In my article on
Research Tips, I discussed the different approaches to ancestry
research. Some people who choose the direct line approach ignore the
ancestors of the women who marry into the male line. This can be a
big mistake. I first researched my father's family because I wasn't
very interested in my mother's family and therefore put off that
task.
My Father's Family
My father's family was typical of lowland Scots. They were tenant farmers, lived in the
same village from 1664, and were 100% Scottish. A foreigner was
someone from the next village. There were a
couple of 'characters' in the family, but I discovered nothing earth
shattering during my research.
My grandfather, Alexander, was the most
interesting of the lot. To avoid a life of farming he went to South
Africa circa 1901 to seek his fortune prospecting for diamonds.
Needless to say, that didn't work out very well. Completely broke,
he enlisted in the Imperial Light Horse in Durban (1902) to fight in
the Boer War (and probably to eat). His timing was pretty good as he
served for only 6 months before the war ended, and he was honorably discharged. He next
showed up in Saskatoon, SK, Canada, in 1903 where he somehow found a
Scottish lassie of 'pure' blood. They married in 1908, and my father was born
in 1909 - still 100% Scottish and proud of it!
My Mother's Family
After good progress with my Scottish ancestry research, I turned
to my mother's family. My mother was born in Detroit to Canadian
parents. They lived in Michigan until my mother was six and then
moved back to Canada. Before I started researching her family, I
thought she was my earliest (and only) US ancestor. As a child I was
told that her family was of German and Dutch origins, immigrated to
Canada in the 1860's, and settled in Kingsville, ON, Canada, on the
shores of Lake Erie. I expected to find generations of boring German
farmers but was hoping for one ancestor who was at least a brew
meister. Octoberfest is a fabulous holiday time!
How wrong I was in my expectation of BORING! And herein lies the lesson. FOLLOW THE WOMEN!
The New England Connection
In looking into my mother's family, I noticed a mysterious
American from Vermont, Zoroaster Myrick, who married into the
Canadian Arnold family in 1836 in Kent County, Ontario. How could
I ignore someone named Zoroaster?
As it turned out, the first of Zoroaster's Merrick/Myrick family arrived
at Plymouth Colony in 1636. William Merrick sailed to Massachusetts
on the ship James and settled at what is now Barnstable, MA.
William's forbearers were an ancient family which originated in
Wales. One of William's ancestors, Llewellyn Merrick, served as the
Captain of the Guard at Henry VIII's coronation in 1509. William
himself - keeping up the family military tradition - was a
lieutenant to Captain Myles Standish in Plymouth Colony. The Merrick
family can be traced back to 1000 AD in Wales, and claims descent
from Princes of Wales as well as Edward I of England. I'm not sure I
believe the royal connections, but I haven't looked into them
yet.
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was first settled by the passengers from the
Mayflower in 1620. They had a very difficult time in the beginning.
Of the 102 passengers who sailed on the Mayflower, almost half died
during the first winter in the New World. The settlers arrived in November,
withstood extreme hardship, and had barely enough to eat. New settlers arrived, along with additional supplies, on three ships in
the first few years: the
Fortune (1621), the Anne (1623), and the Little James (1623).
In tracing the genealogy of the Merrick/Myrick family, my
research got very interesting. To make a long story short, the New
England Merricks/Myricks, starting with William Merrick, are outlined
below. The women who brought fascinating family histories into their
marriages are marked in red.
1. William (1) Merrick m.
Rebecca Tracy
2. William (2) Merrick m.
Abigail Hopkins
3. Joshua Merrick m.
Lydia Mayo
4. Barnabas (1) Merrick m.
Ellice (Alice) Bangs
5. Barnabas (2) Merrick/Myrick m.
Dorothy/Dolly Russell (Nothing is known of Dolly)
6. Zoroaster Myrick m.
Mary Ann Arnold
7. Emily Myrick
m. William Lutes
8. Ross Lutes m.
Lulu Greiner
9. Evelyn Lutes
m. Robert Weir
It is the marriage of my parents, Evelyn Lutes and Robert Weir, that
finally ended the 100% Scottish heritage of the Weir family.
The Ethnicity of My Mother's Ancestors
Instead of the 100% German and Dutch heritage as I thought
when I started my research, I learned that my mother's family
includes:
Not one Dutchman
A whole lot of Germans
Scores of Englishmen and Englishwomen
Five generations of Native Americans (probably many more,
but there are no records before 1500 AD)
Probably some Vikings who interacted with the Indians before
Columbus discovered America
French and early French Canadians
A thousand years of Welshmen
One Scotswoman who married into (or was captured by?) the Merricks in
Wales about 1050 AD
A "Romany Gypsy"
Who knows what else?
