It looks like Taylor Swift’s penchant for words is in her blood.
Genealogy company Ancestry has found that the “Cruel Summer” singer, whose upcoming album is titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” is related to legendary American poet Emily Dickinson, TODAY exclusively revealed March 4. They are sixth cousins, three times removed.
“Swift and Dickinson both descend from a 17th century English immigrant (Swift’s 9th great-grandfather and Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather who was an early settler of Windsor, Connecticut),” Ancestry shared with TODAY.
“Taylor Swift’s ancestors remained in Connecticut for six generations until her part of the family eventually settled in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they married into the Swift family line.”
Interestingly, Swift herself has publicly referenced the 19th century poet while talking about the different types of lyrics she writes for her songs.
“If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre,” she said in 2022 while receiving the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade Award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
Fans have also speculated that Swift’s ninth studio album, “Evermore,” was inspired by the 19th century poet.
Swift announced the album’s release on Dec. 10, 2020, which is Dickinson’s birthday. Dickinson also wrote a poem called “One Sister Have I in Our House,” which features the word “forevermore,” similar to the title of Swift’s album.
A few days before she announced the release of “Evermore,” Swift also discussed the cover of her album “Folklore,” telling Entertainment Weekly she had an idea for “this girl sleepwalking through the forest in a nightgown in 1830,” which happens to be the year Dickinson was born.
This isn’t the first time Ancestry has learned two American icons are related. In 2019, it found Tom Hanks, who played Mister Rogers in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” was related to the late children’s TV host.
