Notable Relatives

Gilbert Belnap, Adaline Knight, and Henrietta McBride have some interesting notable relatives–including some who are infamous or notorious.  Listed here are a few of such relatives.  Undoubtedly many more are waiting to be identified.  Click on the highlighted names below to discover how you are related to, or more generally about the lives of, these notable relatives:

Notable direct descendants (including spouses) of Gilbert Belnap (in alphabetical order)

• Daniel Ray (“Danny”) Ainge (1959-living), Professional Basketball and Baseball Player; General Manager for the Boston Celtics
• Gilbert Belnap (1821-1899), Local Church Leader and Colonizer
• Gilbert Rosel Belnap (1847-1929), Weber County Sheriff
• Hyrum Adolphus Belnap (1890-1940), Utah District Judge
• Arias Guy Belnap (1893-1974), Utah Politician and Businessman
• Bryan West Belnap (1921-1967), Dean of Brigham Young University College of Religious Education
• David Foster Belnap (1922-2009), Award-winning Journalist
• Bruce Earl Belnap (1925-2014), Regional Representative; Orlando Temple President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Parley Leland Belnap (1928-2018), Professor of Organ and Theory and Noted Organist
• Carl Bert Cook (1957-living), Member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Amasa Marion Hammon (1884-1957), Weber County Sheriff
• Erik Lars Roner (1976-2015), MTV “Nitro Circus” Extreme Sports Star
• (William) Ryan Shupe (1971-living), American Bluegrass Musician and head of Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band
• Jeffrey Max Simpson (1963-living), President of Deseret Book Company; President and CEO of Bonneville International; CEO of Deseret Management Corporation
• Stephen Arnold Taylor (1944-1967), Mount McKinley (now Denali) Disaster Victim

Notable relatives of Gilbert Belnap surnamed Belnap or Belknap (including spouses) (in chronological order of birth)

• Rev. Jeremiah (“Jeremy”) Belknap (1744-1798), Preacher and Historian
• Daniel Belknap (1771-1815), Early American Composer
• Zedekiah Belknap (1781-1858), American Folk Art Portraitist
• William Goldsmith Belknap (1794-1851), United States Brigadier General
• William Worth Belknap (1829-1890), United States Secretary of War
• George Eugene Belknap (1832-1903), United States Navy Rear Admiral
• Charles Eugene Belknap (1846-1929), United States Representative from Michigan
• Hugh Reid Belknap (1860-1901), United States Representative from Illinois
• Myrta Z. Belknap (1862-1924), wife of Herman Webster Mudgett a/k/a “Dr. Henry Howard Holmes” (1861-1896), Serial Killer and Con Artist
• Reginald Rowan Belknap (1871-1959), United States Navy Rear Admiral
• William Walker Belknap (formerly Belnap) (1878-1965), husband of Anna Centennial Cleveland (1876-1954), Silent Film Actress
• Charles Belknap, Jr. (1880-1954), United States Navy Commander
• Nuel Dinsmore Belnap, Jr. (1930-2024), American Logician and Philosopher
• Anna Belknap (1972-living), Actress

Notable relatives of Gilbert Belnap not surnamed Belnap or Belknap but who have Belknap/Belnap direct ancestry (including spouses)

• Spencer Woolley Kimball (1895-1985), 12th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Heber Chase Kimball (1801-1868), Apostle and Member of the First President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Helen Mar Kimball (1828-1896), Plural Wife of Joseph Smith, Jr.
• Jonathan Golden Kimball (1853-1938), Member of the First Council of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Orson Ferguson Whitney (1855-1931), Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Natacha Rambova (born Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy) (1897-1966), American Film Costume and Set Designer and Wife of Rudolph Valentino
• John Nicholas Udall (1913-2005), Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona
• Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert (1868-1928), American Composer and Folk Song Collector
• Charles Belknap Henderson (1873-1954), United States Senator from Nevada
• Nick Carter (1980-living) and Aaron Carter (1987-2022), Pop Stars
• Asa Belknap Foster (1817-1877), Canadian Senator from Quebec
• Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994), Science Fiction and Horror Fantasy Author
• David Patten Kimball (1839-1883), Handcart Pioneer Rescuer at Sweetwater River
• Quentin LaMar Cook (1940-living), Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Gillian Margaret (1966-living), United States Olympic Pair Skater in 1998 Olympics

