The Fourth of July is probably a good time for family historians and all Americans to reflect not only on ancestral ties to the colonial era and the American Revolution but on ancestors of later generations, from various times and places, who over time helped to build and protect the nation. I’m still skimming the surface of our ancestors’ involvement in the Revolutionary War, but I expect a fascinating journey. I’m eager to see how much more I can learn about those who preceded us in that tumultuous era. I don’t have access to a picture of a colonial flag, but I confess I’m pretty fond of the current, more expansive version anyway. The flag above flies in the skies of Texas, the setting for some of the more recent chapters of our family history. I look forward to resuming the colonial era research again soon. In the meantime, we have the privilege this year, as every year, of celebrating and enjoying the fruits of the efforts and sacrifices of those who came before us. Happy 236th. Have a wonderful Independence Day…
Deuteronomy 32:7Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.
"Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about."
— G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy