RootsChat.Com

I rarely consider what major historic events were going on at the time when I am doing my family history.

Interesting.  I almost always connect a date to some major or minor event, even if it has no direct bearing on the ancestor in question.  Born in 1805 - ah, that's the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  Married in 1859 - ok, Origin of Species was published that year.  Immigrated in 1834 - that's when Richard Henry Dana sailed to California.  It helps me sort of set the scene and place my ancestors into a historical/cultural context.

I have at least two direct line ancestors who fought in the American Revolutionary War on the American side - gggg-grandfather John Ware and ggggg-grandfather Amos Davis.  Were there any on the British side?  I don't know, but I'll keep searching on and off.  I'd really like to find one.

My ggg-grandfather David Waire fought on the American side in the War of 1812, and family legend has it that gg-grandfather Robert Logan's older brother fought on the British side.  I tend to believe this legend because it comes from my grandmother.  The Logans were her family, and her information has almost always proved to be accurate.  But I don't even know the brother's name, so I haven't been able to get anywhere with it.  It would be interesting to find out whether they ever faced off against each other or that the Logan brother was one of the sappers who ate the dinner prepared for President Madison in the White House and then set the building on fire.

The Civil War was famous for pitting brother against brother, but not in my family.  Everyone involved in the war fought in the Union Army.

I do have a photo of my most terrible ancestor (at least he's the worst I know of).  He was one of my gg-grandfathers and I'm glad I have the photo.  He was a violent, drunken, mentally unbalanced wife beater and child abuser and possibly (probably) also a crook.  He made a substantial fortune and then squandered it on foolish mining investments, booze and various mistresses.  When he died, the remnants of the fortune were left to his "housekeeper" who was herself a scam artist.  His obituary in the local, small-town newspaper summed him up:

"Today old Mr. Cyrus Ware, a former resident of Hortonville, was buried; the remains were brought by rail from Illinois, and two carriages, besides the bearers and the hearse, were all the procession to follow the dead, one-time millionaire."

I daresay that news of his death was met with some satisfaction and even amusement in Hortonville.  At least I can say that his fortune did not pass down to later generations and I derived no benefit from it.

Yes, dammit, I am.  I've been on RootsChat for twenty years.  Why has it suddenly started to repeatedly question my humanity? 

Fabulous!  Another one to add to my collection of rogues, fraudsters, con artists, quacks and vendors of snake oil.  He's just connected by marriage so he's only worth half a point but still, every little bit helps.  Thanks, dbree.