Got a bit ahead in the blog and behind in the family history. How does that work?

As I was contemplating what to work on and then write about this week a popup appeared, 250 Years. I wondered which generation that would be for me and where they were. For the most part this would be my 4^th and 5^th great grandparents (7^th and 8^th generations). Where were they? In general: Ohio 2, VA 9, PA 2, MD 2, MA 6, NY 3, TN 1, NC 1, a couple possibly in KY and many unknown yet. And many on their way west. There were perhaps one or two from England, or Canada at that time and who knows where else.

It is clear that many of these past members of my family story were in the northeastern US and quite likely involved with the battles of the area. That makes the HQRL event America 250 Patriot Celebration particularly interesting. I’ll bet it is the same for you. See the flyer on the website for more information about what it involves and how to attend.

I also was thinking about what life would have been like for my family members during that time. What were the Faris families doing having just arrived from Northern Ireland and finding themselves in the hills of Virginia? What about the Ostranders who were likely from family roots in The Netherlands (even though my grandmother said they weren’t) and now in New York. And there were all those various families in Massachusetts. What were they thinking and doing?

It all makes me wonder about the strength they must have had and their beliefs. Did they wonder whether they had made the right choices to leave their homelands and come to this wilderness? They certainly weren’t sitting around wondering what reality TV show to watch tonight or whether kibble or natural dog food was best.

I am looking forward to the next class which is about looking beyond our ancestor. I am hoping to get a little inspiration for discovering more about the lives they led. Most of my current research isn’t so much about adding names but about adding “why’s.” I don’t think my history is that much different from so many of yours. Farmers moving for cheaper and better land away from the crowded places they landed when first arriving in America. I wonder if we aren’t a bit more isolated than they were then which seems funny to say, but many seem to have traveled in like groups (countries of origin, language, religion, families) and supported each other through community membership and meetings. What would they think of our current social media community connections, Zoom meetings, and lives that take us several states away from our families? What if we dropped them into New York City or Seattle today? I am wondering if I might be speaking Dutch now?

Heidi Geise, hqrl@education.com