Hmm

Crusades 1095

/ Kirstin Miller

… a series of military campaigns launched by the papacy between 1095 and 1291 against Muslim rulers for the recovery and defence of the Holy Land (Palestine), encouraged by promises of spiritual reward. At Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades

Also the Crusading movement, theoretical, sociological, institutional, military, and financial dimensions of crusading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusading_movement

And Voltaire wrote of the “madness of the crusades”, driven by religious intolerance defined by misery and death.

Francis of Assisi before Sultan al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade (15th-century fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli)

Magna Carta, a king is not above the law

/ Kirstin Miller

“Magna Carta … issued in June 1215 … put into writing … that the king was not above the law … placed limits by establishing law as a power in itself” via UK Parliament.

Magna Carta in Latin is ‘great charter’. The Magna Carta has a long history. America and other countries borrowed from the charter when setting up their governments, guaranteeing rights to the people, denying kings and leaders unlimited power.

I was reminded of the Magna Carta while reviewing Ann Mainwaring and Richard Charlton, my 14th great grandparents. 200 years after the Magna Carta, Ann and Richard lived in western England, in Shropshire, near the border of Wales. Richard Charlton’s ancestry is in the book, The Magna charta sureties, 1215; the barons named in the Magna charta, 1215, and some of their descendants who settled in America, 1607-1650. He’s a descendant, number 12 in a line of barons, of Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchestter, “a leader of the First Barons’ War against King John” and probably my 22nd great grandpa.

I wish I’d known this relationship while studying history in high school.

The Magna Carta was born out of baron rebellions. Land owners rebelled against King John and his protectors. King John was despised, had an awful personality and was a lazy and corrupt King. He taxed the barons and gave them nothing in return so there were uprisings and murder plots, then a standoff, then the Magna Carta was signed but blocked by the pope, more battles followed, support for the king declined until his death in 1216. King John’s Henry at nine years old was made King. The Magna Carta was approved and finally “repeatedly confirmed and reissued and became well-known across England, not just among the barons, but also in the counties”.

Wikipedia links to royal bios and history

The Magna Charta Sureties, 1215: the Barons Named In the Magna Charta, 1215, And Some of Their Descendants Who Settled In America, 1607-1650 book at HathiTrust. 138 pages “considered a foundational and historically important genealogy source”, but published in 1955 cross checking with current research is recommended.

Lucy Terry b. 1730

/ Kirstin Miller

Working on the Gaines family and their move to Guilford, Vermont, I found a reference to Lucy Terry, a woman who is sometimes said to be the founder of Guilford. That’s interesting, a woman in Colonial America credited with founding a town.

On Wikipedia, a page devoted to Lucy Terry told more of her story. She was a child, kidnapped with others from Africa and brought to Rhode Island where she was sold, as a slave to Ebenezer Williams who brought her to Deerfield, Massachusetts. Abijah Prince, a free black man bought Lucy’s freedom, they married in 1756 and they had six children.

And Lucy wrote a poem about the August 25, 1746 ‘Bars Fight’ a fight between colonials and natives in Deerfield. Lucy loved to tell this story and it was preserved orally- by Lucy and others until it was published in 1855. Lucy is the first recorded black author in America. She bought writing paper from her general store, records show this and suggest she wrote a lot, this poem is the only writing that has survived. Text of the poem from: Holland, J. G. History of Western Massachusetts: The Counties of Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, And Berkshire, Springfield: S. Bowles and Company, 1855. A digital book at HathiTrust .

“August ’twas the twenty-fifth,
Seventeen hundred forty-six ;
The Indians did in ambush lay,
Some very valient men to slay,
The names of whom I’ll not leave out.
Samuel Allen like a hero fout.
And though he was so brave and bold,
His face no more shall we behold.
Eleazer Hawks was killed outright,
Before he had time to fight, —
Before he did the Indians see,
Was shot and killed immediately.
Oliver Amsden he was slain,
Which caused his friends much grief and pain.
Simeon Amsden they found dead,
Not many rods distant from his head.
Adonijah Gillett we do hear
Did lose his life which was so dear.
John Sadler fled across the water,
And thus escaped the dreadful slaughter.
Eunice Allen see the Indians coming,
And hopes to save herself by running,
And had not her petticoats stopped her,
The awful creatures had not catched her,
Nor tommy hawked her on her head,
And left her on the ground for dead.
Young Samuel Allen, Oh lack-a-day !
Was taken and carried to Canada.”

“I guess I’m a politician”

/ Kirstin Miller

Things my ancestors could never comprehend: They’d understand the Corona virus, the worldwide epidemic, pandemic, plague, not a new thing, highly contagious diseases have been around for centuries. My ancestors would be in awe of modern scientific knowledge and modern medicine.

