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| Sylvester and Perridine Mills (Sylvester was a Cherokee living as a white man) |
By Tamera Lynn Kraft
I finally signed up for Ancestry.com a couple of weeks ago. My mom did some research on my family tree a few years ago, but she never went any earlier than 1835. I was curious because we never found anyone who came over on a boat. I wondered how far back my family tree in America went. Once I started researching, I was thrilled with the results. Almost all of my family was here when the United States became a nation.
On my mother's side, I've research back to the 1720s and still have most of the ancestors of mine living in the colonies. I'm excited to see how far back this will go. On my mother's side, I found a man who fought in the American Revolution, Private John Cooper. His name appears on the Sons of the Revolution list. I also had three relatives fight with the Confederates in the Civil War, and my uncle fought in World War II. I also have a great-great grandfather who was a full blooded Cherokee, so his family never came over on the boat.
On my dad's mom's side, my family also goes way back. I did find a relative, George Casper Roush, that came over on a ship from Germany in 1727. He fought in the Revolutionary War along with two of his sons, Private John George Roush (also direct descendant) and one of his brothers. I also have a descendant who fought in the War of 1812, on the Union side of the Civil War, and my dad fought in the Philippines in World War II.
That explains my fascination with the colonial period.
My husband is also an American in every sense. His father, and 3 uncles fought in World War II. Most of his family were immigrants from Wales, Germany, and Scotland who came here for a better life in the late 1800s.
I enjoyed researching my family tree and recommend Ancestry.com to anyone who is interested. It was great to know how far back my family tree went. But it's also great to know that we are all Americans and a part of the history of this great nation.
Tammy, that is so cool! Hey, I am a Rousch descendant, too, but I'm not sure if yours are the same as mine!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting article! I've been a genealogist for 24 years, and am still smitten by the desire to learn more about those who came before me. I love that one of your ancestors was a Cherokee--and would love to hear more about him!
ReplyDeleteLove this!! I too learned some kewl stuff about our family through Ancestry.com ... most notably that the "Ukrainian aristocrat" ancestors I'd always heard rumor of were, in fact, wealthy Mennonites that immigrated via the Ukraine from West Prussia, in the 1800's. (They founded what is still a strong community in western Kansas.) And there's a slew of recent ancestors from Virginia and the Carolinas, which would explain why that area always felt like home to me. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this, Tamera!