In my research, I have unearthed facts both uplifting and sobering.  I have seen good people make bad (sometimes very bad) decisions and allegedly shifty ancestors utterly redeem themselves.  In keeping with my intent to write an honest and evidence-based account of my ancestor’s lives, I will detail facts gleaned from research without judgement or malice.  It has been my experience in my researching efforts, both from a document-based standpoint and oral stories from those that may have known my ancestors, that any one person can be viewed a myriad of ways dependent on their interaction, experience, and relationship with the story teller.

And because I did not personally interact with any of my ancestors about whom I will blog, I do not pretend to know the wherefores and the whys of their actions or life choices.  I can only retell their story from facts extracted from the vast amount of documentation, photos, newspaper archives, Google Books archives, census records, wills and a host of other sources that I’ve collected over the past four years.

I beg your indulgence and perhaps at times, your forgiveness, as my only intent is to give voice to those who have passed before us and to introduce you to the fascinating forerunners of our lineage.

I hope you love and enjoy them as much as I do.