September 6, 2015

Finest Hour 168, Spring 2015

Page 42

Gregory Bell Smith, M.S., The American Ancestry of Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

Review by Richard Mastio


Winston Churchill wrote in 1948: “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened, and maintained.” In 1950 he posited: “Where does the family start? It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. No superior alternative has yet been found!” These words, quoted in the first pages of this wonderful work, might just motivate you to research your own family’s history and lead to a connection with the Greatest Man of the last thousand years.

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If you have ever wondered if you were related to Sir Winston, this is a book that you need in your library. It is a fascinating and well-researched monograph by a genealogy genius and author with superb skills.

As most Churchill buffs know, Sir Winston was half American; his mother, Jennie Jerome, was born in Brooklyn in 1854. Many of his near and distant relations in the United States were also people who made names for themselves. Should you want to know which US Presidents were cousins of Churchill, this book will tell you. Could it be that he “ratted” and “re-ratted” because his ancestry connected him with Democratic and Republican Presidents alike?

Which movie stars, film directors, playwright, television host, comedian, and inventor were cousins of Churchill will surprise you. Could his artistic and painting skills have been inherited from the “Father of American Painting,” Augustine Clement, his ancestor? Churchill’s relatives also included a US general, Revolutionary War hero, a Supreme Court justice, US vice president, and a civil rights leader.

If you have family roots in the original thirteen colonies, especially in New England, you may just find here a link of your own to Churchill. If your family dates back to the Mayflower landing or the second ship to land from England, the Fortune, you might indeed have a Churchill connection. You might also find a link if you have Quaker ancestors. But not all connections are ones to trumpet. Churchill’s relatives included a famous serial killer from Chicago and another who was accused of murder but acquitted. These might be your relatives too and suggest that under different circumstances Churchill might have become the Napoleon of crime! Copies of this wonderful book are available direct from the author, Gregory B. Smith, for $25.00 postpaid in the US. Write to 154 West Spain, Villa T, Sonoma, CA  95476.  For other countries, inquire for pricing and shipping costs to [email protected].


Richard Mastio is a member of The Churchill Centre living in Laramie, Wyoming.

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