she came from.

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Thanks Mark!

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How about:

*Andrew had a sister Catherine Cassidy as per his will abstract - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89LW-6NYR?cat=224404

*Andrew Cruise and Catherine Cassidy were from Staffordstown, their mother was Elizabeth - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oWz5H5GEkmcC&pg=PA250#v=onepage&q&f=false

*There is an Andrew Cruise at Staffordstown in 1763 - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSN1-D6J2?i=419&cat=185720

*Elizabeth and her son Andrew are executors of Patrick Cruise in 1757 - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSN1-G15L?i=323&cat=185720

*Patrick Cruise leased Staffordstown in 1732 - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSN1-FXTB?i=148&cat=185720

Nothing conclusive but it does point to him being the son of Patrick Cruise of Staffordstown who died c1757.

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Your work on these profiles has been brilliant, John.  Thank you for all the Irish records that have improved our understanding of this family.

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There are reportedly records of this family, that may link [[Johnson-109970|John Johnson (abt.1720-aft.1793)]] and a son Charles, perhaps this man https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Johnson-125316.  These records, reported by Leggett,<ref>Leggett, Edward H., Sir William Johnson, Memoranda as to Brothers and Sisters of Sir William Johnson and their Descendants, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. United States: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1918. pg. 389-390, https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_York_Genealogical_and_Biographic/EtgUAAAAYAAJ?hl ,accessed 29 Jul 2021.</ref> are not apparently freely available on Family Search<ref>Family Search.https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/634818?availability=Family%20History%20Library</ref> <ref>https://iarchives.nysed.gov/xtf/view?docId=ead/findingaids/A0453.xml</ref>
Charles is shown as the son of [[Johnson-109970|John Johnson (abt.1720-aft.1793)]] in a family tree in an architectural study of Johnson family homes. It also shows Charles's son John and daughter Theresa, while omitting the two children from his second wife, Ann.<ref> The Johnsons of New York: The Evolution of a Vernacular Style, Ireland, New York, Ontario, and Quebec.  Masters Thesis, Concordia University, Montreal, Howard Smith, 1996.  pg. vi. https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item?id=TC-QMG-5192&op=pdf&app=Library&oclc_number=1033000343 , accessed 8 Aug 2022.</ref>

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This relatively unsourced genealogy gives the children of John Johnson and Catherine Nangle, including eighth child and seventh son, Charles Robert. It does cite some Irish land transactions relating to the family, and states that the parish register of Warrenstown and Knockmark no longer exist.<ref>The families of Warren and Johnson of Warrenstown, County Meath, Recum, Franz V, New York, 1950, https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/754215-the-families-of-warren-and-johnson-of-warrenstown-county-meath </ref>

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See also: https://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/71043/300135/pub/document.pdf , see article pg. 4-10, some footnotes.

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The Registered Pedigree for the Warren/ Johnson family is at https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000530553 It starts at page 57

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That is great, John.  It clarifies the connection between the Johnsons and the Walter Dowdall named in Leggett.

Answer 2

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandmother Anna Stewart Bateman, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty: Bounty claimed and verified on this line!!

Brick Wall Ancestor: William John Dean

Comments

How does Wikitree decide on the Wiki-ID when records contradict? I generally consider the name on the birth certificate to be the birth name.  In the absence of a birth record, I'd use the earliest record, which would make the Wiki-ID "Batman" rather than "Bateman" consistent with her Father's last name.

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Usually the same as you, Lisa. The earliest record, or the spelling her father used around the time she was born. I've changed it to Batman, without the "e." I also added a census record from when she was 2 years old.

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I believe I have made the connection to the main tree:

Tompkins-4343 married Robertson-25213

(sister of Robertson-25213)  Robertson-25232 married Hodson-1644

father Hodson-1101 already on WT

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Nice work Kathy!!

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I added the marriage source and 1860 & 1870 census data for William John Dean.

Answer 3

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandfather William Reibert, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty: Bounty claimed and verified on this line!!

Brick Wall Ancestor: Georg Reibert

Comments

Added daughter Reibert-12

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Nice work, Lisa!

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His ancestor Georg Reibert could be identical to Georg Adam Reichert (born in 1811) who in 1846 emigrated from Spachbrücken, Dieburg, together with his wife Anna Catharina. https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/purl/resolve/subject/ha/id/259917

EDIT: I don't think these are a match (see comment below), as the rest of the details don't match. Alas...

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Has anyone tried to locate Adam Reibert (born abt.1825) and his wife Eva? Adam may be Georg Reibert's brother. The two are mentioned in the 1860 census as part of Georg's household https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M69Z-BN3, and in the 1880 census https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNZV-224, together with their daughter Mary (born abt.1856), who was also mentioned in the 1860 document.

In Adam Reibert's Findagrave profile, his birth date is given as 15 May 1825, and it links to an Ancestry record "Adam Reibert - Hesse, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1661-1957". There is also a handwritten testament from him, which could mention where he came from. See also here: https://www.ancestry.de/discoveryui-content/view/36030317:6742 I don't have the necessary permission to view that source, but maybe you do?

Answer 4

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandmother Scharlotta "Lottie" Voelke, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty: Bounty claimed and verified on this line!!

