Your
heritage is not simply names, dates, and place names set in ink on some paper
chart. Your heritage is the story of who came before you, how they lived, how
they died, and most importantly, the neat little bits of information that makes
it all interesting.
I know that not everybody’s
a history nut, like I am.... but I’ve yet to see anybody that didn’t show at
least a li’l interest when it comes to hearing about what their ancestors were
like and some of the stuff they did back in their day.
There ain’t nothing more
fascinating to people than other people, living in a different time, in
different circumstances.... and when you know those people are your kin....
well.... that just seems to make it even more so.
Before I started digging
into my own family’s history, I had always thought of my ancestors as just your
average, every day, run-of-the-mill country folk; cotton farmers mostly, with a
logger or two thrown in for good measure. Boy, was I wrong!
I can now boast that my
ancestors were amongst the very first to settle in the New World. My 9th-great-grandfather Captain John Thomas Clay, Jr. arrived at Jamestown, in February of 1613, aboard
the ship ‘Treasurer’, and as a Grenadier in the King’s Army (which back then would’ve been their most
elite group of soldiers), it’s not only probable, but highly likely that he
was amongst those that captured/kidnapped the Indian princess Pocahontas, later
that summer.
Then there was the case of
one of his sons, my first ancestor of that line to be born in America, who later
got himself all tangled up in America’s very first rebellion, taking up arms
against the colonial government under Nathaniel Bacon, back in 1673.
The story of French Huguenot Bartholomew Dupuy's escape from France is absolutely spellbinding. |
One of my favorite
stories, though, is of the first of my Jennings ancestors to come to America. Captain
William Jennings, Sr. was a decorated officer in the British Regular Army. He
had served in the British Indies, as well as, the colonial Indian Wars, before
finally settling in Colonial Virginia, around the year 1700. There, he owned a
tobacco plantation and tavern, raised a total of ten children, and led a very long
and productive life; finally passing away at the ripe old age of 99-years.
Because of his strong disapproval of the revolutionary
processes then going on in the British American colonies, as well as, his pride
in his own service rendered to the Crown, Captain Jennings left instructions
that he should be buried in his British Army uniform. Well.... his family did
their level best to comply. They really did. Capt. Jennings was laid to rest
with his sword by his side.... but the uniform.... well.... it had to be draped
over his body instead of put on him. You see, he had grown excessively fat by
the time of his death, and it just wouldn’t fit anymore. LOL
Make
no mistake, though.... as loyal to the Crown as ol’ Grandpappy Jennings was,
his sons and grandsons were just as dedicated to the cause for freedom, with
every single one of ‘em taking up arms against the British and/or rendering aid
and supplies to the American forces. I had other grandfathers that also served
- Clays, Pittmans, Lockharts, Springers, et cetera – some were in the Continental
Line, others amongst various militia units; many were privates, some sergeants,
while others were officers.
WOW!!
My family’s history ain’t near as bland as I first thought! And that’s just a few examples out of the many, many generations of my family that I've researched. As
it turns out, my ancestors actually played some pretty cool parts throughout
the past 400-years of American history. They were the hardy settlers that,
despite near constant Indian attacks, were ever moving westward, opening up new
lands for settlement. They cleared land for planting and built homes and farms
and even plantations. There were some small farmers, Bible-thumpin’ preachers,
one-room schoolhouse teachers, millers, and even some wealthy slave owners and
political figures. They volunteered for or were conscripted to fight for the
Confederacy; their families back at home suffered through four bloody years of a
not-so-civil war. They survived Reconstruction, two World Wars, the Great
Depression, and the Civil Rights turmoil of the 1960’s; not to mention scores
of other lesser unnamed events.
After Grandma passed away, 'Paw' Jennings came to live with his eldest son and his family. |
My
Momma has asked me several times before, how on Earth do I remember all that I
do about our families’ histories. My answer is simple.... their stories are so unbelievably interesting. It’s almost like reading a favorite book or watching
a great movie; the more you discover about the central figures, the more you
want to learn about them.
Knowing and understanding details from our
families’ histories give us a deeper, fuller appreciation of where we’ve come
from and who we are as a person.A big part of who we are, as individuals, comes
directly from our ancestors. Not only do we inherit our looks and temperament
from them, it’s also where we get much of the attitudes and outlooks towards
many things that we have. It’s
not surprising then, that research suggests that when we have intimate
knowledge of our family history, we feel more grounded and self-confident
compared to individuals who don’t.
The
stories are there, folks. With just a bit of effort on your part, you can begin
uncovering long-forgotten details about your family’s history. I should
probably warn you, though. It can become addictive; this learning where you
come from.
No comments:
Post a Comment