Every wedding is a royal wedding

"In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future."
- Dr. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, at the wedding of HRH Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011

I was queen for a day six years ago today. Happy anniversary to my own sweet Prince William.

Deep down, we wish we were British

HRH Prince William of Wales and
Catherine Middleton married April 29, 2011

I am not a Royal watcher or a Monarchist. I am from Missouri, a state in a country where we do not have Royals...in fact, many men died to ensure that we would not have a Monarch. Yet, even I, and probably millions of my fellow ex-Britons (albeit 235 years ago) sat and watched today's royal wedding, riveted to our televisions. I heard several commentators ask the same question throughout the coverage: why are Americans so enthralled with this wedding?

It is because deep down, we wish we were British. We wish we had an opportunity to celebrate with such pomp and circumstance. There are many things that Americans can stand for and stand behind: the Statue of Liberty, our beautiful national parks, and just plain "being" American. Yet we do not have a singular institution with such robust history and ceremony. We don't have grand ceremonies, and if there are some at our nation's capital, we're not invited to them. As a young country, we can not even fathom the history behind the British Royal crown.

Yes, today may have just been a wedding. But it was also a time to celebrate the history and heritage of Britain and the one thing every member of the country can stand behind: the Royal family.

Today was a day for all Britons to stand behind the Union Jack and just be proud to be British. And I, for one, will be British for a day.

My how things change - Wordless Wednesday

Our National Parks - Tuesday's Tip

My family and I just returned from a terrific vacation to Orlando. To get there, we drove 900 miles across six states. We always budget quite a bit of time for our drive to and from our vacation spot because we inevitably find great places to stop. On this particular trip we drove through Vicksburg, Mississippi so we had to stop at the National Park Service's Vicksburg National Military Park. One of my Civil War ancestors, Samuel O. McGuire, was captured by the Union just east of Vicksburg at the Big Black River.

We were not able to stay long at the park because we arrived around 4 p.m., just prior to closing, but we had a wonderful time viewing the park movie, visiting the gift shop and driving the self tour around the park. Our tour of the park reminded me of the importance of National Parks in preserving our history, and in turn, helping us to relive our ancestors' experiences. When I learned that my ancestor was captured outside of Vicksburg, I began reading many books and stories of the battles there, but those accounts are nothing compared to walking the land. I was able to see the steep hills, feel the heat and see the trenches (which are still there) that he had to contend with. None of which I could grasp through a book.

Started in 1916, the National Park Service manages 84 million acres of land, 2,461 national historic landmarks, 582 national natural landmarks, 393 national parks and 40 national heritage areas (as of 2008). The Service's mission is "to care for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage." That is a mission that should be near and dear to any genealogist's heart. Walking through any one of our National Parks or Landmarks is a phenomenal way to walk in our ancestor's footsteps and should be considered when planning research trips or vacations.

For more information about the National Park Service, explore their website. Each of the larger parks and landmarks have their own page with historical information and numerous photographs.

Family Vacation

I can't help but sing "Holiday Road" today as my family prepares to embark on the pilgrimage known as The Family Vacation. There is something so horrible and wonderful in those words. We are avid travelers, and avid travelers with our children, so the idea of being in a car for hours on end is nothing new, or dreaded. This will be our first vacation as a family of four, though, so it will be a new dynamic.

Our adventure will take us to Orlando, Florida, which also happened to be the location of the first family vacation I remember as a child. I'm not positive how old I was, but I believe I was almost four as the vacation includes some of my first memories. It was my first plane ride and I remember the blue and green shag carpet in our hotel room. We also went to the beach and collected a million seashells.

My mother and I hunting for seashells. I love my dad's foot in this photo!

It was also my first and only visit to Walt Disney World. I vividly remember It's a Small World. I also remember my dad telling us a story of riding a roller coaster (Space Mountain?) with my brother. As they rode through the mountain part Dad could hear a kid screaming and elbowed my brother, "Wow, listen to that kid!" Turns out the kid crying was my brother. (I will note that my brother heartily refutes this story).

