Challenge #125 Update

The last Challenge was a hard one, so let me give you another clue:

The question perhaps should have been phrased "What was Bob's family connection to the town?" Say, prior to 1977.

Fergie Not Full-Bred Enough to Represent

We already knew that pop star Fergie descended from sheep thieves. Now we learn from Latina magazine that she has Hispanic ancestry as well.

“Yes, I have Mexican in my ancestry,” said Fergie. “My Dad's grandmother was born in Guanajuato. I’m very proud of it; that’s probably where I get my fire! I’m mostly Scottish-Irish, though.”

So, why all the ambiguity around her latinidad before, you might ask? “I don’t go around claiming it big time,” the singer explained, “because there are many more full-bred Latinas that are out there to represent.” [Link]

Genealogue Challenge #125

I just ordered tickets to see Bob Dylan next month, so here's a challenge in his honor.

Kennett Square Borough, Pennsylvania, is The Mushroom Capital of the World.

What's Bob's family connection to the town?

Update: Another clue.

Genealogue Challenge #55

This one may be trickier than it appears.

When did Cab Calloway's father and paternal grandfather die?

Genealogue Challenge #50

Loretta Lynn's paternal grandmother's paternal grandmother died in 1911.

How long had she been ill?

Genealogue Challenge #42

On what date were Mariah Carey's paternal grandparents married?

Extra extra credit: In a recent interview, Mariah said that she may be related to a certain other famous singer because of a shared family name. Can you prove her right or wrong?

Not Enough Memories For a Memoir

The lead singer of the Rolling Stones has lived an interesting life—or so he's been told.

In the early 1980s, Mick Jagger snagged a $1.6 million advance from Bantam for his life story, but returned it several years later.

"We were told he said he couldn't remember enough to do a book," said Stuart Applebaum, a spokesman for Random House Inc., which also owns Bantam. [Link, via The Daily Dish]

There's No Shame in Showing Up Early

On an episode of the BBC Wales family history show Coming Home, Petula Clark learns that her birth was "premature."

Jenny Newman tells the performer her parents were married in May 1932, only six months before she was born.

"That is nice, I like the idea of that - I was their love child!" says the singer. [Link]

The Hills Are Alive, But Maria Isn't

Genealogy can be tricky when your ancestors have been fictionalized. Four great-grandchildren of Captain Georg von Trapp of Sound of Music fame have a singing act, and will be appearing together in a movie next year. They have two family trees: a real one, and a second dreamt up on Broadway.

The four are the grandchildren of Werner von Trapp, the younger of the two boys -- and the fourth of seven children -- depicted in The Sound of Music as Kurt (the child Julie Andrews remembers to include in her bedtime prayers with the line, "God bless Kurt.")

The von Trapp youngsters also remain close to grandfather Werner's eldest sister, their great-aunt Agathe -- portrayed as Liesl ("I am 16 going on 17") in the musical.

Werner, Agathe and sister Maria (the real-life name of the movie's second-oldest daughter, Louisa) are the last surviving members of the original Trapp Family Singers, who fled Nazi-occupied Austria in the 1930s after their father, a widowed naval officer, married their governess.

Three children added to the singing family after Georg and Maria von Trapp were wed are also still alive. [Link]

Joe Beine blogged about the real-life Maria von Trapp earlier this month.

Fergie's Wild and Woolly Past

Yet another celebrity has offered sketchy details about her ancestry. This time it's a member of The Black Eyed Peas who once was the voice of Charlie Brown's sister.

Fergie, whose real name is Stacy Ferguson, discovered her relatives were sheep rustlers before they settled in the US.

She revealed: "I found out my ancestors are from Ireland. We stole sheep." [Link]

On the bright side, there are worse things her ancestors could have done with sheep.

[Photo source: Schaf by Patrick Gruban (license)]