Besides writing The Summer of the Ennead for my granddaughters, I wrote it for my ancestors, all of them. I have taken our family tree back to the late 1400’s in one instance. The tree has over 400 members thus far.
What I would like to do today is to pay my respects to those whose names I borrowed. The names of the grandchildren, their parents, and the two grandparents have all been borrowed from my past.
Alex Hawk– from ancestral grandfather Alexander Clark of Scotland, b.1755
Carrie Bear – from my great grandmother on my mother’s side, a dear lady who happened to have a name I love. Had I had a daughter, she would have been Carrie.
Cora Coyote is named after a distant cousin just because I liked the name.
Eliza Jane or EJ Panther – from a great- great aunt Eliza Arner, 1844-1911, who left my great grandfather the farms on which I grew up.
Leo Beaver – from Johann Leonard Kratz who lived from 1756 to 1829, was born in Germany, fought in the American Revolution for Britain, was captured in battle, spent time in a prisoner of war camp, escaped said camp, married a young woman from Virginia, was travelling to Kentucky when they were captured by renegades, was separated from said wife, waited for two years in Fort Detroit hoping his wife would also be sold there, reconnected with her, settled on a farm in Essex County, raised twelve children, and was one of the fathers of the town of Kingsville, where I went to high school.
Lucy Dear – from my great, great grandmother Lucinda Arner Clark, 1854-1939, sister of above-mentioned Eliza.
Maria Julianna or MJ Owl – from a great grandmother Maria 1758-1840 and a cousin Julianna 1755-1824.
Phee Bat – from my dear great grandfather Philip John Clark a.k.a. Phee because his little sister could not say Philip. He was a wonderful old codger.
Will Horse – from William Vincent, 1782-1867, who fought in the War of 1812 where was injured but survived. He returned to England and married and sired three children. They all came back to Canada in the 1850s and one of his grandsons became my great grandfather Tom Vincent who appears later in the story.
Charm – named after our dear companion Charm who lived with us from 2012 – 2019.
Grandma Hannah Raven – after my distant grandmother Hannah Aldred who married William Vincent upon his return from the War of 1812.
Grandpa William Turtle – after William Vincent.
As I have mention, I knew some of those ancestors. I had three sets of great grandparents living within a ten-mile radius as I grew up. I was blessed by all of them.