Unfortunately, most of my paternal ancestors that had write-ups done about them like that were NOT liberal. Most of them were from the south and half of them were slaveowners.

My maternal ancestors just kind of seemed to keep their heads down and farm, so I really don't know what their political views were, or if they had any, though my maternal grandfather was an Atheist Liberal, like me, so hopefully he got it from his ancestors

And I did read it... LOL I'm a Genealogy geek like that. I love history and stories of people from the past, whether they are related to me or not

living in different times. Who knows what we ourselves would have done, in those different times? We are all shaped by the dominant culture. I bet they were as kind as they could be, given the dominant culture of the time.

Thank you for reading that! I read that "sturdy Swiss stock" and I thought, oh, that's where I got my big old muscular and short, sturdy legs! (#neverlookedgoodinashortskirt)

They lived in Salem MA in the 1640s and were constantly having trouble with the Puritans, who were constantly dragging them into court and fining them for not attending the Puritan services.

Another ancestor was a slave owner (he owned two), who went off to fight in the Civil War. Part way through, he changed sides, and wound up fighting in the Union Cavalry.

After he left, his wife died, and three children were being cared for by 2 slaves. There is a family story about how when food was getting scarce, Sally (one of the slaves) climbed a tree under which wild pigs would nest at night. In the middle of the night, she climbed down with a hatchet, killed one, and quickly retreated up the tree. In morning, after the other pigs left, she was able to get the dead pig back home for food.

My grandfather remembered her from when he was a 5-year-old boy. He remembered her (quite old by then) sitting in the kitchen, smoking a corncob pipe.

In addition to all this, another branch of my family has Choctaw Indians.

That's a fascinating family history! Isn't it amazing how brave our ancestors were, how much they endured and the stories they have? Gives us courage to face things in our own lives when we think of what they went through!

was the first Puritan minister in Milford, Con. He was run out of England because he wouldn't conform to the tenants of the Church of England, so immigrated to America in pursuit of religious freedom. Didn't take the Puritans long to practice the same intolerance they experienced in England. Go figure!

My maternal great grandparents were farmers living in Marshall Co., Va. at the start of the Civil War. My g. grandfather joined the Union Army after the 2nd battle of Bull Run, leaving my g. grandmother, who was pregnant at the time, with a large family and a large farm to run. I have copies of their letters, including the ones when WV gained statehood. I had no idea they were so liberal.

On the other hand, my paternal relatives lived in Craig Co, Va, much farther south, and both of my g. grandfathers fought for the Confederacy, though I can't fathom why. They were poor tennant farmers, didn't own anything, much less slaves. Both of them were wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor, near Richmond, and both were permanently disabled as a result. My grandmother was a founding member of the UDC, and my dad's sisters always referred to the War as either the "Late Unpleasantness" or the "War of Northern Aggression". They maintained there was NOTHING civil about the Civil War.

As for me, I'm just glad my g. grandfathers never met on the battlefield, since at least one of them was a sharpshooter!