Master Surname Index



William Cullen Bryant

Ancestry of
William Cullen Bryant

American “Fireside” Poet


Who was William Cullen Bryant?

William Cullen Bryant was an American poet and journalist. Although today he is mostly remembered for his poetry, including his most famous poem Thanatopsis, he spent half a century as the Editor-in-Chief and part owner of the New York Evening Post.

Famous Kin

William Cullen Bryant is a descendant of Mayflower passengers John Alden and Francis Cooke. Bryant's mother is a descendant of John Alden, while both of his parents descend separately from Francis Cooke. It also seems only fitting that he have a number of literary cousins including fellow poets Henry David Thoreau and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Presidential family connections include Ulysses S. Grant, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, both Presidents Adams, and both Presidents Bush. He also has a connection to the current royal family through a kinship with Princess Diana.


Some of the most recently added connections of famous kin for William Cullen Bryant

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Richard A. Snelling

76th and 78th Governor of Vermont

5th cousin 5 times removed
via John Alden

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Richard A. Snelling

76th and 78th Governor of Vermont

5th cousin 5 times removed
via Thomas Mitchell

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Hoyt Vandenberg

2nd Director Central Intelligence

5th cousin 4 times removed
via John Shaw

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Matthew Perry

TV and Movie Actor

6th cousin 5 times removed
via Francis Cooke

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Jim Douglas

80th Governor of Vermont

5th cousin 6 times removed
via John Alden

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Jim Douglas

80th Governor of Vermont

5th cousin 6 times removed
via John Shaw

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Charles A. Sprague

22nd Governor of Oregon

6th cousin 3 times removed
via Francis Cooke

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Silas Stillman Soule

Underground Railroad Abolitionist

7th cousin 1 time removed
via Jacques Mahieu

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Silas Stillman Soule

Underground Railroad Abolitionist

5th cousin 1 time removed
via John Alden

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John Kitzhaber

35th and 37th Governor of Oregon

6th cousin 5 times removed
via Francis Cooke

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Charles Dudley Warner

Author

6th cousin
via Francis Cooke

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Jon Meacham

Author and Historian

5th cousin 6 times removed
via Andrew Hallett

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Jon Meacham

Author and Historian

4th cousin 7 times removed
via Stephen Bryant

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Jon Meacham

Author and Historian

5th cousin 7 times removed
via John Alden

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Israel Broussard

TV and Movie Actor

5th cousin 6 times removed
via John Alden

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Joan Staley

TV and Movie Actress

6th cousin 5 times removed
via Francis Cooke

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Jerry Van Dyke

TV and Movie Actor

6th cousin 4 times removed
via Francis Cooke

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Jerry Van Dyke

TV and Movie Actor

5th cousin 5 times removed
via John Alden

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Hiram Percy Maxim

Radio Pioneer and Inventor

4th cousin 3 times removed
via Samuel Washburn

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Sir Hiram Maxim

Machine Gun Inventor

4th cousin 2 times removed
via Samuel Washburn

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Colin Jost

Comedian, Actor, Writer

4th cousin 7 times removed
via John Washburn Jr.

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Harry Gordon Selfridge

Founder, Selfridges & Co.

4th cousin 2 times removed
via John Washburn Jr.

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Charles H. Sawyer

41st Governor of New Hampshire

4th cousin 3 times removed
via John Howard

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Rome Odunze

NFL Wide Receiver

6th cousin 6 times removed
via Francis Cooke

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Harry Gordon Selfridge

Founder, Selfridges & Co.

4th cousin 3 times removed
via John Howard

View entire list of famous kin for William Cullen Bryant

Please note: The ancestor reports on this website have been compiled from thousands of different sources, many over 100 years old. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. As with any good genealogical research, if you discover a link to your own family tree, consider it a starting point for further research. It is always preferable to locate primary records where possible. FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources.