This is worth taking the time to read.
Melinda
----- Original Message -----
From: "Phyllis Fleming" <plfleming(a)shelbynet.net>
To: <INSHELBY-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2000 9:48 AM
Subject: When people ask why I "do" genealogy....
Shelbers,
It is very hard to explain concisely why genealogy is so addicting. My
first major paper in early HS years was "Why am I Here?"; so my love of
genealogy is just part of my life's major theme. As a Christian, I am
constantly in awe of the faith of my ancestors.
Regardless of your "reasons" for pursuing genealogy, I hope you have
time to read the following. It was written by Howard, a former US
postal employee of NYC, <MrZip007(a)aol.com>. You have his permission to
forward his "piece" to friends.
"Desperation was the motivating influence that caused the early
immigrants to board sailing ships for a thirty day trip to the unknown
new world. They were the ones who could not live with a hopeless
situation. The new world did not offer promises of an easy life. It
offered an opportunity of a better life if you were willing
to work hard and make sacrafices. Many, from many different countries,
took America up on the offer.
I discovered, in the 1850 census, my immigrant ancesters had a daughter
5 years old and she was born in New York City. They also had 2 sons, 6
and 7, born in Ireland. This means my grt. grandmother made the 30 day
voyage, on a crowed sailing ship, with next to nothing in privacy, with
2 babies in diapers while she was
pregnant.
Other than complete desperation, what else would cause a family to leave
home, their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, relatives and
friends, the village they grew up in and loved so well, with the
knowledge they may never see any again, accept all the hardships of a 30
day miserable voyage across a dangerous sea, to an unknown, strange
land, called America, that offered no wonderful promises except,
perhaps, if they worked hard, sacraficed a great deal, they may possibly
have a better life for themselves and their children?
Also, a serious fact, mostly ignored, not all the people back home,
facing the same hopelessness, left their country for the new world.
They, no matter the country, stayed at home with the same hopeless
situation, Only those, no matter the country, who could not accept
hopelessness left for the new world and a fighting chance of a better
life. If there was a way to be successful, they were determined to find
it, no matter their country of origin.
This was the characteristic all the American immigrants shared. This is
the primary charactistic all Americans have had passed down to them and
is not found, so intensely, in any other country of the world.
Think of it, there is nothing so special about the topography of
America. Europe has mountains, streams, rivers, lakes, and fertile
lands. Yet! In less than 200 years, beginning with the earliest
settlers, America, a wilderness, was transformed by immigrants into
the most dynamic , progressive, leader in the world and has achieved
what Europe, or any other part of the world, has not been able to
achieve in
2,000 years.
It was the same common threads that ran through all the immigrants,
regardless of country of origin. They do not, cannot, accept
hopelessness or defeat. They have a will, a determination, to find a
way out of a seemingly hopleness situation and make things even better
than they were before. Its called, "American
Ingenuity".
Also, early on, they knew they could not go it alone. That's why, upon
arrival, they stuck together and helped each other. If a wife was
having a baby, they didn't say, "Hope her doctor makes house calls."
NO! Her neighbors and friends, from miles around, came to help her. If
they saw smoke raising from a neighbors
barn, they didn't say, "Wow! Look at her burn. Sure hope he has All
State!". No! They dropped what they were doing and went to the support
of a neighbor who was desperate for help. They built him a new barn, a
better barn, and had a "Ho Down" after it was finished. And, they
weren't celebrating the new barn. They were celebrating their
"Togetherness" , "Their Brotherhood".
When the song "America The Beautiful" was published, it was a quick
success. After describing God's beautiful handiwork, it ends with the
words, "God crowned his good with Brotherhood from sea to shining sea".
It was a success because it said what all Americans felt in their
hearts. It described America as they
saw it and the close togatherness they felt for each other.
This is what makes American unique, special, and beautiful, like no
other country in the world. The American offer of opportunity, combined
with sacrafice, skimmed the cream off the top of all the other countries
peoples. We come from all different languages, cultures, background,
religions, and yet we're so much alike.
Our success is hard to understand, an almost unbelieveable miracle. We
truly are a melting pot.
I just pray, the children of those immigrant Americans never lose sight
of the simple,
basic, qualities our ancestors contrbuted that has made our country,
America, the Blessed country our ancestors intended it to be.
This country didn't succeed because of a bunch of rugged, macho,
individualistic, David Crockets who went out into the wilderness alone
to hunt beaver. Nor, if a neighbor had a serious problem, did they utter
the
wisdom of idiots, "DON'T GET INVOLVED". No! It was the family man,
with will, determination, brotherhood, and a strong spiritual faith,
that made the impossible a reality, "America The Beautiful".
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