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A Picture and 1000 WordsJames Jacob Rogers 1706 Ireland 1752 New HampshireInto the frontier ten miles from the nearest settlement, James Jacob Rogers and Mary McPhedren Rogers from Londonderry, Ireland relocated their family of ten children in the Merrimack River Valley, near what would be called Dunbarton, New Hampshire. Only a wilderness, in a thick dark forest of white pines and inhabited by wild game, my 5th great grandparents, carved out a home. And then tragedy after tragedy. Listen to my tale of what happened in the Great Meadow, on Walnut Hill.2022-02-1002 minA Picture and 1000 WordsThe Siege of DerryKing James II appeared before the walls of Derry, Ireland. The town was asked to surrender and they refused. The siege began when storming the walls failed and they resorted to starving Derry out. My sixth great grandfather John Barnett Sr. would survive His wife died on the trip to America and John would marry the widow Janet, wife of his friend John McKean when they reached America. 2022-01-1706 minA Picture and 1000 WordsGramma Watkins was Wanted by the SheriffI think my 8th great grandmother Elizabeth Watkins Stockley Stratton, 1633-to after 1697, liked to say, "I'm not finished yet and it's not yours till I am!" Through the court cases at Accomack County, Virginia her tale is told of evading the sheriff. What a life she led, living through hurricanes and having twelve surviving children raised to adulthood in the 17th century, including the daughter of her second marriage whose husband was giving her grief. 2021-09-1911 minA Picture and 1000 WordsHow John Stockley Jr. 1621-1673 Acquired LandMy 8th great grandfather John Stockley was a tobacco planter. This is the story of Colonial Virginia, where he acquired the plantation at Assawoman, Accomac County, Virginia. John used the "headright" and became a wealthy man with servants and lands. His will leaves an inheritance to seven sons one of whom is named for his mother's maiden name of Woodman who would be my 7th great grandfather, Woodman Stockley.2021-09-1205 minA Picture and 1000 WordsCourtcases, a Cow, a Murder, and Directions to Uncle Francis Stockley PlantationI hope you enjoy listening to the court cases of my Aunt Joane Hall Stockley Custis, married to Francis Stockley brother to my 8th grandfather John Stockley 1621-1673. These stories give a glimpse of life in the early Virginian colonies.2021-09-1104 minA Picture and 1000 WordsThe Anglicans in the Early Virginia ColoniesJohn and Elizabeth Watkins Stockley were my eighth maternal grandparents. Church attendance was compulsory and fines were issued. I can just picture John and his brother, Francis, who got fined inattentive, bored and sleeping, whispering, staring out the windows or into space. Then, as tobacco plantation owners not liking the British overruling the Colony on how much tobacco to pay the Anglican priests when the crops failed. I am continually amazed at the details they kept in the Accomack County, Virginia court records for me to find 378 years later!2021-09-0806 min
A Picture and 1000 WordsElizabeth Woodman Stockley, My 9th grandmotherCrossing the Atlantic Ocean by 1621 Elizabeth was married and living near Jamestown, Virginia in British Colonial America. She was only 7 miles away from the Powhatan Uprising of 1622. Her children prospered by transporting people to the colony in exchange for land. I was able to trace her grandchildren by reading the wills of her boys: John and Francis Stockley. The third son she named Woodman after her maiden name. Elizabeth Woodman Stockley left a legacy; in my tree are named 27 men with the name of Woodman.2021-08-1810 minA Picture and 1000 WordsThe Trial of YoungAlexander Young had a pretty young daughter, only 17. This is a love story turned tragic, in a time when the circuit courts travelled to the people. It is a love story of caring for an insane wife. And a family who took in a child of ten when his mother died. Orlen went to live with his grandfather, Jonathan Young, and his Uncle Claude Young and family, homesteaders in 1904 at Innisfee, Alberta. Claude and David were brothers; David had married Marion Anna Gibbs, my great aunt, when she died in 1906. Alexander Young who went to trial was the great great...2021-07-3108 minA Picture and 1000 WordsLet's Go Homesteading at Gilpin, AlbertaThese were the