She Could Be Di's Double

The Daily Mail has an article about Di Foster, a woman who resembles the late Princess Diana. Genealogist Nick Barratt and historian Saul David figured out that the two Dis are related.

Tracing her family tree back 11 generations to the early 1700s, they have proved that Di Foster is descended from a member of the aristocratic Churchill family, who married into the Spencer family – ancestors of the Princess of Wales – in the early 18th Century. All of which means the two women were cousins.

The two women, just four years apart in age, had similar hairstyles and facial features and were both tall and slim.

'I used to complain that she was copying me,' Di said with a smile. [Link]

In related news, I am the spitting image of my 29th cousin thrice removed George Clooney.

She Must Have Been a Handsome Woman

Lee Hardin Woody has discovered that she is a second cousin, nine times removed of George Washington. Her father isn't surprised.

He said, "Some people think the picture we have of my mother" -- Mary Gray Riley -- "kind of looks like Washington." [Link]

Mr. Lincoln Goes to Washington

USA Today has a great story tonight about Ralph Lincoln—a distant cousin of the late president to whom he bears a striking resemblance.

It all began with a broken leg a couple of years ago. Ralph Lincoln was recuperating at home, wondering how to pass the time, when he decided to grow a beard.

Along with his face, his life began to change, too. With facial hair, the 49-year-old looks hauntingly like Abraham Lincoln, albeit 6 inches shorter.

A recent visit to Washington brought Ralph to Ford's Theater, site of a poorly reviewed performance by John Wilkes Booth in 1865. He was quickly swarmed by fifth-graders from a suburban school.

"Are you Abe Lincoln?" asks Annie Kruger, 11, of Washington, D.C.

"A Lincoln," he replies.

She gives him a thumbs up.

"How old are you?" asks Luca Grifo-Hahn, 10, of Bethesda. "I thought you were dead." [Link]

Last February, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an article about Ralph that included a more complete description of his relationship to the president and a cool side-by-side comparison of the two Lincolns' mugs.

Do You Look Like a Dead Person?

Megan Smolenyak² is offering two chances to win autographed books on her blog. Here's the contest that intrigued me:

I'm looking for ancestral look-alikes! Is your son the spitting image of your great-grandfather? Do your older relatives always tell you how much you resemble a great-aunt you never met? Have you ever done a double take at a sepia-toned photo because the Civil War soldier staring out looks just like your brother? If so, please share your images here.

In case you're wondering, I'm the spitting, beard-scratching image of my great-great-grandpa Lemuel:

[tagged: genealogy, family tree, ancestry]