Saturday, November 8, 2008

Beginnings...


In 1635 some of my ancestors washed up here, at Pemaquid Point, Maine. They had set sail from England on the ship Angel Gabriel, and during a hurricane the ship was wrecked on these rocky shores. Most of the passengers survived, but the ship and many of the material possessions were lost. I knew none of this when I moved to Maine 5 years ago... yet now I live less than an hour away from this beautiful spot. As winter settles around me here in New England, I relish the wood fire and my cozy, weather tight home. I wonder how those relatives of mine survived the cold and achingly long winters back then. The raw beauty of this place didn't keep them warm, surely. I come from hardy stock. Yessah!

1 comment:

solarity said...

My earliest colonial ancestor arrived in 1648 (?) at Cape May, New Jersey, I think. (When I first heard this story all New Jersey was a great blur to me.) He fell in love on the voyage with a young woman whose husband died before they landed, and who was captured by Indians. He rescued her, and they married and settled somewhere in New Jersey. My ancestors didn't wind up in Kentucky until after the Revolution. A milder climate and a safer landing, but still really tough.