John West, Royal Governor of Virginia and Jamestowne Settler
Another interesting ancestor is John West I, who served as acting colonial governor of Virginia from 1635 to 1637: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_West_(governor). John is also listed as a qualifying ancestor for the Jamestowne Society, which is a hereditary society for descendants of “early settlers who lived or held colonial government positions in Jamestowne, Virginia prior to 1700, or…
Les Filles et Les Soldats: Our French Canadian Legacy
A hereditary society in Canada is La Societe des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan (The Society of the Daughters and Soldiers of Carignan). This group is dedicated to preserving the memory of the brave French men and women who originally settled French Canada. The men were soldiers of the Carignan regiment. The women…
Our Connection to the Crusades: Thomas Bradbury
One of the more obscure hereditary societies is the Baronial Order of Magna Charta and the Military Order of the Crusades. You can read more about them at their website. To become a member of this historical society, you don’t need to prove ancestry a thousand years back to your crusader ancestor. They keep a…
Daughters of the Republic of Texas
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) is another hereditary society for which our family has qualifying ancestors. The goal of the society is to “educate, research, preserve, and protect the history of the Republic of Texas for all future generations.” That’s a goal that I can get behind, especially considering how many ancestors…
Mayflower Rumors: John Alden and Priscilla Mullins
If true, our Mayflower ancestor was none other than the famed cooper John Alden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Alden. After landing in the colonies, he married Priscilla Mullins, another Mayflower passenger. John’s story is fascinating to me – truly a classic American rags-to-riches tale. John was a poor cooper in England, of unknown parentage. When he arrived in the…
Reverend Joseph Hull: Founder of the Second Oldest Settlement in Massachusetts
Reverend Joseph Hull sailed from England and, with 106 congregants, founded the Hull Colony in Massachusetts in 1635. The Hull Colony was located in what is now Weymouth, Massachusetts. It is the second oldest settlement in Massachusetts, the oldest being at Plymouth. Apparently he held somewhat liberal views that weren’t welcomed by a conservative congregation.…
Revolutionary War Patriot Ancestors
The Michaels family has many ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. The following 21 ancestors have been recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and have entries in the DAR Ancestor database. Other ancestors may have served in the Revolution, but they’re not listed here due to insufficient documentation for DAR, which…
The First Monroe Long: Skeletons in the Closet
The Long line has been incredibly elusive, and there are a few reasons why. First, there are three generations of Long men who were named Monroe Park Long. The second is that all three of them used different variations of the name, the spelling, or the name “Mongo/Mungo” at different points in their lives. This…
The Salisbury Commonality
Commonalities are points where Paul’s and my ancestral lines crossed paths at different times and places throughout history. It happened surprisingly often, and the romantic in me says it’s proof that Paul and I were meant to be together. Salisbury, MA in the 1600s is the most intriguing commonality, because there is evidence that our…
Mary Bradbury: The Witch Who Didn’t Burn
Great grandma Mable Bradberry’s line goes back to Massachusetts in the 1600s. One of our ancestors from that line was Mary Gater Bradbury, convicted as a witch during the Salem witch trials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Bradbury (You may note that the last name spelling is different, but name spellings actually changed frequently from generation to generation.). Mary was able…
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