My Family Tree

Sylvester and Perridine Mills (Sylvester was a Cherokee living as a white man)

My Family Tree
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.

A Visit to Menotomy Village (Arlington, Massachusetts)

By Elaine Marie Cooper

Last May was a rare pleasure for this author: I was the guest speaker at the Jason Russell House (Smith Museum) in Arlington, Massachusetts, to discuss my latest release, Fields of the Fatherless.  This novel, based on a true story, is set in the very home in which I spoke. It is difficult to describe the many emotions that pulsed through my heart as I visited my hometown and relived the story in front of an audience. What a joy!

Not only was I able to revisit my hometown but I spent the day after the event visiting the landmarks of the story. Let me share some of the sites through the photos I took, along with quotes taken from Fields of the Fatherless.

“Always remember—this land you’re standin’ on was settled by my great-grandfather. Russells have sweat over this soil for many a year. A musket can ensure it remains our home. No matter the intentions of any other.”

Several British soldiers ran off through a field toward Spy Pond but were shot at by several of the elderly local men who had been exempted from joining the Minutemen.

“David Lamson.” Betsy said the old man’s name in disbelief as she watched him and the other veterans regroup and stare at the carnage.

Several of the men hauled the carcasses of the dead horses away from the road and others pulled the supply-laden British wagons down into a hollow just off the road.

Workers at the burying ground dug one huge grave for all twelve men. There was little time to prepare hand-sewn shrouds or wooden boxes in which to lay the bodies. There was a war to prepare for.

Betsy determined to bring flowers once a week to the graves of the buried British soldiers who had died in Menotomy. There were at least 40 of them.

Elizabeth Russell died in 1786 at the age of sixty-five. She is buried next to her husband, Jason, in the old burying ground.

More soldiers—both American and British— died in Menotomy Village (now called Arlington) on that day than all the other towns between Concord and Boston.

Thank you for touring the town of Arlington, Massachusetts, known during the American Revolution as Menotomy Village.

Elaine Marie Cooper is the author of the award-winning, Fields of the Fatherless. For more information, you can visit her website here.

Colonial Texas History: the Alamo

The Alamo chapel, nestled in the heart of modern San Antonio

“Remember the Alamo!”

Who hasn’t heard that? And who really knows the significance of it?

I certainly didn’t, until a recent trip to San Antonio where I stayed and attended a conference a mere two blocks from the Alamo museum and shrine. Of course, being the history nerd that I am, I had to go visit.

And was utterly inspired.

So today, y’all, I’m serving up a slice of colonial history, Texas style.

Once upon a time, Texas was part of Mexico. It was the northern of two provinces, denoted by a flag with two stars, and when Texas declared its independence, it kept the one star—hence the term “Lone Star State.”

Mexico had itself just declared its independence from Spain. A fuller discussion of that is found at the official website of the Alamo, which has a handy scrolling timeline to check events in Mexico and Texas against what was taking place in the rest of the world. You’ll also find links to an excellent resource called the Handbook of Texas, run by the Texas State Historical Association. While the eastern American colonies were taking shape, present-day San Antonio was chosen as the site for a Spanish mission that remained modestly successful until the late 1700’s. Later, the chapel and grounds were fortified for use as a local garrison against the threat of the French and Americans.

They really do call it a shrine!

For a while, the Mexican government welcomed immigrants from the United States, and between 1823-28, the Anglo population grew from 5000 to about 30,000. Mexico’s attempts to stop immigration from the US only fanned the flame of independence in Texas. (Small wonder, they were just a generation removed from the American Revolution!) Then came the rise of Santa Anna, a self-styled dictator who repealed the federalist constitution Mexico had drafted in 1824. It was only a matter of time before he decided to quell the rebellion in Texas, once and for all.

The garrison at the Alamo was his primary target as "the first piquet on the frontier." The battle there was only one of many, but became famous for the severe outnumbering of its defenders by the Mexican army (roughly 10-to-1) and for Santa Anna’s cruelty in dealing with the rebellion. He flew a red flag at the outset, a sign that no quarter would be given (I’ll discuss later how this contrasts with one of the famous “massacres” of the American Revolution), and while he spared the lives of the women and children hiding there, he sent them on their way with orders to share details so the Texians would know how unbeatable his army was. (A fairly forthright and cohesive overview of the Battle of the Alamo is found on Wikipedia.)

Side gate to the Alamo history walk

The Alamo’s commanders agreed it wasn’t the most defensible position. Hearing of the Mexican army’s advance, they begged for reinforcements, but few came. Among those who did join the fight was a small group headed by former U.S. Congressman David Crockett of Tennessee. Other notables were the two men who became co-commanders in the battle, William B. Travis from South Carolina and James Bowie from Kentucky and Louisiana. Severe illness confined Bowie to bed when the Mexican army attacked after a 13-day siege, so Travis was in charge at the end. His plea for reinforcements contains the “Victory or Death” slogan made famous after this battle.

Santa Anna’s forces attacked before dawn, and after 90 minutes or so, all but a handful of the defenders lay dead. Survivors were speedily executed. Actual numbers differ—sources say between 182 and 257 men died there. The Mexicans lost two or three times that number.

A city stands where a terrible battle took place...

All this I was ignorant of until visiting the Alamo. We stood in line to walk through the chapel, which has been dedicated as a “shrine to Texas liberty”—photography is forbidden, but you can see some of the inside, including artifacts and artwork, at the official site. Under the “Plan A Visit” tab is an interactive map, offering several panoramic views of the grounds and inside buildings.

