Yes – THAT James Madison. Fourth President of the United States. He would be my 2nd cousin, 7 times removed. Alright, so that’s a bit of a stretch!
And no, I haven’t been holding out waiting to spring that on everyone. I didn’t know! Just found out yesterday. As I’ve mentioned before, when I bump (or crash head long) into a brick wall, I turn around and go in another direction. It eases the stress level that those walls can create and keeps me from getting too bored. It had been awhile since I looked for the ancestors of my 3rd great-grandfather, John Blazer, so yesterday as I went about my research, lo & behold, I was blessed to finally find out his wife’s (my 3rd great-grandmother’s) maiden name!
John Blazer married Mary Ann Nelson, daughter of John Griffith Nelson and Mary Dickenson Arbuckle, around 1834.
Mary Dickenson Arbuckle was the daughter of William Arbuckle and Catherine Madison (daughter of Humphrey Madison and Mary Dickenson). Catherine’s grandfather (James Madison III) and President James Madison’s grandfather (Ambrose Madison) were brothers – making Catheirne and the President 2nd cousins.
President Madison, according to Wikipedia, was considered the “Father of the Constitution”, one of the founding fathers of our great nation, and the “Father of the Bill of Rights”.
I think it’s fitting that John and Mary Ann (Nelson) Blazer lived most of their married life and died in Madison County, Indiana – named in honor of President James Madison – a cousin of Mary Ann’s and mine. I wonder if Mary Ann realized that she was related to a President of her parents’ generation and if she did, what did she think about it?
All My Branches Genealogy 
Hello,
John Griffith Nelson is my 3gGrandfather and I, too, just learned of the link to the Madison line. Would you happen to have additional information on Mary Dickenson, wife to Humphrey Madison?
Hello,
John Griffith Nelson is my 3gGrandfather and I, too, just learned of the link to the Madison line. Would you happen to have additional information on Mary Dickenson, wife to Humphrey Madison?
There is some excellent original research online at the James Madison Center, which is part of or affiliated with the James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.
In any event, in reading through this research, it appears that Humphrey Madison is the son of Thomas Madison, not John Madison III. Both Thomas Madison and John Madison III were brothers of Ambrose Madison, grandfather of President Madison. Therefore, this makes Thomas Madison the grandfather of Catherine Madison.
At this time, I am having a difficult time with the lineage of Mary Dickenson, wife to Humphrey Madison and mother of Catherine Madison. I have seen spellings of her last name as Dickinson with assertions that she is related to John M. Dickinson, a signatory to the Constitution.
Would appreciate any insights.
I have also seen her name as Dickenson or Dickinson & the reference to John Dickinson being her father – but I have no documented proof or anything else to say that for sure. I appreciate the information you sent.
Everything that I have seen leads me to believe that Mary Dickinson was NOT related to John Dickinson.
Thompson Nelson son of John Griffith Nelson, and married to Mary Ann Greenlee is my ggggrandfather.
Thompson and Mary Ann
had Susan Nelson
Susan Nelson and Samuel Berry had
Eva Eliza Berry
Eva Eliza Berry and Erik Gustaf Bergstrom had
Ruth Bergstrom my grandmother.
Well how about this? My grandmother Helen Florence Canton was adopted by William H. Sterrett and Mary Evan Grismer. William Sterrett was the son of Benjamin Harrison Sterrett and Catharine Madison Alexander. Catharine is listed as the daughter of Samuel Alexander and Elizabeth Arbuckle. Elizabeth Arbuckle is the daughter of William Arbuckle and Catharine Madision who is listed as the daughter of Humphry Madison and Mary Dickenson. So my grandmother Helen has passed the family legend along throughout our family that we are related to Madison, Monroe and Jackson… and I finally found this list to see that even though its DISTANT there was some truth to the legend (however only through adoption).
My ggg grandfather Capt. Robert McClanahan Jr. (McClenachan) married Catherine Madison on 5/15/1770. Robert was killed in the Battle of Point Pleasant on 10/10/1774. Catherine & Robert had two sons, Robert 3rd and my gg grandfather John. After Robert’s death, Catherine married William Poage in 1/9/1777. I assume something happened to William because at age 23, she married William Arbuckle in 1779. I understand that she died 7/18/1818 and is buried in Mason County, W. Va.
I am applying for membership to an organization related to James Madison and I need primary proof (copies of original documents) proving Catherine was married to Robert Jr., that Humphrey Madison was Catherine’s father and that Mary Dickenson was Humphrey’s wife. If anyone has or knows where I can obtain copies of original documents I would appreciate it if you would contact me or post the information to this web site. I would also be interest in addition information such as that listed above.
Hi, everyone.
Nancy Jane Nelson, d of William m Andrew Jackson Chapman
William Arbuckle Nelson, son of John G. m Nancy Jane Greenlee
John G. Nelson m Mary Arbuckle, d of William Arbuckle
William Arbuckle m Katherine Madison, d of Humphrey Madison [William was Katherine’s 3rd husband. She was the widow of Robert McClanahan and may have also married a Poage. I believe she had children by Robert so we may have even more cousins]
Humphrey Madison m Mary Dickinson, d of Adam Dickinson and sister of John Dickinson. A Chapman cousin of mine and I are currently trying to sort of the Madisons, Dickinsons, and Arbuckles. There is a lot of information on these three families in “Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement of Virginia, extracted from the originial court records of Augusta County [VA] 1745-1800” by Lyman Chalkley, 3 vols, 1912.
According to the abstracted records, before arriving in Augusta County, Adam was in Lancaster Co., PA, Prince George’s County, Maryland, and Hunterdon Co., NJ,all within about 5 yrs.
My family also had the story of a relationship to the signer of the Constitution but I believe (I don’t have my references with me, I am packing to move) that the signer had only one child, a daughter. The abstracted records show clearly that John was the son of Adam and living in Augusta County. The signer was from Pennsylvania.
Somewhere I have a reference to Katherine naming Bishop Madison as her guardian. The bishop was the first Anglican (Episcopal) bishop in Virginia and was definitely related to the President. Sorry I can’t be more specific right now. My cousin, who just turned 90, will be totally thrilled with this new information. Mr. King’s papers sound very promising. Good luck to us all.
Update – I did the Family Finder DNA (autosomal) testing and discovered that my grandmother’s adoptive father William Sterrett was actually her real father. So the link is not adoptive but real! How exciting.
In the last few weeks I have found more information and Catharine (Katherine) Madison daugther of Humphfry and Mary Dickenson Madison was indeed married three times.
1. Captain Robert McClanahan m. about 1770 and was killed at the battle of Point Pleasant. They had two children:
Margaret 1772-1837 m. Benjamin Jones who was a guide to Lewis and Clark in 1803/05 in the exploration of the Jefferson Purchase of Louisiana.
John b. about 1774 migrated to St. Genevive Missouri.
2. William Poague m. in 1776 for 10 months before he died.
They had one son named William (Jr) born in 1778 – haven’t found who he married – information states he was the grandfather of George Poague who married Sarah McCue Wilson.
3. William Arbuckle 1752-1836 married 1779.
Nine children listed
Jane Madison 1780 m Capt. Joseph McMullen
Margaret Thompson 1782 m. Benjamin Harrison Jones
Mary Dickenson 1784 m. John Griffith Nelson
William Arbuckle 1788-1805
Elizabeth * 1790
Catherine Brown “Kitty” m. William Langtry & James K. Craig
Fannie 1793-1801
Nancy 1796-1801
Frances Littlepage 1798-1801
I have much more information I garnered from books using
http://books.google.com/books which is most helpful when doing genealogy because you can find out of print books in full view.
Please feel free to contact me aeriehollow at ellijay dot com if you need more information.
I’d like more information on the family association now that I’ve confirmed my link.
Leslie
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Start at the End and work forward. John Madison and Ambrose Madison were brothers Ambrose was James Madison’s grandfather. John Madison 1698 – 1783, had son Humphrey Madison 1730-1756 who married Mary Dickenson ( not related to signer of Const.) their daughter Catherine Madison 1754-1818 1st Married John McClanachan who died in an indian raid at Point Pleasant, 2nd married John Poague who died 7 months after marriage, then married Captain William Arbuckle Revolutionary soldier. My line goes down from Arbuckle to Langtry to Washington ( we’re looking for the connection of Edward Washington 1640 to Pres. George Washington but close) to Cameron. So I am cousin 7 time removed to President James Madison. Great reference is ” John Craig 1709-1774 His Descendants and Allied Families” by Lillian Kennerly Craig.
Hes my cousin to!
big time lag here. DONNA SUE CAMERON. You might be the one I contacted on an Arbuckle tree a few years ago? My line is from Catherine madison to Jane Madison Arbuckle to Mary Dickenson McMullen to Jane Ann Craig to my great-grandmother, Jennie Mae Allen. That might make us 6th cousins?? I traced this line some time ago thru the Rev John Craig book. Since then I have found 4 more matrilineal grandmothers back from Catherine Madison.
Georgeann Johnson
Hello, I am working on my family tree and it piped up that James Madison might be my second cousin 7xs removed. However I don’t know that side of my family and am having a hard time connecting it since I can only go am far as my great grandparents on my grandmothers side. Magdalene Farley is my grandmother and Luther Farley/ Stella cooper Farley are her parents