There were in my family, like most families, stories that were passed down
from generation to generation. Some of them have been substantiated, but others turned out to be just lore. Still, I have found so much more than I could have ever anticipated finding. The majority of my family came to the eastern shores when this was only colonies. They went west as the country developed, clearing the land,and making a place for themselves and their families in a rugged and beautiful new land. They came here with a dream for new beginnings.
Never would I have believed that I would find my family so prominent in the
early years of this nation, many even before it was a nation. There were farmers, carpenters, merchants, politicians, surveyors, soldiers and more. In the midst of this family I have found a woman who went into the untamed west with her children and built a life for them. No easy feat in that place and time. There was a teenager who went off to fight in the War of 1812 and was captured by Indians, who escaped and returned to continue his battles. Among the people in this family I have found a purported survivor of the Boston Tea Party and seven men who went off to fight in the Civil War and fought in battles such as Corinth, Parkers Crossroads, Altoona, Atlanta and Shermans March to the Sea. I have also discovered a daring young woman who could operate a river barge in Oregon "As good as any man" as she stated in a letter to her brother. Many of my family members traveled to California in 1852 in search of Gold. I was amazed to discover that I had a great uncle and aunt who bought a farm in the Santa Rosa area in 1853.
For a person who detested history in school, it has become one of my main
sources of reading. I have read of places like Salem and Boston, MA, Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY, Morgan Co., OH, Mount Pleasant, IA, and Tarkio, MO. Maine, Oregon, Washington and yes, even California.
In the beginning I was going to put more of my family trees on this site, but I
have had so much fun finding these exciting and interesting people, I just have to introduce you to them first. If any of you find a surname on the front page that links with any of yours and you think there might be a connection, please do not hesitate to email me and we can compare notes.
At this point, I would like to thank the many people on the internet who have
helped me discover my roots. Sandy Wilbur in Oregon, Anne Rahmut in Canada,
T. Downard in Kentucky, Richard Shults, Mr. Bardonner in Pennsylvania, Sheri
Aldridge, Laurent Brocad (gave me scans of the Dole Race Pictures, Sharon outside DC, and a multitude of others. I would also like to thank the people at Rootsweb for the extraordinary job they do in getting information onto the Internet. Thank you for all the ones remembered and & the ones I have forgotten, that gave me a little bit of extra help along the way. I only hope that I have been able to be as much help for those of you who have asked. |