December 16, 1779, dawn broke cold and beautiful over the icy landscape of Vertinburg, Germany to greet the laughing face of newborn Francis Pike. Cradled in the arms of his mother, Mary Louise Hoppa, his clear blue eyes winked in the light of dawn and he kicked, squirmed, and wailed his presence to the world. Francis Pike is my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. He immigrated to the United States and in 1808 he married Mary Schrader. They couple had a very large family and seemed to be close knit. Francis was a tailor by trade and 1828 found him purchasing 40 acres of farmland in Franklin County, Pennsylvania which is where he lived out the rest of his days. One story that has been passed down about Francis is his bravery during the Civil war. A wagon train full of wounded confederate soldiers and their supplies passed through the streets of Greencastle, Pa where they were affronted by a group of men armed with axes and hatchets! One of the boldest was a short …show more content…
He was quite remarkable in the fact that he stood 6’ 2” tall. The Pike family, as a rule, is rather short, so it was shocking when he grew to such heights. March 20, 1920 found him in the mountains of West Virginia saying his marriage vows to a pretty little Helen Virginia Jackson. They had traveled to West Virginia for the wedding because Helen was only 15 and the state of Maryland would not allow her to be married so young, West Virginia would though. My cousin Louise remembers going to the big farmhouse for every holiday. “Every cousin imaginable” would gather together for a day of food, laughter and visiting. Something special grandma Helen would do is, set two extra plates for every meal. She did this because of the many people coming through asking for food during the great depression, and after that there was always some kind of family or neighbor dropping in for a
Daniel Boone was born November 2, 1734 in a log cabin in Berks County, near Pennsylvania. Boone is one of the most famous pioneers in history. He spent most of his life exploring and settling the American frontier.
The book began with Paul Revere’s America. Paul Revere’s real name was Apollos Riviore. Paul Reveres name was later changed because of it being too hard to pronounce. He was born on the small island of Guernsey in the English channels but at age 12, he sailed to Boston on November 15, 1715. By 1722, he was a goldsmith in Boston. In 1729, Paul Revere married a named Deborah Hitchborn. He worked as an artisan and a silversmith. During this time, he was known to have amazing skills in both jobs. One of Paul Revere’s best designs was his print of the Boston Massacre in 1770. It helped to create an image of British tyranny and American virtue that still shapes memory of the massacre.
Zebulon Montgomery Pike was born out of Lamberton, New Jersey just after the spark of the American Revolution in 1779. Zebulon was a very creative and optimistic boy with a great future ahead of him. Little did he know that his life would be filled with great and wondrous adventures, amazing showing of bravery and courage, a climb that would test his character, and imprisonment that will test his soul.
Daniel Boone was a 16 year-old boy who lived in Pennsylvania, which at the time still belonged to England. He always loved hunting and exploring. They moved to Yadkin Valley, in North Carolina. Daniel and a friend of his discussed over a campfire the beautiful land of Kentucky, and how it was full of rich farming soil and lots of deer, black bears, and other small animals for skin and food. They decided to travel there. Daniel brought 5 men with him to hunt and collect skins. One day while hunting, Daniel and his brother-in-law got captured by Indians. They told them to leave Kentucky and never come back. They weren’t scared, but the other 4 men were, so they went back to Pennsylvania. Two years later, they decided to go back to Pennsylvania to sell the skins they had collected, and when they were almost home, they got attacked by Indians and got their skins stolen. In the end, they were just happy they got to explore and live in the wild for 2 years. Two years later, Daniel decided he had been away from Kentucky for long enough and brought his family and six other families with h...
Due to falling political prospects and monetary problems his family moved from their home in Stratford to a home in Alexandria, Virginia on the Potomac River. That is where he was raised. He attended grammar school, did many outdoor activities along the river such as fishing and swimming. He had many ties to Revolutionary War heros because his father had served.
William Penn was a great human being who went through tremendous hurdles in life, went against his family’s views but had a strong vision and a will to accomplish pacifism in a colony. Creating Philadelphia was a great accomplishment for the years he spent there and the belief of religious tolerance attracted many individuals to practice freely. I am overwhelmed by his actions he took at a young age and his strong will power to accomplish his goal. Even though, his colony negatively transformed after his departure, his vision was to care for the people and to eliminate differences based on ones’ skin, color, gender, or religious beliefs. To conclude, William Penn was a great human being who envisioned something different and tried his utmost best to create a peaceful colony for one to dwell in and allowing religious tolerance.
