The walls of my parent’s dining room are hung with the photographs of our family ancestors.  Great grandfathers and grandmothers stare somberly down at us as we celebrate family events.  On my last trip home, I was stunned to discover that there was a photograph on that wall of the Irish ancestor who left Ireland in 1847 to escape the Potato Famine.  He has eluded me in my genealogical search for his story, but here was a photograph of him!

Imagine the difficulty of mid nineteenth century ocean travel.  My Irish ancestor traveled in steerage. I am sure his journey was not pleasant. Many of the Irish Famine refugees died in the primitive conditions of the infamous coffin ships.  My ancestor survived.  He found an Irish community in Maine, married, had many children and established a homestead in Wisconsin.  This was the American Dream, or maybe it was just an Irishman’s dream.

The German branches of my family traveled as family units.  I was thrilled to find their names on the passenger manifests entering into New York.  They too found their way to Wisconsin to establish themselves in business and farming.

Why did they come? They were leaving the familiarity and comfort of their hometowns, their friends, their established lives.  What challenges or threats were they escaping?  I suspect the universal answer is that they sought a better life for themselves and their children.  They were willing to risk a great deal to do it.

Courage. Determination. Tenacity. Vision. Sacrifice. This is the legacy of our ancestors.

Winter is a quiet sabbatical from the garden and I refocus my leisure energies on genealogy.  (Thank goodness for the internet!)  Every family has a legacy brought to them by their ancestors. If you are able, talk to your older relatives.  Collect their stories and memories.  Once those folks are gone, their stories die with them.  Part of your legacy is the preservation of these personal family histories.

Best wishes for the New Year~

Cassandra