Grateful

Last night I had some trouble sleeping. Nothing was wrong, just that I took a nap in the afternoon, fell sound asleep on the sofa . That messed up my nights sleep a bit so after midnight I was on the computer looking up some history. For some reason right now, American History is so interesting to me....its as though I finally make the connection with my roots, who I am and the history of this country is personal now to me. Not just something one must study in school, memorizing dates and names of battles. I have always known of my family history, but its never been more than a bit of bragging rights to me... You see I am the 10th great grand-daughter (maternal grandmothers family) of Francis Cooke, one of the Mayflower passengers and on my dads side, his family arrived about 10 years later on the Winthrop fleet, as did Emery's family. Our families even settled in the same area of Massachusetts and yes, there was a marriage between our families way back in the early 1700's . There is a town in Vermont, St George where you will find the names Higbee (my maiden name) and Lockwood mentioned throughout the history of that town. Our families, taking same paths many times though the early American history . When I was looking up some information on the first Thanksgiving, it suddenly dawned on me, my 10th great grandfather was there, celebrating, feasting, accepting the gifts of the Native people. Struggling that first harsh winter, and having left so much for the freedom to worship. I can go back much further in my genealogy on my mothers side, way far back to the time when the world was all centered in one major area. But it is my American history that is real to me now. I finally believe I know where I fit in, what my cultural roots are, I am simply American in the big scheme of things. I can read through our family histories and see the names of soldiers who fought in each and every war since the settling of this nation. I can see where many of my mothers family, Loyalist, headed off to Canada to claim the land left to them by the King, "Kings Grants". My fathers family also had grants from the King for their loyalty. I wonder, did family members fight against one another in 1776, I am sure they did by the names of Revolutionary soldiers we have in our lineage and knowing that many of them were loyalists . And then in both families, Emery's and my family, immigrants, from Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Farmers, shoe makers, ordinary people with extraordinary courage.
Not long ago I read this about my great grandmothers family...."Michael & Anna were both born in Kreuzwertheim, Bavaria, a town situated 120km southeast of Frankfurt, on the Bavaria side of the juncture of the Mainzand Tauber rivers.The Lutzes were poor and were probably sold as slaves to work off their debt to the ship's captain. It took them fourteen years to work off their debt. At this time, John Hughes, promised land on behalf of the British Crown to the Lutz and other families. The Articles of Agreement were signed by these families and John Hughes in 1765. The Lutzes and seven other families sailed for Nova Scotia aboard Capt Hall's ship.With the hopes of building a better life and the promise of land, Georg Michael and Anna Walpurgis Lutz left Germany in 1752. They travelled to Pennsylvania where they stayed for fourteen years before coming to Monckton Township in 1766. They landed at Hall's Creek on June 3, 1766. This was too late in the growing season to be able to grow adequate food for the upcoming year and supplies promised by the land company never arrived. They had little food,few materials and yet had to eke out a living. They probably were helped by the native community and by the Acadians left from the Deportation.In 1769. " Slaves...a hard word to digest for any reason, but knowing it was your own family that worked as slaves is hard to think about. But, not uncommon for those booking passage to this new land.
My families history, is for the first time real to me, not just words written down or from stories told to me as a child., It makes me proud to come from such strong stock that had the determination to pull up stakes and settle in a new land. From the pilgrims to just a few generations back when my grandfathers family came from Germany, strong people who have made history come alive for me.
For those people that came before me, I am so grateful.