William Addams Reitwiesner


William Addams Reitwiesner was an American genealogist who traced the ancestry of United States political figures, European royalty and celebrities.

Biography

Reitwiesner was born on March 8, 1954, in Havre de Grace, Maryland, the son of Homé Stephens and George Walter Reitwiesner. He grew up in Aberdeen, Maryland and Silver Spring. His maternal grandfather, Addams Stratton McAllister, was a board member of the National Genealogical Society, and from the age of five, Reitwiesner would explore his grandfather's library.
After graduating from Montgomery Blair High School in 1972, Reitwiesner joined the Library of Congress's Congressional Research Service as a cart pusher. He spent the rest of his working life in menial jobs at the Library of Congress so that he could devote his time pursuing his interest in genealogy. Although much of his work was self-published on the internet, he acquired a reputation for meticulousness and accuracy and many genealogists cited him in their publications.
He died of cancer in Washington, D.C. on November 12, 2010.

Works and publications

Genealogies that Reitwiesner published include:

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Although Reitwiesner's original website is now in abeyance, much of his research that was published online can still be accessed using archive websites. This research includes:
He prefaced his genealogy of Barack Obama with the text Most of his Internet publications carry similar disclaimers.
Publications where his assistance or publications have been acknowledged include: