Family Trees...And Forests

I have a lovely friend who has gotten me hooked on geneology research. I'm not kidding, it's like crack for a military brat who is always looking to find her 'roots'.

My kids have been on a kick for months wanting to hear stories about grandpa and grandma when they were little, about when they were little, about when I was little.  (They audibly gasped when I told them we could only watch Charlie Brown Specials ONCE a year...that's what made it so special!)

So far I have found out the following:

My ancestors came to America with William Penn when he founded Pennsylvania, which means they were probably Quakers.  Hm.  No wonder I always liked oatmeal. ;)  Note of irony:  Our history lesson yesterday was on...you guessed it...William Penn!  How cool is that?

Richard Cantrell was a brick layer and mason and is believed to have constructed some of the first brick houses in Philadelphia. 

Funny..I love Philly cheesesteaks too.  AND cream cheese. 

There were two uncles, John Harrell and Berry M. Cantrell, fought in the Battle of Shiloh, and after the defeat of Gen. Beaurigard, they left their rifles in an empty cabin and walked home to Marion County, Alabama, only to have their father persuade them to return back to the fight.  Not me...I would have hid my sons away on my farm, dressed them like girls and told them to keep low.

John M. Cantrell fought in the Revolutionary War from Salisbury Dist., North Carolina.  And when he died all of his property was sold for about $2,000.00...said property included 5 slaves.  Wow.  Such a sobering thought that human lives had such little value.  As uncomfortable as that tid bit of information makes me, all I can tell myself is that, well, it was what it was.  And thank God this country ended it.

It's been fascinating watching my ancestors go from Derbyshire, England to Philadelphia, Delaware, North Carolina, to Alabama.

And the best part is I didn't pay a dime for any of this!  Google is a wonderful thing. Someone else I am apparently related to has done a lot of leg work and published their findings online.

I have begun searching my husbands family's roots.  Wish me luck!