John McMullan, my mother’s 4X great-grandfather, of the 11th Virginia Regiment was listed as “Killed 11 September” on a muster roll dated Oct 1777. Later in April 1778 he rejoined the unit. Comments read “omitted since Battle of Brandywine and since joined.” Time in Service reads 11 Sept 1777 to 1 Apr 1778 – 6 mos. and 19 days. I documented this in previous blog … Continue reading More on the Individual Presumed Dead
John McMullan, my mother’s 4X great-grandfather, of the 11th Virginia Regiment was listed as “Killed 11 September” on a muster roll dated Oct 1777. Later in April 1778 he rejoined the unit. Comments read “omitted since Battle of Brandywine and since joined.” Time in Service reads 11 Sept 1777 to 1 Apr 1778 – 6 mos. and 19 days. I asked chat GPT to help … Continue reading Follow-up on the Individual Presumed Dead
This is a history regarding an ancestor on my mother’s side who fought in the American Revolutionary War and was at one point presumed killed in action. One legend suggests that my maternal fifth great-grandmother, Theodosia Beasley, left her husband, John McMullan—also my fifth great-grandfather—for another man named William Dula, after she and John had five children together. According to this account, John McMullan spent … Continue reading Presumed Dead
On this 160th anniversary of the first Juneteenth Celebration, which occurred on Galveston Island, Texas, in 1865, I would like to address the following to the descendants of people my ancestors enslaved in the colonies and the states of Massachusetts, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, and express my deepest and most heartfelt apologies for their actions. I acknowledge the immense suffering, injustice, and lasting impact … Continue reading Juneteenth, 2025
The Civil War era saw a significant but overlooked resistance against conscription, particularly among fathers determined to protect their sons from battle. This struggle, deeply rooted in love and familial bonds, played out in areas like Holmes County, Ohio, where groups protested the draft, leading to armed conflicts and legal consequences. Continue reading Resistance Runs in the Family
The capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775 marked one of the earliest and most significant victories for the American colonists in the Revolutionary War. This strategic fort, located on the shores of Lake Champlain, held immense military importance, controlling vital waterways between Canada and the colonies. Strategic Importance of Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga’s location made it a key point for controlling trade and military … Continue reading The Significance of Fort Ticonderoga in the Revolutionary War
I have updated this article to include a guide specifying in which episode of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution on PBS my ancestor participated in the listed event. See at the very bottom of this article for section on the key events for each episode. I have revised my previous list of ancestors who served during the American Revolutionary War. It now contains ten individuals: … Continue reading Ten Patriots
I paid $20 for a month of ChatGPT Pro to see how it could help me with editing the rewrite of my book on Family History, Gathering Leaves. I have been working on this rewrite called Gathering More Leaves for about two years, and I am perpetually stuck in the middle of the book. Parts of the original book were generated using software specifically designed … Continue reading Imagine Me and You. I do.
The game “Are you a Mayflower descendent?” involves using genealogical software to explore one’s ancestry and discover connections to historical figures. Through various reports, the author learns they are a direct descendant of 49 individuals in 17th century Massachusetts but remains unable to confirm a link to Mayflower passengers, instead tracing roots to Puritans. Continue reading Are You a Mayflower Descendent?
Disclaimer: I am having fun exploring the exciting new world of AI. I wrote some notes and then used Google’s NotebookLM AI chat feature to help draft this blog post. Afterward, I used Revoicer, along with a clone of my voice, to create part 1 of the podcast. Finally, I used the podcast generation feature in NotebookLM to create part 2. The podcast will be … Continue reading The Evolution of Technology: What Changed Since 1901?
Gathering Leaves 