Friday, June 17, 2011

George Washington and Service To Our Troops


It has been a busy week with preparations for my up coming trip to Washington D.C. for N.S.D.A.R. Continental Congress. This picture is truly one of my favorites from my shoot of the occassion of the flag raising at Genesee for Flag Day 2011. In all the reading I do, of George Washington I always come away with a deep respect for this man. He cared so very much for the welfare of his troops. True, these are reinactors in this picture above, but these are also members of the Colorado Society Sons of The American Revolution. They also know, and have studied the man who led our country to liberty. 


George Washington once said, "We will be remembered by how we treat our veterans." No words are truer. This weekend I help my Chapter, Colorado Chapter N.S.D.A.R. help an organization called Homes for Our Troops build an adaptive home for a disable returning veteran. His name is SGT Latseen Benson. This is my fourth build. I give my time because of General Washington, I serve a veteran. I believe it is the right thing to do for my country. 






There are new homes being built for severely injured veterans around our country. If you are interested in contributing time, skill or money to an outstanding organization which promotes the values our country was built on, then please take the link below and find out more about Homes For Our Troops. You will be rewarded with service you will be proud to give.






Women of The Revolution - A Poem



WOMEN OF THE REVOLUTION

Read the fresh annals of our land the gathering dust of time
Nor yet has fallen on the scroll to dim the tale sublime;
There woman's glory proudly shines, for willingly she gave
Her costliest offerings to uphold the generous and the brave
Who fought her country's battles well; and oft she perilled life
To save a father, brother, friend, In those dark years of strife.
Whatever strong-armed man hath wrought, whatever he hath won,
That goal hath woman also reached, that action hath she done."


Mary M. Chase


Source: Hanafore, Phebe A., "Daughters of America on Women of the Century", True and Company, Augusta, ME, 1883.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Today's Colonial Gift From Whiskers



The trend of History is often reflected in the very names borne by the men and women who played a part in it", according to Donald Lines Jacobus, often considered the father of American genealogy. The history of given (first) names in early America offers a glimpse at our forebears and their customs, as well as clues to their origins. 


New England's first settlers bore names of three different types: those of English origin, those of Hebrew derivation, and those intended to have a moral significance. Old English names, connected with the Church of England, were not often favored by the Puritans. Puritans named their children somewhat differently than other English-speaking settlers, preferring Biblical names. Evidently, some parents shut their eyes, opened the Bible, and pointed to a word at random--what else could account for a child being named Notwithstanding or Maybe? 

The early Massachusetts Brewster family had two sons, Love and Wrestling, and two daughters named Patience and Fear. The names Humility, Desire, Hate-evil, and Faint-not also appeared in the region. Other New England onomastic Practices included obscure references and names that commemorated an occasion--such as Oceanus Hopkins, who was born on the Mayflower in 1620.
Early settlers seemed to favor names for their associated moral qualities. Among girls' names, which were no doubt intended to incite their bearers to lead godly lives, were: Content, Lowly, Mindwell, Obedience, Patience, Silence, Charity, Mercy, Comfort, Delight and Thankful. 

In many families, the first names of the father and mother were given to the first-born son and daughter, respectively. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 53 percent of all females were named Mary, Elizabeth, or Sarah. Other popular girls' names were Rebecca, Ruth, Anne, Hannah, Deborah, Huldah, Abigail, and Rachel. Meanwhile, prevalent boys' names included John, Joseph, Samuel, Josiah, Benjamin, Jonathan, and Nathan. 



In Virginia, Biblical references were less common. Early settlers often named sons for Teutonic warriors, Frankish knights, and English kings. Favorites included William, Robert, Richard, Edward, George, and Charles. Daughters received name of Christian saints and traditional English folk names, such as Margaret, Jane, Catherine, Frances, and Alice, along with English favorites Mary, Elizabeth, Anne, and Sarah. First-born children were named for their grandparents, and second-born for their parents. A popular custom in both Virginia and New England was the use of surnames as given names. This occurred mostly with boys, but it was not unknown for girls. Some names were also chosen for their magical properties, and astrologers were consulted in attempt to find a "fortunate" or "lucky" name. 



Among Quakers in Colonial Pennsylvania and Delaware, babies went through a ritual called nomination. An infant's name was carefully selected by the parents, certified by friends, witnessed by neighbors, and then entered in the register of the meeting. 

First-born children were named after grandparents, honoring maternal and paternal lines evenly, often with an eldest son named after his mother's father and an eldest daughter after her father's mother. 

