Pilgrims and Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts in the early 1600s. Puritans fled England and Holland during the American Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln created the holiday in 1863 to practice their religion freely. The colonists wanted to celebrate their first good harvest of corn and barley harvested with generous assistance from … Continue reading Our First Thanksgiving in Plymouth (1575-1653)
Native Americans
Forgotten Mulberry Island
On the north shore of the James River, 20 miles west of the Chesapeake Bay, the marshy plains of Mulberry Island rise above the gentle tide. Actually a peninsula bound by the James and Warwick Rivers. Mulberry Island is a picturesque fixture of Virginia’s Tidewater region whose natural beauty is enriched by thousands of years … Continue reading Forgotten Mulberry Island
Tuesday, March 22, 2022:
Marking the Death of John Rolfe - America's First Entrepreneur John Rolfe and Pocahontas Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022, is the 400th anniversary of John Rolfe's death. In his honor, my friend, Christine Dean, a retired College Lecturer, and fellow Pocahontas research enthusiast is planting a new mulberry tree at the Heacham Manor Hotel. Rolfe is … Continue reading Tuesday, March 22, 2022:
Commemorating the 111th Women’s History Month– March 2022
Remembering My Ancestors: Pocahontas and Edith White Bolling Wilson... Strong Women and Role Models for Young Girls How many young girls can claim they descend from Pocahontas? I knew little about my ancestors or my relationships with them when I was a girl. But I'm very glad that I made time throughout my adult years … Continue reading Commemorating the 111th Women’s History Month– March 2022
Pocahontas Heacham, England, Mulberry Tree DNA Test ‘Inconclusive’
To my regular followers, you may have been aware that this blog has been keeping up with the ongoing research here in the United States and England to determine through DNA testing whether trees in Jamestown, VA, and Heacham, Norfolk, England, share the same markers. Below is the newest information available, this time from BBC … Continue reading Pocahontas Heacham, England, Mulberry Tree DNA Test ‘Inconclusive’
As President Theodore Roosevelt stated: “[She’s]one of the great women of America”
99 Years Ago Today on July 20, 1920: Alice Mary Robertson (1854-1931) elected by Americans as 2nd Congresswoman in the United States Nationality: American BORN: Oklahoma Territory PARTY: Republican Americans recently have been inundated with the viral discord between the Executive Office and the freshman "squad," of congresswomen, (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib) all … Continue reading As President Theodore Roosevelt stated: “[She’s]one of the great women of America”
Mashpee Indians in Massachusetts Sue for Recognition
I subscribe to Mass Moments daily posts about events in the history of Massachusetts. I copied today's (October 17, 2017) slug because of its relevance to my ongoing research into my Native American heritage. What's different about this article is this piece comes from our 20th-century history and not the 16th century, and shows that Native Americans … Continue reading Mashpee Indians in Massachusetts Sue for Recognition
“Wingapo” – Welcome, My Beloved Friend
"Welcome, my beloved friend" European colonists arriving in Virginia may have been greeted with, "Wingapo," (pronounced win-gà-po), which translated means "Welcome, my beloved Friend." So we know that the State of Virginia's history did not begin in 1607. We are learning that Indians have lived in Virginia for thousands of years. In fact, if you … Continue reading “Wingapo” – Welcome, My Beloved Friend
My Heritage: A View From The “Great” American Indian Wars
My post of January 12, 2013, mentioned my maternal great-grandfather, John Carpenter Ford, from Wake County, Raleigh, North Carolina. John's U.S. Army Enlistment Records of August 14, 1888, show his date of birth as January 15, 1864, which would have been just one year before "The 'Great' American Indian Wars began (1865-1890). His enlistment record … Continue reading My Heritage: A View From The “Great” American Indian Wars
John Rolfe – Just One of My Family’s Immigrants . . .
The Early Modern Period Over the next twenty-eight days, we will be revisiting my 11th paternal great grandfather’s story once again. It is a story that dates back to 1585--the 585th year of the 2nd millennium, the 85th year of the 16th century, and the 6th year of the 1580s decade. Although much has been … Continue reading John Rolfe – Just One of My Family’s Immigrants . . .
