Empirically romantic

My family’s immigration stories appear not to be those that passed through Ellis Island. This was surprising to me. In my youth, I made assumptions because I did not know any differently. Scenes from The Godfather films, also recently, Hitch, books I’ve read, and other lessons learned in school, painted mental images of some wide-eyed young European family passing slowly along into the harbor in the shadow of Lady Liberty. I allowed myself to conclude that eventually I would research the archived immigration resources for revelations that would confirm my imagined narrative.

I base all my research on the premise “if what I have pieced together is accurate.” I am learning – as I attested above – I have a tendency to conclude with little evidence and sprinkle that with romance. Then, BOOM. Fortunately, the tools of modern genealogical research satisfy the other side of my dichotomy – the need for facts.

Therefore, if my research continues to be affirmed, my ancestors arrived to Kentucky in the late 1700s to early 1800s most directly from North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Indeed, these families were among the earliest settlers of Kentucky. Some likely traveled Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Trail when the clearings still held those aromas of newly felled wood and freshly turned soil. Ultimately, I am finding these families lived and farmed predominantly in the central or Bluegrass region of Kentucky. You can’t get much more romantic than that.

My goal continues to be discovering the facts, sharing revelations and stitching these together with romance in bringing my ancestors’ stories to life. I welcome you to follow along.