words my second great grandfather Hiram, 59 said to his wife Mary Elizabeth Smith Gibbs 53. For $10 homesteading fee, they could own 160 acres, after they "proved up" in three years. The entire family agreed to this new venture except for oldest daughter, Nellie Mary back in Iowa. What trials and tribulations did my Gibbs families endure? I have taken liberties to tell their story from census, court, birth and death records. Gilpin, Alberta is now not on any map, but the location is near Ryley and Viking, Alberta.2021-07-2021 minA Picture and 1000 WordsManifest Destiny - MontanaLooking for opportunity and land, my 2nd great grandparents Hiram Gibbs and Mary Elizabeth Smith would hear the call of manifest destiny and head west, after the devastating Thumb Fires of 1871 and 1881 at Port Hope, Michigan. Fruit growers in the beautiful Bitterroots of Montana near Kalispell they would once again gather the family to make an important decision. This time with children married and many grandchildren another opportunity for free land was discussed.2021-07-1316 minA Picture and 1000 WordsFires at the Thumb 1871 and 1881What would you do if you saw a wall of fire, roaring, cackling, out of control coming at you? The Smith's and Gibbs at Port Huron, Michigan lived through not one but two of mother nature's monster fires pushed by hurricane winds. They had to be strong to survive the destitution and human misery.2021-07-0209 minA Picture and 1000 WordsPort Hope, Michigan My grandparents were early settlersJames William Smith and Mary Elizabeth Wilson my 3rd great grandparents, were early settlers at St. Mary's Ontario and then started over by moving to a newly settled Port Hope, Michigan. This was a lumber town, where James blacksmithed and farmed. It's a story of reconciliation after the Wars that unite two families of Patriots and Loyalists, the Gibbs and Smith's when brother and sister married sister and brother. Uncle John Nicholas Smith married Aunt Rachel Francis Gibbs and 2nd great grandparents Hiram Gibbs married Mary Elizabeth Smith. My great grandparent, George Arthur Gibbs was born here and all thre...2021-07-0209 minA Picture and 1000 WordsFrom St. Mary's, Limerick, Ireland to St. Mary's OntarioA motherless boy of 11, James William Smith my 3rd great grandfather makes his way to Canada to wed a young 14 year old girl, Mary Ann Wilson, in 1832 of Loyalist descent. The couple are early settlers at St. Mary's Ontario. James William is a blacksmith. By 1860 they have moved to Port Hope, Michigan.2021-07-0108 minA Picture and 1000 WordsSaint Mary's Cathedral, Limerick Ireland A Wedding 1806Anthony, Nicholas and James William, 3 generations of my Smith grandfathers, each joined the British army in Ireland. Today's podcast is the wedding of Nicholas and Alicia Jephson at St. Mary's Cathedral, in Limerick, Ireland. Imagine entering the elaborately carved door, looking up the 120 foot tower, the beautiful carvings, the oak ceiling and saying "I do". If you go find my blog about the wedding in WordPress I've included a video of the Cathedral, or research it on YouTube. It is a most magnificent backdrop for a spring wedding in May, 1806.2021-06-2505 minA Picture and 1000 WordsAn Irish Wedding 1780 at Nobber, IrelandAdding the surname Smith to the ancestry tree, with some Irish roots connected to the British Army. Anthony Smith 87th Regiment, Nicholas Smith 97th Foot Soldier, James William Smith 43rd Foot Soldier, my 5th, 4th and 3rd great grandfathers. James William was motherless at age 11 and joined the army for LIfe! How did this Irish Catholic lad end up married to my strictly Methodist German Irish-Palatine grandmother, Mary Wilson age 14?2021-06-2507 minA Picture and 1000 WordsHay Bay Tragedy 1819Always be ready, to go at God's call. Death may be sent for you and enter your door. I can imagine my 3rd Great Grandmother, Mary Sarah Wilson, memorizing these words in school. She was only a baby when the tragedy occurred but the poem was recited and memorized for the next two decades and the stories repeated by the survivors.2021-05-3007 minA Picture and 1000 WordsHay Bay Camp MeetingRev Nathan Bangs 4th cousin 6 generations ago organized the First Camp Meeting for the Methodist Church in 1805. His eye witness account found in his personal journal relates the spiritual journey of my ancestors, the Millers, and a religious revival that lasted