Ancestry

* I figured me and those of you who read my endlessly depressing posts could use a break *

I have been playing around with Ancestry.com on and off for several years now. I’m obviously no expert and can never afford one, but I think I have done the best I could with other’s trees and advice. I’m a Newton and a Smith. The Newton part has been surprisingly easy. Interestingly enough the area I grew up is very tied to the Newton name, but these days you would never know that. My father’s direct bloodline was in the area essentially from the time they opened the WNY area for settlers and may have been one of the first families to be here.

Most of the Newton side settled in Massachusetts from the 1600’s. Now I don’t think they were mixed into the pilgrims on the Mayflower, but close. Richard Newton was an original settler of Sudbury Massachusetts, so about 1637 he arrived in the “New World”. Now his father Sir Robert Isaac Newton was the Grandfather of Isaac Newton, Yeah, that one…  Anyway, Richard eventually settled in what would become Marlborough Mass. He was obviously busy having fathered around 18 kids, one being my line’s John Newton. A couple more generations and shit ton of kids later my Great Great Great Grandpa Philo came to Hanover NY around 1820 and essentially littered the county and surrounding one’s with more Newtons. It was tricky, but my Grandfather somehow got his boy after having 3 girls and giving up for several years. Much as I did with 2 of mine, he must have been to cheap to buy my Grandma anything for Valentine’s day and 9 months later there was my Dad… I’m proud to say the line will live on for at least one more generation with my 4 boys..

The Newtons fought in the Revolution, Indian wars, and Civil Wars.. One even fought for the confederacy although he was northern, have to work on what that’s all about later.. I learned my great Uncle may have been somewhat of a two timer having kids with two separate women, but dates are a bit fuzzy.. Most of ol’ uncle Arthur’s Boys apparently stay away from the marriage raising kids thing, but after a certain year Ancestry doesn’t give out records and you have to hope some distant cousin is also doing the family tree stuff. Needless to say, my Dad’s 3 sisters weren’t too into the birthing babies stuff and short of 2 of their daughters there wasn’t any kids on that limb, just a couple cousins of which I know maybe 3 of.

The Smith side of Mom, well I got to my Great Grandfather and that’s it. Have you ever looked for a person named Smith before the 1900’s in the South?

Hmm. Maybe I will do a regular entry here and there about the generations of crazy that has made me the mess I am today. Also if you know of someone who does this as a living or a Newton that lives in the general vicinity of New England, send them my way and maybe we can work on my family bonsai…