Now that's cousin bait!

Question

I don't like Ancestry, but I have to admit that this was a smooth piece of PR work. A story from C|Net came up in my RSS feeds. The headline is, "Benedict Cumberbatch related to Sherlock Holmes' creator." and the story is about how Ancestry worked out the relationship between Cumberbatch and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Now, granted, we're making connections here all the time, but the difference is that Ancestry managed to get the story into the news, and thus gets the public attention. 

Comments

Katherine Denny and her da. Honora Fleetwood are only sourced by ancestry, they both need some work.

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A friend wanted me to download the app, "We're Related," which is from Ancestry. I do have an account there and the resources there have been invaluable. But this app has connected me to quite a few famous people (and my friend also) through some very bogus (or at least unproven) family trees. Some of the connections are authentic, but many are not, just like here at Wikitree!

Wikitree says that Benedict and I are 17th cousins, but the relationships are faulty. It simply isn't true. There is no proven father for Peter Coffin.

You have to do your own research and verify each relationship.

Answer 1

Yah...but how is he related to A. J. Jacobs. Bet they don't have that covered.

Answer 2

15th Cousins 3 times removed I should think.

https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:Relationship&action=calculate&person1_name=Cumberbatch-5&person2_name=Doyle-1796

Comments

Here is John of Gaunt the common ancestor they found.

Notice WikiTree has other ancestors who have the same or closer connections.  

You can find them in the relationship link above by clicking on the dropdown under Explore more on the right.

(I bet they used WikiTree to help them, just say'n) 

 

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And a shout out to the European Aristocrats Project for all their awsome work!

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Also, see number 5 on our Connection Combat game.

Actors who have played Sherlock Holmes.  

Cumberbatch vs Robert Downey, Jr.

Winner, Vic Watt with Suprise entry, John Barrymore!