Civil War

With my maternal lines coming from New England (and probably over 90% from Massachusetts) and my paternal lines coming from Tennessee and Alabama, it’s no small wonder that I have ancestors on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.  I have great grandparents who arrived on board the Mayflower…John Howland, Sr in 1620…or aboard the Fortune….William Bassett in 1621.  On my father’s side, my 5th great grandfather, my direct paternal line, I have Jonathan Robertson (or Robinson or Robison or Roberson…take your pick!) who arrived somewhere in the mid 1750’s from Ireland.  As a result, I have many ancestors who were veterans of King Philip’s War, French and Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, the Cvil War and so on up to the 20th century.

So it’s curious that I’ll be taking Old Bones Genealogy to Look Park in Northampton, MA this August as a sponsor/supporter of the reenactment of the “Battle of the Seven Pines”.  I know where (Look Park), I know when (August 11 and 12, 2012) but I don’t know if I’m going to have to wear a grey uniform to represent the Confederacy or a blue uniform for the Union!

Either way, I’ll be ready with the stories of my own ancestors who through the window of history stood on either side of a conflict that took over 600,000 lives 150 years ago.