Wanderlust or Just Time to Hit the Road? A 'Come-Here' Legacy.
As I've aged, genealogy became more
interesting to me, as it does to many. Studying my paternal lineage, I
realized that most of my male ancestors left home - moving away from
their birthplace - and died somewhere else, whether that was tens or
hundreds of miles away. Germany -> Virginia -> West Virginia ->
Illinois -> Missouri -> Michigan. In my immediate family, the
pattern has continued. Where I live, people like me are called 'come-heres'. Being a 'come-here' seems to be my
heritage. OK - let's embrace that!
The traces we leave behind
I became interested in the traces we leave behind in the landscape when we live somewhere. I stumbled on references to the "Kackley cabin"
sitting alongside Rt. 50 just west of the WV-VA border. I was surprised
that it had survived, relatively intact, since circa 1790. I became
interested to know if I could find the places where other ancestors had
lived and to see if they had left behind any traces of their time there
other than a gravestone. Of course, deeds and wills are great sources of
info, but Google Maps can reveal some surprising clues too.
Moving on . . .
As my investigations continued, I find
myself imagining why a particular ancestor might have decided to pack up
and move away. What might have been going on in the family, the region,
or the country that influenced him and his wife to make this decision?
More on that later.
