Charles Dickinson Killed in a Duel with Andrew Jackson

About 1980, my interest in genealogy piqued. Likewise, my husband Bob's (Robert Joseph Dickinson) interest in his family roots also was stirred. Bob knew little about his Dickinson family. So we went to his dad, Robert Ditzler Dickinson for more information. Bob Sr. had talked little about his family and seemed not to keep in …

Maternal “Lathrop” Family Notables, Who Knew?

If you recall from earlier "Our Heritage" blogs my maternal grandmother, Alice Lauretta (Loretta) Lathrop Ford's family were Puritans who came from England and were among the first settlers to land at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.  In this blog, I now share with you a direct line of descendants from my 9th great grandparents--[Reverend John …

Plymouth, Pilgrims, Puritans, The Great Migration, Wampanoags, and The First Thanksgiving

Most of us envision Pilgrims and Indians peacefully sitting down to a feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts around this time of year in the early 1600s as the "first" thanksgiving.  However, the first official Thanksgiving holiday was  created  by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the American Civil War.  And actually, the new settlers were Puritans and only became …

“Malarkey!”

If you have been around my mom (Norma Florence Ford Boling, picture circa 1943) for any length of time, it's likely that you have heard her say "Malarkey" or sometimes "Baloney" instead of "bullshit" or some other expletive to disagree with what's being said.  Several of us have always wondered where she picked up the …

Our Pocahontas Descendency

Yes, it is true that my paternal Boling family descends from Pocahontas: Pocahontas (born Matoaka, later called Rebecca Rolfe, c. 1595 - March 1617) was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with Jamestown, Virginia. "Matoaka" was the beautiful and lively daughter of Chief Powhatan, ruler of what the English named Virginia. The name "Pocahontas" …