Washington Receiving a Salute after the Victory at Trenton, NJ on 26 Dec. 1776. William Holl engraving c1860 after a painting by John Faed. Library of Congress. (Click to enlarge.)

➡ McMurray Family, Horn Family

Those of us ‘of an age’ to remember the days when our two greatest presidents were born, and those births celebrated separately, so that one could reflect on the accomplishments of each, know that today is the anniversary of the birth of George Washington.

Back in those days, on February 12th, schoolchildren learned about the horrors of the Civil War and how a lanky farm boy from Illinois held our country together and freed the slaves, and was so eloquent that he could sum up the deep emotions of our citizens in the 10 short sentences of the Gettysburg Address. On February 22nd, schoolchildren listened to the myth of the cherry tree and learned lessons about honesty. That lesson modeled how such a solid, moral foundation could make a middle-born person great enough to help a small group of citizens fight and earn the rights of a democracy, even against the greatest power in the world at the time, Great Britain. Of course, all that learning, reflecting, and honoring individuals ended with the federal government’s “Uniform Monday Holiday Act” that took effect on 1 Jan 1971, and the commemoration of these two great men became a 3-day holiday for bank and federal workers on the third Monday in February. (And don’t forget the commercial President’s Day sales.)

Technically, today is the date George Washington may have celebrated his birth once he was 20 years old, when England changed to the Gregorian calendar. Contemporary records (those created at the time) had dated his birth as 11 February 1731 using the Julian or Old Style (O.S.) calendar. In 1752, England finally came around to the calendar the rest of the world was using, the New Style (N.S.) or Gregorian calendar. This calendar changed the first day of the year to 1 January, instead of 25 March, so any events between those dates had a number of days added- it depended on which year as to how many- plus the year was corrected to the next. So George Washington’s birthday then became 22 February 1732.

I do ramble about our heritage (hence the most appropriate blog name), but there is a reason to mention George Washington when one discusses our family history. We have no proof that a family member met George Washington, but there certainly was opportunity. At least three ancestors may have been in the same place as George Washington at the same time, and, of course, a number had their lives permanently altered because of his actions. These men are Jonathan Benjamin, Henry Horn, and Wiley Anderson Murrell; Washington surely influenced many other ancestors from that time and since. These next few weeks we will be learning more about these men and their families, so stay tuned.

[Is this just name dropping? Hopefully dear reader, you are not thinking that. We are merely interested in putting our ancestors in the context of the times, and knowing ‘famous’ persons would have been a part of that history. It is just as important as a young man fighting a Civil War battle,  a couple taking their friends to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis as newlyweds (Anna May Beerbower and William Gerard Helbling), a woman casting her first vote in 1921, our generation watching men walk on the moon for the first time, or any relative participating in any big event, or even the mundane ones- all context.]

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington’s_Birthday

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

McMurray Family, Roberts Family

Ancestors who took up residence in Jasper County, from earliest to latest:

Sylvanus Rufus Benjamin and Sara Ann Palmer in 1865 or 1866 (from Ohio)

Jonathan N. Benjamin and Hannah E. Ford in 1867 (from Ohio)

John S. Roberts and Elizabeth Ann Murrell by 1868 (from Illinois)

Robert Woodson Daniel and Margaret Ann Hemphill by 05 Aug 1870 (from Virginia to Pike Co., Missouri; then to Warren Co., Illinois, thence to Jasper County, Iowa)

Frederick Asbury “F.A.” McMurray and Hannah “Melissa” Benjamin by 1870 (from Pennsylvania to Cedar County, Iowa to Jasper County, Iowa.)

We know the Daniel-Hemphill family came by covered wagon, and the remaining families probably did as well.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Grandma Edie stories and family oral tradition.

2) Census returns, newspaper articles, obituaries, etc.

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

➡ Beerbower Family, Helbling Family, Lee Family, Cooper Family, McMurray Family, Whitener Family

My mother always told me that I was here on earth because two people fell in love, but Brad Paisley’s hit song said it in a slightly more catchy way:

“There ain’t nothin’ not affected
When two hearts get connected…

Every one of us is here
All because two people fell in love.”

The Brad Paisley song, “Two people fell in love” is delightfully sweet, whether one is a country fan or not.

