I always thought my family came from 19th century immigrants--you know the old Irish Potato Famine story with a little Scottish subplot thrown in. And, trust me, there is plenty of that. But I have discovered a few family lines that go way back to the fun-loving days of John Winthrop and John Smith. Take Bessie Colver, for example. Your great-great grandmother, Bessie, has some darn fine colonial roots. I'm not sure she knew it herself, but her lineage goes all the way back to Edward Colver (1600-1685), one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Not only that, in Bessie's line are also the Arnolds (a family that goes back to Colonial Rhode Island, was among the first pioneers of Kentucky, served in the Revolutionary War, and produced the most infamous traitor in our nation's history), the Noels (Huguenots that came to Virginia from the Netherlands in the middle of the 17th century), the Grays (who were among the original Colonial families of Jamestown), the Bone family (Scots who colonized Ulster--Northern Ireland-- in the early 17th century and came to Pennsylvania in the 1690s), and the Brownsons (early--1650s--landholders in Hartford, Connecticut).
So, don't forget that you are really Daughters of the American Revolution! I don't think I will be joining the DAR anytime soon. I am still stuck on what they did to Marian Anderson back in the 1930s. But when you turn 18, it's up to you.
Love,
Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment