My cousin did a lot of research a couple years back and got back to 1600s as well. The only real interesting tidbit which isn’t very much is that my dad’s grandmother is related to Betsy Ross.
Like you, I discovered an "American flag" connection in my dad's family: one of my ancestors was the father of one of the three Baltimoreans who commissioned the making of a large flag that subsequently flew over Ft. McHenry and became famous... the "star spangled banner." The historical pretensions of my line of that family decline precipitately from that shaky perch.
Mr. niteowl77