57. Hiatus & what it helped me to do.

57.  Hiatus & what it helped me to deal with (inc. vent of frustrations).

The past couple of years, I've been in quite the hiatus, as stories ran sort of quiet.
I sat on a couple of (ok, a few) projects, that's been quite the "ongoing" story or is now the case of "never ending"??

Though I have just come back from a trip to Adelaide, South Australia that has reinvigorated my mind again.
With the view of searching for a "instinctive story", I went to Adelaide, looking to see if there were communications between 2 cousins. This story was just a pure "gut feeling", with a story on why my lineage didn't become an "Adelaidean" so to speak.
I was looking for historical connections to 2 Colonial Families (Newenham's & Pitman's) & as I sit here now, I found more than I bargained for, because I found another family story to Kapunda with the Blood family (which wasn't known till 2 weeks after the trip).

This Adelaide trip was absolutely instrumental to understanding my distant lineages mindset, it answered my question (about communication between 2 Cousins) in the most mind boggling way.
It wasn't directly answered, I had to put it together & read between lines. Just after the trip, 1 document I found in the Cork Archives - dated in 1824 that was sent from Dublin to France, unbelievably validated the trip. Family notes I have that were written in Australia - that is roughly dated to 1867, said the exact same thing, but with a twist of "cousinage". Family names mentioned in both documents validate that they knew each other & were talking together through "Cousin Networks" (The old "I know a Cousin who knows a Cousin" trick). 
But that's for another blog entry later.

So the hiatus, was from lot of research that went nowhere. It just was not giving me results, only similar or even duplicated results. Became quite frustrating, where I wholly knew technology & people were there to help, but I wasn't progressing past what I knew.

The Washington Letter story has taken me on quite the path of history - from an American POV & it's Australian tragic tale. I want to document it's hidden story, because there is one.

But it a harsh reality has taught me something very, very harsh, in where I wasn't sure whether to continue the project or just stop it completely. Why? Because I couldn't get anyone interested in it. 

I tried scholar's who were very well versed in this historical field, I tried local & overseas History Professors, I tried TV stations. All failed. 
 

I watched the Ken Burn TV Series of the American Revolution & I bought books to understand, only 1 small but very important part of this story.

I learnt quite the harsh reality, it was only my project & mine alone.
I am not an acclaimed writer, I never went to get a diploma in writing or journalism, never took part in University degree's, never went to lectures on how to document history.
And yet, I can come up a blog documenting history to some finite details that nobody else knows.

I realised that I didn't have that "secret handshake" to becoming a historical writer. You know, those letters after your surname that apparently means something. 
Everytime, I went to contact someone of knowledge & gave specific details of interest, I got ghosted (no reply). This was all the way from US historical persons, to local historians near me.
To even prove a theory, I contacted an academic person, who wrote a historical piece on a known artistic person, she even gave a lecture with presenting this information. This document, was of great importance to me & is under lock & key in a University Library, where it can only be accessed by persons with "academic" interests - that is not in the eye of "Plebs". 

Because I am not of the "academic" mind & didn't have letters after my name, the reply was not forthcoming, even a mere "you have to join this society or perform a certain function to get access", which was a thought not even entered into.

Now as I look back on it, the turning point of this "secret handshake", the above is true still, but as I went to visit my multiple cousin Michael Collins Persse, it took a couple of visits to get him acquainted with me - why I was there - what was the purpose of the meeting etc etc.
I still remember vividly, the very moment this barrier of the "secret handshake" dropped.
As we were talking, I showed Michael a photo of my Mother & Michael immediately stopped conversing (you could of heard a pin drop). Michael's "mouth hit the floor" - so to speak. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in a photograph. I didn't fully understand this moment until well after this visit. From that point on, Michael opened his arms to me & involved me into his life. 

Why did Michael involve me? What was this photograph of, that made Michael immediately stop?

Quite simply, 1 person of historical significance & a close cousin to Michael.
It was none other than : Lady Gregory (Augusta Persse).

Michael, had seen a newer version of "Lady Gregory" in the photograph of my Mother.
This is what stopped Michael in conversation. He couldn't believe it.

I'll let you be the judge (this was not the photo of what I showed Michael, but has the same effect).

This was my initial success to learning the problems of the "secret handshake" into the historical realm.

