The 250th anniversary of the American Revolution is a milestone I eagerly anticipated. This celebration holds deep personal significance for me, particularly as my genealogical research over the last few years has uncovered several ancestors who served in the struggle for independence in various capacities. Over the past few years, I discovered that I have a total of ten ancestors who were documented as participating … Continue reading A Revolutionary Idea
This history is in regard to my father’s 5X great-grandfather, Samuel Stearnes, who was at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. Lately, I’ve been using AI more and more to help me sort through questions about family history and history in general. It’s become a really handy way to explore ideas, check facts, and think through problems from different angles. Sometimes I’ll even … Continue reading Samuel Stearnes (Starnes) & the Battle of Monmouth
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
This narrative follows the life of Eldad Corbett, my paternal 4x great-grandfather. While multiple records confirm his service in the Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution, he later emerged as a reactionary, firmly opposing the concept of perpetual rebellion. Born in 1752 in Mendon, Massachusetts, Eldad was the grandfather of my 3x great-grandmother, Tamar Denny, wife of Corbet Pickering. Documentation from the History of Rowe … Continue reading From Revolutionary to Reactionary – Story of an American Patriot
For years, I’ve been trying to unravel the mystery surrounding my mother’s great-grandfather’s civil rights status at the close of the Civil War. I believed I had finally solved it: Was he among the thousands denied property and civil rights due to specific criteria? These categories included former Confederate civil and military officers above a certain rank, individuals who had abandoned U.S. government or military … Continue reading Reconstruction Recall
The book, “Pickering Genealogy,” provides detailed information on ten generations of Pickerings, but my direct lineage extends only to the third generation covered in the book. After that, my branch left Salem. Benjamin’s son, Edward Pickering (6x great-grandfather) was born in November 1701 in Salem and died in Mendon, Massachusetts. In 1724, he married Hannah Bancroft in Lynn, Massachusetts, and shortly after that, he relocated … Continue reading PART X – CHAPTER 3
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
Growing up, I had no idea I had Colonial American ancestors on both my parents’ sides. My mother’s colonial ancestors settled in the South, from the Carolinas to Georgia. My father’s ancestors were YANKEES! These are all ancestors of my father who settled either in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Plymouth Colony, the Rhode Island Plantation Colony, or they are the ancestor of ancestors who … Continue reading Massachusetts Ancestors with Wikipedia Articles
Gathering Leaves 