My most poignant memory of Disney World was my encounter, or lack there of, with Mickey Mouse. My main objective was to meet Mickey Mouse. I was still young enough to be riding in a stroller and after searching for that dodgy mouse for a very long time we finally came across him. I could see him in the distance like a shining beacon of happiness. My parents quickly motored my stroller towards him, but it seemed like we were moving through molasses and everything slowed in motion. He turned, we made eye contact. The moment was nearly here. And then, without so much as a wave, Mickey turned and went in to a building. I was crushed, and have clearly never recovered. And like a good fishing story, this one grows a little each time I tell it.

Unequivocal joy. Taken somewhere in Florida, possibly Disney World

I remember returning home with Mickey Mouse ears that were embroidered with my name...and that I wouldn't take off. But the best memory of all is the pure joy that this adventure brought to me. There was nothing better than flying away with my family for a respite from the everyday. I only hope that my children's memories are half as sweet.

The enigma of the "Perhaps" ancestor

I have a title for many ancestors in my tree: the "Perhaps" ancestor. This title is awarded to those ancestors that may or may not actually be related to me and that I may or may not have any substantial information on. These "Perhaps" ancestors really drive me crazy because I just can't bring myself to coin them full-fledged ancestors without better proof.

One such ancestor is Robert Cutler. Robert may belong to my Cutler line, that first appears in America around the 1850s in Richland County, Ohio. My known ancestor is James Cutler, but I have not been able to find much on him, other than a few census records that indicate his birth in England in 1815. Knowing that James Cutler immigrated from England, I did a search for arrivals to the United States born in 1815. I came across the manifest below, which indicates that a Robert, James and Bartha (?) Cutler arrived in May 1833 on a ship named Eliza.

The age fits James, and the closeness in ages of the other two leads me to believe they were related in some fashion, perhaps brothers or cousins. I call this the "perhaps" manifest. So I looked for a Robert Cutler in Richland County, Ohio...and eureka, there was one! Also from England, I might add. I can only find this Robert on the 1850 census in Ohio. I also found a declaration of intent for a Robert Cutler in Richland County in 1859; it states that he immigrated in May 1834. That is pretty close to the "perhaps" manifest I found. The 1850 census I found states that Robert is married to Esther and has one daughter, Sarah.

In searching for more records on my "perhaps" Robert, I come across a death record from Morrow County, Ohio. It lists the following information:
Name: Cutler, Robert
Birth Place: Wheatacre Parrish, Norfolk co., England
Birth Date: Aug 1808
Spouse: Esther Evarts
Marriage Date: 1837
Marriage Location: Belleville, OH
Children: Sarah
Death Date: After 1880
Death Location: Morrow co., OH
Other Notes: Spent his twenties as a bookkeeper on the Chiswick estate in St Thomas, Jamaica/ became absolutely disgusted with the slavery system

Belleville, Ohio, their place of marriage is in Richland County, Ohio. And Esther's maiden name, Evarts, also appears in Richland County. The information and many of the dates fit my "perhaps" Robert. Could this Robert Cutler be related to my James Cutler? If they are indeed brothers, was James born in Wheatacre Parrish as well? Perhaps.

On TV: "Civil Warriors" - Tracing the Civil War through descendants

Once again my constant channel flipping has introduced me to a great show. Yesterday I came across "Civil Warriors" on the National Geographic Channel. It re-creates the Civil War through the words of those that lived it and follows their descendants as they see what the war was like through their ancestors eyes. Not only is it fascinating to hear the first-hand accounts of the war, but the producers have turned historical photographs in to "video" of the time period. I very much enjoyed the episode I watched. It is not so much a "genealogy" show, but more a historical look at the war through first-hand accounts. Sadly, there will only be three episodes. For more information on the show, albeit not much more, check out the National Geographic Channel website.