Suppose the average man or woman to have as many as twenty close relatives—as near as an uncle or a grandson. There can be then only about one person in five hundred who can claim close relationship to an "eminent" man. Those whose names are in the above dictionaries are, on the contrary, related to each other to the extent of about one in five. If the more celebrated among these be alone considered, it will be found that the percentage increases so that about one in three is related to some one within the group. This ratio increases to more than one in two when the families of the forty-six Americans in the Hall of Fame are made the basis of study. If all the eminent relations of those in the Hall of Fame are counted, they average more than one apiece. Therefore, they are from five hundred to a thousand times as much related to distinguished people as the ordinary mortal is.
The following great Americans whose names adorn the Hall of Fame show eminent relationships according to the test.
George Washington was the uncle of Bushrod Washington, justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson came from plain people on his father's side, but his mother was of the old and distinguished Randolph family. The great orator John Randolph, of Roanoke, was his second cousin, but is too far removed to be counted as a "close" relation. Jefferson's daughter Martha married Thomas M. Randolph, governor of Virginia, and their son, Gen. George Wythe Randolph, counts one "close" relation mentioned in the dictionaries of history.
John Marshall, the greatest American jurist and one of the great jurists of all time, is connected with one of those in the second (or 3,500) group. His nephew, Thomas F. Marshall, reached eminence as a judge and member of Congress. "As a political orator and wit he had great fame."
Abraham Lincoln was the father of Robert T. Lincoln, secretary of war, minister to Great Britain and president of the Pullman Company.
Daniel Webster was the son of Judge Ebenezer Webster, prominent during the Revolution. Daniel's brother "Ezekial acquired a high reputation as a lawyer."
Benjamin Franklin had no great ancestors, but his talents were well transmitted to his descendants. His illegitimate son, William Franklin, became a man of prominence and was the last royal governor of New Jersey. But the more brilliant qualities appeared especially in the Baches of Philadelphia, descendants of Franklin's daughter. Alexander D. Bache was one of the foremost of American scientists.
Alexander Hamilton came of aristocratic lineage on his mother's side; on his father's side, his people were merchants. He married a daughter of General Philip Schuyler, whose mother was a Van Rensselaer. Many of his descendants have become distinguished. John