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56. The Document That Changed How I Research Family History (Washington - Newenham Letter)

 56. The Document That Changed How I Research Family History (Washington - Newenham Letter)

This story has been mentioned quite a while ago. Back then, I didn't fully understand this letter to it's full potential. I just thought it was just a letter between a very world renowned person & my ancestor.

But sometimes in your Genealogical research, you come across something that you have no clue in understanding or you've spent so many hours on a certain part of research that keeps bringing up dead ends, you get frustrated as you know there should be more about the subject, in particular, with this document. You feel a bit "empty handed" to a point. But something inside you says either quit your losses or continue the research with a long road ahead, in hoping for some small sort of reward.
Inevitably & chances are more likely, that your curiosity is going to get you & you're going to keep researching. If you're a true Genealogist / Researcher, you will do this!

A copy of this historical letter, sat on my Great Aunt's wall for many years & it intrigued me to ask on why she had a letter from George Washington on her wall, as far as I knew, we had nothing to do with Washington. Well, after 20 years of first seeing this letter, now I know why it's on her wall.



This document, sat within my Maternal family till around mid 1930's, where a set of tragic circumstances forced it's sale at a Christie's Auction for just £70. It was written by George Washington, who had just been newly sworn in as 1st President of the United States.
He was writing to my Ancestor - Sir Edward Newenham & it was dated July 29th 1789.

It was an introduction letter, to acquaint my Ancestor, with the presence of Janet Livingston Montgomery - the Widow of a fallen Revolutionary War hero - Gen. Richard Montgomery, who died 14 odd years earlier, at the Battle of Quebec City in late December 1775.
Richard's story is depicted in depth, via the Ken Burns TV Series "The American Revolution".
And if you know your history well enough, Janet's Brother, administered the "Oath" for Washington's Inauguration. Close circles huh!!

This letter came about, where early in 1789, Janet was getting ready to visit Richard's Sister - Sarah  (Lady Ranelagh) in the coming months, to pay homage, to Richard's extended Family.
And Washington wanted Newenham (his Irish Supporter of American Liberties), to become part of this visit, well that's initially what I thought.
Much deeper research, unearthed the facts where Janet was actually the instigator/initiator of this letter, not Washington as first thought. Janet compelled Washington to write it, as she visited him at the President's residence based in NYC many times. Janet was a very driven woman & Washington must of thought it meant a great deal to her cause, but also the American political/diplomatic cause.
The actual spot where this letter was written, was placed at the exact area of one of the footings of the Brooklyn Bridge (Located at Dover Street & Pearl Street). The only thing that remains as to what was there, is a very small plaque mounted into the footing.

This story only bore fruit, in the last year of research, that is, just over 10 years went in finding the story & it was only in the last year it all came together. I found all these interesting avenues of facts, that I couldn't find before, that the research went a bit pear shaped & took another life of it's own.
Felt like I had "chased the rabbit down many holes".

My research changed, when I found, by chance, a document written by Eugene Coyle who wrote a small but detailed story, documenting Montgomery's life. It was a holy grail moment to my research & gave a 2nd perspective of exactly what I was looking for. I read it twice & still couldn't believe what I'd found. It backed up the story that I had imagined in my head, but it also quoted this exact letters existence, it also listed who carried the letter. Eugene's research was in 2 parts.

The first part centred on General Richard Montgomery, his Life, Military, Death & Janet his widow.
The second part, ironically centred on my Ancestor - Newenham & his involvement with Richard's story.
Eugene was detailed in the shortest way possible. But from my perspective, I noticed a quirky thing, Newenham's story was also detailed enough, where I felt Eugene believed that Newenham's connective story to Montgomery, was very well warranted. I even got the feeling that Newenham's story almost overshadowed Montgomery's, because how descriptive Eugene was. He even went into Newenham's political mantra, where Newenham was indeed, a bit too radical on somethings, particularly in his later years. 

Here, Coyle depicts quite the story, but also highlights "Letters of Introduction".
Though, also highlights the end of the trip, didn't end in an amicable way for each other. Such the tensions of the time.

This information was just icing on the cake. It helped authenticate many of my thoughts & questions, that I had on Newenham.
Eugene's research, put this letter into a new light, also showing it was an extremely important to diplomacy, between America & Ireland at that time.

This letter is also highlighted on the "Founders Online" Website : 
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-03-02-0199

 

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