Press Release - 5 April 2013

Tom Cruise's Irish ancestry unearthed

Hollywood star's roots see two ancient families united

Sydney, 5 April, 2013: On the back of a promotional tour for his latest film, Oblivion (released in Australia on 11 April, 2013) Hollywood star, Tom Cruise, flew into Ireland to discover his family history with the help of records found on leading Australian family history website, findmypast.com.au.

The star, whose real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, was invited to re-connect with his Irish ancestry during the promotional tour, and was presented with a family tree, dating back six generations to 1825.

The research into Cruise’s family was completed by Fiona Fitzsimons and Helen Moss of award-winning history and heritage company, Eneclann, which is a partner company of findmypast. The genealogists used several sources to compile the research including US census, Irish famine immigrant and civil registration records.

Patrick Russell Cruise and Teresa Johnson in Warrenstown House, Co. Meath in 1825 saw the unification of two ancient families, with origins in competing cultural and political traditions. These are Tom Cruise’s great-great-great grandparents.

Fiona Fitzsimons, lead researcher on Cruise’s family tree said: “The key to successfully tracing Tom's family history was to find the person who provided the link between Ireland and America. The records on findmypast were the perfect research tool. We used the U.S. Census records to trace his 'immigrant ancestors', and the U.S. records for births, marriages and deaths to build a family profile over two generations. Armed with this information, we searched the Irish records to 'join the dots' and trace the family before they left Ireland.”

The married couple emigrated to New Jersey in 1825 where the star’s great-great grandmother, Mary Paulina Russell Cruise was born in 1832. She went on to marry Dillion Henry Mapother of Louisville, Kentucky in 1858. Mapother had links to Co. Roscommon and this is the origin of Cruise’s little-known, double-barreled surname today.

Vicki Dawson, from findmypast.com.au said: “We are very excited that records available from our site, and partner company Eneclann were able to uncover the Irish roots of such a famous person. Ironically, some of the research even links Tom’s ancestors to lands in Hollywood, North Dublin! It seems that even the world’s biggest celebrities are interested in finding out about their Irish family history”.

The records used during the research are available on all of findmypast’s international sites as part of a World Subscription.