I found a program at Ancestry.com which looked up famous people related to me based on my family tree. I can;t find how to access it again! It was a "beta" program hosted by the site.

Does anyone know how to access it?

Thanks,
-Jeff Ellis

On an individuals Profile,look for the list of features under the person's name at the top.
It's under More Options.

It sure is! Thanks so much - very kind of you to reply.

My best,
-Jeff Ellis

Jeff- be *very* careful using that feature. Almost every line I've ever checked has shown has MAJOR flaws in it. It is really based on OneWorldTree, and we all know what that database is worth!

I see....I got excited that I was related to Samuel Adams, John Adams, Abe Lincoln, Justice Byron White, and Eli Whitney. And also Lucille Ball. Plus about 20 other famous people.

The *only* way to know who you are related to is to trace the relationships yourself. Never, and I do mean *never*, trust any tree you see unless you personally verify each link in it.
Other trees should only be used as research hints. Even if they list sources then verify that those sources say what they are claimed to say.

Yes, it takes time and you can't build 100,000 people databases that way; but that is the only way to actually know the relationships are valid.

Hi Jeff

As AG has said the famous people program is absolutely useless. It has me related through my mother's side to Isaac Newton and a host of other English notables even though my mother was born in Germany and all of her ancestor's were German and Swiss.
It turns out that One World Tree has my 11x great grandfather Michael Steinmann born in Switzerland in 1550 as the son of a George Sydenham born 1524 and died 1596 in England. Seems someone connected Michael's mother with George even though George is also listed with an English wife and has a number of children all born in England through the same time period as Michael and his siblings were being born in Switzerland.

The same situation exists on my father's side where I'm supposedly related to a bunch of Presidents, scientists and explorers through an English woman who had 4 husbands and over thirty children, had a very short gestation period as she had numerous children only a couple of months apart and at least 5 who were born after she died.

Dave Smith

Thanks again, I have seen exactly what you are talking about. Although I don't know how to tell my mother our people didn't come over on the Mayflower. And land on the moon. However there is some peace of mind knowing we aren't related to Richard Nixon.

My best,
-Jeff

I've looked at some of those connections on my own tree and they are frankly bogus. I think there is a bit of ancestor invention going on. ;-)

Indeed. It is extremely flawed and the connections are sometimes quite impossible and bizarre.