Notable relatives of Gilbert Belnap who do not have Belknap/Belnap direct ancestry (including spouses)

through Perry line

• George Albert Smith (1870-1951), 8th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

through Hunt line

• George Albert Smith (1870-1951), 8th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

through Wood line

• Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994), 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

through Ayer line

• Gerald Rudolph Ford (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.) (1913-2006), 38th President of the United States of America
• Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), Author
• Jacob Vernon Hamblin (1819-1886), Early Latter-day Saint Missionary and Colonizer

through Bowerman line

• Daniel David (D. D.) Palmer ()1845-1913), Founder of Chiropractic Medicine

through Brewster line

• William Brewster (about 1564-1644), Mayflower Pilgrim
• Julia Child (born Julia Carolyn McWilliams) (1912-2004), American Cooking Teacher and Personality
• Bing Crosby (born Harry Lillis Crosby, Jr.) (1903-1977), American Singer and Actor
• Hannibal Hamlin (1809-1891), Fifteenth Vice President of the United States (under President Abraham Lincoln)
• Katharine Houghton Hepburn (1907-2003), American Actress
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), American Poet
• Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (1973-living), American Actor
• Sarah Palin (born Sarah Louise Heath) (1964-living), Governor of Alaska and U.S. Vice Presidential Candidate
• Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819), Commodore, U.S. Navy Commander during War of 1812
• Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794-1858), Commodore, U.S. Navy Commander at the opening of Japan
• Cokie Roberts (born Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs) (1943-2019), Journalist and Author
• Jay Rockefeller (born John Davison Rockefeller IV) (1937-living), United States Senator from West Virginia
• Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1908-1979), 49th Governor of New York, 41st Vice President of the United States (under President Gerald R. Ford), Businessman, Philanthropist
• David Hackett Souter (1939-living), United States Supreme Court Associate Justice
• Adlai Ewing Stevenson III (1930-2021), United States Senator from Illinois
• Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. (1951-living), Publisher of the New York Times
• Zachary Taylor (1784-1850), 12th President of the United States, Mexican-American War Hero
• Others notable descendants of William Brewster:  https://familypedia.wikia.org/wiki/William_Brewster_(1567-1644)/List_of_Famous_Descendants

Notable relatives of both Adaline Knight and Henrietta McBride (who were first cousins)

through Knight-McBride line

• Martha McBride Knight (1805-1901); Founding Member of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Plural Wife of Joseph Smith, Jr.
• Francis M. Gibbons (1921-2016), Member of Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Larry Wayne Gibbons (1942-living), Member of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

through McBride line

• Lester Andrew Wade (1889-1966), Utah Supreme Court Justice

through Mead line

• Willard Mitt Romney (1947-living), Massachusetts Governor; President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics; United States Presidential Candidate; United States Senator from Utah

through Spencer Line

• Lorenzo Snow (1814-1901), 5th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Heber Jeddy Grant (1856-1945), 7th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Orson Spencer (1802-1855), Early Latter-day Saint Writer
• Aurelia Read Spencer Rogers (1834-1922), founder of the Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Joseph Spencer (1714-1789), American Revolutionary War General and Continental Congress Member
• Henry Champion (1751-1836), American Revolutionary War General

Notable direct ancestors of Adaline Knight

• Vinson Knight (1804-1842), Early Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Charlemagne (742/747-814), Holy Roman Emperor
• Alfred the Great (c. 849-899), King of the Anglo-Saxons
• William the Conqueror (William I) (c. 1027/1028-1087), King of England
• Henry I “Beauclerc” (c. 1068/1069-1135), King of England
• Various Kings/Queens, Princes/Princesses, Dukes/Duchesses, Lords/Ladies, etc., of England, Scotland, Wales, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, France, Normandy, Savoy, Aquitaine, Burgundy, etc.

