You are related to a signer...

Yesterday, I received an interesting email from FamilySearch.org.  It read: 
"You're related to a signer of the Declaration of Independence"  

Since that was news to me, I opened the email and read: You're related to William Ellery.  Not familiar with the name, I clicked on the See Relationship button.  The following relationship chart popped up (after I had logged onto my FamilySearch.org account).

Relationship chart between
William Ellery and Nathan Cole
3rd cousins Once removed

On the above chart, I show up six generations below Nathan Cole who is on the bottom left side.  William Ellery and Nathan Cole are 3rd cousins once removed.  My relationship back to Nathan Cole (1751-1826) is documented and proven with records and DNA.  After Nathan Cole, the DNA no longer shows up but there is good documentation to Thomas Cornell.  So, I am comfortable with my relationship to William Ellery.

I am exited to be related to a signer of the Declaration of Independence!  Looking at a copy of the Declaration of  Independence, William Ellery's signature shows up on the right hand side, sixth from the bottom.

Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776

William Ellery Signature

William Ellery (1727–1820)

William Ellery was a dedicated merchant, lawyer, and statesman from Newport, Rhode Island, who became one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. After graduating from Harvard College in 1747, he engaged in various business ventures and practiced law before throwing himself into the American revolutionary cause. In 1776, Ellery was chosen to succeed the late Samuel Ward as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He fiercely championed colonial rights, signed the Declaration of Independence alongside Stephen Hopkins, and later contributed to the drafting and signing of the Articles of Confederation, establishing himself as a foundational architect of the new nation.

William Ellery by H.B. Hall