It looks like Taylor Swift’s way with words runs in the family.
The “Today” show shared exclusive findings from genealogy website Ancestry on Monday, revealing that the “Eras Tour” superstar is related to literary icon and Amherst native Emily Dickinson. Swift and the “Success is counted sweetest” poet are sixth cousins, three times removed.
According to Ancestry, Swift and Dickinson are both descendants of a “17th century English immigrant,” who was “Swift’s 9th great-grandfather and Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather,” and who helped settle Windsor, Conn.
The Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst celebrated the news on social media Monday, tagging Swift and telling its followers, “Time to plan your visit to the Museum.”
Swift, who revealed at the Grammy Awards last month that her next album is titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” has spoken in the past about Dickinson in relation to her lyrical stylings. During her acceptance speech for the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade Award at the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 2022, Swift said, “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.”
Swifties have also long speculated that Dickinson was an inspiration for Swift on her 2020 album “Evermore,” which was released on the poet’s Dec. 10 birthday.
Matt Juul can be reached at [email protected].
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
