I was bitten by the bug, called genealogy, some 30 years ago. I am fascinated by the history of my ancestors. So far I have found one skeleton in my closet. His name was Hansel G. Horn and there was a $100 reward for his capture due to his escape from the Illinois Penitentiary, Friday Aug. 7, 1840. My 9th great grandfather was Francis Cooke who came over on the Mayflower. I’m sure the rest of my ancestors led exciting lives and the quest is to find records or documents to prove their very existence. And the search goes on.
Genealogy
I was bitten by the bug, called genealogy, some 30 years ago. I am fascinated by the history of my ancestors. So far I have found one skeleton in my closet. His name was Hansel G. Horn and there was a $100 reward for his capture due to his escape from the Illinois Penitentiary, Friday Aug. 7, 1840. My 9th great grandfather was Francis Cooke who came over on the Mayflower. I’m sure the rest of my ancestors led exciting lives and the quest is to find records or documents to prove their very existence.
Mother’s side…
We have some pretty interesting characters on my mother’s side as well. My aunt, Ellen, has done most of the work there. I remember stories better than I remember names.
One story which sticks out in particular is one of my great*-grandparents in the 1800’s. Her father did not want her to marry this particular fellow, whom he considered to be too low-class to marry his daughter. The story goes that the boy spirited the daughter away in the middle of the night. They were married on horseback by a priest and sped away with the new father-in-law hot on their heels with a shotgun in his hands and murder in his eyes.
It’s cool to realize these were real people!
FYI for Barnsonians: In keeping with the “friend of a friend” idea of this site, Jesse’s my stepmother. Go easy on her 🙂
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Matthew P. Barnson