Notable relatives of Adaline Knight (but not Henrietta McBride)

through Knight line

• Nehemiah Knight (1746-1808), United States Representative from Rhode Island
• Nehemiah Rice Knight (1780-1854), United States Senator and Rhode Island Governor

through Rogers line

• Horatio Rogers (1836-1904), Civil War Officer, Rhode Island Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice

through Backus line

• George Albert Smith (1870-1951), 8th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Hiram Bingham (1875-1956), Connecticut Governor and Senator, Modern Discoverer of Machu Picchu (twice)
• John Pierpont Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943), Financier and Philanthropist (twice)
• George B. McClellan (1826-1885), United States Civil War Major General and New Jersey Governor (twice)
• Christopher Reeve (1952-2004), Actor
• John Forbes Kerry (1943-living), United States Senator from Massachusetts and Presidential Candidate
• James Wayne McMeekan (“David Wayne”) (1913-1995), Actor
• Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), Writer and Artist
• William Woodbridge (1780-1861), United States Senator and Michigan Governor

through Griswold line

• Amasa Mason Lyman (1813-1877), Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Francis Marion Lyman (1840-1916), Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Richard Roswell Lyman (1870-1963), Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• James Esdras Faust (1920-2007), Member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• John Forbes Kerry (1943-living), United States Senator from Massachusetts and Presidential Candidate
• Alexander Viets Griswold (1766-1843), 5th Presiding Bishop (by seniority) of the Episcopal Church
• Frank Tracy Griswold (1937-living), 25th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church

through Tracy line

• John Martin Tracy (1844-1893), American Landscape Painter
• John Martin Tracy (1809-1844), husband of Hannah Maria Conant Tracy Cutler (1815-1896), Abolitionist and Women’s Suffragist
• Frank Tracy Griswold (1937-living), 25th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church

through Throckmorton line

• Elizabeth Throckmorton (1565-about 1647), wife of Sir Walter Raleigh (about 1552-1618), Writer, New World Explorer and Colonist

through Bushnell line

• Gordon Bitner Hinckley (1910-2008), 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• David Bushnell (1740-1824), American Inventor of the First Submarine and Time Bomb
• Cornelius Scranton Bushnell (1829-1896), Union Pacific Railroad Executive and USS Monitor Promoter

through Marvin line

• Gordon Bitner Hinckley (1910-2008), 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

through Elderkin line

• Thomas Lanier (“Tennessee”) Williams III (1911-1983), American Playwright
• James Danforth (“Dan”) Quayle (1947-living), 44th Vice President of the United States of America

through Waterman line

• Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), American Revolutionary War General and Traitor

through Allyn line

• Thomas Edmund Dewey (1902-1971), New York Governor and United States Presidential Candidate

through Huntington line

• George Albert Smith (1870-1951), 8th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Samuel Huntington (1731-1796), Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Connecticut Governor, First President of the United States in Congress Assembled
• Samuel H. Huntington (1765-1817), Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice and Governor

through Rockwell line

• George Albert Smith (1870-1951), 8th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (twice)

through Shelley line

• Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), English Romantic Poet

through Blodgett line

• Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994), 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

through Morse line

• Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), 30th President of the United States of America (twice)
• Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994), 37th President of the United States of America (twice)

through Shattuck line

• Aaron Draper Shattuck (1832-1928), American Painter

through Loker line

• Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844), 1st President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Brigham Young (1801-1877), 2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918), 6th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972), 10th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Melvin Russell Ballard, Jr.(1928-living), Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
• Steve Young (1961-living), Professional American Football Player

Notable relatives of Henrietta McBride (but not Adaline Knight)

Notable direct descendants of Sir Robert Belknap (who might also be related to Adaline Knight)

Click here to access information on notable direct descendants of Sir Robert Belknap (about 1330-1401) (who might also be a direct ancestor of Adaline Knight).

Last update:  1 Jul 2024