I have been posting comments on a few of the genealogy and history diaries on DKos and have recently joined this group. I wanted to introduce myself and tell what I have been doing in Genealogy and History studies and possibly get some hints and/on suggestions for further research.
Basic background: I was born in Danvers, MA which was called Salem Village in colonial history. I have 7 siblings, six brothers and one baby sister. My Dad's father was from old Yankee roots with a heritage that can be traced back an astonishingly long way. My Dad's Mom was Irish, her grandparents were born in Ireland and came to MA in 1846/47 to escape the Famine. My other Irish g-grandmother came from Ireland in 1865, maybe, but she has not been traced back yet. (I suspect she was a stowaway, which was fairly common then.)
My Mom's Grandmother came to the Salem/Danvers area of MA in the mid 1800's, looking for work. They came direct from the Quebec/Montreal area. My Mom's father's people were also French-Canadian, but they came gradually down to MA with stops in Vermont and Maine. My Mom's folks were the late comers to the New World, we can place them in 1650's New France, after Champlain, but that is a work in progress.
Yankee, Irish, French and Canadian descent qualifies me as a "plain as dirt" New Englander. (This kind of heritage is incredibly common around here.) There is almost certainly Native American blood in there as well, on my Mom's side and probably with the Maine tribes, but I have not proved it yet to my own satisfaction.
I have been a student of history since I was a kid, back in the 70's. I have a fairly solid background in US and New England history, but as an amateur. (I do not have a degree in history, alas.)
My brother started my more recent interest in genealogy. He has gone to reenactments of April 18-19th events in Lexington and Concord, MA for years. (My nephew, his son, has also attended these events and loves history and genealogy as a result.) I love stories from and about history; I can't get enough of them. My brother put out an email last year that he was going to go to Concord, MA for ceremonies commemorating the 19th Battle and would anyone want to join him. Cool, I'm so there. Word of this expedition got out and, long story short, requests were made if anyone knew if we (on my Dad's side) were related to participants in the Battle of April 19th and, well therein hangs this tale.
(Short answer: yes. Long answer: OMG! yes.)
As is the case with anyone looking up genealogies, I have found a number of surprises. I also have some mysteries to solve about the whys and wherefores of some adoptions out of the family that I strongly suspect involve a story that starts in the American Revolution and culminates during the Civil War period. This is still a delicious mystery to me, so I can unfold details as I find them.
So, that's my story or stories and I'm sticking to them, for now.