Mightier Acorns

Journeys through Genealogy and Family History

A parody of a family coat of arms designed with acorns as elements, with the motto "ex gladnis potentioribus" Latin for "from Mighty Acorns"
From Mighty Acorns

Category: Historical Events

Ancestors who were part of major historical events.

  • When our identity is taboo, it is too easy to be erased from history Note: much of this post is adapted from “You Just Can’t Matcham,” posted on my old Mightier Acorns blog on November 11, 2016. If you are interested in this family, I included a lot more information about George and Emma’s children…

  • Are we noticing the history we are living? The way we were taught history in school did not prepare me for this moment. We studied the usual significant milestones in (mostly) American history, learning the dates of events and some of the connective tissue of cause and effect. However, few of my classmates retained any…

  • The lifetime of Margaret Forbes (1903–1997) As we begin a New Year, I thought I’d start with a biography of one of those “Mighty Acorns” I set out to discover so many years ago. A cousin of mine, but also a genealogist/family historian who left behind a significant piece of her family’s puzzle. Margaret Althea…

  • The downfall of one turn-of-the-century American family Martin L Callin (1853 – 1889) was born in Weller Township, in Richland County, Ohio, and grew up working on farms near Olivesburgh. His father was a shoemaker, Thomas Jefferson Callin, a respected businessman well-known in the town of Mansfield. Martin was this Callin family’s oldest son, though…

  • Wavetops: James McCullough (Sr.) (1757-1838) When John McCullough died in 1766, he left four orphans without family or support in Rowan County, North Carolina. The courts bound each child to an apprenticeship, each with different terms. In her 1991 Ph.D. dissertation, Johanna Lewis1 noted that of 52 orphans placed as apprentices before 1770, only one…

  • New Wavetop: William Bowen (Sr.) (1760-1854) To orient ourselves: Amanda Lydia (Walker) Callin (1856 – 1933) was my 2nd great-grandmother – one of My Sixteen. A few weeks ago, we talked about her maternal grandfather, William Bowen, Jr.: Today we’re talking about his father – William Bowen (1760-1854) – and some of the speed bumps…

  • A woman who saw the changing rights of women in Ohio A story can seem straightforward once the facts are lined up and neatly documented. The life story of one of my 4th great-grandmothers, for example, could be summed up like this: Eleanor Waters was born on 3 August 1810 in Pennsylvania. Her family moved…

  • Leopold Zindle: The Story Behind the Story

    Why we keep doing research after we think we found all the answers Last week, we revisited a story about my 6th-great grandfather, a Hessian soldier who was captured by General Washington’s troops and sent to work in Mount Hope, New Jersey, for John Jacob Faesch, who needed laborers to continue making ammunition for the…

  • And a face to go with the name… As many folks may know, I have a deep affection for unusual names. The person at the center of today’s post possesses my all-time favorite unusual name – beating out the likes of “Gladimere Schreck” and “Thor Glyde Day” for the honor. But before we get to…

  • The story behind the book You can get your copy here: Hardcover (only): $38.10 I don’t remember when I first learned about Grandpa John’s book of poems, but I feel like I remember the adults – Dad, Aunt Vicki, Grandma Nancy, and Grandpa Bob – were standing between me and Grandma’s swimming pool at the…