Celebrity Genealogy      Research - My Family Ancestry

Exploring My Family Tree: My Connection to Lee Harvey Oswald and the JFK Assassination

I have always believed that history should never be rewritten to make events appear better—or worse—than they actually were. The same principle applies to documenting my family tree. Whether a relative is remembered for heroic deeds or notorious acts, I aim to present the truth about them, supplemented with my own insights when appropriate.

This principle brings me to one infamous relative: Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.

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My Relationship to Lee Harvey Oswald

My connection to Oswald is distant. Our common ancestors are Sir Robert Goushill (1350–1403) and Duchess of Norfolk, Elizabeth FitzAlan (1366–1425)—my 19th great-grandparents and Oswald's 16th great-grandparents.

Although the assassination occurred nearly 60 years ago, the event remains etched in history and public memory, widely shown in news footage and documentaries. The assassination of JFK has spawned more conspiracy theories than any other 20th-century event. While the Warren Commission, which included another cousin of mine—future President Gerald Ford—concluded that Oswald acted alone, many still question that finding. Theories implicate the Mafia, the CIA, Russia, and even Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who Jacqueline Kennedy reportedly suspected.

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Early Life and Education

Lee Harvey Oswald was born on October 18, 1939, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Robert Edward Lee Oswald and Marguerite Frances Claverie. My relation to him comes through his paternal lineage; interestingly, Robert Edward Lee Oswald claimed distant kinship with Confederate General Robert E. Lee, to whom I am also related.

Tragically, Robert died of a heart attack two months before Lee’s birth. In 1944, Marguerite moved the family to Dallas, Texas. Oswald started school there in 1945 and attended 22 different schools before leaving at age 17. Throughout his schooling, he displayed behavioral and disciplinary challenges. In 1952, a psychiatric evaluation diagnosed him as “schizoid” with “passive-aggressive tendencies,” attributing much of his behavior to his mother’s perceived indifference.

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Military Service and Early Adulthood

At 17, Oswald left school and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, enlisting on October 24, 1956. Underage at the time, his half-brother signed his enlistment papers. He trained as an Aviation Electronics Operator at Kessler Air Force Base in Mississippi, excelling academically and earning security clearance despite early interest in Communist ideology.

Oswald was stationed in Japan with Marine Air Control Squadron 1, training in radar operations and shooting. He initially qualified as a sharpshooter in 1956, later downgraded to marksman. While serving, he faced two court-martials—for accidentally shooting himself and for fighting a sergeant—earning the nickname “Oswaldskovich” due to his pro-Soviet sentiments.

After returning to California, Oswald received a hardship discharge on September 11, 1959, to care for his mother. During this period, he studied Russian and prepared for a life abroad.

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Defection to the Soviet Union

In October 1959, Oswald traveled through France, England, and Finland before entering the Soviet Union. He sought Soviet citizenship but was initially denied. After a dramatic attempt to harm himself in protest, he was hospitalized and eventually permitted to stay, moving to Minsk to work in a manufacturing plant. By 1961, Oswald grew disillusioned with life in the USSR and requested to return to the United States.

Oswald married Marina Prusakova in 1961, and their daughter, June, was born in February 1962. Later that year, the family returned to the U.S., settling in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

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Life in Dallas and Radical Activities

Back in the U.S., Oswald held several short-lived jobs and renewed his Communist activism, attempting to establish an American branch supporting Fidel Castro’s Cuba. He also traveled to Mexico, seeking a Cuban visa, which was denied, and visited the Soviet embassy there.

He became a person of interest after a failed attempt on General Edwin Walker on April 10, 1963, an outspoken anti-Communist. In October 1963, Oswald began working at the Texas School Book Depository, the site from which he would later shoot President Kennedy.

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The Assassination of JFK

On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy’s motorcade passed the Depository. The events that followed are widely documented, including on film. Oswald was arrested at the Texas Theatre and questioned for the murders of both Officer J.D. Tippit and President Kennedy. Notably, Oswald refused legal representation from the Dallas Bar Association, preferring counsel from the Communist Party USA or the ACLU, neither of whom were available.

On November 24, 1963, while being transferred to the county jail, Oswald was shot in the abdomen by nightclub owner Jack Ruby and died at Parkland Memorial Hospital, the same hospital where Kennedy had passed two days earlier.

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Legacy and Conspiracy Theories

Oswald’s death prevented a full trial, leaving many questions unanswered. The Warren Commission concluded he acted alone, but speculation endures. From motorcade security failures to Oswald’s contradictory behaviors and abilities, the assassination continues to fuel debates and conspiracy theories worldwide.

For me personally, researching this distant relative has raised more questions than answers. Jacqueline Kennedy’s belief that Vice President Johnson may have been involved only adds to the enduring mystery.

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Conclusion
The story of Lee Harvey Oswald, his life, and his role in one of the most shocking moments in U.S. history remains both tragic and complex. While he is a distant relative, exploring his history forces reflection on broader historical truths, family connections, and the enduring mysteries of that fateful November day in Dallas.