Revolutionary soldiers, preachers, Cherokee Indians,
Scottish kings, Ill-fated Vikings, Civil war rebels and pioneer women; who
needs television?
There is a period in our lives when we decide to accept that
gravity is winning, our arms cannot be long enough to read something and we’re
really not 22 anymore. There’s also that
time when we long to know more about our past.
We want to find our roots. We
feel sorry that we didn’t have long chats with aging grandparents sooner.
So when ancestry.com came along I was intrigued enough to
start the journey. It started so
simple. I really just wanted to know more
about my grandparents but that lead to wanting and needing to explore more
about their parents. Before I knew it I
had GEEKED my way all the way back to Robert King of Scotland on my mom’s dad’s
side. Yep, now I can officially be that
ROYAL pain in the butt that hubster affectionately calls me. And when I found out that his grandfather was
Robert the Bruce, my alleged 28th great grandpa, oh heaven help us
all. That’s just like CRACK to a history
nerd!!
Another thing I discovered is you don’t really realize how
many people you’re related to, as in JUST grandparents, until you start putting
it on paper….or a computer screen. I’m
no mental math giant but let’s see.
Grandparents, we have four, great grandparents, we have eight, great
great….16….uh, 32….uh, 64….this is really getting big and fast! I haven’t even started to add cousins.
Although, when I did start to add these grandparents and
great great grandparents kids I bumped into one of those tree leaf hints on
ancestry that really got me excited!!!
Ok, so usually because there are records uploaded from the National
Archives to the database, when you have dates of birth and marriages, there are
a few documents with each person. So
look at Grandpa Carter’s name and there are 12 or so. The
average number of hints is about 4 for an average Joe but Grandpa Carter fought
for the confederacy in the Civil War so there are some historical documents and
stories linked to him. Fascinating
stuff!!
The real thrill is coming…..so, I nerd back into my research
to find that all of a sudden on cousin Augustine, uh, uh, erh, Washington? Yep, I looked again and although I’m floating
the river of denial with a giant sized paddle on the issue of reading glasses,
cause I’m 34 ya know, I looked again. 25
HINTS! Ok, so someone, somewhere is
doing a lot of research on my family so the nerd gene must be dominant,
right? Or…. Or….
HOLY cow!!! Good
GRAVY!!! Grandfather of George
Washington, First President of the United States of America?!???? Wh What?
I am related somehow in a rather two centuries later diluted fashion to
a founding father? My 2nd
cousin 8 times removed is on the dollar bill?
That’s crazy. I’ve always heard
we’re all related to someone who formed this country. If you go looking you will likely find some
interesting cats in your family tree. So
in addition to George, there’s Meriwether, oh yeah, he took a famous trip west
to explore and fifth graders everywhere have to learn a poem about him and his
buddy Clark. Meriwether is a third
cousin 7 times removed and his related to George. Come to find out he was given the family name
Meriwether because it was his mom Lucy’s maiden name. His sister Jane got the Meriwether as a
middle name.
I really would like to break into a chorus of “It’s a Small
World, After All,” (Disney) right about now because what I’m about to tell you
is going to blow your socks off. The
cotton kind you bought at Wal-Mart, not the wool kind our grandmothers darned
for our revolutionary patriot kin, mind you.
My ninth great grandpa, or my great great great great great great great
great great grandpa, I just had a moment of being 6 years old and wanted to do
that. Anyway, Grandpa Godfrey Ragsdale
came to this country as a boy and married a young woman in Henrico, Virginia at
the tender age of 15. He and wife, or
great grandma, Mary Rowlett Ragsdale had a child and named him Godfrey, when
little Godfrey was about a year old, their colony was attacked by Native
American or Indians and they both died, the baby was spared. You have perhaps heard of this event in
history as the Jamestown massacre, the most famous one was in 1622 but there were many, actually.
Some
historical research by family members turned up that Godfrey was taken unharmed
and adopted by a family named Cookney.
This isn’t EVEN the best part, the small world part of this…years ago I
was part of a synchronized ice skating team in Louisville, Kentucky and locked
arms on a team with the wife of a cousin from that very line. Ok, so she’s a cousin but you get it! Now I wonder how many other friends I’ve had
that I’ve really been somehow related to. J
I’d love to finish the story with my discovery of preachers,
cattle thieves, kings and such but I feel like I’ve teased it enough to
encourage you to go and find your story.
I sound like a commercial but it has truly been a wonderful
adventure. I’ve also found new cousins
and made new friends. I am even
gathering documents to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, what a
great way to honor those grandpas who fought for our freedom from tyranny. I cannot, simply cannot, watch a historical
documentary with the same eyes and heart anymore. I will someday take a genealogical journey to
South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky to see where
my ancestors settled, made their lives, dreamed their dreams and started their
families that eventually lead to me.
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