Spirit of 76

No, ye socks, yours truly does not refer to the fact that tomorrow will mark 76 days of the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil leak.

I had enough time atop the proverbial soapbox yesterday.

Today, I refer to the revolutionary spirit of our founding fathers and mothers, which will be officially marked tomorrow as Independence Day.

The folks at The History Channel have gotten an early start, however.

They're running a marathon broadcast of their series on the American Revolution.

Compelling stuff.

It is all too easy as we scramble to get to the beach or neighborhood barbecue to overlook the guts it took to stand-up and topple an oppressive government 234 years ago.

The good news is that the guts displayed by our forefathers and foremothers allows us to freely engage in said scrambling.

And, when we feel oppressed by our government, we don't have to pick up our muskets and march off to the tune of fife and drums.

Because of their great sacrifices and those that came later, we can simply "remember in November" and cast our ballots to find the relief we need.

Still, there is something to be said about the accompaniment of fife and drums . . .

Beach Erosion isn't ALWAYS a bad thing . . .

I can't think of a single instance before today when yours truly ever had anything positive to say about beach erosion.

But, recent storms along the Cape Code National Seashore have worn away enough sand to expose the wreckage of 231+ year old British warship: HMS Somerset III.

If the name doesn't ring a bell for ye socks, don't feel too bad. I'd never heard of it before, either. But, according to historians it was this ship that Paul Revere had to evade on his historic ride, during which he warned his fellow patriots, "The British are coming, the British are coming!"

The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized said ride by Revere, but only alluded to the lurking maritime threat. He never actually named the ship in his famous poem.

Anyway, it turned out that HMS Somerset III sank off Cape Cod back on 2 November 1778, with four hundred British troops on board.

Thirty-seven years ago, another bout of beach erosion revealed the ship's wreckage. Now, it has resurfaced, and technology has advanced to the point where an extensive survey can be made without disturbing the vessel's remains.

The researchers better work quick, though. It won't be long til the cape sands cover up the timbers again, and they might have to wait another 37 years to get another opportunity to pick over the remains . . .

Shifting Sands Reveal Revolutionary War Ship

Check out this article:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/04/_over_two_centu.html?s_campaign=8315

Fascinating, no?!

Touring ye Tarheel State

The early morning hours found me approaching North Carolina's capitol city: Raleigh.

Nice place. They call it the "city of oaks" for a reason. Lots of construction going on here, but that's not the reason for my visit. I was bound for the National Genealogical Society's annual convention.

Parking was easy to find, and much more reasonably priced than I expected after so many years of being at the mercy of parking garages in Central Florida.

The brand new convention center (opened in September) was amazing, easily navigated, and welcoming.

Saw a lot of cool things on the convention floor. Some of it wasn't even genealogy-related (i.e. "Happy Feet" insoles?!?) I have to congratulate my self-discipline in avoiding the purchase of any new books. But, in a moment of weakness, I did give in to the urge to buy a souvenir t-shirt.

Met some nice people, and received a pin for my volunteer work with familysearch.com.

Then, it was a jaunt a few miles west on I-40 to Greensboro to visit a site that played an important role in the history of our family: Guilford Courthouse Battlefield. It was there, on 15 March 1781, that one of my ancestors gave his life in the American Revolution. I've known that fact for a long, long time, but never imagined the site of the battle would look the way it does. It's not some remote field in the middle of the countryside. Instead, it is completely surrounded by urban sprawl.

The NPS rangers, though, did a great job of interpreting the site and were kind enough to look up my ancestor's service record to help me pinpoint exactly where he fell during the fighting. (Or, at least where his regiment was positioned.) Unfortunately, an horrific deluge ensued, and I was unable to walk the grounds.

If not for the rain clouds, the shadows would have been growing long by that point anyway, so the decision was made to head back east. I was surprised that we made it back as far as I-95 before pulling over at a Hampton Inn here in Dunn, NC.

