Independence day

[Big Mak]

An ancestor of our family fought the British as part of the Continental Army. (Our Genealogy kept up by many generations dating back to when they used ink wells to capture time. Mom updated this when typewriter about 20 years ago) When Laura and I were at Valley Forge, we found his name engraved in the George Washington church (which did not exist at the time but was built roughly 125 years later) It's sorta neat to think we had a direct ancestor that fought for our new country in the revolutionary war! I was very fortunate to have relatives that kept painstaking detail of our family tree going back to Scotland in 1457. There is even a sketch of a parcel of land that one of my Scot relatives owned.

[Silver Creek Slim]

I too am a Son of the American Revolution and my wife is a Daughter of the American Revolution.

Slim

[Big Mak]

Very cool Slim!

I Forgot to add the photo of William's name in George Washington's church...

[sfc rick]

My families history is well documented from gravesites at namesake cemeteries in Woodbury Tenn. Of course it was from my 5th great Grandfathers land warrant for being in the American Revolution. He and his widow received a Pension from said service long afterwards. Fortunately I can trace Census records and county records in Cannon County for all of my relatives.

[Ben Beam]

I was going through some old books I inherited and found this folded up and tucked between the pages. I guess someone put it there for safe keeping. I opted to have it framed.

https://imgur.com/a/OuAkn

Hard to make out, but it's naming one of my ancestors head of the militia in Massachusetts in 1704. Signed by Joseph Dudley and countersigned Isaac Addington. Still can't believe I found it; could just as easily have been lost forever.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Kewl!

Slim

[The Pathfinder]

It's amazing what is out there if you know where to look. Don't just follow your primary family name either, trace back your mothers maiden name and her mother's and so on. We found out we can trace two distinct (from opposite sides of my family) all the way back to being in Plymouth  and having travelled over on the Mayflower, one of them even signed the Compact. Another part of the family was here waiting on them. We've also found names associated with following Roger Williams to establish the Rhode Island settlements, colonial governors, a branch that fought at Lexington and Concord, other Revolutionary battles (both sides), the Civil War (War of Northern Aggression for those south of the Mason-Dixon), etc. We thought my wife's family had only arrived in the late 1800s, but by following the maiden names traced her family back in America almost as long as mine has been here. History is there, you just have to find it.