Ancestry, a genealogy company, discovered an unexpected connection between the singer and legendary American poet Emily Dickinson, revealing that Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson are sixth cousins, as shared exclusively with TODAY on March 4.
The roots of their surprising relationship can be traced back to a 17th-century English immigrant, Swift’s 9th great-grandfather and Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather, both identified as early settlers of Windsor. Swift’s familial journey unfolded in Connecticut for six generations before they eventually settled in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they married into the Swift family line.
Swift has intriguingly made mention of the 19th-century poet when discussing the various lyrical styles she uses in writing her songs under Dickinson’s influence, adding a poetic layer to her songs.
“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,” she shared during the awarding of the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade by the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 2022.
There are various speculations that have circulated among the fanatics that Swift drew inspiration from the 19th-century poet for her ninth studio album, “Evermore.”
On December 10, 2020, Swift announced the album’s release, which coincidentally happened to be the day when Dickinson was born. Notably, Dickinson wrote a poem titled “One Sister Have I in Our House,” featuring the word “forevermore,” mirroring Swift’s album title.
Just days before announcing the release of “Evermore,” Swift shared her insights about her album’s cover titled “Folklore” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. This explains her cover featuring “a girl sleepwalking through the forest in 1830,” which coincidentally happened to be Dickinson’s birth year.
