When trying to understand the family history most of us start with the two obvious examples; for the Walkers it is "The Descendants of John Walker of Wigton, Scotland." by Emma White and for the Cowans it is "The Cowans from County Down," by John Fleming. We eagerly try to connect to a published source in hopes of making our genealogical quest an easy one. Sometimes it works out and other times it is a frustrating journey that never seems to end. Sometimes we are side-tracked along the way by really interesting history and this becomes almost as fascinating as the search for our ancestors. I have found the Siege of Londonderry to be the event which holds me spellbound. During the last year or so when I have felt like standing over a copy machine, several research documents have been offered to the group that I thought were important in gaining knowledge of our migration from Ulster to here, wherever here is for you. It could be Virginia, Carolina, Tennessee or points west, but the information seemed always to lead to Ulster. Castles's Woods: Frontier Virginia Settlement, 1769-1799 by Hagy focused on the early southwest Virginia history of our families. A trip to the library for a look at "The Tinkling Spring, Headwater of Freedom," by Wilson and perhaps "Carolina Cradle," by Ramsey pushed back the clock to the early-mid 1700's. The two Lecky books on the Laggan presbytery helped bridge that difficult gap between Northern Ireland and America. The last offering before John and I go to Londonderry and Belfast in May will give the researcher the information necessary to complete his or her education on this Irish genealogical journey. "A History of the Siege of Londonderry and Defence of Enniskillen in 1688 and 1689," with Historical Poetry and Biographical Notes, & by the Reverend John Graham, M.A., Rector of Migilligan, in the Diocese of Derry The Battles of the Boyne, Athlone, and Aughrim, the Siege and Capitulation of Limmerick, by Lord McCaulay., Toronto, MacClear & Co. Publishers, 1869. They don't make titles of books like that any more! I sacrificed my copy to the copy machine as it was in poor condition and now it is for all purposes destroyed, but it copied really well. The last document before our trip, offered with the hopes some will become experts and eventually begin new carees as history teachers!! >From the forward we read the following: "In bringing out a new edition of Mr. Graham's narrative of the Siege of Derry, and enhancing its value by descriptions from Lord Macaulay's graphic pen, the publishers conceive that they are conferring a benefit upon the reading public of Canada-for the events which these pages record are such as we do not willingly let die. Apart altogether from the political and religious aspects of the question, the romance of history never had a fairer theme. Truth is proverbially stranger than fiction, and never did the all-exiting elements of truth gather in sterner compression than around these memorable hundred days. What fiction ever imagined excitements and sensations more thrilling? and yet they are no morbid fancies of the distempered brain, but events which actually happened, events from whose enactment and results, the destinies of a nation were changed." Remember that LONG poem I posted to the group about the Siege of Derry and the people who defended? This poem is included with about seventy pages of follow-up by the Rev. Graham on the genealogies of these people, really interesting stuff. Its a long book, 316 pages and I will make copies for those interested. Contact me at [email protected] for details and I look forward to the Derry trip with great anticipation. I will be accompanied by an outstanding researcher, Mr. John Giacoletti from Largo, Florida and we will be spending our time equally between Derry/Donegal and PRONI in Belfast. Our findings will be posted to the lists upon our return. Regards, Robert Cowan "Our fathers, who lived under the dread of Popery and arbitrary power, are, most of them, gone off the stage, and have carried with them the experience which we their sons stand in need of, to make us ernest to preserve the blessings of liberty and pure religion which they have bequeathed to us. Oh that I had words to represent to the present generation the miseries which their fathers underwent, that I could describe their fears and anxieties, their restless nights and uneasy days, when every morning threatened to usher in the last day of England's liberty." SHERLOCK I bet those King's Mountain boys felt the same way a hundred years later. We will see if they are the same stock.