What is it that draws me so to find the history of my
ancestors? What have I to learn
from their lives? I know that a
list of names and dates is relatively meaningless except as a jumping-off
point. How do I discover their
stories: their hopes, fears, beliefs, joys, and tragedies?
The
anecdotal stories seem to have the most value. A grandmother's stories of whence we came can tell us what
we can become. Of course, if you
think of the possibility of genetic memory filtering down from your ancestors
in your DNA, you may, very possibly, have much conflict. Within me runs the blood runs the blood
of the feuding Irish and the English in Ireland, principal characters from both
sides of the Wars of the Roses, a French girl and German soldier who met and
married during the Franco-Prussian war, patriots of the American Revolution and
United Empire Loyalists. Each of
these people contributes unique stories from which I should be able to garner
some wisdom and which could lead to ideological schizophrenia.
No names have been changed to protect the innocent. What you see is what I remember.
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