The first "possible" relatives were:
Barack Obama - Cousin 3x Removed
Michelle Obama - 8th Cousin
Bill Clinton - 7th Cousin
Demi Lovato - 6th Cousin
Michael Jackson - 8th Cousin
The app also gives you the possible common ancestor that connects the two lineages as well as each ancestor, including dates of birth and death unless still living, in both lineages.
None of them seemed at all likely but I just had to work on at least one just to see if I could make a match. Demi Lovato's was the most likely and would take the least amount of time and effort to research. I had done all the research and documentation proving each person in my lineage leading to Amelia Gunter, my 5th great grandmother on the maternal branch of my family tree. All I had to do was find documentation and prove the relationships in Demi's ancestry up to Amelia Gunter, also her 5th great grandmother. This was what I had to work with regarding Demi Lovato's ancestry:
It took me two full days and part of another couple of days to do the research and find the documentation for proof. Fortunately, Demi Lovato had done quite a bit of genealogy of her own and had done a DNA test which she shared on Twitter. There is a lot of information - really too much - online about celebrities but the problem is separating fact from fiction. Her father, Patrick Martin Lovato, was of Mexican descent, with mostly Spanish and Native American ancestors. He also had distant Portuguese and Jewish ancestry. Her mother has English and Irish ancestry. My connection was through her mother, Dianna Lee Smith, who also went by Dianna Hart at times (her stepfather's name was Hart) which made it a little confusing at first.
I had DNA testing in 2013 by 23and Me and so I was able to compare our results in a very basic and simple-minded way. This is what Demi posted on Twitter:
I don't know what company tested Demi's DNA but I suspect Ancestry because it looks just like my brother's results page from Ancestry. Ancestry describes Europe West as primarily located in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.
And these are my results:
A little explanation about where some of these places are located. The Iberian Peninsula is represented today as the people of Spain and Portugal. East Asian and Native American seems like an odd combination until you read about the ancient migration patterns of the East Asian people. I won't bore you with that now!
The DNA results are not proof of any connection unless you have a professional analyze the results. In this case, they are just another piece of information to support a possible relationship and compare ethnicity.
I had no motive other than curiosity and to meet the challenge of trying to prove or disprove the assumption of an app that said Demi Lovato and I could be related. Another reason for researching this connection with Amelia Gunter is that I have hit a brick wall - a genealogy term - regarding the parentage of Amelia Gunter and had hoped that I might find something in Demi's ancestry that would either give me the answer or at least a few hints to follow up. I didn't find Amelia's parents but I discovered other relations besides Demi that might lead me in the right direction.
My children are probably very familiar with Demi's music, television and film career. I had heard of her but knew little about her except that she is a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice. I did not post photos of Demi Lovato because I don't want to take a chance on infringing on copyright laws. Anyone who doesn't know what Demi looks like - just Google Demi Lovato images - you won't be disappointed!
The results of all of my research are that Demetria Devonne Lovato is indeed my 6th cousin!*
*To my children - Demi Lovato is your 6th cousin 1x removed.
Addendum - Relationship Chart- To show you how this all works!
Sources and Documentation:
U.S. Federal Census, 1850 Randolph County, Alabama.
U.S. Federal Census, 1860 Randolph County, Alabama.
U.S. Federal Census, 1880 Wise County, Texas.
U.S. Federal Census, 1910 Roosevelt County, New Mexico.
U.S. Federal Census, 1920 Johnson County, Texas.
U.S. Federal Census, 1940 Harris County, Texas.
FamilySearch. Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997.
Ancestry.com. Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1932.
Ancestry.com. Alabama, Marriage Index, 1800-1969.
Ancestry.com. Texas, Divorce Index, 1968-2014.
Find A Grave <https://www.findagrave.com/>
Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982.
GenealogyBank.com <https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/1472B16D657D5210>
Ancestry.com. U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014.
Twitter, Inc. <https://mobile.twitter.com/ddlovato/status/835340717681627136/photo/1>
Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demi_Lovato>
Ethnic <http://ethnicelebs.com/demi-lovato>
