Connie and all: I always put my foot in it, and maybe I'm doing it now. But there's always someone who will send a personal - or not so personal - note, and say just about anything. There certainly are people in England who still refer to America as the colonies and all of that - I don't know how many such people, since my knowledge about it comes from a book by a guy about his experiences at Eton, the elite aristocratic school Prince William is at, and a "prep school", or private grammar school that mainly turns out students bound for Eton. His masters always introduced him as "our friend from the colonies"! This man attended Eton in the mid 1970's! There is usually someone who can be offended by just about anything. That often comes from where they themselves are at. There are enough other people who like to bully other people with concerns about what might offend people. Without meaning to imply that alot of such people exist, anyone in another country who doesn't want to hear the American point of view about the American Revolution really needs to grow up. Especially since what I think we're talking about was hardly a political statement of patriotic principals, which frankly would have worried me, as I'm no fervent patriot, only someone with enough sense to tune into who my ancestors were emotionally. I would of course want to know how the person who wrote it was related to me. But this was simply family history to anyone who is of Pennsylvania Dutch background. They also need to grow up in the sense that everyone knows that real life is simply that people always go a little overboard on genealogical lists about major holidays. That is because so many people have the "illusion" that genealogy is about family. NOw, I'm not a Christian, and I do often have depression, and I find some of this tiresome. Around Christmas the genealogical lists are always full of holiday greetings, angels, Christmas cards, Christmas customs, all that stuff. I pretty much ignore it - and any mature person who doesn't want to bother with it does. I simply use the delete key - that's what it's there for. Everyone on this planet knows Americans go a bit overboard on the 4th of July! Are we talking about that reprint of what happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence that someone posted a few days ago? Or something else I missed. I remember some discussion of people in England being glad to see it or something. Anyhow, I saw nothing about it that anyone would reasonably find offensive. I'm really glad it was posted. Made me really appreciate what those people did go through. The Pennsylvania Dutch were very emotional people, and they were fervent patriots. This posting touched on me personally and on my own Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors' experience. The only reason I didn't post this to the Dehaven list is I'm subscribed to that list from another e-mail address. The Dehavens were merchants, and also owned large amounts of land in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties (and some in Berks County). Peter Dehaven, the brother of a direct ancestor of mine in this large family gruop who settled in Germantown in the 1690's, ran a powder mill on his farm. Together with a number of other Pennsylvania Dutch owners of gun and powder mills, he was principally responsible for keeping Washington's troops stocked. Washington put out a request for "Loans", actually money and supplies to be requested by whatever means from Pennsylvania and probably other people of any means, with promissory notes to be given. Jacob Dehaven, who was Peter's brother, I think, answered this call, and loaned pretty much everything he had. The new government couldn't repay these "notes", and people were forced to exchange the notes as if they weer money. Jacob Dehaven, an honorable man, then sold the rest of what he owned in effort to make good on the notes he'd sold. He died ruined, and, the story goes, heartbroken and bitter at what he perceived ti be a betrayal by his country. He had no direct heirs. His kin, however, have not to this day forgotten this as some see it blot on the family honor. The Dehavens must have been originators of manic depressive temperament among the Pennylvania Dutch, since they were Waldensians driven from France into Belgium whre they became Anabaptists. A fourth cousin of mine, from West Virginia, who now lives near Houston, in the 1980's made yet another attempt to go to court and collect on JAcob Dehaven's loan to George Washington. Groups of Dehavens have been variously suing and lobbying Congress for repayment of that loan since the Civil War. This cousin of mine took it all the way to the Supreme Court - which rejected it. About 1992. She explained that she had promised her father on his deathbed that she would do what she could to recover the family honor. I thought maybe some of my Dehaven cousins need to be brought more in touch with reality. Anyhow, this posting made me very proud that my ancestors risked so much for what they believed to be right. It also further educated me on what really goes on in peoples' minds when they make that sort of a decision - true courage is rarely founded on strictly abstract principals. I also wonder how many people of Pennsylvania Dutch descent attend Eton College? Yours, Dora Smith --- "Connie L. Rickman" <clri@alltel.net> wrote: > Hi to all, I have recieved a personal message > to my 4th of July message. They pointed out > that people from England and other countries > would not appreciate my message as it would be > offence to them and that there are many peoples > in many countries that subscribe to this list > that might find it offensive. I apologise to > anyone I have offended by my message which I > reprint below: > May you all have a very happy and very safe 4th > of July !!!!! Thank you to all of our ancestors > and present day families that have made this > day possible. With hopes that all of our > descendents continue to have this day and this > country to celebrate with honor and pride!! > Again , I apologise if I have offended anyone > with this message. Also, I would ask that no > one respone to this message, it is not ment to > inflame anyone , just to apologise to anyone > that I might have offended. > Connie L. Rickman > www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/1437 > ICQ # 35661024 > Reach me even if you don't have ICQ at: > ICQ Communications Center > http:wwp.icq.com/35661024 > > > ============================== > Free Web space. ANY amount. ANY subject. > RootsWeb's Freepages put you in touch with > millions. > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/acctform.cgi > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get Yahoo! Mail � Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/