Revolutionary War Patriots

I have always been aware that there were a few ancestors down the line who fought in the Revolutionary War. But imagine my surprise when I began a quick search using the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Genealogical Research System and found a whopping ten patriots! And that is just in my maternal lineage - there are even more on my father's side of the family. It was a challenge to wrap my head around all the relationships, so I created the following chart with patriots marked in red (click the graphic to view it in a larger size):

Revolutionary War Ancestors of Margaret (Green) Livingstone

Of particular note to me were some of the relationships I found. For instance, the three pairs of men whose children eventually married each other: Jotham Bigelow's son Josiah wed David Culver's daughter Sarah; David Redman's son Michael wed Moses Carpenter's daughter Susannah; Simeon Ballou's son Abraham (also a veteran) married Gideon Mowry's daughter Diana. Here are the names that correspond to the chart:

1. Jotham Bigelow (1717-1876)
2. David Culver (1736-1801)
3. David Redman (1758-1838)
4. Moses Carpenter (1751-1829)
5. Adonijah Taylor (1730-1802)
6. Simeon Ballou (1740-1786)
7. Abraham Ballou (1764-1843)
8. Gideon Mowry (1736-1795)
9. Edmund Ranger Bird (1759-1835)
10. Moody Howes (1725-1806)

The veterans listed here are, of course, only from my maternal grandmother's lineage. My grandfather's family, the Livingstones and Smiths, came to America from Scotland and England much more recently... so it's entirely possible that someone down the line was standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, facing their future in-laws!

Mothers and Daughters

I was going to save this one for mother's day, but I didn't want to wait! I love multi-generational photos, especially candid ones. They really help to put the people of the past in perspective - facts and dates are great, but they fall flat on personality. Even better are photos of mothers and daughters, where you can see who takes after who (or doesn't).

The first picture below, taken about 1924, features my grandmother as a baby, her mother, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother. From left to right, they are: Florence (Brown) Green, Edna (Redmond) Brown, Margaret Green, Harriet (Shuler) Redmond. Three of these lovely ladies return in the second picture, taken about 1947. Standing are Florence (Brown) Green and Margaret (Green) Livingstone; seated are Edna (Redmond) Brown and my aunt.

Grama passed away when I was still in high school, so hopes of another four-generation "mothers and daughters" photo like these will have to wait until I myself am a grandmother! Or will it...

Left to right are: mom, my sister, me, my grandmother, my great-great-grandmother, and my great-grandmother. Taking center stage is my great-great-great-grandmother. Six generations in one photo! ...and yes, I know there are a hundred or so glaring conflicts as a result of my hasty Photoshopping. Sizing, texture, value... not to mention the shadows on everyone's faces going in different directions. Maybe one day when I have a better selection of hi-res photos I will update this with a more cohesive version! ;)

Cats!

It's not a huge surprise to find pictures of Grama, her mother, and her grandmother with cats in their arms... they lived on farms, after all! Clearly this affinity for felines has been passed down through the generations!

  

Edna (Redmond) Brown, c. 1920?

Florence (Brown) Green, c. 1921

  

Margaret (Green) Livingstone, c.1936

Bibs and me, 2012