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Amelia Mary Earhart: Aviation Pioneer, American Hero & My 9th Cousin Twice Removed

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Genealogy & Family Connection

Amelia Mary Earhart (born July 24, 1897) was a pioneering aviator, enduring American icon, and subject of one of the 20th century’s greatest mysteries. She is also a distant relative of mine: my 9th cousin twice removed on my paternal line. Our shared ancestors are Robert Royce and Mary Sims (my 10th great-grandparents), who were also Amelia’s 8th great-grandparents.

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Early Life & Childhood

Amelia was born in Atchison, Kansas, to Samuel “Edwin” Stanton Earhart and Amelia “Amy” Otis. She was the second of three children: an older stillborn sibling (August 1896) and a younger sister, Grace Muriel Earhart (born 1899).

Biographies recount that at around age 10, Amelia first saw an airplane at an Iowa State Fair. She was not particularly impressed by the primitive biplane—but the seed of curiosity had been planted.

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Toronto Years & the Impact of World War I

In 1917, Amelia visited her sister Grace in Toronto, Canada. There, she encountered wounded soldiers returning from Europe and became inspired to serve. She trained as a nurse’s aide with the Red Cross and later joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment at Spadina Military Hospital (Toronto), assisting with meals and dispensing prescriptions.

When the Spanish Flu pandemic struck in 1918, Amelia contracted pneumonia and maxillary sinusitis. She was hospitalized in Toronto for two months and released in December, but the sinusitis persisted for another year. She convalesced at her sister’s home in Massachusetts. This chronic sinus condition would affect her health and flying capabilities later in life.

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Aviation Begins: California & First Flights

In 1920, Amelia rejoined her parents in California. On December 28, 1920, while visiting a Long Beach airfield with her father, she took a transformative 10‑minute plane ride with pilot Frank Hawks. That brief flight ignited her determination to become a pilot.

By January 3, 1921, having saved $1,000, Amelia took her first flying lesson at Kinnear Field near Long Beach. Her instructor was Anita “Neta” Snook, a pioneering female aviator, teaching Amelia in a Curtiss JN‑4 “Jenny” / “Canuck” biplane. Six months later, on October 22, 1922, Amelia bought her own yellow Kinner Airster biplane and reached an altitude of 14,000 feet—the world record for a female pilot at that time.

On May 15, 1923, she became the 16th woman in the U.S. to earn a pilot’s license.

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Hard Times & Transition to Boston

The late 1920s brought financial strain. Her parents divorced in 1924, and her mother’s failed investments left Amelia and her mother with limited means. Amelia sold her plane and acquired a 2‑seat Kissel Speedster (painted yellow) for a cross‑country journey to Boston.

Intending to attend MIT, she was forced instead to find work. In Medford, Massachusetts, Amelia held teaching and social work positions. She remained connected to aviation: she joined the Boston chapter of the American Aeronautical Society, serving as vice president, flew from Dennison Airport in Quincy, and made the first official flight from the new facility in 1927. She also acted as a sales representative for Kinner Aircraft and wrote aviation columns for local newspapers.

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Rising Fame: Atlantic Crossing & Celebrity

In 1928, Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight captured public imagination. Influenced by his success, philanthropist Amy Guest planned to finance a woman’s transatlantic flight. The project evolved to include Amelia.

In April 1928, Amelia was invited by Captain Hilton H. Railey to participate. After an interview, she was selected as the first woman to cross the Atlantic as a passenger. The flight (from Trepassey, Newfoundland to Pwll, Wales) took 20 hours, 40 minutes. Though she did not pilot the plane, the journey made her an international celebrity overnight.

With her publicity partner George P. Putnam, Amelia leveraged her fame through endorsements, speaking engagements, and lectures. Her nicknames—“Lady Lindy” and “Queen of the Air”—reflected her growing stature.

In August 1928, Amelia flew solo across the U.S. and back, and entered the 1929 Women’s Air Derby (Santa Monica to Cleveland), placing third in her division.

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Marriage & Independence

After six proposals, Amelia married George Putnam on February 7, 1931. From the start, she insisted on preserving her independence: she declined being addressed as “Mrs. Putnam,” would retain her name, and insisted they each have personal space and freedom. (Putnam had divorced heiress Dorothy Binney prior to his pursuit of Amelia.) In another interesting twist in my family legacy, the role of George Putnam (2009 biographical picture "Amelia") was played by another distant cousin of mine, actor Richard Tiffany Gere.

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Solo Atlantic & Record‑Setting Flights

On May 20, 1932, Amelia attempted her first solo Atlantic crossing in a Lockheed Vega 5B. Battling ice, headwinds, and mechanical challenges, she landed in a field near Derry, Northern Ireland after 14 hours, 56 minutes. She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Over the next several years, she set additional records:

• First person (male or female) to fly solo from Honolulu to Oakland

• Between 1930 and 1935, set seven women’s speed and distance records

In 1934, after a fire destroyed their New York home, Amelia and George relocated to California. Amelia began planning her most ambitious project: a world circumnavigation flight following an equatorial route (approximately 29,000 miles).

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Final Flight & Mysterious Disappearance

Amelia’s first circumnavigation attempt began March 17, 1937, when her Lockheed Electra 10E departed Oakland for Honolulu. A take-off crash forced repairs in Burbank, and the route was reversed to eastward progress.

On June 1, 1937, Amelia and navigator Fred Noonan departed Miami, making stops across South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. By June 29, they reached Lae, New Guinea—about 22,000 of 29,000 miles completed.

On July 2, 1937, they took off toward Howland Island (a tiny island ~2,000 feet long and 1,600 feet wide, ~2,556 miles from Lae). No further confirmed contact was made.

The Lockheed never arrived. The U.S. Navy launched the largest peacetime search in history at the time—no trace of Amelia, Fred Noonan, or their plane was ever conclusively found. Their fate remains one of aviation’s greatest unsolved mysteries. 

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Legacy & Inspiration

Amelia Earhart remains a global symbol of courage, exploration, and women’s empowerment. Her life story has inspired countless books, documentaries, schools, museums, and memorials. 

As her distant cousin, I feel a deep personal connection to her life and legacy. Amelia’s determination, pioneering spirit, and mystique continue to captivate—and her story adds resonance to my own lineage. Amelia's 1937 Cord 812 remains, and as a car enthusiast as well as a history buff, I have added viewing her fully restored Cord to my bucket list...unless I can one day afford to purchase it and own a piece of this famous cousin's history myself.