Taylor Swift and Reba McEntire are cousins
Are you a fan of country music? Did you catch Taylor Swift win her second consecutive Entertainer of the Year Award at this past Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards? The gala was co-hosted by country singers Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire. Did you know Taylor Swift and Reba McEntire are related? Reba is Taylor Swift’s 15th cousin once removed!
It’s no wonder Taylor Swift has found success – country music runs in her veins. Check out how she is related to other country music superstars and previous ACM Entertainer of the Year award winners!
Country music legend and activist Willie Nelson is Taylor Swift’s 9th cousin once removed!
Four-time ACM Entertainer of the Year award winner Garth Brooks is Taylor Swift’s 12th cousin once removed!
And previous winner Loretta Lynn is Taylor Swift’s 14th cousin!
Do you have a little country in your blood? Check out these celebrity family trees and let us know how you’re related!
As I mentioned earlier today, genealogy is one of my favorite past times….following genealogy charts, however, is not.
I love the history, the stories behind the names, knowing that I have ancestors that I can trace to pre 1400s. Genealogy charts, however, might as well be written in ancient Greek because it’s about that difficult for me to follow them sometimes.
This person was related to this person who married this person and she was married to this person’s uncle who was this person’s cousin twice removed. Ugh, it makes my head hurt.
Anyway, it seems if you follow anyone’s family tree back far enough, they’re going to be related to someone else they know and it seems famous country stars are no different.
The genealogy website Geni.com has put together a few handy little family charts that show that Taylor Swift is a 15th cousin once removed to Reba McEntire, a 9th cousin once removed to Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks’ 12th cousin once removed, and Loretta Lynn’s 14th cousin.
The crazy thing is she’s related to everyone via her father’s side.
Talk about some talented roots.
Here’s the family tree that has Taylor and Reba being cousins:
Taylor to Reba: Taylor Swift →Scott Swift (her father)→Archie Swift (his father)→Berniece Thompson (his mother)→Barbara Kingsley (her mother)→Rev Alanson Kingsley (her father)→Orin Kingsley, Jr. (his father)→Oren Kingsley (his father)→Lydia Kingsley (his mother)→Joseph Burgess, Jr. (her father)→Thomasina Bangs (his mother)→Mary 1645 Mayo (her mother)→(Capt. Samuel Mayo) her father→Thomasine Mayo (Constable) (his mother)→Thomas Constable (her father)→Robert Constable (his father)→Katherine Chomley (his sister)→Sir Knight Richard Cholmeley (her son)→John Cholmeley (his son)→Dionisia Norton (his daughter)→Captain Francis Norton, Immigrant (her son)→Mary (Norton) Northrup (his daughter)→Joseph Northrup (1649-1700) (her son)→Moses Northrup, 1695 (his son)→Sarah Fuller (his daughter)→Northrup Fuller (her son)→Sarah (Fuller) Terry (his daughter)→Elizabeth Terry (her daughter)→Elizabeth Stevens (her daughter)→Clark McEntire (her son)→John McEntire (his son)→Clark McEntire (his son)→Reba McEntire (his daughter)
Whew, did you get all that? See what I mean about genealogy charts being able to completely fry your brain?
If you’re interested in seeing how Taylor is related to Garth, Willie, and Loretta Lynn, be sure to check out Geni.com.
Maybe Taylor can do an episode of Who Do You Think You Are and follow her roots to see how she’s related to most of Nashville.
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