Student Discovers “Cousin Oglethorpe”

Heather Johnston '17

Heather Johnston ’17

The moment I stepped onto Oglethorpe University’s campus as a high school senior, I knew that this would become my home. Seeing the Carillon bells in the Lupton clock tower that cold November morning at OU Uncensored made me realize that you can fall in love with a place at first sight—just as with a person. After meeting the incredible faculty, staff, and student body I made the biggest decision of an 18-year old’s life: I packed up my small town bags, left my family, and moved to the city. However, it wasn’t until after my very first year of college that I realized just how much your family roots never truly leave you. I found out that my school’s namesake, General James Edward Oglethorpe, is actually my cousin!

My family has been keenly interested in our lineage for as long as I can remember, keeping a record of our heritage dating all the way back to John Oglethorpe (1440-1500) of North Riding, Yorkshire. Among the research are family trees, letters written to loved ones during wars, and hand drawn maps showing the towns that were named after the founding families that had settled here.

It was through one of those family trees that I learned of my relation to Oglethorpe. My great grandmother, Myrtle Poole, is listed on the most updated portion of the tree. Tracing my lineage back from there shows that James Edward Oglethorpe is, in fact, my 10th cousin, six-times removed.

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General James Edward Oglethorpe

When I first learned of my family history from my great aunt, Sandra Matheny, I was completely taken aback. The coincidence of such an event was very startling—and awesome! After feeling the homesickness of my first year away from my family it was a great feeling to learn that a piece of my family is here with me, everywhere I go. I chose Oglethorpe University the second I laid eyes upon it. Looking back, I can’t help but smile a little because now, I know it chose me, too.tree1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heather Johnston ’17, a communications and rhetoric studies major, and has worked in Pegasus Creative, a student communications agency within Oglethorpe’s University Communications, for two years.

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