aggiemom

My family is from Pennsylvania (by way of Germany in the early 1700's). I've found at least two great-great-great-great-great grandfathers who fought in the Revolution (for our side). I've also found a relative on my husband's side who fought for the British!

Any others out there?

Fodorite018

Yes! A few relatives have really been interested in geneology and have traced our family back to the very early 1600's. It is so interesting to read about our ancestors lives.

LoveItaly

Hi aggiemom, I am not sure about my side of the family on my mother's side, but my late DH had an ancestor that fought in the Revolution. His name (surname) is still being used for the current generation of babies in the family, as a first name.

Jean

I LOVE GENEALOGY! I had seven ancestors who answered the alarm at Roxbury, Mass., on the first day of skirmishes. Family name was Benson, descended from John who landed in Boston Harbor in 1638. Several others from different family lines enlisted throughout the war. An ancestor from another family line (Sutherland) was in the group that arrested Benedict Arnold.

Wednesday

I am a Daughter of the American Revolution myself, Happy 4th DARs !

beachbum

Ummm... Does my mother-in-law count?

shaz60

Wednesday of course your mother-in-law counts. Credit must be given to anyone who has battled that long. My grandmother researched our heritage long enough to find a famous Revolutionary War figure in our past. Unfortunately it was Benedict Arnold. She quit after that.

sfamylou

I do! Forget how many greats removed, but a great great something grandfather, who died in South Carolina. Am waiting for my DAR membership to be approved. Happy 4th.

jorr

How special. Some of my ancestors had land stolen by some of your ancestors!

lcuy

My ancestor John Barry has been called the father of the US Navy. He captained ships that won several victories for the american side.

To make this travel related, my family was bicycling thru Ireland whn I was a teenager. My sister and I were waiting by a big statue in Wexford while my parents went into the local tourist office.

We were wondering why the Irish had erected a statue to this guy who fought in the revolutionary war (not knowing the Irish/british feelings at that time ), when my dad came out and told us that was the ancestor whos portrait hung over Grandmas table!

Another Barry ancestor was Catherine "Kate" Barry of Spartanburg, SC. She acted as a scout for the Americans, and family legend has it that once she tied her baby to the bed so that she could go warn the Americans that the British were coming. She was also an enthusiastic and successful recruiter, and is credited with supplying many of the recruits that won the Battle of Cowpens.

beachbum

shaz, It was I, not Wednesday, who mentioned my mother-in-law. And I'm thinking it's I who deserves the credit for having "battled that long."

P_M

I am told that I have several ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. The bad news is, they fought on the British side. I will put on my helmet now, as I fear stones will be thrown at me.

YIKES!!

aggiemom

It's been fun seeing the replies. Thanks, all.

I guess I should have said "ancestors" instead of relatives, eh Beachbum??- yes, anyone who has battled with a MIL should get an award. (maybe anyone who HAS a MIL should get an award...)

Interesting how my MIL is English and it was HER side of the family that fought against MY side. Hmmmm.... maybe I should've been into genealogy before getting married....

crefloors

When I look at myself in the mirror in the mornings I sometimes think I look like I could have fought in that war!!! Even though I have family that came over on the Mayflower, or almost, no one ever spoke of anyone in that war. We can't get our family back as far as we'd like...divorces and such. Would be fun to find the skeletons in the closets. The geneoloy thing can be pretty fun and interesting.

ChristieP

DAR member here, too. My ancestors were the first family to settle Pennsylvania west of the Alleghenny river!

kopp

Looks like my DH has some relatives lurking about on this board. One of his ancestors was also Benedict Arnold!

Gardyloo

...And I can make it travel-related, too...

A couple of years ago wife and self, along with another couple, went on a roots tour of the NY Finger Lakes and New England right around leaf-peeping time (gorgeous, remarkable, blah blah). The male portion of the other couple is from bona fide Mayflower kin, and we sought out and found an ancestral house of his (c. 1750) in New London CT. Then we went looking for my ancestors' digs, which we found in copious quantity around Portsmouth NH. In the local museum in Rye NH (just south of Portsmouth) we found numerous artifacts linking my family to Washington's army. I am told that a distant relative possesses a number of blankets with ancestral soldiers' names embroidered on them, issued by the Continental Army to keep the lads in line over the winters.

Further research led us to find houses, one dating back to around 1670 (still standing but obviously modified over 335 years) in the area that had been built and/or lived in by various Fathers and Mothers of the Revolution in my lineage, never mind sons and daughters.

A couple of the back-whens did indeed fight on the loyalist side; which probably explains some of our Canadian connections nowadays.

My own parents seemed to know little and cared less about this history (typical Westerners) but I think it's remarkable for the way it throws history into a bright new light.

Wayne

It's sorta comical -- my ancestors came here from England in the 1600's, and later generations included some who fought in the Revolutionary War. The comical bit is that after more research, we found that another branch of the family that stayed in England also fought in the war -- on the side of the English. I'm probably not unique in this regard, but it was fascinating to learn of this little tidbit in our family history.

carolyn

I had an umpty-great grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary War and is buried in a small cemetery in Grayson County, Kentucky, on land that was surveyed by George Washington.

aggiemom

I've enjoyed all the genealogical tidbits here. It's been my hobby for the last three years or so. I do plan on researching in Pennsylvania probably this year as well as a trip to Salt Lake City for the LDS collection. So that kind of makes this travel related, right??