several more generations.2021-05-1409 minA Picture and 1000 WordsSaddle Bag PreacherReverend Nathan Bangs circuit rider at the Bay of Quinte would organize the first Methodist camp meeting and play a major role in frontier evangelism. A glimpse into life of my 6th great grandparents Garrett Miller U.L.E and his wife Elizabeth Switzer.2021-05-0713 minA Picture and 1000 WordsAlways Be Kind, The Queen vs Corby CourtcaseWhat did the Honorable Jason Miller Mack say about Mrs. Corby?2021-04-2806 minA Picture and 1000 WordsThe Naming of Garrett Nelson Trafalgar MillerA song by Michael Johnson reminds me, If you love me give me wings, and don't be afraid if I fly, you can trust me give me wings. I like to think of Garrett Nelson Trafalgar Miller giving his wife Maria Morris those wings during the Victorian Era. Besides his unique name, Garrett is my second cousin on my paternal family tree, his father Garrett Sr. son of Jacob Miller brother to my 6th great grandfather Garrett Miller, Loyalist. On my tree follows Rebecca Miller 1774, Mary Ann Bush 1799, Mary Sarah Wilson 1818, Mary Elizabeth Smith 1850, George Arthur Gibbs 1875, Olive Gibbs my g...2021-04-2508 minA Picture and 1000 WordsOf Pirates, Prizes and a PinaforeA diary from a crusty seaman, written in 1799 holds the key to a ship's name, Diligence, and what she captures. Uncle Jacob Miller's child, Garrett is delegated Commissioner, issuing the letters of marque during the War of 1812. Come on a journey from Ireland, to America, flee the Revolutionary War, dance in a pinafore, visit with the spinsters and watch the sails come into the harbor. Imagine with me!2021-04-2212 minA Picture and 1000 WordsThey Said Canada Would Be Easy PickingsUncle Jacob Miller and his son Garrett, were legitimate pirates during the War of 1812. It was all legal. And the Americans were eyeing the Canadian frontier to expand in, thinking and saying Canada would be easy pickings. Ah hoy, mates, imagine waking up after a night full of rum, and finding your ship being boarded, all was fair game during war.2021-04-1908 minA Picture and 1000 WordsGrief and Abandonment Martin MillerEmotional sadness, and grief can be overwhelming. Treat yourself kindly, and walk in the moccasins of Martin Miller.2021-04-1408 minA Picture and 1000 WordsA Barnardo BoyThis episode is also available as a blog post: https://apictureand1000wordsblog.wordpress.com/2021/04/11/a-barnardo-boy/ Having never heard of the Barnardo Home Children, its an interesting yet sad tale of improvished children from Britain sent to Canada to mostly work on farms for 80 years. Robert Hutton was one of them.2021-04-1107 minA Picture and 1000 WordsVicissitudes of a Court CaseA story of overcoming the vicissitudes of life, a change in fortune or circumstance, a story of my 6th great grandparents Garrett and Elizabeth Switzer Miller.2021-04-0510 minA Picture and 1000 WordsGarrett Miller vs Peter Sparling, A Court CaseThis episode is also available as a blog post: https://apictureand1000wordsblog.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/garrett-miller-vs-peter-sparling-a-court-case/2021-04-0510 minA Picture and 1000 WordsThe Story of Patience RoseBy the end of the Revolutionary War, the Loyalists were relocated by the British to Canada, in an evacuation from New York. Patience Rose Switzer was acknowledged in her role during the Battle of Saratoga many years later by the British government. This is her story and although I have taken historical liberties placing her in the Oak tree, the basic facts of her father's statements, the evacuation, the refugee camp, her marriage certificate, and her reward are historical facts.2021-03-2916 minA Picture and 1000 WordsThe British Are Coming!The setting for my 6th great grandparents is the Revolutionary War, particularly the Battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777. What surprised me was when I found other family members on the opposite side of the War which means they were shooting at each other. Wounded, imprisoned, escaped, and a little girl is carried horseback 300 miles to a foreign country, to begin life again. Historians say the Battle of Bennington changed history for the entire world and it certainly did for Garrett and Elizabeth Miller and Rebecca Miller, that little 4 year old girl, my 5th great grandmother.2021-03-2709 minA Picture and 1000 WordsI'll Be Home ByWhen my 