A while ago, I mentioned that I would help my son, Junior, trace his late grandmother’s side of the family – not mine.
When he was small, he had helped her, until she passed away [2004]. When she was gone, he lost interest for a little while. (Familiar story, isn’t it?)
I knew that the old Niagara County (Ontario) homestead had been in the family for generations, but for just how many years was uncertain.
After reviewing microfilmed Canadian (and Canada West) Census images, we discovered that over five generations lived — and continue to live — in that beautiful, old house called Maple Villa.
Which sparked this little conversation:
“Junior,” I called out to him, “Your Gramma’s side of the family has been in Canada over 200 hundred years!”
“Okay,” he responded slowly.
“You don’t find that impressive?” I asked slightly shocked.
“It’s okay,” he said, “I guess.”
“Don’t you like history, Son?” I asked this time with concern.
“I took it in school,” was his answer.
“Okay,” I chuckled, “And what did you think of it?”
He looked down at his feet, before answering quietly. “I slept through it.”
“So, I guess it’s no use telling you who I found and what they did, huh?”
He shook his head, then smiled.
“You can blog about it, Dad,” he announced, “just don’t make me out to be too bad, okay?”
So, with my son’s permission, I present the first of Seven American Revolutionary patriots
- minus birth, marriage, death and burial references that are less than 100 years old
