Have you heard of the concept of six degrees of separation? It’s the idea there are six or fewer connections between people. When researching family history, I’ve come across some intriguing connections to well-known people, which I like to call six degrees of family separation.

Six degrees of family separation may stretch across more than six generations, and can have somewhat tenuous links. They might be through genetic connections, or only through marriage, and should generally not be taken too seriously, especially the further back in time, or more removed from your direct ancestors you get.

It’s when you branch out your research, exploring the siblings and cousins of your direct ancestors, that you might come across a name you recognise. That’s what led me to finding links to author Jane Austen on both sides of my family. They’re connections by marriage, and fairly distant, yet for a librarian and booklover they’re exciting, and make a fun talking point.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was the seventh of eight children born to the Reverend George Austen and his wife Cassandra Leigh. Her father George’s ancestors were woollen manufacturers who had risen through the ranks to become part of the ‘lower’ landed gentry. Meanwhile her mother Cassandra was the great-granddaughter of James Brydges, Baron Chandos of Sudeley, and her ancestry can apparently be traced back to King Edward III.

Although Jane Austen had no children of her own, she had more than thirty nieces and nephews, and through their descendants has many family connections.

Selected references

Jane Austen’s House, ‘Jane Austen’s Family’, https://janeaustens.house/jane-austen/family/, accessed 10 November 2024.

The Genealogy Corner, ‘Jane Austen’s Family Tree’, https://thegenealogycorner.com/2014/03/29/jane-austens-family-tree/, accessed 10 November 2024.

The Jane Austen Centre, ‘James Brydges: Cassandra Austen’s Princely Uncle’, https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/authors-artists-vagrants/james-brydges-cassanda-austens-princely-uncle, accessed 10 November 2024.

Jane Austen’s Family, https://www.janeaustensfamily.co.uk/, accessed 15 November 2024.

Jane Austen’s World, ‘Akin to Jane Austen: Fabulous information about the Austen family tree’, https://janeaustensworld.com/2012/07/30/akin-to-jane-austen-fabulous-information-about-the-austen-family-tree/, accessed 15 November 2024.