The following incident was the inspiration behind the John Ford/John Wayne classic western, The Searchers, but the film bears little resemblance to the actual story.

On May 19, 1836, Comanche warriors (along with Kiowa and Kichai allies) attacked Fort Parker in Central Texas. They killed several inhabitants and seized five individuals, among them 9-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker, the 5th great grand-aunt of my nieces. Four of the captives were eventually released, once the typical ransom had been paid. For some reason, the Comanches chose to hold onto Cynthia.

For the next twenty five years, Cynthia lived among the Indians, forgetting the ways of the white man. On at least two occasions, she was offered the opportunity to return to her white family but she refused both times. 

By the mid to late 1840s, she had married a Comanche warrior named Peta Nocona and later gave birth to two sons, Quanah and Pecos, as well as a daughter, Topsannah. She had become a full-fledged member of the tribe.

In December of 1860, Texas Rangers attacked a Comanche hunting camp and during the raid, they captured three Indians. One of them was a non-English-speaking white woman with blue eyes and an infant daughter. She was later identified by her uncle, Col Isaac Parker, to be his niece, Cynthia Ann.

She made numerous attempts to “escape” back to her Indian family and she was never reconciled to the idea of living among white society.  She resided with her white brother and later her white sister but never stopped mourning the loss of her Indian husband and children, refusing even to speak English. After she died, her son Quanah, who had grown to be an influential leader during the reservation era, claimed her body and she was reinterred in the Oklahoma territory where she remains to this day, lying next to his body.  

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please take a look at our TEDxEustis talk and let us know what you think.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer of March 9, 1836, reporting on the stabbing death of my first cousin (five times removed), Robert Allen Jr:

“We learn with much pain, that Robert Allen, esq., son of Col. Robert Allen, of Smith County, and formerly of this place, was stabbed by a blackleg, on the 29th January, on board the steam boat Selma, about twenty-five miles above Bayou Sarah, on the Mississippi river, of which wound he died in New Orleans.

The circumstances we understand to be these. At the dinner table, in conversation with other gentlemen, Mr. Allen expressed himself in strong terms of professional gamblers – remarking in substance that he considered them little better than horse thieves. After dinner, a man named Hamilton Taylor, formerly of East Tennessee, who was at the table when the remarks were made, called upon Allen to know if they were intended to allude to him. Allen replied that his observations were general – that he knew nothing of him [Taylor] or his profession; but that if he were a professional gambler he fell under the general remark.

After some warm words, Taylor struck Allen with his left hand and immediately thereafter with a large clasp knife stabbed him just below the right nipple through the lungs. Taylor was secured and will be tried at the May term of the Feliciana criminal court.

Mr. Allen was a young man of high promise – a member of the Bar – and was on his way to Alexandria in the state of Louisiana where he intended to settle himself, with a view of attending to his profession.”

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And be sure to watch our TedXEustis talk and let us know what you think.

The year 1622 saw what many consider to be “the most brilliantly conceived, planned, and executed uprising against white aggression in the history of the American Indians.” It was orchestrated by Opecancanough, chief of the Powhatans, who, while openly professing love and affection for the settlers of Jamestown, was, for almost a decade, secretly plotting for the indiscriminate massacre of every man, woman and child in the colony.

On March 21, 1622, the Indians came to the plantation homes bringing food gifts to share. But on March 22, 1622, while socializing with the settlers, an Indian war whoop signaled the commencement of the hostilities. As one, the Indians fell upon the colonists, quickly moving from the plantation homes into the fields and towards the main settlement, attacking the unsuspecting colonists without mercy nor regard to age or sex. Those who perished, died within an hour of the first blow. And yet, despite the well conceived surprise attack, 893 souls of the 1240 settlers survived – all because of the actions of two men.

The night before the planned assault, two Indian brothers who had embraced Christianity and were in the employ of two different colonist families, were discussing the impending raid. They had instructions to strike down their patrons at noon the next day as the main attack was beginning. One of the brothers, Chanco, lived in the plantation home of Richard Pace who had always treated him as a son, educating him alongside his own son George. When his Indian brother left for his own house, Chanco woke Pace and warned him what was about to happen. 

Pace acted quickly. He secured his family and as many neighbors there was time to reach and then rowed the three miles across the James River to warn the inhabitants of Jamestown. Defensive measures were taken and as the Indians approached the main settlement, they were quickly repelled. 

Richard Pace was the 10th great grandfather of my daughter-in-law. His actions saved the lives of the 893 surviving colonists. Among them was one of my ancestors, William Cantrell.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please take a look at our TEDxEustis talk and let us know what you think.

My daughter-in-law’s 4th great-granduncle, Lincoln Binion, was tragically killed in one of the nation’s first airplane related accidents. And he never left the ground.

