by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
This week's post is by Dr. Rebecca Price Janney. She has written a six-book series set in the Revolutionary War period of America. The main character in all these books is actually an ancestor of hers. As a person whose favorite part of history is this Revolutionary period, I learned a lot about some of the battles and hardships our founding fathers experienced. Travel back in time through these books and you will have more to appreciate as we celebrate our 250th birthday. She has also written two books about the Great Awakening in the early 1900's in Korea and the Korean War. Since we lived in Korea for two years, I found these novels fascinating. I think you will too! Welcome, Rebecca. Links to her books are at the end of the post.
On
my mother’s side, I trace my ancestors back to cousins who literally “came over
on the Mayflower,” as well as Mennonites who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683.
William Penn had promised those German and Swiss Christians they would be free
to practice their faith in his colony, apart from government harassment. One of
those ancestors signed America’s first anti-slavery document. A few decades
later, my Swiss and German Reformed relatives also immigrated to pursue religious
freedom as well as to take their God-given talents as far as they could in the
New World. During the American Revolution, several of my many times great
grandfathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to
achieve independence from Great Britain. One of them, Colonel Peter Kichline,
had served as Northampton County’s Sheriff for two terms in the 1760s and 70s,
then commanded its “Flying Camp” at the August 1776 Battle of Brooklyn. Although
he lost most of his regiment, was wounded, captured and imprisoned by the British,
his small band of farmers and tradesmen, who didn’t even have proper uniforms,
bravely stood their ground against overwhelming numbers of British and Hessians.
Their actions helped General Washington to escape with his remaining army.
The American Dream looked different
for my dad’s family, but also incorporated faith, patriotism, and sacrificial
service. Like millions of others in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they came through
Ellis Island. My Italian grandfather got here just before World War I only to
find himself separated from his wife and baby girl until the conflict ended. Back
in his home country, my grandfather had worked on an estate as a gardener, but
in America, he worked in a gritty foundry to provide for his family. At home,
however, his green thumb created beauty, climbing roses to grace and perfume their
front porch, flowers and vegetable beds along the walkway and in the back yard.
I remember the fig tree he lovingly tended to, wrapping it like a mummy every
fall to protect it from harsh winter weather.
My
grandmother attended Mass every day, walking to and from church in weather fair
and foul because she neither she nor my grandfather learned how to drive. When
World War II broke out, three of their sons answered Uncle Sam’s call. One of
my uncles nearly lost his life in the European fighting, and my father stormed
the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day Invasion. The following year, he
helped liberate Dachau.
When I finished my speech to the new citizens, I told them, “This may be my story, but today, now that you are citizens, it has become yours as well. All of our nation’s rich narratives now belong to you.”
How
does your family fit into the framework of American history? Are you most like
my mom’s side that’s been here since the start, or are your ancestors more
recent arrivals like my dad’s parents? Either way, your family stories are woven
into the fabric of the American story.
America
is unique in that our history isn’t about kings or queens and the way they
dominated their people, whether for good or ill. Although they sometimes
clashed over the finer points of their vision for America, Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams labored to create a country where all people are created equal and
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. The United States
Constitution begins with “We the people.” America’s story is the people’s
story, people like your ancestors and mine, ordinary people who, with God’s
help, forged an exceptional nation.
This
is our moment in its 250-year history, our time to carry the torch into the
future. We are America’s heirs of freedom.
How will you observe America's 250th birthday? Does Rebecca's article inspire you to research your ancestors? Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
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