Brad Paisley goes on to sing:

“I’m glad your dad could not resist
Your mama’s charms and you exist
All because two people fell in love.”

Take a look at the full lyrics here. They are very sweet- as are these pictures of ancestor couples.

Thank you, dear ancestors, for falling in love.

Have a love-ly Valentine’s Day!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) “Two People fell in Love” by Tim Owens, John Lovelace, Copyright: Emi April Music Inc., Sea Gayle Music, Love Ranch Music- https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bradpaisley/twopeoplefellinlove.html

Portions of the lyrics posted for educational use only.

2) Photos from family treasure chests.

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

SaveSave

➡ McMurray Family

“The definitive Treaty of Peace and Friendship between his Britannick Majesty, the Most Christian King, and the King of Spain. Concluded at Paris the 10th day of February, 1763. To which the King of Portugal acceded on the same day.”

So begins the Treaty of France, signed 252 years ago today, which ended the French and Indian War. Great Britain and her British American colonists could exist peacefully after this treaty was signed, or so it was thought.

The first real ‘global’ war, it was called the French and Indian War in America but known as the Seven Years War by Europeans because  hostilities there lasted from 1756 to 1763. The Canadians, who were affected greatly by this war, call it the Seven Years War if they are English, and La guerre de la Conquête (War of Conquest) or the 4th Intercolonial War, if they are French.

This was just the last of a series of conflicts beginning about 1688. King William’s War (1688-1697), Queen Ann’s War (1702-1713), and King George’s War (1744-1748, which included the “War of Jenkin’s Ear”) began in Europe and spread to the British American colonies. The French and Indian War, however, began in the colonies about 1754 and quickly spread among European nations. These four wars are often combined as “The French and Indian Wars.” (Note plural.)

The native peoples of North America were in conflict as well. The Five Nations of the Iroquois (AKA the Iroquois Confederation) were very active in this war against the British and colonists, yet the Delaware, Mingo, and Shawnee tribes were trying to gain their independence from the Confederation during this time too, increasing conflict. Add in local hostilities between colonists moving onto Indian land throughout our westward expansion, and America was in an almost constant state of conflict with native peoples until the 1890s.

As it had been for centuries, England and France were frequently at war, and that war drew in their colonists throughout their empire. In the Americas, France had allied with many Indian tribes, and paid bounties to Indians who brought in British scalps. (There were some Indian tribes who sided with the British, but not as many, and some who sided with whichever country was winning or paying the most at the moment.) Much of the fighting occurred in areas of the ‘Ohio Territory,’ or ‘Ohio Country’- basically the Ohio River Valley- land that was then the American frontier.

The Treaty of 1763 provisions required that France lose her territories in the Americas, and Britain  was given control of Quebec and The Ohio Valley, plus numerous other territories; this made England the greatest naval power in the world. New Orleans would remain in French hands and all of the Louisiana Territory that was west of the Mississippi was a Spanish possession, as Spain had allied with England.

So why this history lesson, other than to explain why people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and West Virginia speak English instead of French? (Portions of these states were part of “The Ohio Country,” and owned by France.) The American frontier of course had frontiersmen, and our McMurray ancestor, Jonathan Benjamin (1738-1841), was one of them, along with his family. Jonathan and his kin were subject to Indian and French depredations, and he fought back. Although reading the story of his family in the county library back in the late 60s was my first genealogy AHA! moment and hooked me forever, only recently did I learn that he is considered to be the last surviving US Veteran from the French and Indian War. So learning a bit more about Jonathan Benjamin can help us understand how our family helped to make history.

Jonathan Benjamin’s biography in The History of Licking County, Ohio continues:

“There is no doubt among his friends that he entered the military service at the age of fourteen years, and served through the war, but they cannot tell what war. It must have been some Indian campaign, as the French war did not commence for some two years later…

“In a conversation a short time before his death, he recapitulated his Indian history and sufferings. They were driven from their homes and their property burned three times, but the places where they suffered are forgotten.”

Part of his tales no doubt included the day he and his family escaped an Indian attack on a fort on the Susquehanna because they were across the river, but his brother and family were “…carried into captivity.”

Jonathan Benjamin and his family moved west, ‘civilizing’ what would become the United States. The end of the French and Indian War would have helped make their moves easier and less dangerous, though they probably still were required to protect their land and family.

