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| 'Stepping Stones of American History', 1904. Via the Library of Congress |
Heartfelt wishes of gratitude to all those celebrating Thanksgiving in the US. May everyone, everywhere, take the opportunity to count their blessings on this day. While I cannot definitively claim any Mayflower ancestry, many of my forebears were among the original English Puritan settlers of New England and New York. My primary lineage traces back to a gentleman who emigrated to Prince Edward Island, Canada, from West Yorkshire in the very early 19th century. However, extant family lines dating back as early as the 1630s reveal extensive English ancestry throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maine, and, eventually, the Canadian Maritimes, most of whom were exiled there following the American Revolution.
I harbour mixed feelings about the Puritans and their motivations. A substantial part of me wishes that none of my ancestors—English or otherwise—had ever set foot on this land, especially in light of current circumstances. Nevertheless, it is impossible to speculate on the state of the world today had it not been for centuries of mass emigration from Europe. Would I be living in England, Germany, or elsewhere? Would I even exist?
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and the adage that the ‘grass is not always greener on the other side’, I am grateful to my Puritan ancestors for their role in establishing, most notably, Massachusetts, and for their positive contributions to society. They were far from perfect, yet there were many positive aspects to their faith—such as their steadfast commitment to literacy and knowledge; their appreciation of music and the arts; their charitable missions, including, at certain times and in specific circumstances, toward the Native Americans; dare I say, their fashion sense; and their deep, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Arthur Newhook, 28 November 2024
Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.
