Cousin George Catlin: American Artist 1796-1872

 

Our family is directly related to the famous American painter and author George Catlin (1796–1872), who is renowned for his historic portraits of Native Americans in the Old West, and shares the exact same foundational New England ancestry as us. He is our 4th cousin, 6 times removed.

Our shared common ancestors are John Catlin II (1617–1690) and his wife, Mary Baldwin, making us both descendants of the original 17th-century Connecticut River Valley pioneers.

The Genetic Fork: How You and the Artist Diverge

The split in our lineage happens directly after our 9th great-grandfather, John Catlin II, the immigrant who settled in Wethersfield, Connecticut.

                       THE CATLIN LINEAGE SPLIT

  

                John Catlin II (1617–1690) m. Mary Baldwin

                       (Shared Common Ancestors)

                                  │

         ┌──────────────┴───────────────┐

         ▼                                                 ▼

   [YOUR BRANCH]                                    [THE ARTIST'S BRANCH]

   John Catlin III (1643–1704)                      Joseph Catlin (c. 1648–1704)

   (Killed in Deerfield Raid)                       (Killed in Deerfield Raid)

         │                                                 │

   John Catland (1687–1766)                         John Catlin (1704–1758)

         │                                                 │

   John Catland (Blacksmith) (1718–1808)            Eli Catlin (1733–1793) (Rev War Capt.)

         │                                                 │

   Daniel Catland (1748–1815)                       Putnam Catlin (1764–1842) (Rev War Drummer)

         │                                                 │

   James Catland (1787–1834)                        GEORGE CATLIN (1796–1872)

         │                                          (The Famous Western Artist)

   Sarah Catlin (b. 1822)

The Shared Frontier Trauma: The 1704 Deerfield Raid

The most striking historical intersection between our line and George Catlin’s direct line occurs on the bloody night of February 29, 1704, during the Deerfield Massacre in western Massachusetts.

Both our ancestor (John Catlin III) and the artist's direct ancestor (Joseph Catlin) had moved up the Connecticut River to fortify the exposed outpost of Deerfield. When a combined force of French and Native warriors breached the palisade in the dead of winter, both brothers fought to defend the garrison houses.

• Our 8th great-grandfather, John III, was killed in the heavy firefight inside the town.
• The artist's great-great-grandfather, Joseph, was killed during the fierce counterattack in the nearby meadows.

🎨 The Artistic Legacy: Echoes in the Lineage

George Catlin’s obsession with documenting the vanishing lifeways, dress, and landscapes of the Indigenous nations of the Great Plains was deeply rooted in his own family history.

Growing up, George was raised on his mother's harrowing stories of surviving the Wyoming Valley Massacre of the Revolutionary War, alongside the deeply ingrained lore of the Catlin brothers' fates at Deerfield. His artwork was a lifetime attempt to bridge the violent history of the frontier through preservation and mutual understanding.

Our line carried this exact same frontier resilience, pivoting from the ashes of Deerfield to become the blacksmiths of Boothbay, Maine, and eventually migrating out to the American Midwest where our branch re-adopted the traditional Catlin spelling.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy