When I've had some free time recently (usually around 2am) I have been doing some research on my family's history. Doing so has unlocked past moments in time and newfound appreciation for the people that have paved the way for my existence. In Asian countries such as Japan, having a spiritual respect and appreciation for your ancestors is part of the culture. I recommend that everyone seek to uncover and understand their own family history. We as Americans tend to ignore our descendants and take for granted our American citizenship, ignorant of the trials our families had gone through in immigrating here. After all, you have DNA from your descendants inside of you that you will pass on to your children and further down for generations to come whether you like it or not. You owe it to yourself and your descendants to find out who these people were.
My great aunt Bobbie Robertson (the baby girl in the above picture) had spent a great deal of her life researching my mom's end of the family tree. It wasn't incredibly difficult for her since my maternal grandmother's family had a long history of consistent family record-keeping. They also enjoyed being photographed, even in the early days of photography in the 1800s. When I was in high school she would often share her findings with me, knowing of my curiosity.
I'm a direct descendant of William Robertson of the Scottish Clan Donnachaidh. William had fought with the Jacobites against the ruling English House Hanover in the 1740s. They ultimately lost the battle and as punishment, House Hanover broke up most of the Scottish clans and forced them into hard labor. William, however, escaped on a ship bound for America. His descendants eventually settled in Owensboro, Kentucky and have been there ever since.
My great aunt Bobbie passed away in 2004, leaving behind a large amount of research. She had done all of the work for my mom's side. Nobody it seems had extensively researched my dad's side of the tree...
... until now!
It's common knowledge in my dad's family that my grandfather Cornelius and his younger brother William Burton Cornelius fought in World War II. My grandfather led a group of men across Europe, even coming upon a Nazi concentration camp that had been abandoned as Germany was about to surrender. He didn't speak a great deal to my dad about his war experience and for good reason I presume. He died when I was 8, so I never really got a chance to ask him anything myself. His brother William was flying a bomber when he was shot down by the Japanese somewhere over the Pacific near New Guinea. His body was never recovered. His name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. My dad is in possession of a trunk filled with his belongings (including a letter from President Harry Truman) that was shipped to my great grandmother after he was reported dead. This is the most family history my dad's family seems to possess.
Through the wonder that is the internet, I was successfully able to uncover pieces of my dad's family that even he wasn't aware existed! I signed-up for a free trial with Ancestry.com. During the trial I combed through census, birth/death, and military records trying to find any information that I could on the Cornelius family. I happened upon my great-great grandfather William Cornelius (my name too!). William was just 18 when he enlisted in the 8th Kentucky Infantry of the Union Army during the American Civil War. I found pictures of his muster roll and enlistment records, including a form that gave his physical description!
Upon further research, I found that he was given the option to return home after the 8th Ky Infantry was dissolved. He decided to re-enlist and continue fighting, this time with 4th Kentucky. At the age of 20, he entered decisive battles like the bloody Battle of Franklin, Battle of Nashville, and Wilson's Raid in Georgia and Alabama. The war ended not long after and he returned home to Kentucky where he settled down and started a family (that included my great grandfather). During his battles with 4th Ky, he took on the forces of the infamous Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest, who is considered the founder of the Klu Klux Klan. In all of these battles Forrest was defeated and William Cornelius was there to watch him retreat/surrender. Now when I pass Forrest's goofy statue on I-65 in Nashville, I laugh to myself knowing of his defeat at the hands of the men my great-great grandfather fought with.I won't bore you with stories about my ancestors such as the fact that one of my direct descendants settled at the Massachusetts Bay Colony from the English ship the Arabella in 1630, or that one of my ancestors was part of a clan plot to assassinate King James I, or that one of my ancestors fought at the Alamo... You can research your own family and find out what interesting things they did.
Looking at all of this family history has put things in perspective for me. I am an American today because my family chose to leave Europe over political/religious dissatisfaction over 200-years ago. I am descended from men who were courageous soldiers during times of war, fighting for the freedom I enjoy today. I am ultimately my own man that will make my own place in history, but I carry a part of all of these men and women that have come before me. I can do nothing but offer my thanks and appreciation to them. Someday, my children will learn about them too.
NOTE: The picture at the very top of the blog is a piece of art I was inspired to do during my research. It's of me and the generations of men that came before me. It was done as a sort of tribute.
