March 12 Information

Hello Wikipedia Entertainment Desk:

I am among the billions of humans who adore actor Tom Hanks. In the Wikipedia entry about Abraham Lincoln's CLOSE relative Nancy Hanks, the page states:

Notable relatives Nancy Hanks is a third cousin four times removed of actor, producer, writer, and director Tom Hanks.[51]

Why is this not mentioned on the Tom Hanks Wikipedia page? I think most of his fans would absolutely love to know he is related to Abraham Lincoln!

tHanks, A Librarian in Florida descended from John Brown 104.0.216.101 ( talk) 21:02, 12 March 2020 (UTC) reply

I don't know what are the relations between Abraham Lincoln, Nancy Hanks and Tom Hanks, but if person A is related to person B and person B is related to person C, that doesn't always mean that person A is related to person C. For example if you and your first cousin share two grandparents, you're related to your cousin and your cousin is related to his other two grandparents, but you're not related to your cousin's other two grandparents (parents of your non-related aunt or uncle). 93.136.43.47 ( talk) 03:32, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Well, Nancy Hanks redirects to Nancy Lincoln and says she was Abraham's mother. If she's Tom Hanks's third cousin four times removed, that would make Abraham Lincoln Tom's fourth cousin three times removed. When you start talking about relationships that distant they aren't all that notable, it seems to me, but I don't see why it shouldn't be mentioned on Tom's page—if there's a reliable source to cite for it, of course. -- 69.159.8.46 ( talk) 05:23, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Assuming the source on the Nancy Hanks page is valid, there's no reason it couldn't also be used on the Tom Hanks page also. The IP's can't add it currently, because the page is semi'd. As to what 93 said above, it's true, but doesn't really apply in this case. If Tom Hanks is related to Nancy Hanks, then they have at least one common ancestor. And that means that any of Nancy's descendants and any of Tom's descendants are likewise related. ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:03, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

93 here, yeah if Nancy Hanks is Abraham Lincoln's direct ancestor (mother) then he's related to everyone she's related. That means Tom Hanks too. If he weren't her direct descendant, then he would be only in-laws with some of her blood relatives. 89.172.82.113 ( talk) 20:23, 16 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Tom Hanks is not a descendant of Nancy Hanks. Rather, Tom and Nancy [theoretically] have at least one common ancestor. However, check out Nancy Hanks Lincoln heritage. ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:26, 16 March 2020 (UTC) reply

It appears the common ancestors are John Hanks I (1681-1740) and Catherine (Williams) Hanks (1695-1780). ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:23, 16 March 2020 (UTC) reply

If. But even then, see WP:PROPORTION. Gråbergs Gråa Sång ( talk) 08:42, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

I'm sorry, but in what world is "third cousin four times removed" a close relative (CLOSE relative even!)? That is both incredibly remote and incredibly trivial. Try doing the maths and see for how many people that would also be true.... Fgf10 ( talk) 09:05, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

A quick google search does render source for: 4th cousin 4 times removed with interviews (quotes) by Hanks himself. The relation coverage is notable as a side note. Where it should fall within the BLP article is another question, as it is trivial. There are many celebrities who boast a relationship connection to famous historical figures x number times removed. Maineartists ( talk) 09:36, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Nancy was Abe's mother, so that makes them close relatives to each other. ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:38, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Indeed, I misread what the close relative referred to, my mistake. CLose relative to Lincoln, very distant relative to Tom Hanks. Fgf10 ( talk) 13:22, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Just curious. Is this coming up because the media attempted to make a big deal about Tom Hanks being very very distantly related to Fred Rogers? 135.84.167.41 ( talk) 16:50, 13 March 2020 (UTC) reply

"Very distant" is a matter of opinion. Tom Hanks and Fred Rogers are sixth cousins. For comparison, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt were fifth cousins. ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:19, 16 March 2020 (UTC) reply

The only reason the Fred Roger's connection was even mentioned in the article is because of Hank's portrayal of him in the biopic. If he hadn't played Fred, it would have never been included let alone brought up in the mainstream media. Until the man plays Honest Abe in a film ... leave it out. Maineartists ( talk) 01:22, 17 March 2020 (UTC) reply

As I recall, the Lincoln connection was discussed with Tom Hanks on a Finding Your Roots episode several years ago. ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:56, 17 March 2020 (UTC) reply

So? what's the point for inclusion, then. If every celebrity who went on Finding Your Roots warranted an inclusion of "distant relatives", WP would be inundated with trivial facts of endless family tree limbs dating back to Adam and Eve. Even Judge Judy put this craziness into perspective on a recent show: "He's your Uncle's cousin's son ... so that makes him: nothing to you." Maineartists ( talk) 17:23, 17 March 2020 (UTC) reply

So? Since when is Judge Judy an expert on genealogy? ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:25, 18 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Exactly my point. Thank you for proving it. Maineartists ( talk) 02:26, 18 March 2020 (UTC) reply

Finding Your Roots doesn't particularly bring up previously-unknown family relations to famous people. But to show how seriously some folks take these facts, Ben Affleck's team was said to have been upset by the revelation that one of his ancestors was a slaveowner, as if Ben had anything to do with that fact. ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:15, 18 March 2020 (UTC) reply