In a recent viral social media post, a mom compared her baby daughter’s goofy grin to that of Woody Harrelson — and Woody himself responded with a sweet and funny little poem.
Well, these kids may not look just like an Emmy-Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actor, but they do share an uncanny resemblance to an ancestor of theirs! The following photos were a few of the many wonderful entries submitted to us as part of our father-child look-alike contest for Father’s Day this year.
MJ McNabb and great-great-grandfather Basil Harrison McGuire
These photos (which were shared as a runner-up in the contest) were sent in by Rita McNabb, grandmother of the adorable little boy in the color photo, whose name is MJ. The black and white photo is of MJ’s great-great-grandfather, Basil Harrison McGuire (1889–1940). Rita writes that Basil was a veteran of WWI. He died in a VA facility in Bath, N.Y., and is buried in National Cemetery.
MJ McNabb (left) and Basil Harrison McGuire (right)
“My husband was adopted,” explains Rita, “and through my genealogy research I was able to get these family pictures of Basil — my husband’s maternal grandfather. We were shocked when we saw the picture and the resemblance to our grandson MJ. We always wondered who MJ looked like. Now we know.”
David Feder Devonshire and grandfather Gershon Feder
The photos below were shared by Yael Feder Devonshire from the U.S. On the left is Yael’s father, Gershon Feder, and on the right is Yael’s son, David Feder Devonshire.
Gershon Feder (left) and David Feder Devonshire (right)
Gershon Feder (left) and David Feder Devonshire (right)
“They are clones!” says Yael. “The striking resemblance is very special for our family because my father is the son of Holocaust survivors and hence, tragically, most of our relatives were murdered.”
Brandon Michael Foster, father Michael Lee Foster, and great-grandfather George Dennis Bastien
This remarkable trio was submitted by Marvin Foster from the U.S. On the left is the father of Marvin’s wife Wendy Anne, George Dennis Bastien, who was born in 1923 in Lemington, Ontario, Canada. On the top right is Marvin and Wendy Anne’s son, Michael Lee, who was born in 1980 in Flint, Michigan; and on the bottom right is Michael Lee’s son (Marvin’s grandson and George Dennis’s great-grandson), Brandon Michael, who was born in 2000 in Flint, Michigan.
George Dennis Bastion (left), Michael Lee Foster (top right), and Brandon Michael Foster (bottom right)
Michael Patrick Thomas and great-grandfather Patrick Edward Thomas
This adorable photo was sent by Patrick Edward Thomas Jr. from the U.S. The boy in the black-and-white photo is Patrick Edward Thomas (1928–2017) at around the age of 3 and a half, and the boy holding it is his great-grandson, Michael Patrick Thomas (born in 2015), at around the same age.
Michael Patrick Thomas holding a photo of his great-grandfather, Patrick Edward
“Patrick Edward Thomas was raised in the depression and said he was poor and never felt it as a child,” says Patrick Edward Jr. “His mother died when he was 7. He was shy but always had a positive attitude and made the most of what he had, and thus always made friends easily and came into his own confidence later in his life. Like his father and now the great-grandson, he was super strong in math skills,” says Patrick Jr.
“Michael Patrick was named for each maternal and paternal grandparent, which brought the Patrick name downline again for the 6th generation!” adds Patrick Jr. “It originated with Patrick Ratigan, who immigrated to the U.S. from outside Dublin, Ireland in the 1860’s after the civil war as an 18-year-old. He worked as a railroad worker with maybe a pickaxe from the east westward to the end of the railroad line and ended up in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was a cavalry captain in Fort Omaha. He was voted on the frontier by peers as a replacement captain because Washington D.C. had a strict policy against awarding it to an Irishman. He later worked as a janitor in a Papillion, NE school.”
Larry Bennett and father Kenneth Bennett
Larry Bennett from the U.K. sent us these photos of his father Kenneth (right, taken c. 1934) and himself (left, taken in 1962, enhanced with the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer), both at around 3 years of age and both taken in Bristol, England, their home city.
Larry Bennett (left) and his father Kenneth (right)
“The likeness is remarkable, and to this day people comment how much like my late father I am,” says Larry.
Michael Skidmore and father Charles E. Skidmore Jr.
Michael Skidmore from the U.S. sent the photos below of his father (left, taken in Columbus, Kansas in 1931, enhanced with the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer) and himself (right, taken at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan in 1961), both at the age of 11.
Michael Skidmore (right) and his father Charles (left)
Three generations in Jonathan Gnaniah’s family
Jonathan Gnaniah from India sent us these adorable photos of his father (left, born in 1949), himself (center, born in 1979), and his son (right, born in 2015).
Jonathan Gnaniah (center), his father (left), and his son (right)
Many thanks to all of them for sharing their photos and stories with us!
Did you know that the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer can bring blurry faces in old photos into sharp focus? Try it now!
