Tracing the Past

Tracing the Past

One of my resolutions for the year was to do new things. So when I spotted the DAR (Daughters of American Revolution) event on Patch.com I made plans to attend.

I have always been fascinated by the Revolutionary War. The birth of our nation, when men and women accomplished what no one believed they could. It inspired to me to write "A Christmas Crossing" and I'm currently working on a follow-up book.

So I as I stepped into this room full of history, I couldn’t help but be in awe. These strong women bound down with pens, paper and notebooks have traced their ancestry to the Revolutionary War and beyond.  

I’ve never really thought about my ancestors before. It’s hard to focus on people you’ve never met. The only stories I remember my Grandmother telling me when I was a child were ghost stories. One of the scariest was of “Timtodd” a red eyed Troll who lived in the ditch by the road. Needless to say, in our romps over the yard we avoided the street at any cost. 

I am greeted warmly as the meeting starts, the pledge is recited, prayers are said and “America the Beautiful” is sung. Every meeting they have a Guest speaker, the one today happened to be related to George Washington.

She speaks eloquently as she tells us about privateers plundering enemy ships during war time. I was offered assistance in looking up my ancestors and I took them up on it. These women have a wealth of knowledge about genealogy and are more than glad to share.

 If you are interested in tracing your past contact them, they would love to have you! For more information about DAR or SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) contact them at:

www.dar.org

www.sar.org

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

The holidays are upon us. I wanted to share an excerpt from my book “A Christmas Crossing”.  It describes a night very long ago. A night filled with fear and promise. The night George Washington Crossed the Delaware, December 24^th, 1776. I hope you enjoy it and I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

It was Christmas. The night was dark. Snow filled clouds blocked out the stars offering them little to no light. With the hopes of freedom in their hearts, the men pressed on.

Battered by sleet and snow, Sarah stood huddled on the Pennsylvania shore, with the other women, as she watched them go. She clutched a thin blanket around her frail shoulders even though it did little to block out the frozen wind. Nonetheless, she was one of the lucky ones.

Many of Washington’s soldiers had no coats, and some no shoes. Their bare feet were numb from the cold. A trail of bloody footprints marked their way as they marched across the icy ground.

Tears stung her eyes as she watched her brother Silas step into the last Durham Boat. The deep wooden sides seemed to swallow him up as he sat down for the arduous voyage. The boat was originally constructed to carry iron, not men. She could hear the sound of creaking wood and cracking ice as it was poled off into the river. She said a prayer as it disappeared into the darkness.

Silence remained and she barely noticed as the other women around her shuffled back to camp. They would wait, as they had so many times before, for their men to return. Her body was shivering to warm itself from the bitterness of winter. With a fearful heart she turned and walked back to camp as well.

The sleet had topped the snow with ice. It crunched beneath her feet as she walked. She desperately hoped that the river would not freeze this night.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Holiday Hop!

THE WINNER OF THE KINDLE FIRE IS....Krysta Banco! Congrats Krysta 

and Happy Reading! (posted 1/1/2012)

Christmas is my favorite time of Year!

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