Brick Wall Ancestor: Christina Magdalena Charlotte (Kuch) Wagner

Comments

Just connected the Voelker line to pre-existing profiles for the Weber family!

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Nice work Thomas!!

Answer 5

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandfather Lee N. Pfeiffer, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty: Bounty claimed and verified on this line!!

Brick Wall Ancestor: Anna Barbara (Schmid) Hartdorn

Comments

Added grandson Crush-108

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Yesterday added  Michael Hawkins (1814)

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I found his grandfather Christopher Pfeiffer.

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Just discovered Tom's first cousin Charles Frey was sued by his wife in 1925 for possibly having an affair with the actress Wilda Bennett. This is mentioned on her wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilda_Bennett 

 Frey-3871 Charles Conrad Frey (1891-1974)

Answer 6

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandmother Annie Shea, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty:

Brick Wall Ancestor: Dennis Shea

Comments

Added grandson Crush-109

Answer 7

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandfather Joseph Charles Ramser, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty: Bounty claimed and verified on this line!!

Brick Wall Ancestor: Julienne (Grossell) Acker Solved!!

Comments

I connected new profile Timperman-6 to his existing mother Loughmiller-40

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Way to go Donna!

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I've added two generations of French ancestors :

Merckel-277   Acker-1630  Schütz-1073   Roth-6197  Merckel-278   Ennesser-4     Acker-1631   Grossell-12   Schütz-1074   Hildenbrand-282   Roth-6198   Hebting-2

and part of a third generation...

Roth-6199    Streicher-181   Hebting-3   Schwarzmann-49

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That is great... I noticed how much this branch has grown!

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That is wonderful, Guillaume! You are rocking this!!

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I've found Julianne Grossell baptism act and added her parents Joannes Martini (Jean Martin) Grossell and Maria Eva Schafferin.

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I commented too slow to get the bounty points for breaking the brick wall of Julienne Grossell, but she is my 2nd cousin several times removed, I sourced a copy of her baptism record and will be adding more of her ancestors tonight including sources! (I didn’t know I was related to Tom Cruise until today!)

Answer 8

Comment here if you break a brick wall or make a connection for Tom’s great-grandmother Susan A. Mackey, or have questions or research notes on this line.

WT Branches

Connection Bounty:

Brick Wall Ancestor: Bridget (Welsh) Mackey  Solved!!

Comments

Added Susan's grandfather Mackey-2919

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Added Susan's grandmother Keleher-203

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Thanks Lisa! You've been busy! 

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Added Bridget's Parents Patrick and Nancy Welsh and siblings Mary James and Harriet from 1851 UK Census

Answer 9

I'd like to help out. It should be interesting.

Comments

Great Lucy! Thanks!!

Answer 10

Sign me up!

Tom is 23 degrees from me : 3 branches (10-3-11)

• Branch 1¹⁰ : Mapother³ Bateman Tompkins Dean Noble³ Black
• Branch 2³   : Vandermark³
• Branch 3¹¹ : Rumage³ Kiesel Kissell² Buch⁵

Comments

Great Tommy! Let's get that connection even closer!

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I live in Bromley Kent and Tom is at Biggin Hill UK a few miles South. I am 29 degrees related via my ancestor William Kerley at 22 degree related. I can offer any help locally here. Our links males would be Wessex and Ulster Scots (Ireland)

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That's great.  I'm 25 degrees from Tom.   Hello cousins  

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also connected and have documented the Mapother, Bateman (Batman), Tompkins, Dean, Noble lines.

Answer 11

I'll be in on this one

Comments

Great Matthew! Thanks!!

Answer 12

Sign me up, please

Comments

Great Jennifer! Thanks!!

Answer 13

Sign me up.  Do we have any Irish experts yet?  See item #2 in the article:

https://www.syracuse.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/07/4999de6020779/tom-cruise-11-wild-facts-about-the-syracuseborn-actor.html

Mickey

Comments

I'll have the project post for help. I wonder how solid that line is?

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If you are talking 'Norman Knights' it would be 'Strongbow' and the 'Geralden's' ie the descendants of Gerald of Windsor associated with such places as Co. Clare Ireland. My Kerley, Gaulton and Spencer ancestors were reportedly Norman and the families married into each other in Dorset England. My wife's family (Hammond/Walsh) have Irish ancestry with the Fitzgerald's via Cork and Co. Clare. But I am an amateur not an expert.

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Certainly 'Wild'! A lot about Tom's Film's (probably already known) - not much genealogy presumably from Westmeath Ireland where certainly one branch of the Fitzgerald's hung out?

Answer 14

Happy to help!

Comments

Great Kathy! Thanks!!

Answer 15

I will help!

Comments

Great Michelle! Thanks!!

Answer 16

Count me in

Comments

Great Kathy! Thanks!!

Answer 17

I’d like to help on this one

Comments

Great Catherine! Thanks!!

Answer 18

I'd like to help, officially this time!

Comments

Great Jay! Thanks!! Your help is always appreciated.

Answer 19

sounds interesting

Comments

Thanks for joining us Sharon! It should be fun.

Answer 20

Count me in, please

Comments

Great Feargal! Thanks!!