Mrs. Kronicle and I have gotten sucked into NBC's new show, Who do You Think You Are? The program takes a celebrity and traces a line of their family tree. So far, Sarah Jessica Parker discovered she is a descendant of a woman accused of being a witch at Salem, Emmitt Smith discovered he is a descendant of a wealthy landowner and one of his slaves, Lisa Kudrow discovered how a great-grandmother died during the Holocaust, and Matthew Broderick learned about an ancestor who served in the Civil War.
For fun, I thought I would offer what is probably my most prestigious family line. This line dates back to my 9th great-grandparents. Assuming you have no overlap in your family tree, we each have 2048 9th great-grandparents.
Generation 1
John Cotton (1585 Derby, England – 1652 Boston, MA)
Sarah Hawkridge (1601 England – 1676 Boston, MA)
Some consider John Cotton the leading theologian of the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony during its first twenty years. He fled England in 1633 ahead of authorities who were after him because of his nonconformist activities. He wrote extensively. He was invited to join the Westminster Assembly of Divines but eventually decided to stay put in New England and work to influence the Assembly through his writings.
Generation 2
John Cotton (1640 Boston, MA – 1699 Charleston, SC)
Joanna Rossiter (c. 1642 –1702 Plymouth, MA)
Generation 3
Josiah Cotton (1680 Plymouth, MA – 1756 Plymouth, MA)
Hannah Sturtevant (1687 Plymouth, MA – 1756 Plymouth, MA)
Generation 4
Theophilus Cotton (1716 Plymouth, MA – 1782 Plymouth, MA)
Martha Sanders (c 1716 Sandwich, MA –1796 Plymouth, MA)
Theophilus Cotton formed a regiment that responded to the attack of the British at Bunker Hill at the start of the Revolutionary War. Theophilus also had the idea to move Plymouth Rock from the shore into town in 1774. Unfortunately, they split the stone in half. In 1859, the stone was returned to its original location with "1620" chiseled. My 2nd Great-Grandfather, William Cotton Holmes (see below), records in his diary that he was present at that event.
Generation 5
Charles Dyer (1738 Plymouth, MA – 1786 At sea near Bermuda)
Bethiah Cotton (1750 Plymouth, MA—1837 Plymouth, MA)
Generation 6
Joseph Holmes (1775 – 1825 Plymouth, MA)
Martha Cotton Dyer (1777 – 1830 Plymouth, MA)
Generation 7
William Sargent Holmes (1811 Plymouth, MA –1894 Plymouth, MA)
Hannah Davie (1804 Plymouth, MA – 1874 Plymouth, MA)
Generation 8
William Cotton Holmes (1837 Boston, MA – 1932 Orlando, FL)
Louisa L Pierce (1843 Plymouth, MA – 1913 Harvey, IL)
William Cotton Holmes answered Lincoln's call for troops at the beginning of the Civil War. He became a company clerk with a unit in Washington, D.C., through most of the war. He was at the battles of Antietam and Second Bull Run. In his diary, William Cotton Holmes records meeting Lincoln and seeing him at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. He was also in attendance at Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. William and Louisa were descendants of eight Mayflower passengers.
Generation 9
Carl Peter Kruse (1851 Ribe, Denmark – 1932 Omaha, NE)
Lucy Augusta Holmes (1870 Amity, MO – 1906 Harvey, IL)
Generation 10
Carl Holmes Kruse (1901 Harvey, IL – 1977 Bethany, OK)
Mabel Delphia Young (1906 Hartville, MO – 1994 Urbana, IL)
Generation 11
Carl W. Kruse
T. Marie Kruse
Carl was drafted into the Army in July 1945. The Japanese heard he was coming, and within days they surrendered. (Hey, it's a family history. There has to be some embellishment.)
Generation 12
Michael W. Kruse
Later, I think I'll post about some of my less reputable ancestors. But for now, what ancestors are in your family tree? Any particularly juicy stories?
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