The First Thanksgiving Took Place in Virginia, not Massachusetts

Remembering some of my earliest history lessons--Our teachers got it all wrong!  All those days at school coloring, cutting out and pasting turkeys, pilgrim shoes, hats, and hearing about the first Thanksgiving shared by pilgrims and "Indians"? Here's the real scoop on the first Thanksgiving celebration . AUTHOR: MATT BLITZ  PUBLISHED ON NOVEMBER 18, 2015 IN THE WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE …

in the Footsteps of Hawthorne, Melville, and Thoreau

This story is dedicated to the wife of our eldest grandson Joe, Corrie Priola Dickinson, a history lover, hiker, and nature enthusiast. Corrie, originally from Chicago, is an avid hiker and has hiked through the hills and woods or skied the same mountain paths as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Henry Thoreau. The three writers …

Ford and Lo-Lathrop Families Among Puritans Who Ban Christmas in MA

December 25, 1659: Christmas Celebration Outlawed To put this story in context, Massachusetts was home to many of the Lo-Lathrop family, my maternal grandmother's ancestors and significant leaders in the making of the "New England" in America.  My 9th great grandfather, Rev. John Lathrop, was one of the first and was the founder of Barnstable, …

Mother of the Modern Hospice Movement: Rose Hawthorne Lathrop/Mother Mary Alphonsa

Here's yet another story of our Lathrop family lineage that adds to our long and growing list of notables... It further exhibits their societal/cultural status as well as their talents and gifts for writing, painting, illustrating, and their lifelong philanthropic dedication and commitment. Rose Hawthorne Founder of the Servants of Relief for Incurable Cancer (1851-1926) …

Hello Again, World – My 145th Post

My First Post - Eight Months Ago Eight months ago on November 15, 2012, I published “Hello World“--my 341-word first blog post ever, under the category of Witches and Witchcraft.  I wondered then if some of my family from among the 40 generations I have traced back could have been among those accused of witchcraft …

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 …

Hello world!

This is my very first post.    I’m looking forward to sharing with you many interesting facts and stories about the nearly 40 generations of people in my family and their times from around the world.  Many of the stories were unearthed through my 20+ years of  genealogical research.  As in most families, ours has …