More to come on Jonathan Benjamin and family.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Text of the Treaty of Paris (interesting reading): https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris763.asp

2) Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766 by Fred Anderson. Vintage reprint, 2001. THE best book available on the years of the French and Indian Wars, and how the animosities between British Americans and British troops, among other things, led to the American Revolution. (It wasn’t really just about tea and taxes.) This is a scholarly account though thoroughly enjoyable in my opinion, and, rather than being Anglocentric, presents the complex webs of economics, military, diplomatic, and societal relationships between the native peoples themselves, and then their interactions with the French and the English; it also has a global perspective, because even without internet and cellular communication, the world then was much more connected than many of us realize. Fred Anderson has written a shorter version (320 pp. vs 912, with 150 pages in the latter being notes and references ) called, The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War. Fred Anderson. Penguin Books, 2006. This is geared toward the general reader as an introduction to this conflict. While based on his incredible, scholarly research, it does not read like a journal article but more like a novel. It actually is the companion book for the PBS 4-part series of the same name, which is available on DVD, but not as good as the books, in my opinion. The 1992 movie, “The Last of the Mohicans” is an excellent fictional account based on the book, but very historically accurate. and will only take a couple of hours of your time.

3) See also Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1763)

French and Indian Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Indian_Wars

French and Indian War: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Indian_War

War of Jenkin’s Ear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Jenkins%27_Ear

4) Jonathan Benjamin- last surviving veteran of the French and Indian Wars, on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_surviving_United_States_war_veterans

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

➡ Helbling, McMurray Family

I just couldn’t let “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day” go by because it made me think of Mary McMurray.

First of course, who even knew there was such a day??? Not that we shouldn’t appreciate bubble wrap- it gives lots of people jobs to make it and sell it, and to wrap everything that ever gets mailed or moved. It keeps so many things from breaking, so I will admit a certain admiration for the product and its inventors, Marc A. Chavannes and Al Fielding. Back in 1957 they had devised a three-dimensional wallpaper, but had problems selling it. A trip on a small, propeller airplane caused the light bulb to go on in the head of Chavannes, as it seemed the fluffy clouds were cushioning the bumpy flight. He knew then that their hip wallpaper would be better suited to cushioning products being shipped, and the bubble wrap industry, now manufactured in 52 countries, was begun.

The need for a tactile, satisfying pop of the bubbles was probably realized very soon after, maybe even moments after the first of the bubble wallpaper was produced. Who knew it would also generate crazy things like a wedding dress made of bubble wrap, cameos in movies, a calendar to pop a bubble a day (thankfully, it does have additional bubbles if the user cannot stop at just one), or an app so that folks can pop the virtual bubbles on their computer or mobile device if the real thing is not at hand? There is even a book dedicated to it: The Bubble Wrap Book.

Which leads us to “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day”- how did that come about? Well, on the last Monday in January, in Bloomington, Indiana some years ago, a radio station received a shipment of new microphones. The broadcast button said “ON” but apparently the staff was unaware. Instead of the rustling sound of unwrapping the microphones, listeners heard the station staff forcefully popping bubbles. Apparently the noise was pretty loud, and of course unexpected; a new commemorative day was born.

While that sound is aggravating to people like me, and I regret the waste of resources because it will no longer function as it was designed, (yes, I am one of those tree-hugger environmentalists, and sometimes it can be recycled but probably is not), science has proven that the popping of bubble wrap can reduce stress and tiredness. (That last one is puzzling.) Bubble wrap can lead to aggression too, as the psychologist who did the study reported that she had seen professional people fight over who gets to pop the sheets of bubbles when a new package is opened. And then there is addiction- as Dr. Kathleen M. Dillon admitted about herself: “I have to pop all the bubbles.”

And that brings us to Mary McMurray- she would “… HAVE to pop ALL the bubbles.” It did reduce stress for her, and she really loved that popping sound and feel. One year I gave her a small gift in a box with a lot of bubble wrap- the wrap did not last as long as expected, but while there was still air in those plastic bubbles, she enjoyed it probably more than the other gift.

It’s always good to make someone happy. And if you can gracefully leave the room while all the bubbles are being popped, so much the better.

So go out and find yourself some bubble wrap to pop today- you will be in good company on “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.” Although, apparently, that would be ANY day.

!POP!