Ancestry of
Herman Melville
Author of Moby Dick
Who was Herman Melville?
Herman Melville was an American author and poet. Today he is probably best known for his novel Moby Dick, however, during his lifetime he was better known for his novel Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life. Typee was based on his actual experiences as a prisoner on Nuku Hiva island in the South Pacific. His contemporaries referred to him as the “man who lived among the cannibals.”
Famous Kin
Herman Melville has a number of royal connections including being a direct descendant of King Edward I. He also has connections to King Henry VIII and a number of his wives including Ann Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and a couple of others. He also has a connection to the current royal family through Princess Diana. Herman Melville also has a number of U.S. Presidential kin including, but not limited to, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Gerald Ford, Calvin Coolidge, William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, both Presidents Bush.
Herman Melville has a number of celebrity kin including Ken Burns, Linda Hamilton, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Poehler, Kyra Sedwick, Olivia De Havilland, and Gloria Vanderbilt. Ironically, his family tree also includes author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick who wrote the book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. This is reportedly the true story that inspired Melville's Moby Dick.
Some of the most recently added connections of famous kin for Herman Melville
Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
President and CEO of I.B.M.
13th cousin 5 times removed
via Sir Walter Hungerford
A. Bartlett Giamatti
Major League Baseball Commissioner
18th cousin 3 times removed
via Henry III, King of England
William Henry Moore
Co-Founder, U.S. Steel and Nabisco
19th cousin 2 times removed
via John, King of England
Francis Scott Key
Author of “The Star Spangled Banner”
16th cousin 1 time removed
via Humphrey de Bohun
Thomas Jefferson
3rd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence
15th cousin 1 time removed
via Humphrey de Bohun
Angela Y. Davis
Civil Rights Activist
and former Black Panther
16th cousin 5 times removed
via Humphrey de Bohun
Samuel Prescott
Completed Paul Revere's Midnight Ride
15th cousin 1 time removed
via Humphrey de Bohun
View entire list of famous kin for Herman Melville
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.