(n.) An ancestor; one who precedes another in the line of genealogy\ in any degree, but usually in a remote degree.

ancestress announcer antecedent ascendant avant-garde begetter bellwether buccinator bushwhacker explorer forebear forefather foregoer forerunner front runner frontiersman fugleman grandparent groundbreaker guide harbinger herald innovator lead runner leader messenger parent pathfinder pioneer point precedent precursor predecessor premise primogenitor procreator progenitor progenitress progenitrix prototype scout stormy petrel trailblazer trailbreaker vanguard vaunt-courier voortrekker