The 75th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Justice and Independence

(artwork courtesy of the footnoteMaven)

This edition of the Carnival of Genealogy celebrates our country’s struggles and glories of Justice and Independence. These concepts have been at the core of our nation’s philosophy since its formation and geneabloggers have not gone without recognizing this fact. Below you will find a summary of those who’ve chosen to celebrate Justice and Independence in their search for genealogical answers. And as usual, footnoteMaven provided us with a unique banner to celebrate the occasion! Thanks fM!

Dorene from Ohio celebrates Justice in her post, F. D. Parish, Sandusky Lawyer and Abolitionist. Dorene states: "F. D. Parish actively helped fugitive slaves find freedom during the time of the Underground Railroad in pre- Civil War Erie County, Ohio. While F. D. Parish is not my ancestor, he helped seek justice for future residents of the United States and Canada." You can find Dorene's Graveyard Rabbit blog at http://graveyardrabbitofsanduskybay.blogspot.com/.

Midge Frazel, author of Granite in My Blood (http://granite-in-my-blood.blogspot.com/), writes that "Finding the graves of those who served in our American Revolution is a passion for many gravestone hunters. But, finding out what they did for their country can prove to be difficult. Take Cap's Peter Brown for example...". Yes, I am going to make you click HERE to read the rest!

T. Casteel regales us with the participation of an ancestor, Captain Edmund du Chastel in Queen Anne's War in the 1700's. This post gives a little family history, a little American History, a little European history and a lesson in war-naming. You can find this post at the above link to the blog Tangles Trees at http://tangledtrees.blogspot.com/.

Jasia provides us with a much-needed reminder to remember those who fought for Justice throughout the world in her post, Lest We Forget. Jasia writes: "I don't have a long line of ancestors who fought for independence here in America. But watching a recent WWII re-enactment of D-Day brought my Uncle Edward to mind. Photos and reflections of that day are presented here." Jasia's blog, which needs no introduction, is located at http://creativegene.blogspot.com/.

Karen Packard Rhodes tells the story of her fourth great-grandfather Richards Packard. She tells a great story and provides us with a "short bio of my fourth great-grandfather Richards Packard, a soldier in the American Revolution". You can read more of Karen's writings at her blog Karen About Genealogy, http://karenaboutgenealogy.blogspot.com/.

John Newmark has many stories to tell relating to this topic and summarizes the thought processes that went into his decision to incorporate music for the COG. His post, Deuteronomy 16:20 ,describes how, "In the end, raised on the music of Peter, Paul and Mary, I had to write about Deuteronomy, Chapter 16, Verse 20." You can read this and many more thought-provoking posts at his blog, Transylvania Dutch, http://transylvaniandutch.blogspot.com/.

Jean B. Duncan of Forget Me Knots: My Ancestors and My Ghosts (http://.jeanbduncan.blogspot.com/) writes, in her post "Harry Buzzell's WWI Story, Part 1",: "Time to start thinking about and getting ready for the 4th of July. Harry Buzzell, my grandfather's brother, automatically comes to mind as he is the one in our family who made the ultimate sacrifice in 1918 during World War I in France. His story was captured in his own words in 60 letters that he wrote home from 1914 to 1918. I've written about him before some and even presented a speech once. But now I want to look at it again and thought that I would create a series about him in anticipation of the upcoming holiday weekend."

Earline Bradt offers a different perspective for geneabloggers in her post "Justice and Independence - The Loyalists' Viewpoint" at her blog Ancestral Notes (http://ancestralnotes.ebradt.org/ ). She "...discovered that "Justice" depended entirely on your political and religious affiliation, it was not handed out to all Americans, only those who supported the newly formed government. The Loyalists, while being citizens of America, suffered terrible injustices in search of their independence. "

Linda Hughes Hiser of Flipside (http://lindasflipside.blogspot.com/ ) isn't kidding around with her sharing the story of Purcell Houston, her fourth great-grandfather. Her post, "Carnival of Genealogy, 75th Edition—Purnell Houston in the American Revolution" is a fascinating read.

Amanda tells the story of a great-uncle who died in Normandy and pondered what he and the other men who landed there thought at her post "Freedom Isn't Free". You'll find it at her blog at http://www.ataleoftwoancestors.blogspot.com/.

Dawn Watson of "Genealogical Research: A Hobby or an Obsession?" (http://www.genealogical.wordpress.com/) tells a fascinating story of the Little Lulu's crew on her post, "The Crew of the Little Lulu". She introduces us to "My grandfather, Thad J. Watson, Sr., was a crew member of the Little Lulu, a B-24 Liberator which was shot down on August 24, 1944". It is a great story!

Debra Osborne Spindle posts a really neat photograph along with her entry, "Uncle Sam Wants You". You'll find it at her attractive blog, All My Ancestors (http://allmyancestors.com/blog/).

I normally don't think it's appropos for the host to choose a favorite post, but I've been known to break a rule or two every once in a while. And to choose footnoteMaven's submission to the 75th Carnival of Genealogy as my favorite is saying a lot, because there are so many great posts here to choose from! What did she write to capture my fascination again? Check out her post, "The Visual Chronicles of One Who Fought" and see for yourself! She posted some exciting possessions at her blog, "Shades of the Departed" (http://www.shadesofthedeparted.com/).

Bill West, of West in New England (http://www.westinnewengland.blogspot.com/) wonders what our Revolutionary War veterans would think about today's celebrations in his post "West in New England: INDEPENDENCE DAY". Bill writes, "Studying my colonial ancestors who fought for independence has heightened my interest in the history of our nation as well!" As always, it's worth a read.

Cathy Palm traces the descendants of her Col. Miles Powell in her post Col. Miles Powell, Who Participated In This Country's Struggle For Independence. You'll find the story of Colonel Powell at her blog, Detour Through History at http://www.detourthroughhistory.blogspot.com/.

Jessica Oswalt focused on her European ancestors' fights for justice in her post "Justice and Independence: Ancestral Experiences ...". In this post at her blog "Jessica's Genejournal" (http://www.jessicagenejournal.blogspot.com/), the author takes "a look at a couple of my ancestors' experiences with independence movements and justice, or the opposite. ". Nice post that is certain to make the footnoteMaven proud!

“From Austin to Visscher - no matter what the surname – men in my family have been serving this country to ensure justice, choices and freedoms since it was founded. For that and for them I am grateful.” So writes Thomas MacEntee, who eloquently offers his gratitude for his relatives and everyone else who gave their lives for current and future generations. You can find his post, "Justice, Choices, and Freedom" at his "Destination Austin Family" blog at http://www.destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/".

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has two entries: one, an impressive list of his ancestors from the Revolutionary War at his post "My Revolutionary Roots". Complete with citations, of course! His second is entitled "Isaac Buck - Revolutionary Soldier" and can be found HERE.

My own submission, "Fighting for Justice and Celebrating Independence" has a little bit of everything all wrapped up in one slideshow, brought to you by Flickr and Paul McCartney! There's no link here for the exact post since the music won't play on the single-post page. But never fear, you can find te post and the blog, The Oracle of OMcHodoy, at http://www.omchodoy.blogspot.com/ .

Thanks to those who participated in this holiday edition of The Carnival of Genealogy!

Now it's time for a Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: How I spent my summer vacation... a favorite summer memory from your youth. Tell us what summers were like when you were a wee tad pole. Did you vacation with family? Go to a youth camp? Hang out at the local park? Watch fireworks? Catch fireflies? Share those lazy, hazy, crazy, days of summers past with us! Deadline for submissions is July 14, 2009.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using the carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blogcarnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.