While this practice was not universal among Quaker families, it was common in the Delaware Valley. Many names came from the Bible, with favorites for boys being John, Joseph, Samuel, Thomas, William, and George; and for girls, Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Anne/Anna/Hannah, and Esther/Hester. Also popular among the Quakers was Phebe, which rarely appeared in New England or the South. They also favored the names Patience, Grace, Mercy, and Chastity. One family's eight children were named Remember, John, Restore, Freedom, Increase, Jacob, Preserve, and Israel. 

Naming patterns differed in the "back country" of early America, which was heavily populated by Scots-Irish as well as German, Scandinavian, Irish, Scottish, French, and Dutch families. In these rural areas, many given names were "americanized," making it difficult for genealogists to identify a family's ethnic origins. 

As a general rule for these people, the patterns included a mixture of biblical, teutonic, and saints' names. Among the most popular given names for boys were: John, Robert, Richard, Andrew, Patrick, and David. Celtic names such as Ewan (and variants Ewen and Owen), Barry, and Roy were often used, as were Archibald, Ronald, Alexander, Charles, James, Wallace, Bruce, Percy, Ross, and Clyde. Again, eldest sons were often named after their grandfathers, and second or third sons after their fathers-- similar to patterns found in early tidewater Chesapeake families. 

One peculiar naming pattern found among the back-country settlers was the one bestowing unusual--sometimes made-up--given names. From an early date, these rugged pioneers cultivated a spirit of onomastic individualism, a spirit still found today in this country as parents search for a special, perhaps unique, name for their baby. Others prefer to select a name from their family tree that has been passed along for generations.




Old Naming Patterns of Ireland

Sons
1st son was named after the father's father
2nd son was named after the mother's father
3rd son was named after the father
4th son was named after the father's eldest brother
5th son was named after the mother's eldest brother
Daughters
1st daughter was named after the mother's mother
2nd daughter was named after the father's mother
3rd daughter was named after the mother
4th daughter was named after the mother's eldest sister
5th daughter was named after the father's eldest sister
If the father remarries after his first wife dies, the first daughter born to this new marriage is often named after the deceased wife, and includes her whole name.
If a child dies young then their name is then used for the next child of the same sex, thereby keeping alive the name of the relative who they are ‘named for’
GIVEN NAME
or "Christian name," is the first name of an individual listed before their surname.  "Middle names", do not seem to have been used in either Ireland or Scotland until some time after the 16th century.  In both Ireland and Scotland, men used male given names, and women used female given names. There was only a small group of given names that could be used for both men and women. The typical Irish byname is a patronymic, which would indicate who your father is.

MAC
Irish and Scotch Gaelic prefix meaning "son of."  Also m' and "mic," giving rise to the racial slur for Irish men as "micks," "mics," or "micky's."  Scottish and Irish patronymic surnames frequently have the prefix Mac or Mc. When these surnames were originally developed, they were formed by adding the Gaelic word mac, which means son of, to the name of the original bearer's father. For example, the surname MacDonnell literally means son of Donnell.
In later times, these prefixes were also added to the occupation or nickname of the bearer's father. For example, MacWard means son of the bard and MacDowell means son of the black stranger.  Numerous variations of this prefix emerged, for a number of reasons.  It was rendered Mag before vowels and aspirated consonants. Historical records concerning Irish and Scottish names reveal that the common prefix Mc and the less common prefixes M' and Mcc developed as abbreviations of the original Gaelic prefix Mac. 

Historical records concerning Irish and Scottish names reveal that the common prefix Mc and the less common prefixes M' and Mcc developed as abbreviations of the original Gaelic prefix Mac.  Thus, the popular beliefs that Mc is a distinctively Irish prefix while Mac is exclusively Scottish, and that one prefix is used by Catholic families while the other one is specifically Protestant are erroneous. 

In actuality, the same person often had his surname recorded using both Mac and Mc on separate occasions.