His impact on the Battle of Saratoga and efforts in controlling the sea for American were not recognized as much until after his death. He might not have won “the glory he sought,” but he definitely “helped win a nation’s freedom” (Thomas 311). This biography has provided me with information that has widened by understanding of the American Revolution and a new perspective on the intricacies of the battles at
As you know he ran against john adams twice and won the second time. Although he did many amazing things, his greatest accomplishment was the purchase of the Louisiana territory. This was when Thomas Jefferson Purchased Territory from France for 15 million dollars. Which included lands extending between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico to present-day Canada. He then sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition, to explore the unknown territory. They brought back valuable information on Indian tribes, uncharted areas, and rivers/mountains. Some of his other accomplishments were The founding of the University of Virginia and participating in the founding of the liberty of congress. Thomas decided to not run the third term. He chose his successor ,James madison. He then retired to his home at the Monticello. Jefferson spent his post-presidential years at Monticello, where he continued to pursue his many interests, including architecture, music, reading and gardening. This was the time he started building all the buildings. Jefferson died at age 83 at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He was buried at the Monticello . He was a great president, father, and person. He still one of America's
William Penn was generally known as the Quaker leader who founded Pennsylvania. Penn’s achievements were far greater than just the founding of a colony. He had commitment, spirit and love for the Quakers and in turn, spent his whole life trying to get others to see the good in Quakerism and create tolerance for his religion.
The seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was born on March 17, 1767 in Waxhaw, South Carolina. Growing up, he was educated in an “old field school” in South Carolina and at the age of 13, joined the army as a courier boy. After the American Revolutionary War, Jackson found himself as an orphan. Both of Jackson’s brothers and mother had either succumbed to death during the war or illnesses that they could not overcome, leaving Jackson at the age of 14 to live with relatives. After studying law in North Carolina, Jackson was admitted to the bar in 1787 and practiced until he became solicitor for present day Tennessee. In 1788 he moved to Nashville and became a prominent lawyer. After the Panic of 1795, which ended the prospering business boom after the American Revolution, Jackson was left with his land, naming it The Hermitage. Jackson lived as a cotton planter with a handful of slaves, in-between the business of his political endeavors. After marrying Rachel Donelson in 1791, they would later remarry in 1794 after finding that her first marriage to someone else was not legally ended. This would later be ammunition to his opposition who claimed Rachel to be a bigamist and him a wife stealer.
Jefferson lived at Shadwell for a few years until the family moved to Tuckahoe. Jefferson was the oldest of his six sisters and one brother. Jefferson's father moved the family to Tuckahoe to take care of the children orphaned by his best friend. Around the age of 17 while on the way to college, Jefferson met a man by the name of Patrick Henry. The two became close friends and Henry called on Jefferson to help him get a license to be become a lawyer. Jefferson became Dr. William Small's, a Mathematic professor, every day cohort. Small introduced Jefferson to two of his closest associates, George Wythe and Governor Francis Fauquier. The four men created a quartet and Jefferson claims he owes a vast majority of his education to these three men. After finishing college in 1762, Jefferson studied law with Wythe and noticed growing tension between America and Great Britain. Jefferson was admitted to the bar in 1767. In 1769, Jefferson became a member of the legislature where he first tried for the emancipation of slaves. At his home in Shadwell, he designed and supervised the building of his home, Monticello, on a nearby hill. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Jefferson met Martha Skelton, a wealthy widow of 23, in 1770 and married her in 1772. They settled in Monticello and had one son and five daughters. Only two of his children, Martha and Mary, survived until maturity. Mrs. Martha Jefferson died in 1782.
“Born on August 18, 1774, close to Ivy, Virginia, Meriwether Lewis was considered the greatest pathfinder the country has ever had. Coming from his family estate in Locust Hill, he came from a decorated family. His father Williams Lewis, his mother Lucy Meriwether, and his father’s cousin. His mother was a skilled cook and herbalist; her generous and charismatic nature was known throughout the region. His family was one of the first to settle in the region and had a long standing connection and friendship with the Jefferson family.
John, Davy's father, moved to Greene County where Davy was born. While Davy was still in dresses, his father moved the family to Cove Creek in Greene County, Tennessee, where he built a mill in partnership with Thomas Galbreath. When Davy was eight years old, the mill was washed away with his home. After this disaster John Crockett removed his family to Jefferson County where he built and operated a log-cabin tavern on the Knoxville-Abingdon Road. (This cabin has been restored and is now located at Morristown, 30 miles Southwest of Greeneville.) The young Davy no doubt heard tales told by many a westbound traveler - tales which must have sparked his own desire for adventure in the great western territories. In his dealings with his father's customers, Davy must also have learned much about human nature and so refined his natural skills as a leader. While Davy lived there he spent four days at the school of Benjamin Kitchen. He had a fight with a boy at school and left home to escape a "licking" from his dad.
Jackson grew up in North Carolina, not having very much money at all, or even a family to lean on. So, at the age of twenty-one, he made the decision to head to Tennessee and start a new life. There, he became a successful lawyer, and also became a slave owner. He was first recognized when he won the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. It was a sight to see and he started to become popular because going into that battle, he was considered the underdog against the British. He also met a girl named Rachel Donelson. Rachel was separating from her previous husband when she and Jackson met. When the divorce was final, Rachel and Andrew Jackson married. In March of 1829 he was chosen to be the President of the United States of America. He had a little difficulty during the elections, because many thought that he and Rachel had gotten married before the divorce was final. In the end, he was still elected. Jackson’s attitude was almost rotten.
Francis was famous for his love of all creation. He called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. He died in 1226, at the age of 44.