Famous Bingham Relative

Here's one I knew about, but hadn't taken the time to figure out in more detail until tonight.

I was reading stories of amazing coincidences when I happened upon the following:

Three strangers on a Train, with complementary last names
In the 1920s, three Englishman were traveling separately by train through Peru. At the time of their introduction, they were the only three men in the railroad car. Their introductions were more surprising than they could have imagined. One man's last name was Bingham, and the second man's last name was Powell. The third man announced that his last name was Bingham-Powell. None were related in any way. (Source: Mysteries of the Unexplained)

I remembered reading once about a man named Hiram Bingham, an archaeologist/historian who discovered the ruins of Macchu Picchu, so I decided to do a little digital archaeology of my own to figure out how he might be related to us.

Hiram Bingham is my mother's 3rd cousin, 3 times removed (my 3rd cousin, 4 times removed). The common ancestor linking us together is Joseph Bingham and Ruth Post. Joseph Bingham (b. 1738) and Calvin Bingham (b. 1750) were siblings under Joseph and Ruth and that's where ours and Hiram's lines split. Hiram, who is actually Hiram III, is Calvin's great-grandson.

More facts about this branch of our family, plus pictures:

Wikipedia entry for Hiram Bingham I
Wikipedia entry for Hiram Bingham II
Wikipedia entry for Hiram Bingham III

And now you know.