John Rolfe Letter to Governor Thomas Dale, 1614
Continuing to further document and understand the lives of our earliest ancestors - emigrants from England to Jamestown, Virginia, I have included below, the 1614 letter (transcribed and updated to today’s word usage and spellings by me--I made no changes to word choices or punctuation and kept present-day English spellings). My 11th great-grandfather, John Rolfe, … Continue reading John Rolfe Letter to Governor Thomas Dale, 1614
First National Day of Mourning, Thursday, November 26, 1970
Reblogged from MassMoments eMoments (emoments@massmoments.org): On This Day...in 1970, a group of Native Americans attending a Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth walked out in protest. The Indians and their supporters gathered on a hill overlooking Plymouth Rock near a statue of Massasoit, the Wampanoag leader who had greeted the Mayflower passengers 350 years earlier. The protesters … Continue reading First National Day of Mourning, Thursday, November 26, 1970
‘Great Surprise’—Native Americans Have West Eurasian Origins
November is National Native American Heritage Month. In honor of this occasion, below I share with you National Geographic's article from November 2013: "Great Surprise"—Native Americans Have West Eurasian Origins Oldest human genome reveals less of an East Asian ancestry than thought. Native Americans may have a more complicated heritage than previously believed. PHOTOGRAPH BY ROLAND W. … Continue reading ‘Great Surprise’—Native Americans Have West Eurasian Origins
Native Americans, White People, and Scottish-Irish Emigrate to North Carolina
Native Americans A recent blog post focused on my maternal great-grandmother Mary Susan MORRIS's family--our Native American heritage through the Morris branch--and the freshly fallen bricks of a wall I had been up against for years. White People Not abandoning this wall, but continuing on, I returned to my maternal great-grandfather--Grandmother Susan's husband, John Carpenter Ford's (1864-1961) family. Similarly, I found … Continue reading Native Americans, White People, and Scottish-Irish Emigrate to North Carolina
You Little Dickens!
My mom has told me a story about my relationship with my Cherokee maternal great-grandmother, Mary Susan Morris Ford, ever since I was old enough to talk. Unfortunately, I was only 14 months old when Grandma Susan passed at 73 years old. The story goes like this. My great-grandmother went to sleep one night and when she … Continue reading You Little Dickens!
157 Years Later: CSA Sgt. Gideon W. Morris–Our “Battle of Antietam” Survivor
Freshly Fallen Bricks of My Morris Family Wall After searching to uncover more information about my maternal great grandmother's (Mary Susan MORRIS Ford) family, I once again stumbled and fell upon freshly fallen bricks of a wall I had pushed against for many years. Until now, I primarily had focused on the origins of my Native American heritage through the Morris branch. And then, … Continue reading 157 Years Later: CSA Sgt. Gideon W. Morris–Our “Battle of Antietam” Survivor
Our Native American Heritage–A Follow On
My post just a few days ago focused on our Native American heritage and the tribes who resided along the borders of the Chesapeake Bay. In my April 24, 2014, and December 3, 2012, posts we looked at our paternal Pocahontas ancestry--First Lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson (my third cousin), and our lineage to Pocahontas … Continue reading Our Native American Heritage–A Follow On
The Chesapeake Bay and Our Native American Heritage
This post focuses on our Native American heritage who resided along the borders of the Chesapeake Bay. Digressing just a little into my lineage, my paternal Bolling ancestors were among the first in Jamestown and my maternal Lathrop ancestors the first in New England. My ninth great-grandfather, Colonel Robert Bolling married Pocahontas' granddaughter, Jane Poythress … Continue reading The Chesapeake Bay and Our Native American Heritage
“Katina – Ghost Nanny of Fall Hill Plantation” – Part 2
This post is a follow-on to my earlier post: The Thornton Family's Fredericksburg Mansion - Part 1 The following story is about Katina, a Sioux Indian Princess slave passed on by Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia upon his death, to the Thornton family who had intermarried with the Spotswoods. The following article was originally published on … Continue reading “Katina – Ghost Nanny of Fall Hill Plantation” – Part 2
Bi-racial Relationships of the 60’s–the 1860’s!
The Year 1868 Last week my genealogical research took me back to my second paternal great-grandfather, Lawrence T. "Larl" Boling. I already knew that Larl married Sarah Elizabeth "Bettie" Tapp in Fredericksburg, Virginia, but when I looked more closely I found that their wedding took place just one week before Christmas 1868--that was the Christmas day when our … Continue reading Bi-racial Relationships of the 60’s–the 1860’s!
Our Unbounded Heritage: 12th Century & Beyond 