The Ancestral Pen

Alden Williamson was born in 1750 in New Kent, New Kent County, Virginia. As we approach Memorial Day, it seems fitting to honor this patriot ancestor who served his country in its earliest days. Family Life Alden married Isabel Thompson in 1778 in Virginia. With Isabel, he had at least two sons: John Williamson (born May 19, 1781) and Richard S. Williamson (born 1786). Isabel passed away the same year Richard was born, in 1786. Records indicate that Alden married Mary Elizabeth Jackson much later in his life, likely around 1814 when their son Shadrick Williamson was born. Military Service Alden served as a Private under Captain William Campbell at the Battle of Point Pleasant, earning him recognition as a Patriot (DAR Patriot #A126757). The Battle of Point Pleasant, fought on October 10, 1774, was a pivotal clash between Virginia colonial militia and a confederation of Shawnee and Mingo warriors led by Chief Cornstalk, taking place at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rive...

211 N Pettit Ave, Hominy, OK as it appears today For this week's #52Ancestros challenge, I'm taking a different approach. Instead of "At the Library," I'm sharing the story of my ancestor Martha Ellen (McCombs) Hoard, whose life journey took her through Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma during a transformative period in American history. Early Years in Post-Civil War Arkansas (1870-1890) Martha Ellen McCombs was born on July 1, 1870, in Bentonville, Benton County, Arkansas. Her parents were John A. McCombs (1846-1921) and Lutitia Nichols (1850-1926). As the eldest of eight children, Martha grew up in Dickson, Benton County, Arkansas, where the 1880 census shows her living with her family at age 9. Martha's childhood unfolded in a rural farming community still recovering from the Civil War. During her formative years, Benton County was experiencing significant agricultural changes. In the 1870s and 1880s, the county led Arkansas in tobacco production, harvesti...