My ancestors could not understand how casually, recklessly? this President treats his responsibility, his job, his country’s well-being.

This interview is from March 7th, 4 months after the Coronavirus appeared, 2 days before Italy was shut down, 4 days before the World Health Organization calls the virus a pandemic, USA death toll was at 17, unknown number of total cases, no nationwide testing was/is happening.

“ Q    Mr. President, you were shaking a lot of hands today, taking a lot of posed pictures.  Are you protecting yourself at all?  How are you – how are you staying away from germs?

THE PRESIDENT:  Not at all.  No, not at all.  You know, I’m a person that was never big on the hand-shaking deal throughout my life.  They used to criticize me for it or laugh about it or have fun with it.  But if you’re a politician – like, I walk in, and the doctors have their hands out – “Hello, sir.  How are you?”  I – if you don’t shake hands, they’re not going to like you too much.  And I guess that’s my business; I never thought I’d be a politician.  I guess, I’m a politician.

…

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re considering different things.  But we’re also considering the fact that last year we had approximately 36,000 deaths due to what’s called the flu … As of the time I left the plane with you, we had 240 cases.  That’s at least what was on a very fine network known as Fox News.  

And how was the show last night?  Did it get good ratings, by the way?

Q    I – I don’t, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, really?  I heard it broke all ratings records, but maybe that’s wrong.  That’s what they told me.  I don’t know.  I can’t imagine that.

…

And you’re smiling when I say that.  Who are you from, by the way?

Q    I’m – I’m from CNN.

THE PRESIDENT:  You are?  I don’t watch CNN.  That’s why I don’t recognize you.

Q    Oh, okay.  Well, nice to meet you.

THE PRESIDENT:  I really don’t – I don’t watch it.  I don’t watch CNN because CNN is fake news.“

From the President’s White House via https://www.whitehouse.gov/remarks/ . Link to this specific interview with reporter Peter (no last name given probably Beinart). Remarks by President Trump After Tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Atlanta, GA, Issued on: March 7, 2020

Arabella, How unevenly the world is divided

/ Kirstin Miller

This book, The burying place of Governor Arnold by Alice Brayton, I found  while researching Christiana Peake who married William Arnold. Benedict Arnold, the Governor was their son. Alice Brayton purchased land that was/is the Governor Benedict Arnold Graveyard in Newport Rhode, Island and she set the cemetery’s restoration in motion then wrote the book, documenting “the establishment, destruction, and restoration of the Burying Place of Benedict Arnold, first Governor of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”. The book contains thousands of small stories and facts. 

One story is Arabella Cowley’s, great-great-granddaughter of Governor Arnold and Damaris. Arabella’s mom Mary Cowley married Mr. Sweet, then Joseph Cowley, they had 3 daughters and a son. One daughter Elizabeth Sweet was blessed with four husbands, and beauty. Half sister Arabella Cowley, as plain as Elizabeth was beautiful said to Elizabeth, “How unevenly the world is divided; you have had four husbands, I have had none.”

The gravestone photo is in the book at HathiTrust.

You’re not even allowed to do that in Grand Theft Auto 2013

/ Kirstin Miller

A thing my ancestors could never have imagined: they’d be amazed at the video game Grand Theft Auto, they could never understand the real life 21st century Johnson & Johnson company and some American doctors in 2013 committing such crimes against the aged, babies and disabled.

John Stewart via  the Daily Show 2013, December 5th, “Holy shit. They knowingly bribed doctors to give useless drugs to old people, the disabled and babies,” a stunned Stewart said. “You’re not even allowed to do that in ‘Grand Theft Auto.” Johnson & Johnson, this company https://www.jnj.com/

screenshot.png

https://www.thewrap.com/jon-stewart-johnson-johnson-scandal-cant-even-grand-theft-auto-video/

Page 11 Family Pride 1930

/ Kirstin Miller

Stand on the busiest corner of New York City and detain the first 500 people who pass either on foot or in any variety of vehicle. Line them up and look them over. Say that they roughly correspond, person for person, with each of our first American ancestors, and we shall not be far wrong. There will be, most likely, a very few of exceptional ability, and a very few scoundrels, the great majority will be passably good citizens, mediocre and commonplace. If it be objected that many of those hypothetically drawn into our net on the metropolitan corner may be foreigners, the obvious reply is, that every single one of our first colonial ancestors was a foreigner.

Page 11 Family Pride
Jacobus, Donald. Genealogy As Pastime And Profession. New Haven, Conn., The Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor company, 1930