What was it like "back then?" When we do our genealogy, do
we see only names? Or do we realize that these were people
with hopes, dreams, failures, and successes just like us?
I read over some of the stories about my ancestors, and I
like what I see. Some were rich, some were poor, most were
lower middle class. They were adventurers, farmers,
whalers, missionaries, and housewives and working women.
They were Pilgrim, Puritan, English, French, and German. I
marvel at how all these genes combined to make ME!
These may look like "just" links, but they are actually
links to the lives of my family. With some families, I can
go back to the Mayflower and beyond. With my Fisks, I can
go back only as far as the year of my 3xGrandfather's
birth, 1789.
I went to Unadilla in Otsego County, New York, a couple of
years ago. I saw for myself the rolling hills and the
acres and acres of farmland. I don't know why John Fisk
came to New York, but I understand fully why he stayed. (In September of 2002, a reader on the Rootsweb list of Otsego County wrote a fascinating essay on why farmers moved from state to state. Please take the time to read this.)
I have also spent some time at Martha's Vineyard. My
Great-Great Grandfather, Samuel Flanders, was the
lighthouse keeper at Gay Head. His grandson told us many
tales of this very colorful person. I honestly believe I
have inherited his sense of humor.
Another reason for researching is my medical history. On
my father's side, there is a gene for deafness as well as a
gene for extremes in height. These genes are showing up in
the present generation. We can trace the deafness to
Jonathan Lambert, the first known deaf-mute on Martha's
Vineyard. We can find examples of height extremes in the
Flanders, Lambert, and Tilton lines but we have not been
able to trace to the source yet. There also seems to be a gene for kidney disease from the New York Wilson line. My sister died from this disease in 2000 and I have dedicated much research into our family's medical history as a result.
So think about this when you look at a picture of Great
Granny. She was a young girl once, with pigtails flying in
the wind.
Here's a picture of some of my Flanders family. The old couple are Samuel Flanders, the Gay Head Lighthouse keeper, and his wife Keziah Lambert Flanders. The two children are Cyrus Flanders (left) and my grandfather Kenneth Ainsworth Flanders (right). The two ladies on either side are Hattie and Ida Flanders, who ran the "Bakery" in West Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard. Then on the left, the short man is my great-grandfather, Samuel Howard Flanders, standing next to his wife Lillian Hammett Flanders. Next to Lillie is Franklin Pierce Flanders, Sam Howard's brother. We don't know who the woman standing next to Franklin is. You can see the extremes in height between Sam Howard and Franklin.
More pictures of the Flanders family, which includes Lavares and Hammetts. Plus pictures of the Fisk family, which includes DeForests.
Click here to see a picture of the Gay Head Lighthouse. And click here to see a postcard drawing of Gay Head at night. Pretty!
Click here to see a picture of the MAYFLOWER II.
Click here to read the Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln.
Check out my coat of arms for: FISKE, FLANDERS, EDDY, DAGGETT, COFFIN, SHERWOOD, COGGESHALL, BROWNELL, TILTON, HAYDEN, HAMMETT, WILBUR, BOWLES, GIBBS, HILLMAN, WADSWORTH.
Descendants of John Fisk and Mary Stilwell of Unadilla, NY,
generations 1,2,3
My Rhode Island names: Brownell,
Coggeshall, Crandell, Lavare, Pearce, Thurston,
Wilbore
Knowles from Trowbridge, England, and Hickings from Lancashire, England
Palatine Coon family in New York
Sherwood and Wilson families from Butternuts, New York
Descendants of Steven Flanders
Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket families
My Mayflower Lines from John Howland and Richard Warren
George Barlow -- "BLACK SHEEP!"
DISCLAIMER!!! All information on this page is copyrighted. If you choose to steal this information, you will be doing so at the risk of taking any possible erroneous information.
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