Binion was an assistant and best friend of Matthew Bacon Sellers II, a Kentucky inventor who in the early 1900s became a leading pioneer in the field of aerodynamics. While most believe the Wright Brothers to be the first to achieve manned flight, Sellers, with Binion by his side, was not far behind. In 1903, the year of the Wright Brothers’ first recorded flight, Sellers was already building and testing gliders. It was an odd-four winged contraption built from sticks and linen, which Sellers would wheel to the top of a Kentucky hill outside his family home. Binion would then grab hold of a tether and race down the hill, pulling the machine behind him until it reached a speed necessary to take flight.

It was 1908 when Binion switched his attention to powered flight. His aim was to make the lightest aircraft capable of flying with the least amount of power and he succeeded. He was also the first to invent a retractable landing gear. 

The tragedy that befell Lincoln Binion occurred in 1911. While he was assisting Sellers prepare for yet another flight, the propeller of the craft which was about to be launched darted backwards and struck Binion in the head, killing him. Sellers was so distraught, he left Kentucky and his family home. He returned just once more during the remainder of his lifetime.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please take a look at our TEDxEustis talk and let us know what you think.

There are many stories told involving the Bowens of Virginia and Tennessee. This one features Lavisa Smith, wife of Lt. Rees Bowen, Revolutionary War hero, and a 6th great grandmother of my niece’s husband.

Rees and Lavisa were among the first whites to settle in Tazewell County, Virginia. To protect themselves and other families from Indian attacks, Rees built a strong stockade around his house which grew to encompass other structures. It eventually would become the historic Maiden Springs Fort. Hearing that the Ohio Indians were on the warpath and heading towards Maiden Springs, killing and scalping any inhabitants along the way, the men of the area left the fort to meet the Indians and keep them from attacking their women and children. When they were several days away from the fort, the men were horrified to find that the Indians had slipped past them and were headed straight for their settlement and their defenseless families.

Lavisa was outside of the fort’s walls, driving the cows to their milking area and, while passing over some marshy ground, noticed fresh moccasin prints. Immediately realizing their dire circumstances, she managed to keep a cool head and after she finished with the cows, informed the other women that they should dress in men’s clothing and march around the palisade to make the Indians think their husbands were in the fort, armed and ready. Not one woman was willing to risk exposing themselves in such a manner.

So Lavinia dressed the only woman over whom she had authority, a large negro woman, in her husband’s clothes, while she, being of diminutive stature, dressed in her son’s clothes. Carrying sticks to simulate rifles, they marched in military fashion around the fort all night. Her ruse worked for when the men arrived back home, they found their families safe and secure. Lavisa had surely averted a massacre from taking place for they found the Indian’s camp ground on the side of Short Mountain, overlooking the fort, where they opted not to carry out their attack plans based on what they could see.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And be sure to watch our TedXEustis talk and let us know what you think.

Sometimes, it is the family narrative histories that are the most fun to read for they can provide  more of an insight into the lives and emotions of those who lived before us than is provided in a mere recounting of names and dates drawn from a generational chart. I found the following in a book, “The Houstons of Pequea,” and it features a headstrong Mary Johnston who is related to my daughter-in-law.

“As the Johnston family was moving from Lancaster to their new home in Franklin county, they stopped at a country school house to get water from the spring, and to inquire their way.  The teacher was Mr. Hunter, a man of fine character and ability.  Mary Johnston, a girl of refinement and spirit, was scarcely over fifteen, but in this brief interview at the schoolhouse an affection sprang up between these two that could not be severed.  The parents looked with disfavor on this union, and this gave rise to a romance which has been cherished by succeeding generations.  Difference of opinion in religious matters seems to have been the obstacle.  Thomas Johnston was a rigid Associate Presbyterian.  John Hunter was an Associate Reformed and they could not be reconciled.

But the “love that laughs at locksmiths” proved stronger than parental authority, and when Mary found that she would not be permitted to be married under her father’s roof, she mounted her horse and, accompanied by her cousin, Mary Murray, who had been brought up with the family, rode to Mercersburg, where John Hunter stood holding two horses, one of them wearing a woman’s saddle.  Throwing the rein to her cousin, Mary dismounted, placed her foot in the hand of her lover and springing to the saddle, rode away to a long and happy married life.

The Hunters held a high position in social and religious circles and were successful in a financial way.  After some years in McConnellsburg, they moved to Mercersburg, where they ended their days.  They had one child: Mary Anne Hunter.”

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please watch our TEDxEustis Talk on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uYlTTHp_CO8.

We are sometimes able to catch a glimpse of our ancestors’ lives through a blurred photo or a snippet of a saved letter but rarely do we have the opportunity to really delve inside the actual thoughts and feelings of a relative we never met. My niece’s husband now has that opportunity through the reading of his 5th great grandfather’s Mexican War Diary.  

Thomas Tennery was a volunteer and private who left his farm home in Illinois to join the 4th Illinois Regiment to fight in the Mexican War. A sensitive and articulate man, he kept a diary of his experiences which covers his long trek down the Mississippi, across the Gulf of Mexico to Matamoros, up the Rio Grande as far as Camargo, then overland and south to Victoria and Tampico. His regiment was then shipped to Veracruz for the march to Mexico City. In the battle at Cerro Gordo he was shot in both legs.