6th great grandfather, Garrett Miller, marched away to join the British in the Revolutionary War, he didn't think he would be gone long! This is the story of how one man, Justus Sherwood, came into the Irish-Palatines lives, at Camden Valley, New York, and changed Canadian history forever. Garrett Miller followed him and became captain in the King's Royal Regiment.2021-03-2504 minA Picture and 1000 WordsGarrett Miller The LoyalistThe Miller family were Irish-Palatines just arriving a few years before the Revolutionary war broke out. They, as other Palatines, suffered severe punishments for holding beliefs that their fellow Americans rejected. When they heard the murmurings of independence from Britain for the colonies, imagine them making the choices. Today, in Alberta, I hear murmuring of independence from Canada and the same discontent with equalization payments forced upon this province. Will history repeat itself? What choices could I be forced to make. For 65 years I have known only peace. When I read about Garrett Miller my 6th great grandfather on my pater...2021-03-2011 minA Picture and 1000 WordsKatherine Elizabeth Ruckle Irish-Palatine Immigrant 1690-1755A journey as a refugee, from Palatine Germany by my 8th great grandmother to Sir Thomas Southwell's estate under the shadow of the Castle Matrix, Rathkeale, Ireland. With Irish DNA of 12% and a match with Uncle Tobias, I'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day and claim my Irish-Palatine history. Katherine Elizabeth Ruckle wed Christopher Switzer there in 1711. To this small emerald green island known for its deep rooted spirit of hospitality, the history of Ireland is sad to me. Henry VIII created the Kingdom of Ireland after a failed Irish rebellion. When the Pope refused his divorce, he created his own Chur...2021-03-1709 minA Picture and 1000 WordsAdding More to the Switzer Story of 3 Generations of Johann Jacob SchweitzerIt isn't hard to remember my 11th, 10th, and 9th great grandfathers! They were all named Johann Jacob Schweitzer. The records of the court being held in Assenheim, after the Germans had wandered during the Thirty Years War, was helpful in telling their stories. A tale of romance and prosperity, woman who came with a dowry, and one knowing she would never see her family again. What would you pack that you would carry on a new adventure to a new country? 2021-03-1508 minA Picture and 1000 WordsPeter Switzer to AmericaPeter my 7th great grandfather and his wife Anna Marie Guier came to America with 4 children, the eldest being my 6th great grandmother, Elizabeth. Imagine living in a partitioned off barn before a death gave them a home and a rented farm. The Revolutionary War was about to break out, and enter a new character in their saga, Garrett Miller. And this story ends with my Aunt Margaret; not much is written about the women in the history books of this time but Aunt Margaret Switzer Embury Lawrence was the first hostess of that prayer meeting held in her hom...2021-03-1206 minA Picture and 1000 WordsPhilip Guier, Irish PalatineDedicated to my son, Philip, I thought my German relatives story would be one of fleeing the wars and cold of 1709, when at the invitation of Queen Anne they came to England and as refugees were resettled in Ireland and farmed. End of story. Not so! The stories of Philip Guier, Christopher Switzer and Garnett Miller, these three grandparents, will be intertwined until they reach America shores and eventually influence the story of the settlement of Canada.2021-03-0907 minA Picture and 1000 WordsAn Irish Palatine Johann Christopher SchwertzerA freezing cold weather event left Continental Europe in its grips for three months, 1709. The is a story of survival of my 8th great grandfather and his journey to a better life.2021-03-0603 minA Picture and 1000 WordsA Picture and 1000 Words, Someday I'm Going to Tell You The Story of My LifeI always said I was going to write the story of my life! This I did, then turned to researching historical family ancestors and blogging Apictureand1000words at WordPress. From the blog I'm going to start my first Podcast, dedicated to my future great grandchildren. In my own voice I'm retelling my story, starting with, "Granny, tell us what it was like when you were little?" This story was written in 1990 and covers the years 1955-1972. It was the best of times. 2021-03-0406 min