Now, it's time to wind-down and get ready for the big Ghost Whisperer season finale . . .

New kinnections

For those of you socks wrapped-up in fame or genealogy (or both), I've added some names to my list of notable relations:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~oldpinecastle/notablekin/index.html

The new names are all descended from a common ancestor by the name of Samuel Lathrop who lived in Connecticut in the late 1600s:

• Benedict Arnold, infamous Revolutionary War general and traitor.
• Thomas E. Dewey, Governor of New York and failed presidential candidate.
• John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State and airport namesake.
• Clint Eastwood, legendary actor and Mayor of Carmel, California.
• Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and President of the United States.
• Frederick Law Olmstead, landscape architect who designed Central Park in NYC.
• Anthony Perkins, the lead actor from the classic movie "Psycho."
• Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate.
• Adlai Stevenson, U.S. Senator and failed presidential candidate.

New Revolutionary War research index

Okay, after yesterday's post and subsequent Independence Day inspiration, I was moved to create a new website to organize the material I've collected to-date on my Revolutionary War ancestors:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~oldpinecastle/revolution/index.html

Email me if you have any additions, corrections, suggestions, etc. But, go easy on me. I just started!

Independence Day!

As we mark the occasion with BBQ's and fireworks, let's also remember the tremendous sacrifices made by so many to win our independence.

Here are some of the patriots I found in my own family tree:

Daniel Andrews (1734-1818) of Connecticut
Asher Applegate (1762-1834) of New Jersey
Henry Applegate (1729-1799) of New Jersey
Capt. Redding Blount (1757-1807) of North Carolina
Capt. Daniel Bonnell (c 1750-1796+) of Georgia
Thomas Bonner (1744-1805) of South Carolina
Rev. Henry Brown (1759-1849) of Virginia, military chaplain
James Cameron (1761-1840) of South Carolina
John Cox (1753-1836) of North Carolina
Richard Gaines (1726-1802) of Virginia, artillery sergeant
Obadiah Higbee (1732-1808) of New Jersey
James Jernigan (1740-1802) of South Carolina
Col. William Jones (1745-1801) of Virginia, killed in action at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse
Job Judd (1757-1846) of Connecticut
Capt. Phineas Judd (1715-1790) of Connecticut
Joshua Peck (1756-1847) of Connecticut
Richard Stith (1727-1802) of Virginia, member of the Committee of Correspondence

Of course, this abbreviated list omits the numerous great-uncles who served, but are not in my direct line (like my namesake William Morgan of Virginia). And, we shouldn't forget the patriot women (like Agnes Walker Jones, who was left a war widow). Or, those who lost property (like Garret Vanderveer, whose home was burned by the British at the Battle of Monmouth).

When I think of the label "greatest generation" that has been bandied-about so much recently during discussions of World War II, I cannot help but think it has been misapplied. Isn't it grossly presumptious to accept that label and deny it to the generation that produced Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, et al?!

Oh, and I guess in the interest of fairness, I also have to mention one Ephraim Mallory in this posting as something of a disclaimer. I found him lurking in my family tree recently, British loyalties, warts, and all. But, one rotten apple doesn't spoil THIS barrel!

OK, nuff of the history lesson diatribe. Back to the celebratin'!

If not for 18th Century formalities, I'd have the day off today!

"The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. . . . It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

Those were the words our second president John Adams used in a letter to his wife Abigail after the Continental Congress adopted a resolution to declare American independence from Great Britain.

That's right, the SECOND of July. NOT the fourth.

Unfortunately, 18th Century society was bogged-down by formalities. And, they had to wait a few days for Thomas Jefferson to submit a "clean copy" for everybody to sign.

You can read the whole story at the National Archives web page devoted to the subject at:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/declarat.html

Just think, we could've had a nice long three-day weekend instead of having Independence Day inserted in the middle of the week!

Oh, well, take 'em as you can get 'em, I guess . . .