His diary allows us to view Mexico, the war, and the everyday experiences of the volunteer soldiers through his eyes. His prose is vivid, poignant, and at times breathtaking when describing the deaths of his fellow soldiers. He was deeply moved by the natural beauties of the Mexican scene and Mexican civilians appear frequently in his record, always in terms which suggest friendliness and respect. His pity for their low estate is grounded on his belief that a Spanish tradition has left them priest-ridden.

There are other personal accounts of the Mexican War that have been published but due to his superb educational background and ability to express himself in writing, many consider Tennery’s to be the most valuable.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please watch our TEDxEustis Talk on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uYlTTHp_CO8.

There are many “coming to America” stories out there but none seem to me to be as harrowing as the one involving my daughter-in-law’s 5th great grandfather. 

Joseph Musgrave Whittaker was born at sea in 1754. His parents, Charles and Rosy Ann, had made the decision to start a new life in America and Joseph just happened to be born aboard the ship taking them there. Tragically though, both Charles and Rosy Ann perished during the crossing, Rosy Ann during childbirth and Charles a few days later.

Now an orphaned infant, Joseph was looked after by friends as the ship continued its journey to America, along the Roanoke River until it reached North Carolina. There, the baby was “bound out” to indentured servitude, presumably to pay for his voyage or to reimburse for his care until he became of age.

At 21, he married Zobedia Obedience Perdue whom he called Biddie. Together they had nine children. He was active during the Revolutionary War, serving in a regiment of the Virginia Militia. He fought in the Battle of Point Pleasant, the Battle of Whetsels Mill, and at Reedy Fork of the New River. He reportedly, for a brief period, served as a courier for General Washington.

After the war, he settled down to raise his family and his crops on a small plantation in Wyeth County Virginia. In his will, he left to each of his children the sum of one dollar which, to be fair, was a dollar more than he was given at the beginning of his life.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please watch our TEDxEustis Talk on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uYlTTHp_CO8.

In 1982, a landmark case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. It involved Joe Hogan, a registered nurse and qualified applicant, who was turned down by the Mississippi University for Women for entrance into their baccalaureate program for nursing on the basis of gender.

A lower court had ruled against Hogan stating the “maintenance of MUW as a single-sex school bears a rational relationship to the State’s legitimate interest ‘in providing the greatest practical range of educational opportunities for its female student population.’” This decision was then overturned in the court of appeals which held that MUW’s admission policy was unconstitutional because it discriminated on the basis of gender. The university appealed to the US Supreme Court which decided to hear the case.

In a 5 to 4 vote, the Court ruled in favor of Hogan. In writing for the Court, Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman Supreme Court Justice, noted that because the university discriminated against applicants based on gender, it fell under the scrutiny of the Fourteenth Amendment and thus had to show an “exceedingly persuasive justification for it.” In the Court’s view, the state failed to prove that justification. Instead, the university’s admissions policy tended to “perpetuate the stereotyped view of nursing as an exclusively woman’s job.”

MUW v. Hogan has become an important precedent for cases involving single-sex educational institutions. Sandra Day O’Connor was an important voice for the Court during this case. She is also the fifth cousin (once removed) of my eldest son who serves as a nurse in Colorado.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please watch our TEDxEustis Talk on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uYlTTHp_CO8.

Of the 159 counties in Georgia, there’s only one named for a woman. Hart County, in the northeastern part of the state, is named after my daughter-in-law’s 6th great-grandmother… and for good reason. A formidable woman she was.

Nancy Hart (nee Morgan) stood six feet tall with red hair and a muscular build and she was as adept with both gun and axe as any man. She was also a devout patriot when it came to American Independence and she had ample opportunity to prove it as she lived during the Revolutionary War.  Two of her oft-told tales are summarized below.

In one, as she was stirring a pot of boiling soap over an open fire and regaling her family with the latest news of the war she was alerted to a spy peering at them through the crevices in the log wall. Quick as lightning she flung the ladle of boiling soap through the crevice in the wall, catching the eavesdropper full in the face. Dashing outside, she continued to taunt the now blinded Tory as she bound him and took him prisoner.

Her most famous exploit occurred when six British soldiers came upon her cabin and demanded a meal. While she was well known for her open hostility towards the British she was also renowned for her culinary skills. In this case, she became cordial and hospitable, fixing an ample feast for her enemy who, stacking their muskets in the corner, enjoyed the food and drink before them. As they became intoxicated, she sent her daughter to fetch her husband from the fields and began slipping their muskets through a chink in the wall. As she was handling the third musket, she was discovered and as one of the soldiers moved toward her she, without hesitation, spun and fired upon him, shooting him dead.  A second soldier decided to act and she grabbed another gun and wounded him. With the third musket now in her hands, she dared the others to test her resolve. They did not. When her husband arrived, the remaining prisoners were taken out to the back and hung from an oak tree as Nancy opined that they weren’t worth the bullet.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website. And please watch our TEDxEustis Talk on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uYlTTHp_CO8.