Geneology - Mine

My grandmother (mom's mother) came from the mountains of central Pennsylvania. She had a delightful country/mountain twang to her voice. She was my favorite. When I was a boy, I often talked to her about where the family came from: i.e. our roots, our history.
    Her favorite retort was, " be careful not to go too far back on the family tree, you never know who you're going to find hanging off it." Grandma was a card.
    Now in retirement, I've decided to look.
    She was right. A long lost uncle was one of the more famous architects in America, living and working in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century. Married to a beautiful young woman who loved to flaunt her ....attributes, she worked in a gentleman's club of the day entertaining rich New Yorkers. One night after entertaining one a little too much, my great, grand uncle arrived pistol in hand and shot the suitor in the head, killing him. Headlines, everywhere, the trial of the century ensued.
     In 1804, Lewis and Clarke set out from St. Louis on the Oregon Trial with a bunch of people trying to find the Northwest Passage. In the group was one lone Army Lieutenant whose duty was to armament of everyone else, the horses and provisions. Lt. Alexander Graham Willard went on to be the only member of the Corps of Discovery every photographed in his 90's. I am one of his descendants.
     The Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692 hosted the Witch trials. Among the  12 witches hung was John Willard, last to be executed for witchcraft. Testimony at his trial indicated he caused one young lady in town to cause her to cease urinating. Verdict, guilty of witchcraft. I, also, am a descendant.
     Gettysburg battlefield was the largest conflict in this hemisphere and among the thousands of killed and wounded was Colonel Alexander Graham Willard, commander of the 124th New York Volunteers, my grand uncle. He died at the front of his troops during Pickett's charge on July 3 at about 3:30 in the afternoon. He was a descendant of Generals of the war of 1812 and of the Revolution.
     Little did he know, he fell in battle two days after General John FULTON Reynolds died just northwest of town on the first day of Gettysburg engagement. General Reynolds was an ancestor of my family's other branch, the two gentlemen did not know of each other.
     All of this comes as a shock and surprise to me, this late in life. I continue to investigate, to explore. To date, I have found no axe murderers, petty thieves or pirates.
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