Happy New Year, everyone! Today, I’d like to share what My Descent into Descent will bring in
2013.
First of all, there is the Wright family of Connecticut and
New York on my father’s side. Boyd states in his Annals of Winchester, “The Wrights were a highly intelligent,
studious family; supporters of religion and good order, and earnest patriots in
the revolutionary struggle”. They also appear to have been descended from minor
nobility in England. In the beginning of my research, I spent most of my time
on my American lines, as I was not able to make very much progress on all the
others. A great deal of American genealogy and history has been documented, so it was
relatively easy to start by following the bread crumb trail left by others. This
does not mean that the American side of my tree has not been a fascinating
puzzle, because it has. I had to break new ground on the more recent
generations on Melvin J. Hart’s lines, particularly as his father John Hart did
not get as much “ink” as his forebears. In the process, I discovered the Wright
family, my favourite family on my tree so far. They are Melvin’s mother’s
mother’s family, and I hope to share more about them in the New Year. They
participated in history, such as the first battle of the Revolutionary War and
Ticonderoga, the creation of counties in New York, invading Canada and being
transported to Australia for the trouble of it, being elected to a State
legislature, general pioneering, and being part of the Underground Railroad. I
am excited to tell their stories.
I also hope to share with you the process of exploring my
German roots. As I have said before, other researchers have done much work on
these lines before me, but I still need to sort out the data for myself and
learn more about German genealogy. My Hessian soldier four times great
grandfather awaits—Johannes Carl Muenck, also known as John Monk. I also hope
to find out more about my Irish/Manx/Scottish folks. They are the most
challenging people on my tree due to the apparent lack of data. I am also
likely to share what I know and what I will find out about the French Huguenots
on my mother’s side. My sisters and I have shared an interest in France and the
French language, so it has been wonderful to confirm that we indeed have our
own French lineage, as my grandfather William Sanderson always claimed. In
fact, I have neglected his mother’s side so far, so maybe I will do some
blogging about it soon.
I have several other items on my family history “to do list”
for this year, and I hope to share the process of exploration with you more.
For instance, I have got to get to the local cemeteries to take some pictures
of grave sites. My initial few stabs at exploring the Mountain View Cemetery in
Vancouver has turned up nothing, so I am hoping to use the iPhone app to find
those elusive graves. In addition, there may be a “family history road trip” or
two in my future, and if there is, I intend to blog from the road. I am also in
the midst of trying to prove my lineage from Jeremiah Hart, one of my
Revolutionary War patriot ancestors, to the satisfaction of the Daughters of
the American Revolution. This is proving more challenging than I expected, i.e.
needing to find those primary documents. I hope to share the process of this with
you, too.
I am sure many of the new records I obtain will find their
way here. I do make small changes in my blogposts as new information comes to
light, so it is worthwhile to re-read posts you like from the past. If a large
amount of new data or something more significant comes my way, I am more likely
to do a new posting on the subject. It pays to use the “search” feature to find
material on subjects or people of interest. Remember, if you are interested in
my sources, check out my public tree on Ancestry if you have subscription, or
ask me for them. I feel that including extensive source citations would
preclude me from writing an almost daily blog.
These are but some of the topics I hope to write about in
the coming year. If you have a request, let me know. I have already made some
decisions about the content of my blogposts based on the level of interest
shown in this blog. I was very pleased to hear that some of my father’s mother’s
descendants were enjoying what I was writing about their side of the family,
and therefore I wrote more about it. I also included some of the material they
provided. I hope to write more about the Marlows, Bosomworths, and Smiths due
to the interest shown.
An important goal of mine is also to connect with more
living relatives, near and far. If you are reading this, are related to me, and
have not yet connected with me, please feel free to use the contact information
provided, and I will be sure to reply. Maybe we can help with each other’s
genealogical puzzles, share information, or just help each other to learn more.
I would also love to hear from my non-related readers. Please email me or leave
a comment if you would like.
All the best for accomplishing your own goals in 2013, and
for a happy and prosperous New Year, as we step out beyond the end of Mayan
Calendar!
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