Thinking about home and ancestors, I was tempted to write about the home I grew up in but will save that for another time. This story is about the home my mother cherished while growing up in Hayward, California. 55 Main Street My mother often shared fond memories of her childhood where the family would gather after dinner and make music together. Horns (trumpet and trombone), Strings (violin banjo, mandolin, and violin), Piano, and Drums were all mentioned at one time or another. My mother did not play an instrument; however, she loved to dance and would add to the fun with dancing and acrobatics while the music played. This tradition morphed a bit when the three siblings left the nest to establish their own families. The oldest, my Uncle Jim kept the music alive. I remember trips to their mountain home in the forest of Lake Tahoe, and after dinner, we would all gather around wh...
Reverend Samuel Willard, circa 1692 For this story, we must climb the highest limbs of our ancestral family tree, going back eleven generations to the Reverend Samuel Willard (1640-1707). Samuel was born January 31, 1640, to Major Simon Willard and Mary Sharpe Willard in Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Samuel may be the first of our direct ancestors born in the “new world.” The theme for this week is “Historical Events” and Samuel Willard found himself deeply entwined in the events of the famed Salem Witch Trials. Samuel was a graduate of Harvard University, class of 1659, and he began preaching at Groton, Massachusetts. He later became the pastor of the Third Church in Boston in 1678 and remained there until he died in 1707. During that time (1692-93) the Salem Witch Trials were taking place. Samuel was opposed to the trials and is believed to be the author of “Some Miscellan...