My Thoughts

Like a memory from my own past, I sense her story so vividly that my breath catches.  As the sun slips slowly beyond the horizon casting a mythical shadow around everything, Sings the Wind sighs and the trees replay her sorrow. Haunting.................the pain and anguish wash over me and tears well in my pale blue eyes, the same eyes I see staring at me through time and distance. The first time I heard Taylor Swift's song "Safe and Sound", I swear that Sings the Wind was screaming through the warm evening air.  I could picture her on a grassy knoll, her hair blowing behind her as she sang into the wind.  This exact scene exists in the Disney cartoon Pocahontas.  My breath caught the first time I saw that movie, too. I know the spirit of consciousness of our ancestors lives inside each of us.  Recently, I came across a helpful hints guide to search for Native American ancestors, and one of the suggestions is to actually pay attention to whispered ...

The next line I tackled  was the Mitchell family.  My great grandmother was Artha B Mitchell (1883 - 1977).  I can barely remember her.  I was ten years old when she died.  She was the daughter of Francis Marion Mitchell (1855 - 1904).  It is Francis's grandfather, Andrew Mitchell, Jr. (1760 - 1824) who served in the Revolutionary War.  It is truly a story worthy of legend.  Andrew was one of 3 sons born to Irish immigrants Andrew and Mary (McGowan) Mitchell. The young family came to the colonies in 1752.  They began their journey in a Scottish - Irish community in Eastern Pennsylvania before migrating to Orange County, North Carolina.  Besides the boys, Andrew and Mary had 2 daughters, Margaret and Nancy. At the time of the Revolution, my 5th great grandfather, Andrew, Jr was just starting his family.  He had married Mary Tate in 1781.  He was in service but took furlough to be with his ill wife.  This informa...

With the 4th of July only a couple days away, I thought I'd spend some time visiting with the family and share some of our family heritage. As the United States turns 236 years old this week, thinking about those unique ancestors who risked so much to bring about the American independence takes me back to Virginia, North / South Carolina and Maryland and the original 13 colonies.  We all get so wrapped up in our lives that we forget to honor the past; or, as is often the case, families are unaware of the past.  Technology opens the coffins of complacency and sweeps away the dust of indifference.  I love learning about my ancestors.  They are some unique individuals who lived life in another time and place but who are still present in our genetics.  Think about it...........the same DNA that existed in a person 236 years ago is chronicled in my own DNA.  It is almost like a message left in a bottle...........all I have to do is open the bottle.  Our col...