I also learned that my mother was far from my first "American"
ancestor. That honor belongs to the Native Americans in my family
tree. They can be
traced back to c. 1500 and probably before.
The Fascinating Family Stories
My ancestors on my mother's side of the family include:
One of the first few people born in Plymouth Colony.
Three Mayflower passengers.
Several passengers to Plymouth Colony on the Fortune (1621),
the Anne (1623), and the Little James (1623).
Descent from fifteen people shown as living in Plymouth Colony in 1627
when the Division of Cattle was recorded.
One Englishman who was in Jamestown Colony, Virginia, in 1609,
shipwrecked on a voyage, and later ended up in Plymouth Colony.
Four proven United Empire Loyalist families, honored in
Canada but thought 'traitors' in the US as they were loyal to
King George during the Revolutionary War.
Two additional United Empire Loyalist families to which the
connection is probable but not yet proven.
A stowaway who was caught and became an indentured servant for
several years to
pay for his passage from Germany to Philadelphia.
The earliest university student in the family (Cambridge
1583).
The Romany Gypsy who was deported from England in 1636.
Pennsylvania Dutch pacifists who fled to Canada to avoid
military service in the Revolutionary War. (This is probably
where the "Dutch" ancestry idea came from).
Many patriotic New Englanders who served in the
Continental Army and in various rebel militia groups.
A Hessian soldier who was taken prisoner at Saratoga, NY, by
General Gates' Army and later escaped from a prison camp in
Virginia.
Wampanoag and Narragansett Indian sachems, high sachems, and
grand sachems.
Two Indian
princesses, the maternal grandfather of one ruled over Martha's
Vineyard.
The grand sachem who gave away or sold what is now Providence RI to Roger Williams.
The sachem who gave his name to Hyannis where his
tribe lived on Cape Cod.
One Indian marriage where the bride and groom were brother
and sister.
Two early colonial governors.
The first minister of Boston's Old North Church (One if by
land, two if by sea - the ride of Paul Revere).
The early French Canadian family that immigrated from France
to Montreal prior to 1680 and then settled at Ft. Detroit in
1750 when the population was 483 residents and a garrison of 100
soldiers. There were only 33 women over 15 years of age in
Detroit in 1750.
Two men killed by Indians in the late 1700's, early 1800's.
The first settlers of Southern Ontario c. 1797 granted land
by the Crown.
Several ancestors who were captured and tortured by Indians
before they were ransomed.
One who entertained Shawnee Chief Tecumseh on the night
before Tecumseh was killed in the Battle of the Thames (Canada).
One ancestor who was a captain for the British in the War of 1812.
Mayflower Connections to President Zachary Taylor, Sarah
Palin, Bing Crosby, Cokie Roberts, Chevy Chase, Julia Child,
Richard Gere, Katharine Hepburn, John Lithgow, Commodore Oliver
Hazard Perry, Nelson Rockefeller, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
Norman Rockwell, and Tennessee
Williams.
Non-Mayflower connections to the Bush family and to Barack
Obama.
(Obama, the Bush family, and Sarah Palin are all connected to
each other through
the marriage of Samuel Hinckley
to Sarah Soole/Soule, 1617, Hawkhurst, Kent,
England. The Hinckleys immigrated first to Scituate MA, in 1635 then moved
to Barnstable, MA in 1639. This marriage
connects my family to Obama as well as to the Bushes and to Palin.
However, we have a second connection several generations closer
to the Bushes and a second connection to Palin through a
Mayflower ancestor).
And I thought my mother's family would be boring! I am a
naturalized American citizen. It turns out my ancestors were here in
the continental United States long before anyone in our government
conceived of the concept of "naturalization".
Conclusion
During the course of this journey, I have learned the history of the
Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony. a bit about the Wampanoag and
Narragansett Indians, a lot about the Revolutionary War, the story
of the United Empire Loyalists, a few things about the Pennsylvania Dutch Dunkard,
Mennonite, and Moravian religious beliefs, the history of Ft.
Detroit and Southern Ontario, the importance of the Great Lakes to
early travel, and the hardships of pioneer life. I referenced many maps to determine how place names have changed over the years. Studying genealogy
can open the door to history, religion, geography, cultural
anthropology and a variety of interesting tidbits.
Please don't let your family history be lost or garbled over
time as mine was.