NI
(also nee and nighean or inghean or even inghean uí) In the Irish patronymic naming system, indicates that the individual is the daughter of the man whose surname follows.
The form is:inghean uí ,
which means:  daughter of a male descendant of .
For example: Cairistiona inghean uí MacGhilleFhiondaig' which means: Cairistiona daughter of a male descendant of MacGhilleFhiondaig  (or, fully Anglicized, Christine daughter of a male descendant of McClintock). Later the word inghean was corrupted to nighean, which was further shortened to ni. 
Ó
Irish and Scotch Gaelic prefix to a patronymic name literally meaning "of the generations of," or the more commonly understood term "grandson."
Ua, Uí
Family, clan. E.g. Uí Néill

SURNAME
The last, or "family name" of the individual. All Gaelic surnames are patronymic," it is the father, and not the mother, whose given name was used to form this type of byname.  Gaelic bynames formed from the mother's name (metronymics) are vanishingly rare to nonexistent in both Scotland and Ireland.  In Ireland, clan affiliations were often used to form bynames. Simple patronymic bynames and clan affiliation bynames are the two most common types of Gaelic byname found in medieval and early modern Ireland.
Men: The standard form of Irish clan affiliation bynames for men is:
ó , the ó being a contraction/corruption of uá, which gives us the meaning: male descendant of
For example: Seamus ó Dae, which means Seamus male descendant of Dae (or, fully James, Dae male descendant of Day).
WomenWomen patronymics are formed the same way, so the standard way to form Irish clan affiliation bynames for women is:
inghean uí ,which means:  daughter of a male descendant of
For example: Caristiona inghean uí Dae' which means: Cairistionia daughter of a male descendant of Dae (or, fully Anglicized, Christine daughter of a male descendant of Day).  Later the word inghean was corrupted to nighean, which was further shortened to ni.

Note that in names such as Cochobhar,  the nominative form of the change from Conchobhar is Conchobar. The h in Chochobhar is the result of a feature of Gaelic called "aspiration," their way of recognizing the living or inherent "spiritual" aspect of names.  Most consonants are aspirated after ingen nighean and ni, but in the period when ingen was used, this aspiration usually wasn't reflected in the spelling.  Also note that the parental name is often modified even further.  For example, if you are Cormacc son of Aed, the Irish would be Cormacc mac Aeda.  This is because Gaelic has a distinct genitive or possessive case that looks (and often sounds) different from the nominative case. For instance, Aeda means "of Aed" or "Aed's."
A subgroup of patronymic style names is formed from the father's occupation, status or nickname instead of his given name.
Ó Gobhann means "(male) descendant of (the) smith.
Mac an Bhaird means "son of the bard."
Mac an Ghoill means "son of the foreigner."
Mac an tSionnaigh means "son of the fox."
(These are modern spellings; in Middle Irish these might have been Ua Goband, Mac in Baird, Mac in Gaill and Mac int Shinnaig.)
There are other forms of Irish bynames, including epithets, occupational name and locatives. An epithet is a descriptive phrase added after the given name. These tended to be extremely simple and concrete. A colour might be added to describe a person's hair or complexion.

  • Maine with the red hair might be called Maine Ruad.
  • Little Lugaid might be called Lugaid Beag.
  • Cathan, who is clever like a fox, might be called Cathan Sinnach.
  • Locative names state that someone is from a particular place.
  • In Mulind, in modern Irish an Mhuilinn means "of the mill" and indicates that the person lived at or near a mill.
  • Muimnech, now spelled Muimhneach is a byname meaning "Munsterman, the man from Munster."
Resources: 
Choosing an Irish Name, Kristine Elliot 1997
Colonial Naming Patterns, Colin Thomas, 2002
LDS Church Records, et al. 
Naming Patterns of Virginia
Anglican Church Records

Peace Pipe Chapter, NSDAR Celebrates Flag Day





June 14th, 2011 was a very special celebration for everyone in attendance at the Flag Day celebration and raising of a flag for Peace Pipe Chapter. The flag raised was once flown over our nation's capitol.  This patriotic tradition goes back with the Chapter for 100 years at Genesee, Colorado. Members of the family of one the original participants were there to lend support and honor her.

This video captures many of the wonderful moments of this historic event. Shown is the great love so many of us have for our country.

Below is a link to original photos taken that day. You are invited to view each one and comment. Each picture has a story and speaks to patriotism, preservation and education.



God Bless The United States of America

Please enjoy.


"Travel to an Extrodinary Event Here"

Photography and video by Christine McClintock Hudspeth


Sunday, June 5, 2011

Rode Island - A Colony Founded on Tolerance and Reform


Did you know that the colony of Rode Island, means Red Island? It  was founded on the principle of separation of Church and State guaranteeing religious freedom to all who settled there. It became a safe haven for persecuted Jews, Quakers and Presbyterians who had fled the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
William Rogers who is credited with starting the colony of Rode Island, was himself a Puritan who came to America. He had quite an impact on the second generation of Puritans at a time when ideas of change were contagious. Rogers was friends with the Puritan leaders of Colonial Massachusetts until he started voicing his discontent. Rogers told the Puritan leaders that the Puritanism practiced in the colony was not pure enough and the Church of England was beyond reform. He spoke out against the punishment of anyone for religious offences and denounced Puritan leaders for forcing religion on everyone who lived in the community. When asked to take an oath by the local government, Rogers refused stating that any kind of oath or vow was religious and could not be required of the government. For speaking his mind, the colony tried and banished William Rogers (founder) to Rhode Island. It later became it's own colony. After William Rogers was banished from Colonial Massachusetts, he made friends with the Pequot Indians and established Rhode Island from land that he purchased from the Indians. William Rogers believed that the Indians had legal right to the land, which further ostracized him from society. He learned the Pequot language and remained on friendly terms with the Indians. Rogers used his friendship with the Pequot to save the Massachusetts colony from attacks on many occasions yet the people of the colony still ostracized him. Despite the Puritans treatment, William Rogers still helped them.
The example William Rogers set for generations of Puritans was important. Literacy was widespread in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Many could read, and did read the Bible. They were able to think, making interpretations and judgments on their own. Most in the Massachusetts Bay Colony perceived William Rogers as a trusting person who was ostracized because he questioned the authority of "the establishment." Over one hundred years later an article in the Massachusetts Spy, stated, “For however strange it may appear, yet indubitable facts prove that mankind is naturally compassionate toward those who are subjected to pains and hardships for the sake of their religion, and very frequently join with them and espouse their cause and raise sedition and faction and endanger the public peace.”

Here is a little background:
In the Massachusetts Bay colony, those caught practicing the Quaker faith were whipped, tarred and/or hanged. Rogers chastised the Puritan Colony for refusing to allow freedom of religion after they had experienced religious persecution when he wrote his book The Bloudy Tenant of Persecution for Cause of Conscience. “The blood of so many hundred thousand souls of Protestants and Papists, spilt in the wars of present and former ages, for their respective consciences, is not required nor accepted by Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.”

Rhode Island Colonial Facts

  • The Puritans of Colonial Massachusetts exiled to Rhode Island those who did not fit into their society or those who's ideas and beliefs were contrary to theirs.
  • Rhode Island original name was Rogues Island
  • William Rogers set up a colony that was based on religious toleration
  • Anne Hutchinson banished from Massachusetts settled in Rhode Island
  • The capital of Rhode Island is Providence
  • Rhode Island is the smallest State in the United States
  • Rhode Island is a New England State


A Special Colonial Woman - Anne Hutchinson


Anne Hutchinson was another exiled to Rhode Island colony by the Massachusetts colony. Colonial women did not speak in Church or teach in public. Anne Hutchinson knew the Bible well and preached the word of God despite the consequences. She openly denounced the views of a preacher during a sermon at a church service. Labeled a heretic for her brazenness, Hutchinson was banished to the Rhode Island colony. The Puritans believed that the devil was using Anne to undermine the stability of Puritan society, which would eventually lead to the breakdown of moral standards. However, the real reason was that Anne was a woman who dared to speak out in church and teach in public.


Anne’s audacity threatened the man-woman relationship where colonial women submitted to the authority of their husbands. Anne in effect challenged the State and raised issues of responsibility and equality. An accuser told Anne, “You have stepped out of your place; you have rather been a husband than a wife, preacher than a hearer and a magistrate than a subject.” New laws enacted after Anne’s banishment put more restrictions on women and allowed the Puritan leaders to deny entrance to anyone thought to be seditious. People protested the enactment of these oppressive new laws by signing petitions. The Puritan leaders imposed fines on those who signed the petitions and forced them to give up their firearms. Authorities arrested the instigators who stood trial for seditious behavior and consequently denied legal council. Oppression of religious liberty led to oppression of other liberties. Anne Hutchinson was exiled to the Rhode Island colony where she continued to preach her beliefs.


Anne Hutchinson was an early Boston colonist who was expelled from the colony because of her different religious views. She conflicted with ministers who preached that “good works” were a sign of individual holiness. She believed that people instead could only receive grace from God. She was also known to draw women to prayer meetings at her house because she gave women’s souls the same value as men’s souls. As a result, she was banished for heresy in 1638, fleeing to Rhode Island, and eventually staying in the New Netherland colony. In 1643, she and her family died tragically in a conflict between the Dutch colonists and the local Native Americans. This statue was sculpted by Cyrus Dallin in 1922, and given by the Anne Hutchinson Memorial Association and the State Federation of Women’s Clubs.