Do you have an interesting ancestor that you know about? who? and how did you find out. what?

Question

did they do? I found one of mine who worked for the British during the revolutionary war. in 1781 he married a Cherokee Maiden , signed a treaty with the Cherokee and agreed to fight against the Americans. The British treaty would have given Native Americans everything west of the Mississippi River.

What's in your closet?

Answer 1

I have a distant relative that took part in the Salem Witch trials in New England in the 1600's. She was one of the young girls who falsely accused over 20 different people of performing evil spells on herself and other various village members resulting in the deaths of the accused by hanging in the village square.

How did I find out? Extensive research for my family history in and around Massachusetts. There is a wealth of information for anyone who's ancestors came to America via Massachusetts. The information about the distant relative in question I found through my membership with the NEHGS organization. Her name was Mercy Lewis (Lewes) and she was the daughter of my 8th Great Grandfathers brother.

Answer 2

George Washington's bodyguards. GW hadn't much wanted to stay at Monmouth but a story goes that men turned his horse around. My England-born ancestor and his brother were among GW's bodyguards. This ancestor was found lying wounded on the Monmouth battlefield the next morning by a young woman who took him and others to her physician father's house to be nursed to health. He later married her.

But that's not my best story. Another ancestor when called for duty in the Revolution, was called a dog by an officer, before witnesses. For this insult he caused said officer to dangle from said officer's own coat-collar on the point of his sword. For this offense he was eventually taken to court, and yes this is all in court record including witnesses testimony to the original insult. He was found guilty and fined.

Time passes. Next he was jailed for refusing to pay the fine. He refused to his dying day to pay the fine in American Dollars that was assessed in British Pounds.

Court records further show that he appealed to the court for relief from jail because he had a wife and 3 children and a farm and livestock to tend. They must have come up with some sort of work-relief program because when he died 1819 in Goshen jail he had 13 children.

I have found no record so far of what became of the sword.

Answer 3

My great grandfather worked in North Carolina during the late 1800's for a wealthy horse rancher. One day he was accosted by three white men who meant to murder him. He was able grab a shotgun and killed all three men. The family he worked for knew that he did it to save his life, but there was no such thing as self defense for a black man against a white man at that time in the USA. That family helped him to get new identification, gave him money and he changed his last name to the last name of the white family and they helped him to escape to New Jersey in order to save his life, since there was a lynch mob out to get him.

Answer 4

My great grand father moved to the hills of east ky to hide after robbing a bank in OK and was never caught for the crime. My dad says he remembers him always having a silver dollar for him. It was in the late 1800s.

Answer 5

We had a guy in our family line that was the body guard of President George Washington. We have an original, hand-written letter from President Washington that thanks the family for his guard's services and informs them he had died in the line of duty. He gave his life for George Washington.

It's kinda cool.

Answer 6

I am from India,as you know and came to find out that my great great grandfather was french. Can you imagine that I got my colour from him?!!!!!

I am fair though!