There is a fabulous exhibit at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut that tells the story of the sea from the viewpoints of Black and Indigenous peoples. It is called Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea and you have to go see it. Below is my piece from the exhibit catalog- Telling It Like It Is (and Was) For centuries, others have told our stories in ways … Continue reading My Small Piece
I keep hearing folks claim to be descended from the Pegan Band of Nipmuc Indians, the forebears of the current Chaubunagungamaug Band. Many that claim that ancestry are simply not Pegan and I admit to being confused at the sudden popularity of my ancestors. Here is a brief rundown on what currently existing Nipmuc families descend from the ancestral Pegans. To begin, Pegan was what … Continue reading Who is a Pegan?
This post has been sitting in my draft box for ages. I want to write about Vergennes from the point of view of my ancestors that lived there in the late 18th to late 19th centuries. But I never seem to get around to it. Recently, I saw a BETA test of an AI app in Ancestry.com. So I tried it and below is the … Continue reading Vergennes
I visited the National Archives last month and was able to see Lafayette Mason’s Civil War pension file in person. Although I have a copy of the bible pages, I had not before seen the actual pages that were torn from my ancestors’ bible for the pension application. I took photos (lots of photos) of the two pages and here they are below- Beautiful, aren’t … Continue reading Mason Family Bible Pages
**My family and I owe a debt to researcher Greg Furness for much of the information that we have about Lafayette and his family. Thank you Mr. Furness!** My 4th great-grandfather was Lafayette Mason. Born in Ellenburg in Clinton County, NY on March 20, 1827 to William Mason and Diana Robinson. In 1846, at age 19, he married Mary E. Wheeler from Willsboro in Essex … Continue reading Lafayette Mason
This is a StoryMap about my Anderson and Bostic ancestors. Both families originated in the Maryland/Delaware/Pennsylvania triangle pictured below. They made their way out of enslavement in Delaware and Maryland to freedom in Pennsylvania. Both families then moved north – ending up in Worcester, MA. Here is their story (click the photo below)- My uncle Tony told me the story of how Hattie and Walter … Continue reading Hattie and Walter
I recently did a controversial thing (at least in my communities, it is controversial) – I submitted a DAR application for my ancestor Mingo Pollock. DAR is the Daughters of the American Revolution and they have a long, long history of racism against People of Color. Which they are trying to overcome – they published some years ago the volume African American and American Indian … Continue reading My Revolutionary War Veterans
Cheryll Toney Holley 