In October of 2020, I acquired an old historic document. But it is not just any random document. It is a letter written on July 31, 1807 by former General Alexander Spotswood (not to be confused with his grandfather who was Governor Alexander Spotswood, a former Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Virginia from […]
Many of us were brought up believing that Thanksgiving had its roots in a celebration held by the Pilgrims of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Natives of that area in 1620. I remember when I was in grade school, watching movies about the Pilgrims and their thanksgiving and doing numerous class activities associated with […]
In early August of 1609, when Robert Partin arrived at Jamestown, he probably thanked God that he made it there alive. In May 1609, the Virginia Company had reorganized and gained a second charter and began recruiting for a third supply of settlers to the colony of Virginia. It is believed that Robert was an […]
A few weeks ago, I was talking about genealogy with a co-worker of mine. He told me that he was related to Simon Bolivar, a famous South American revolutionary leader. Ironically, when I was a student at Longwood University, for my Colonialism course I wrote a thesis paper for that class about Bolivar. The following […]
What is in a name? In our modern times there are three parts to a name. The first, or given name. Then there is the middle name, usually a name that a set of parents like or sounds good and, in many cases, a family name that gets passed down through the generations. Finally is […]
Hi everyone. I am beyond excited to get my new blog started. After having written my self published book on my family genealogy, Voices of the Past: The Long and Brooks Family History, I have been wanting to write more, but I have had what they call writer’s block. Mainly because there are so many […]