Ancestor Approved Award

 I am very humbled to receive this award from my fellow geneabloggers, Karen at Ancestor Soup,  Carol at Reflections From the Fence and Hummer at Branching Out Through the Years.  You guys are all wonderful and give me such inspiration to continue to share my ancestor's stories!

Now as I understand it, I am to list 10 things I have learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me and then pass the award on to 10 other genealogy bloggers who I feel are doing their ancestors proud. 


1.  Humbled by my ancestors who left all that they knew to seek a better life for themselves and their children.  Many of them knew they might never again see the ones they left behind.

2.  Surprised to find that I have an ancestor who was accused, convicted and hanged for being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials.  Her  name was  Margaret Stephenson Scott and she was my 10th-great grandmother.

3.  Surprised to learn that my grandfather Ross Hannan was the valedictorian of his 8th grade class.  Unfortunately, he was unable to get transportation to continue his schooling.

4.  Enlightened to learn more about my loyalist ancestors, those very ancestors that my grandmother Elsie Robinson McKiel was so very proud of.

5.  Surprised by the stories of my ancestors who hung in there in the Maine wilderness through unsettled times with the Indians.

6.  Humbled by the many ancestors who served (and continue to serve) our country in the armed forces.

7.  Humbled by my 3rd great-grandparents, Moses and Aurilla Gowen's, tragedy of 1861.  Four of their seven children, Dorcas, Moses, Sarah and Sylvia, died in three short months.

8.  Enlightened by the many countries from which my ancestors originated.  Given that almost all of them lived in Maine or Massachusetts in this country, it is amazing how wide spread their home countries are.

9.  Enlightened by the longevity of my ancestors.  I always thought most early New Englanders lived much shorter lives than present day but I am surprised how many of my ancestors lived to their 80s and 90s.

10.  Humbled by my ancestors who left all that they knew to seek a better life ... oh wait, I said that.  However, I think I am most impressed by this fact.  Living most of my life in the same town and being a bit of a homebody, I am most suprised, enlightened, humbled and proud of my ancestors who took on the unknown (and persevered) to make their way to this country and improve life for the generations to come.

I am passing this on to the following bloggers:

Lynn at The Armchair Genealogist 
Mavis at Georgia Black Crackers 
Renate at Into the Light
Wendy at New England Genealogy
Nuccia at Growing Up in an Italian Family
Midge from Granite in My Blood