Wendy Erisman 9/6/24 Wendy Erisman 9/6/24

Who Needs the Mason-Dixon Line?

In reading about Pennsylvania, as I have been doing a lot lately, I have come across many references to the Mason-Dixon line, the southern boundary of the colony and eventually the state. We’re all familiar with the Mason-Dixon line, of course. It has served as a powerful symbol of the division between the free North and the slaveholding South, the line enslaved people had to cross to escape to freedom. Despite that knowledge, it had never before occurred to me to wonder why the Mason-Dixon line exists at all. It’s quite a story, involving royal patronage, feuding families, a minor war, a famous lawsuit, and some cutting-edge science.

Wendy Erisman 8/9/24 Wendy Erisman 8/9/24

An Actual Privateer

When I decided on the title for this blog, I was shooting for alliteration, of course, but also for a representation of my family’s past. Pioneers and preachers we have in abundance, but there really were some privateers as well. Here’s what I have learned about one of them.

Wendy Erisman 7/12/24 Wendy Erisman 7/12/24

The Phalanstery is Man's True Home

My four times great-grandfather Abner Hixon Longley, the son of Thomas Longley, was born in Mason County, Kentucky, in 1796 and went on to live a rather remarkable life.

Wendy Erisman 6/15/24 Wendy Erisman 6/15/24

Her Children Sign from the Breast

In a 1684 treatise with a title far too long to include here, Increase Mather, a noted Puritan minister, set out to describe instances where God had intervened in the world in remarkable and miraculous ways. Among the “illustrious providences” he recounted was the story of my nine times great-grandparents Matthew and Sarah (Hunt) Pratt, both of whom were hearing and speech impaired but who were also respected members of the church and community in 17th century Weymouth, Massachusetts.