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 7/26/24 Wendy Erisman 7/26/24

Flying Camps, Prison Ships, and the Battle of Long Island

I've come to realize that I really know very little about the American Revolution. I remember learning about the Minutemen at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, of course, but my knowledge of what happened during the subsequent eight years is quite limited. Happily, as I've spent time researching my family's past, I've learned a good deal more about what went on during the Revolution.

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 6/28/24 Wendy Erisman 6/28/24

Juneteenth

This isn’t a story about my ancestors, but it is one worth telling. Growing up in Texas, I was certainly aware of Juneteenth, which has only been a national holiday since 2021 but has been a Texas state holiday since 1980. To me, as a young person, the holiday wasn’t much different from Memorial Day or Independence Day, one of those summer holidays marked by parades and cook-outs and sometimes fireworks.