Taylor Swift & Emily Dickinson – 6th Cousins, Three Times Removed

Ancestry^® researchers recently discovered that music superstar Taylor Swift and 19th century poet Emily Dickinson are related. With the upcoming launch of Taylor Swift’s album titled “The Tortured Poets Department”, it comes as no surprise that Taylor has looked to her distant cousin as a source of inspiration as she writes about love, heartbreak, identity, and the human experience.

“The remarkable connection between Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson is just one example of the incredible things you can discover when you explore your past. Even if we don’t know it, our pasts can influence our present – and how fun to see all the uncanny similarities between the pair,” said Jennifer Utley, Director of Research, Ancestry.

Swift and Dickinson both descend from a 17th century English immigrant who helped settle Windsor, Connecticut, eventually becoming Swift’s 9th great-grandfather and Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather.

This may be the latest Easter egg for the singer-songwriters’ loyal followers, who know Taylor has publicly shared her affinity for Dickinson in the past and formed fan theories suggesting prior albums were dedicated to her as it was released on the poet’s birthday. Fans have had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to discovering the connection between Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson – with press and social media coverage reaching far and wide – and we are collectively counting down the days until her aptly named new album launch on April 19th. It comes on the heels of a huge year, that included her world tour and constant presence in pop culture moments.

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