"Good manners have much to do with the emotions. To make them ring true, one must feel them, not merely exhibit them." Amy Vanderbilt

Growing up, my mother mentioned once or twice that we were related to Amy Vanderbilt. She didn't really know how we were related, but she knew it was on her mom's side. I had never heard of Amy Vanderbilt, but we did have a copy of one of her cookbooks in our house.

Recently, I made contact with a distant relative who had traced the connection.

Bridget Carlin- James McGinnis

Margaret McGinnis-Patrick Carolan Loretta McGinnis-William Brooks

Alice Carolan-Harold Hood Mary Brooks-Joseph M. Vanderbilt

Celeste Hood-Francis Jennings Amy Vanderbilt

Patricia Jennings- James Gallagher

ME!

As you can see from this wonderfully simplified genealogy chart, Amy Vanderbilt was my grandmother’s second cousin. Her Great-grandparents were my Great-Great-Great Grandparents. That makes her my second cousin, twice removed.

There you have it. But there will be more on Amy.