It was the 18th of April, in '75 . . .

[MtGun44]

It was the 18th of April in '75,
And hardly a man is still alive,
Who remembers that famous day and year,
And the midnight ride of Paul Revere.

One if by land, two if by sea,
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm.

A few lines from Longfellow from memory about this famous date.

Bill

[Hamish]

Rather fitting, *this* year rather than any in say, the last 200, would'nt you say?

[Blacksmith]

April 18th 69 years ago some airplanes took off on a mission:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39-yZ_2aao0

April 18th 70 years ago some airplanes took off on another mission:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHnwxRfzR2A

[WILCO]

April 18th 69 years ago some airplanes took off on a mission:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39-yZ_2aao0

April 18th 70 years ago some airplanes took off on another mission:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHnwxRfzR2A

Videos like these just make Obummer mad!

God bless those brave Americans.

[MBTcustom]

Thanks for reminding me, I shouldn't have forgotten.....

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I always wondered if 3 if by both wouldn't have been a good addition to the plan,

i saw a piece on public tv one time about the north church , and the tunnels under the city , it was very interesting , they had a real net work. they had a way to get from the warf to the church to some key leaders homes and bussinesses

[MtGun44]

And on the 19th of April, the militias began gathering as the Redcoats, 700 strong, marched
on the armories in Lexington and Concord. The Lexington militia stood guard on the green,
and were in the process of dispersing when ordered by the British officer.

A shot rang out - we will never know from which side. "The Shot Heard 'Round the World"

In a few seconds, 8 militia men were shot down. And the militia continued to gather, as the
British marched on to Concord to confiscate the arms and powder. Finally, the local militias
gathered enough, and they made a stand at the North Bridge. The Concord armory was
already emptied by the Colonials.

As the British retreated back to Boston, they were mercilessly harried from every turn and twist
by the Colonial militias and by individuals. By the time they reached Boston, they had losses
of over one third. Within a short time, 15,000 militiamen arrived outside Boston and
the milk could no longer be unspilled.

Remember April 19th, also. Brave men started dying on this day that we could be free.

Bill

[Doc Highwall]

I had a Great Great Great Grandfather fighting there. The family has been here in America since 1630.

[MtGun44]

Your ancestor was a great man.

Bill

[Blacksmith]

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/battle-of-lexington-re-enacted.html

I didn't have any ancestors in the battle but had some in the war.

[fatnhappy]

I had a Great Great Great Grandfather fighting there. The family has been here in America since 1630.

Then we're probably related. I am a direct descendant of Jonathan Harrington, one of the 8 men killed at Lexington. He was mortally wounded and made it home to die on his porch. The most common surname at Lexington was Harrington.

Harrington's house (http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=18456)

[ErikO]

I had a Great Great Great Grandfather fighting there. The family has been here in America since 1630.

When yours were doing something for our freedom, mine were dreaming of throwing off both the Danes and Swedes and having their own country again.

It didn't happen for them until May 17, 1818.

[Doc Highwall]

My ancestors received a Kings Mile approximately 150 acres in 1640.

One day at work I was talking with a co worker who lived not far away from the the land, said the town use to pay him to mow the grass at the family cemetery when he was a kid.

Small world it seems to be at times.

I remember going to another cemetery with my aunts and uncles when I was a kid that has a lot of my family buried and my aunt tellin me who was who. I wish I had paid more attention and had wrote it down now.

Hind sight is 20/20.

[Blacksmith]

Doc

It is not to late to start and I find digging up my ancestors quite enjoyable. If you get started what you are able to find out and write down will help future generations, don't you wish your aunt did.

For the complete newbie here is a short how to course to get you started. You can find more advanced courses in the second link.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~newbie/page3.html

This link takes you to the motherload of genealogy resources on the internet. Including 164 links under the category "Beginners".
http://www.cyndislist.com/categories/

I see you are from Connecticut if your roots go back far enough in CT we may be related, some of my ancestors and relatives were in the battle of Groton Heights and were massacred at Fort Griswold. The Connecticut Historical Society library is an excellent resource with very friendly and helpfull people an outstanding library and a number of online resources.
http://www.chs.org/page.php?id=514

E-mail or PM me if I can help.

The first step is to get started.

[LabGuy]

"I find digging up my ancestors quite enjoyable"

It's hard to just let that one ride. There are laws against that you know.

[Doc Highwall]

Blacksmith. Thank You for the links.

[Bullet Caster]

I agree with LabGuy. It's against the law to be digging up your relatives! Lol. BC

[Blacksmith]

So would you prefer:

Any ancestors you can dig up would be appreciated.
Dead people like to hang around cemeteries.
Ever find an ancestor HANGING from the family tree?
Genealogists never die; they just lose their census...
I collect dead relatives and sometimes a live cousin!
Family Trees are ideal to hang your genes on!
Genealogists collect dead relatives.
"Crazy" is a relative term in MY family
Genealogy is relatively interesting.
Genes, the splice of life!
Genetic Engineering: Heir styling!
My problems are all relative.
"SSHHHH! Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting forebears!"
A family reunion is an effective form of birth control.
Any family tree produces some lemons, nuts and bad apples.
Climbing my family tree is fun...even gathering a nut two
Every family tree has some sap in it.
Genealogy - The only hobby where dead people can excite you.
Genealogy - where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
Try genealogy. You can't get fired and you can't quit!
We are all related...relatively speaking.
Your Ancestors are my Ancestors.

[Blacksmith]

Doc Highwall

Since you mentioned arrival in 1630 I would guess it was on Winthrop's fleet so you might find the Winthrop Society web site helpful:
http://www.winthropsociety.com/settlers.php#surnames

That link takes you to the Settlers page which has a search by name. The Links at the top has some other usefull links.

[Doc Highwall]

Blacksmith, Thank You! for the link. I will have to share this with my older brother who is starting to research our family tree.

[Doc Highwall]

Just checked it out quickly and the name is there.

[Blacksmith]

PM me the name and maybe I can give you some other hints.

For information on that cemetery you went to when young you might try Find A Grave, it doesn't have all the graves or all the cemeteries but some cemeteries are covered very well. You can search for a name or for a cemetery and if you find something interesting you can ask a volunteer to send you a picture. Geneologists are nice people just like on Cast Boolits and most are willing to help with suggestions, lookups, photos, etc.

http://www.findagrave.com/