Quote:
Originally Posted by geri_s
Next, my great -grandmother's name was Angie McCoy. She was from the Tennessee/Kentucky borderline, and was a member of one of the clans that were legendary for it's fighting, the Hatfield's and McCoys. ( No wonder everyone in my family argue all the time!!!)
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How interesting! I also have McCoys in my family tree, but mine came from England so I don't think we're related.
I started working on my family history years ago when I was a volunteer at the Family History Center at the Mormon church in Elkhorn. A couple of my aunts had been working on our family tree for over 50 years and had gone back many generations, but since the advent of the internet, I was able to track it much further. I wrote two books, one on my father's side titled "The Howell Family Tree" (a copy of which is at the Grant Co. Genealogical Society Library in Lancaster) and one on my mom's side titled "The McCoy Family Tree" (a copy of which is in the Wisconsin Historical Society library in Madison).
In doing my research, I found that I am descended from many famous people in history including William the Conqueror and Charlemagne. Also, I found it quite interesting to discover that another ancestor, Rev. James Pierpont who was a descendant of the family of Pierreponts originally in Nottingham shire County, England, was the co-founder of Yale University. Also, Rev. James Pierpont's great grandson was Aaron Burr, Vice President under Thomas Jefferson and well know for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Another of Rev. Jame's great granddaughters married Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin. I also found that descendants of the original Pierrepont family still live in the castle, named Holme-Pierpont Hall, in Nothingham shire, England, and you can rent it for special occasions or stay there during certain times of the year. You can view more info about it at:
Holme Pierrepont Hall, Wedding Receptions in Nottingham
On the Wisconsin branch of my family, I found that my great, great grandfather was Henry Edson who was the first postmaster of Meeme in Manitowoc County and the first post office was in his home. I actually visited the site where his house was several years ago which made him seem more real to me and not just a name on a chart. Henry later moved his family to Almaden, California during the gold rush where he ran a hotel until he died.
History is like a mystery...it's just waiting to be solved!
