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Hopkins Family Story: Immigrating to America
In 1854 Robert Hopkins and family immigrated from England to the Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan. This is the Hopkins family story — before, during and directly after immigration pieced together from historic records. Continue reading Hopkins Family Story: Immigrating to America
Rediscovering the New England and New Netherlands Indian War Heroes, 1636 – 1698
The 1600’s were an age of almost constant warfare between North American Colonists and hostile Indian tribes. Discover the early New York and New England Indian Wars as described by the people that lived through them. Follow the author as he rediscovers his family in this forgotten era of American History and the extraordinary settlers and heroes that played such an important part in the … Continue reading Rediscovering the New England and New Netherlands Indian War Heroes, 1636 – 1698
Discover Your Roots!, Part 2
Follow the author’s journey as he breaks through two Morrell and Hendrick genealogical brick walls and finds his Van Deusen and Brown family ancestors. Read about Charles Nahum Shaw a Civil War veteran, an inventor, and a very early settler of Petoskey Michigan. Book excerpt — This is an account of two early Petoskey Michigan settlers, Charles Nahum Shaw and his wife Emma Eliza Shaw, … Continue reading Discover Your Roots!, Part 2
The Sometimes Insane Life of Hannah Hopkins
Hannah Hopkins fully acknowledged she had bouts of insanity. The implications to her parents Robert and Susannah Hopkins were all too real. Nonetheless, exactly how her insanity manifested itself is hard to discern. What is more apparent is how her parents supported their daughter through her trials. Taking a step back, in Victorian times mental patients were typically labelled with mania, dementia, melancholy or moral … Continue reading The Sometimes Insane Life of Hannah Hopkins
The Fiery Spotsylvania Court House Battle and John Hopkins
On May 12, 1864 at 4:30 a.m. the Union Second Corps attacked Muleshoe salient at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia under the command of Major General Winfield S. Hancock leading to some of the most violent fighting in the Civil War. As part of the Second Corps, the Michigan 26th Regiment joined the charge and was one of the first regiments to plant its colors on … Continue reading The Fiery Spotsylvania Court House Battle and John Hopkins
William Hopkins and the Pennsylvania Oil Boom
In 1859 Edwin Drake struck oil at 69 feet below ground along the banks of Oil Creek in Venango County, Pennsylvania. Drake’s well was one of the first commercial oil wells in the United States. Within a few years the Pennsylvania oil boom was in full swing. Thousands came to the Oil Creek area to strike it rich or just find good work. William Hopkins, … Continue reading William Hopkins and the Pennsylvania Oil Boom
Genealogy Gems: Barzillai Ansley Scott
Barzillai Ansley, agent for International Steamship Co., one of the multiple businessman Barzillai Ansleys Continue reading Genealogy Gems: Barzillai Ansley Scott
Our DNA Cousins, the Jackson Whites
The DNA trail doesn’t always fit neatly into paper proofs of lineage or family stories. In fact, at times DNA tells a very different story. My DNA cousins, the Jackson Whites, also called the Ramapo Mountain Indians, are part of our family DNA from approximately 5-6 generations ago on the Jones-Sweet and Smith-Edwards lines. This is likely at least a generation or two prior to … Continue reading Our DNA Cousins, the Jackson Whites
Uncovering Lee Scott’s Lineage
Lee Scott’s obituary states he was born 2 August 1822 in St. John, St. John County, New Brunswick, Canada. There are multiple Ancestry.com family trees connecting Lee Scott with parents Walter C. Robert Scott Esq and Elizabeth Lee and grandparents Robert Scott Esq and Mary Merrill. Nice, but where is the source material that establishes or refutes this lineage? The confirming evidence is hardly a … Continue reading Uncovering Lee Scott’s Lineage
The Big Picture, a Family Tree View
The Boating Genealogists dig into genealogy, family history and history so much that one can forget that others don’t have the background to connect who we are writing about and where they fit in the family tree and history. However, replicating an ever developing family tree on this blog would be silly, if not just plain time-consuming without obvious gain. And human history is an … Continue reading The Big Picture, a Family Tree View
