OT getting in touch with my American roots

My wife has been digging into my past, well at least past ancestors.And she has come up with my great great great grand parents Samuel Ewers who was born in 1784 in Montague, Franklin Co. Ma. married Dolly Wilder, Born 1785 Windsor, Vermont. And she is still digging. Who knows, maybe some of you are relates. Bruce

I found I had an ancestor named Stephen Jackson from New Hampshire, fought in the War for Independence with Vermont, and married a gal named Hannah Hawley from the Massachusetts Commonwealth. That's a generation back from yours, and by the time you mention, I think Stephen's son Hiram may have found his way to Ohio. They may not be related, but it's entirely possible that my ancestors may have known some of your ancestors. Kinda fun digging up your family skeletons, ain't it?

My FIL did some digging on mine, and so far he's got it way back to the 16 or 1500's, I have a distant relative who survived the salem witch trials, and there is (or was) a castle back in England that an ancestor had. This is all on my Dad's side. My mom was adopted so we have no answers on her side.

All in all, rather intriguing

Donovan from Wisconsin

Donovan,

Very interesting. Please tell us more.

Do you mean, you had a relative that was accused of being a witch, at that time?

Or lived in Salem during those years?

How were you able to find that out?

Those are the stories that I find much more interesting, than just names and dates of when someone lived.

My ancestry has been traced all the way back to a young foundling in Scotland that was too young to know his last name. I also have ancestors named in the Bible....Noah and Adam.

You are right Big Fred, it is kinda fun . We all came from some were,and it makes no diffrence to us in our day to day lives,but intresting just the same. Some folks today don't know any further back then grand parents. And to me it is just part of having an intrest in your faimly past and present. Some don't have the same faimly values as I, and that is of coarse their choice. Thanks for all replys. Bruce

where do you find all this imformation?

Don-Wi, pardon me for asking, what was the family name in Salem? My maternal grandmother was an Elwell of Essex Ma. One of the last accused at Salem was an Elwell woman, ( a member of the family, not sure if she was in direct line) she hadn't come to trial when the whole thing ended. Just curious.

I think she actually stood on trial. I'd have to look at the chart again to find her name. My father in law has an account on ancestry.com.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I think she actually stood on trial. I'd have to look at the chart again to find her name. My father in law has an account on ancestry.com.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I got the opposite problem.. My Grandpa came from Canada... Kitchener, Ont.

Just kind of wondered, I have family histories on Dads side, name "Winbigler" back to about 1760 in Frederick, MD and on Moms side, family name "Tucker" back to 1600 in Henniker, New Hampshire. Just wondered how happy you were with ancestry.com? Thought about trying it but never did.

All of my great grandparents were born in Denmark, except for one who was born in Norway. Am I still an American? Jim

(quoted from post at 08:58:53 08/27/13) My wife has been digging into my past, well at least past ancestors.And she has come up with my great great great grand parents Samuel Ewers who was born in 1784 in Montague, Franklin Co. Ma. married Dolly Wilder, Born 1785 Windsor, Vermont. And she is still digging. Who knows, maybe some of you are relates. Bruce

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She comes from some very unpolular... most part unknown.. part of early American History.
My hunch, bet the farm? Samuel's father was in The American Revolution, maybe the entire 7 years of it. Many veterans from that area, Hampshire and Franklin County Mass, were gone so long, there was no real income from the Colonial Army, IOU's, their families hit up friends and relatives to get by.... then the new government that replaced the colonial / London Appointed one they fought so hard against... really took them to the cleaners. Forclosures, tax leans, threat of forcing children into servitude, no VA bennies like what is flying around by the billions now.
A former officer in Washington's army, Daniel Shay from a few- very few miles from Samuel's town, lead a relvolt and an armed march to Springfield Mass, the arsnel- later famous armory, was the only Federal institution to hold hostage. Demands for some sort of allowance for years spent in the war, even if it was just a tax deferment, never mind bennies. 'Shay's rebellion' was met by federal troops- some their former barracks buddies.... who captured them and held them as traitors. Sentenced to death.
George Washington himself intervined, letting all of them go unpunished, but basicly telling them 'hey that's the way it's gunna be from now on' put up with the new government, or go elsewhere. He had similar rebellions in Pennsylvania at this time too. Lots of ...what's the five dollar word?? 'disenchanted'??? unhappy campers anyway.
So, as they got enough cash to pull it off, most, some say nearly all of the 'Shays Rebellion' former patriots packed their familes and what the tax collector's didn't take, and moved to Canada, most between 1787 and 1790's. Some straight up the Conneticutt River to Quebec Eastern Townships, some into the St Lawrence Valley. One of these disheartened patriots wasn't famous, but the pond on his new farm is... 'Meach Lake'.... another miserable ex- minuteman, who died a content Canuck...
They had to sign an apology for taking up arms against the crown, and pledge an oath to King George.... who 10 years before, were sworn to fight to the death. Some of these families were supposedly made to fight each other in 1812, British officers tried to form units of ex Yankee's sons to take on US army units. Thing is, very few people in Mass supported the war in Canada, so it's unlikely cousins ever fired at each other.
Montague is a small place, small local historical societies all around here, so I'm sure the family name will pop up.
Winsdor Vermont would have been like the wild west in 1785, on one of 'Roger's Rangers' raiding routes in the French and Indian Wars.
So tell your better half she is part of a very interesting part of ... North American history. I think that is awesome!
My email is open, contact me, if I can find websites that look like good leads, I'll forward them to her.

For the most part, my FIL likes it. He did make his page private though, as there were a few just taking his research and not helping him with anything that they had done.

My last name is Nickel, and I believe that's the name he traced all the way to a castle back in England. My kids aren't over there this week, so it'll be atleast a week before I can ask him a little more of what he found.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Tony, did you know the Federal Army Washington sent to put down Shays rebellion was larger than the Federal Army he fielded during the Revolution? Interesting, eh? Most of his army was militia.

I've done some work on Ancestry,com. Kinda expensive, but I like it.