The only way to answer this question is to actually research your genealogy and find out. With the approaching July 4th holiday, there's a smattering of genealogy posts about how to find your Revolutionary War ancestor--with the implication that you can choose who your ancestors are or that if you research completely enough there will be a Revolutionary War ancestor waiting for you. For some of us that's not going to happen.
My mother has no Revolutionary War ancestors. Not one. I can research forever and I'm not going to find one at all. None of her ancestors were living in the United States before 1850 so her not having a Revolutionary War ancestor should not be too much of a surprise.
If you have a Revolutionary War ancestor, then you have one. If you do not, then you do not. You hvae no control over who your ancestors are. There are sources for Revolutionary War era research, but no guarantees for finding ancestors who were involved in specific activities.
You are the only person whose activities you control.
Turn the table for a minute...if your ancestor was researching their descendants and they discovered you, would they be thrilled, or would you be one more name in their database?
2 comments:
Point taken. I engage in genealogy because it's fun and interesting to me, not because my ancestors define me.
My poor mother has been trying to join the DAR for years, but I think it's a losing proposition: her paternal line came from Slovakia in about 1870, and her maternal line were mostly Quakers! My dad's side has at least two proven patriots, one of whom you'll recognize: Alam Blain.
Happy Independence Day
Keith-
Happy Independence Day to you as well.
And yes, I do recognize the name of Alam Blain. He's one of my children's patriot ancestors--but you probably already knew that.
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