Ancestor Approved Award

Thanks to Leah at “The Internet Genealogist”, Theresa at “Tangled Trees”, and to Hummer at “Branching Out Through The Years” for granting me the “Ancestor Approved Award.” I feel very humble and very honored, and it is nice knowing that someone outside of my immediate family is reading my blog. I feel three times honored!

To accept this award I have to list 10 things I have learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me. I need to pass along the award to 10 other genealogy bloggers who I feel are doing their ancestors proud.

What has surprised me:

1. All the family myths I’ve researched have been TRUE! But it has taken 30 years to track down some of them. All I can say is be prepared for the long haul, and never give up!
2. There was royalty on American soil in the Hawaiian Islands, and most Americans have forgotten the tragic story of how the native people in Hawaii lost their lovely independent kingdom.
3. I haven’t found a single Irish ancestor, even though I live near the highest concentration of people descended from Ireland in the entire United States!
4. Finding Mayflower ancestors, even though I swore my ancestry was all from North of Boston. Surprise, surprise, some of the Mayflower passengers settled in Salem, Massachusetts, not in Plymouth. The rest is history.

What has humbled me:

1. Even though my family is full of abolitionists, reformers and Quakers, several ancestors owned slaves.
2. Our ancestresses lost a prodigious number of children, and even their own lives bringing forward the next generations. We cannot begin to honor their memory enough. And we don’t even know some of their maiden names, and in some cases, their forenames.
3. My family tree is not full of diversity. We are a boring conglomeration of people from the British Isles, with one Hessian soldier and one Dutch stowaway. Their stories are interesting, but our DNA needs a little spicing up. Must be why I married a Spaniard!

What has enlightened me:

1. You can’t sit along at home on your computer and trace your genealogy. You MUST get out, interview the older relatives, look in the dusty archives and visit the towns and cemeteries. Just a passing conversation with a librarian or town historian can reveal very valuable clues.
2. For every person of historical interest (a college educated doctor, town pastor, wealthy mill owner, town founder, member of nobility) there are 1,000 paupers, swamp Yankees and subsistence farmers.
3. The genealogical community is full of wonderful people who will share not only their research, but photos, time and friendship- from the little old ladies at the historical society, to the librarians at NEHGS to other geneabloggers. A wonderful bunch of people!

I would like to pass along the award to all the genealogy bloggers out there in cyberspace. Every blog I read provides me hints, information, inspiration and courage to keep blogging. However, here are a few that are dear to my heart… Please visit the following blogs!

1. Anthony Vaver at “Early American Crime” for giving hints on finding black sheep ancestors
2. Tim Abbott at “Walking the Berkshire” for being such a stylish writer
3. J. Dennis Robinson at “Seacoast History Blog” for maintaining the history of New Hampshire’s Seacoast Region- all 18 miles of it!
4. Bill West at “West in New England” for staging the comeback of the century!
5. Barbara Poole at “Life at the Roots” even though she won’t accept this award! Enjoy the award Barb in private, and you don’t have to pass it along!
6. T.K. at “Before My Time” for piquing my interest in genealogy outside of New England
7. Renate at “Into the Light” for her recent Carnival of African American Genealogy, and more…
8. Peter M. at “New England Folklore” for stories about the weird side of New England
9. Ruth at “Reed Cook Dearman” for blogging about her fun upcoming genealogy trip to England to research our common Chapin ancestors.
10. Caitlin Hopkins at “Vast Public Indifference” for being my favorite gravestone and antique photography blogger.

2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo