I am Related to Someone Famous!

[familydar]

And please excuse my ignorance, but I've never heard of him.

I have the Ancestry app on my phone and decided to explore it.  Under "Insights" it says I am ("am" not "may be") related to George Wheeler.  There is absolutely no doubt about it, Ancestry say it's true so it must be.  He is my half 7C5R and (quote) "was a prominent American explorer who extensively surveyed and documented the western United States in the late 19th century".

Helpfully, Ancestry give the thruline, although it's not possible to view sources or even locations for the individuals named.  My own ancestors go back to a man born in London in about 1773.  I think I know his parents but not certain of his mother's maiden name.  Ancestry have come up with a woman with plausible looking dates and the right christian name and followed her line back another 5 gens to a man born 1599 who was apparently an English immigrant to Massachusetts in 1635.  He was the son of a Sir, who is presumably the gateway ancestor who enables Ancestry to come up with this twaddle and present it as truth.  Going down the other thruline "leg", Massachusetts Man had a brother born 1602 who was the direct ancestor of George Wheeler the famous surveyor by way of several generations including a woman who gave birth at the age of 65 (I'd expect her to be the famous one!)

I shan't be adding this garbage to my tree.

Jane :-)

[hepburn]

 

[sonofthom]

According to Family Search I am related to Elvis Presley.. Explains my devastatingly good looks and amazing singing voice!

[oldohiohome]

I grew up and have always lived in the US and this is the first time I heard of the famous George Wheeler. And I was pretty good at history and geography in school, so if they mentioned him I'd probably remember.

This site says he grew up in Hopkinton, Mass, which is the starting point of the Boston Marathon, which is infinitely more well known than George Wheeler, so you would have had that consolation.
https://americanaristocracy.com/people/george-montague-wheeler

[jaywit]

OK So you are related to someone named Wheeler?

All I can say is the best of luck, I see George Wheeler didn't have any children but my experience of the Wheelers is they went forth and multiplied, ( my paternal grandmother was a Wheeler and she let the family down by only having 3 children )

[familydar]

Today's famous ancestor is Katherine Hepburn.  At least I've heard of her but I think I'd know if she was an ancestor, as opposed to possibly a distant relative 

Ancestry's wonderful (?) AI doesn't seem to understand much about biology (lots of infant and seriously geriatric mothers) or geography.

Jane :-)

[Ray T]

Go back far enough and you’re likely to be related to everybody.

[familydar]

Go back far enough and you’re likely to be related to everybody.

Hi Cousin 

[Zaphod99]

Jane, what are the problems with your experience of using AI for ancestry? I find it a really valuable tool, not as a substitute for research but to give succinct descriptions of situations, to offer possibilities, and to enhance understanding.

It's no longer the blurred and unreliable tool of three years ago.

Zaph