Wait, Which is it?!

Yesterday, seeing how the Family History Library was open, I went and immersed myself into Ancestry.com. Now before yesterday I thought that the vast majority of my Mom's side of the family had all immigrated to the United States upon joining the Church, but I found a couple of branches that lived in the New England area for a time. Obviously, I have too look into this more. But do you know what this means? I have Yankee blood in me!

Which now creates some confusion, because my dad's side of the family is all from the South, I even have a great great uncle who served as a confederate soldier and was shot in the leg in 1863.

So I have a very interesting conundrum: Am I a Yankee, or do I want the South to rise again? Obviously, I could go back further, but then I go back into England or the Netherlands, and there's no major provocations there that will cause an identity crisis. So I am unsure.

And another question too, if I go with the South, will I then know why the South wants to rise again? Is that something that all Southerners know from birth? I'm just not sure.

Also, Ancestry.com is awesome. Expensive, and thus requires me to use the terminals at the BYU Library, but awesome nonetheless.

Signers

Yup. I'm related to two signers of the Declaration of Independence. These guys actually.

Well, ok, I'm only related to John Hancock through marriage, but Justice Robert Treat Paine and Governor of Connecticut Oliver Wolcott are my 3rd cousins 8 times removed. That's awesome.

Oh, and so you know, it is through those Ensigns that I am related, Well more of Isaac Ensign than anything else, but even so, having a branch of your family that has a family history blog up is awesome.

And no I don't know who 'Lark' is, but according to the relationship calculator on PAF, we're 5th cousins one time removed.

Only Slightly Wounded

Twas in the course of the holiday travels, when visiting the dearest Grandmother and looking haphazardly into one of her many family history books that I found another deceased ancestor who served in the Civil War.

His name is William P. Pool, Born Sept 12th, 1812 and died Feb 7th, 1894.
He enlisted March 13th, 1862 in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and became a Sargent.

In the Battle of Murfreesburo, Tennessee in the first days of January 1863 he was wounded slightly in the leg by gun shot.

Beyond that I am not sure if he continued serving or was granted leave to return home.

Even so, it is very cool. If I ever find a picture I will post it on here.

Mother's Day

This weekend I took the opportunity to return to my parent's house in the vast outreaches of Tooele this weekend to visit for Mother's Day, and also to talk to my brother on the mission who got to call home today cause it was Mother's Day.

So his call went well, we talked with him, shared our testimonies, had fun with that. Earlier we went to my Grandmother's place in West Valley; visiting her for about an hour before heading to my family's sacrament meeting and awaiting my brother's call afterward.

Anywhat I discovered that my Grandma has some old bibles, like really old bibles. There is one that my dad used in his childhood that is 159 years old or so, leather-bound and nice looking. the other is definitely older, 200 years old at least. It's not in good condition or anything, but it's a tie to ancestors. That's awesome.

So that's all that I have to report except that I do indeed love my mother.

Have a great day y'all.

Revolutionary Family

Today I decided to do some family research, seeing as I haven't done some in a while, and found something cool.

I was following some genealogical line and I found that I am related to one Captain Samuel Bliss of the Revolutionary War.

To be more specific I am Timothy Bliss's 8th Great Grandson, who is Samuel Bliss's brother making him my 8th Great Grand Uncle.

According to this site here, Captain Samuel Bliss led 43 minute-men from April, 19 1775 to April 27th, for 8 days.

He was also a Captain under Col. Timothy Walker's Regiment in the latter part of 1775, he also served under Captain Slade and was General George Washington's steward in 1777 in Morristown.

I have to admit, this is pretty awesome, cooler than discovering my great grandfather died in the Civil War as a Confederate soldier.

I'll let you all know when I find someone else cool that I am related to, or something awesome that a family member did.

Also, my Aunt is a 17th generation descendant of Pocahontas, So through my Uncle's marriage to my Aunt, I am sort of related to her as well.

The great great grandpappy

So yesterday I was looking into my family history, and I found out my great great grandfather died during the civil war as a confederate soldier. I also found an old will of an older ancestor, confirming that my family most likely owned slaves. (A plantation in South Carolina near 1700, yeah, the means they had slaves right)
My family on my dads side also appears to be some of the first inhabitants of Jamestown, well 20 years after the John Smith/Pocahontas/Rolfe and tobacco discovery, they arrived in 1633.

My mom's side? I'm not too sure. I know one line joined the church around 1833 or so, and that I have a family member who was the only guy to die constructing the temple (maybe I can get some movie rights?) but beyond that, I don't know.

But to sum things up, the family on my dad's side are probably all southern hillbillies (which may not be true, I don't know anyone beyond my aunts and uncles who live in Utah, so I don't know my grandma's siblings or their descendants that still live in Mississippi) and my mom's side are clumsy Utahns. :P
More details forthcoming.

And I am pretty sure I had something else to say, but I don't remember what.