Thomas Freeman had a national reputation for precision and trustworthiness. He was a government surveyor, civil - topographical engineer and astronomer during the formative period of the Republic. Freeman was an Irish immigrant who caught the attention of master surveyor George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. As a result Freeman had a significant role in laying out the District of Columbia. Freeman was engaged in 1808 as the chief surveyor of the Mississippi…

The O' Malley family have the Tin Kitchen restaurant which serves great barbecue, in scenic Weston, Mo. Their dad's name Pat O'Malley,  is inscribed on the bench to the right.

This is the summary stated on their website:…

The Bear Flag Revolt, was from June to July in 1846. American settlers in California rebelled against the Mexican government and proclaimed California an independent republic.  After the Bear Flag  was…

                                        Mississippi became a state on December 10, 1817  [Enchanted Learning]                                           

                                                         Above, Mississippi Territory (1798-1817), Wikipedia

Fort Niagara - Betsy Doyle carries red hot cannon balls

Betsy Doyle married Andrew Doyle, a private in the First United States Artillery Regiment. "Private Doyle was with the U.S. forces when they invaded Upper Canada. He was captured in the Battle of Queenston and…

In 1798, the new Oaths issued by the Wexford Council had good effect. As Crown forces gathered on Wexford’s borders for the showdown, Nicholas Gray, Secretary of the Council, wrote on 16 June to Fr. Philip Roche, the new commander‑in‑chief. Gray was desperate for reinforcements for his Southern Army, which had…

Irish loyalties in the Rebellion of 1641 were intertwined between religion and the destabilization of English politics. "The Catholic  landowners desire to recover their lost land was one main reason for the rebellion. The rebellion started eleven years of war between 1641-52 in Ireland and was…

David Goodall was born in 1931. One side of his family had Wexford ancestors who were on both sides of the 1798 Rising. Though he had no professional involvement in Anglo-Irish relations until 1982, Goodall had a lifelong scholarly interest in Irish and, especially, Wexford history. He was president of…

The Mississippi Territory existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817. The Territory had the usual frontier problems of land claims and the establishment of law. The attraction of vast amounts of high quality, inexpensive land ideal for growing cotton attracted hordes of settlers. From 1798 through 1820, the…

In 1864, 20-year-old Vicksburg resident Emma Kline was arrested by Union officials, who were then occupying the city, perched above the Mississippi River in the state bearing the same name. She was charged with the crime of smuggling, one of a group of women engaged in smuggling much-needed supplies out of Vicksburg and into…

The above is a picture of Loftus and Mary Gray, my great-great grandparents. Jack Holt, the husband of Mrs. Billie Jo Holt (who provided the above photo) is also a descendant of Loftus Gray. Jack's maternal grandfather was Walter Gray. The picture was given to Mrs. Holt by Anne Holt and later verified…

In 1812, in the first summer of America's 'second War of Independence' with Britain, a valuable survey describing the whole Niagara Frontier was made by Irish immigrant Nicholas…

I believe the portrait at left is Nicholas Gray.

Nicholas Gray was an attorney in Co. Wexford, Ireland and in 1795 married Elinor Hughes. His life changed dramatically when he took part in the 1798 Rebellion as the Secretary to the Rebel Council of Wexford and also as Aide -de-Camp to Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey in 1798.  Mrs Patricia De Bernardi was a genealogist who…

My family visited Wexford in June of 2008. We rented a car while in Wexford and on the second day drove out to see the Jamestown House Stud Farm. My ancestor Joseph Gray built the house at the farm in 1811. Another Gray house is located at Whitefort. The ruins can be seen on the website of Tarquin Blake, "Abandoned Ireland." We enjoyed driving around Co.Wexford to view the…