Sun over the wall

In the sacristy where the women and children hid during the battle (only one was killed, small comfort), I stopped to reflect on the awe and sadness that seems to infuse all battlefields. In the long barracks, we watched a short film giving an overview of the battle, and I was struck breathless at the parallels between this and Kings Mountain—only in this case, the defenders were the rebels and not the loyalists, but the battle of the Alamo certainly provided the fuel to galvanize the Texas army into defeating the Mexican army shortly afterwards, who outnumbered them 2-to-1. Walking through the mini-museum of the long barracks was an extra treat, as it contained several Pennsylvania long rifles, such as my characters might have carried in my stories Defending Truth and Loyalty’s Cadence. (In the long barracks panoramic view, you can just barely see the rifle and knife of Davy Crockett in a display case against the wall.)

Fifty-five years or so later than the American Revolution this might have been, and more than twenty after the War of 1812, but I was struck by the similarities and parallels.

Shopping in Colonial Times by Cynthia Howerter

Tarpley Thompson Store in Colonial Williamsburg

In the colonial historical fiction novel that I’m currently writing, there is only one store near the Wallace family who lives on a farm in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 1777. Maclay’s Trading Post, owned by Scottish immigrant Robert Maclay, carries a large assortment of goods that settlers in a rural area need but cannot provide for themselves.

Because it’s helpful for me to visualize scenes as I write them, I visited the  Tarpley Shop in Colonial Williamsburg and took photos of the interior. Let’s take a stroll inside and see what items the Wallace women might need to purchase for their colonial kitchen.

During the colonial era, cooking was done in a large fireplace. The Wallace women would have set pans and tea kettles on iron trivets over the burning coals to cook their food. These would have been made by a blacksmith. The triangular trivet contains short legs and would have been used for pans that required direct heat from coals while the round trivet with its longer legs allowed a pan to sit farther away from direct heat.

Triangular trivet with short legs

Round trivet with longer legs

Both wood and iron cooking utensils were used by the Wallace women. Surely Mr. Maclay sold these items in his trading post.

Iron cooking ladles and forks

Assortment of wood cooking utensils

The Wallace family had an abundance of fresh eggs because they raised chickens.And what goes better with eggs than toast? Yes, colonial women were able to take slices of bread and toast them in their cooking fireplaces. But I'm certain the Wallace women had to keep a close eye on their food! Below is a two-slice toaster. Ahem.

 

A colonial "toaster"

The Wallace Farm had an apple orchard that produced an abundance of apples. Each fall, apples were processed into cider, a favorite drink of the family. The mugs below would have been made by a potter. 

Mugs or tankards

 Robert Maclay's Trading Post catered to the needs of his customers. Those who could afford dishes made from pottery would have been able to purchase them from Maclay's store.

Kitchen dishes made from red clay pottery

Before the Wallace women leave Maclay's Trading Post, they surely would have taken one last look to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. The photos below give a broader view of the inside of the Tarpley store in Colonial Williamsburg. 

Tarpley's store in Colonial Williamsburg

Interior of the Tarpley store in Colonial Williamsburg

I hope you've enjoyed shopping with the Wallace women today. Because they walked several miles from their home to the store and had to also walk back home, they only purchased what they could carry. And that simply means they will have to go shopping again soon.

All Photographs © 2014 Cynthia Howerter 

Award-winning author Cynthia Howerter loves using her training in education, research, writing, and speaking to teach and inspire others about a time in America that was anything but boring. A member of the Daughters of the American revolution (DAR), Cynthia believes history should be alive and personal.

Visit Cynthia's website: Cynthia Howerter - all things historical

    

Sedan-chairs in Colonial America

Sedan chairs were a mode of transportation in around the world for centuries. THey name sedan comes from the French town where they were first used in Europe. In the early 17th century, the Duke of Buckingham made the first use of them in England. The controversial mode of transportation employing human beasts of burden. They were also used in Georgian England. Who doesn't recall the hillarious sedan chair scene from BBC's adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford?

A VISIT FROM AN OLD FRIEND

Wealthy ladies and gentlemen who did not wish to travel far but wanted to avoid the mud and dirt of the unpaved streets went about in Sedan chairs. These often elaborately painted closed boxes were large enough for a single passenger. They had windows and were often handsomely cushioned. They were carried by two or four servants in livery who would lift them from the ground by long stout poles passed through rings on each side. In this way the lady or gentleman could go about without soiling handsome satin shoes in the mud of the city streets. 

With sedan chairs so fashionable and plentiful in England they soon came to the American colonies. An elegant Spanish sedan chair was presented to Governor Winthrop in 1646 by Captain Cromwell who captured it from a Spanish galleon. When Parson Oxenbridge was striken with apoplexy in the pulpit of the First Church in Boston he was carried home in a "Cedan."

In 1687, Judge Samuel Sewall of Boston wrote in his diary that Capt. Gerrish was carried in a "Sedan to the Wharf and so takes boat for Salem." In 1706 he wrote that five Indians carried a Mr. Bromfield in a chair at Cape Cod.  Again in 1715 he writes that the Governor, who had a bad attack of gout, "comes first to Town, was carried from Mr. Dudley's to the Town House in Cous. Dumers Sedan, but twas too tall for the Stairs so was fain to be taken out near the top of them."

1931 cover of Literary Digest showing painting of
Benjamin Franklin in his sedan chair by
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Wealthy Americans in colonial cities of New York and Philadelphia also used the sedan chair as a mode of tranportation. Benjamin Franklin brought the first sedan chair to Philadelphia in the late 18th century. The then 83 year old invalid rode to the statehouse in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention. In the memoirs of Eliza Quincey she speaks of riding in a sedan and of seeing Dr. Franklin in one in 1789.

I love this old poem and with the illustrations from 1885 Century Magazine, The Old Sedan Chair, by English poet, Austin Dobson. Enjoy!

Have you ever ridden in or seen a sedan chair? Are you traveling this summer? How are you getting there?