Relative Finder Says I'm Related to George Washington!

While playing around with FamilySearch.org I found a new toy - Relative Finder, which I suppose is their answer to the now defunct We're Related app by Ancestry. Relative Finder has found connections to 180 famous, infamous and otherwise notable people including 13 US Presidents. I was aware of distant connections to two presidents, Herbert Hoover & Richard Nixon through my own research. Today I verified my connector ancestors to George Washington. 

Curious thing as I look at this chart, my patriot ancestor Bancroft Woodcock and George Washington are 6th cousins. Contemporaries, the two corresponded with at least one letter from Bancroft to the General still in existence. At one point when Wilmington, Delaware was under consideration to become the US capitol, Bancroft's beloved Bellveau set upon a hill overlooking the city was a candidate for the presidential residence. 

Laundry, errands and reports beckon, more discoveries will have to wait until another day. 

Honoring Our Mothers Ferro-Monte Chapter, NSDAR

Saturday May 10th the Ferro-Monte Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will be touring the historic sites of Ledgewood in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Mother’s Day. They will be visiting the King Canal Store and Homestead. The Daughters will honor Gold Star and Blue Star mothers as well as their own at a tea in the Silas Riggs Saltbox House. 

Ferro-Monte Chapter meetings are held at Roxbury Township Free Public Library 103 Main St, Succasunna, NJ at 10am the 2nd Saturday of the month from October - April. Prospective members are always welcome. If you have an interest in learning about your family tree, we can help you; maybe we can even find a Patriot among your leaves. For information, email: NJDARFerroMonte@aol.com. 

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 165,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org.

Ferro-Monte Chapter, NSDAR Honors its Departed Sisters

With the spring thaw, the Ferro-Monte Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will move their April 19th meeting outside to the gravesides of their recently departed Sisters. They will be placing DAR grave markers on the resting places of six fellow daughters in Chester, Stanhope, Dover and Succasunna. Beginning at the First Presbyterian Church, 99 Main Street, Succasunna, the chapter will visit five cemeteries in the area.

Ferro-Monte Chapter meetings are held at Roxbury Township Free Public Library 103 Main St, Succasunna, NJ at 10am the 2nd Saturday of the month from October - April. Prospective members are always welcome. If you have an interest in learning about your family tree, we can help you; maybe we can even find a Patriot among your leaves. For information, email: NJDARFerroMonte@aol.com.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 165,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org.

Fág an Bealach! Morris County Resident to Discuss the Irish Brigade

Clear the way! Mine Hill resident Andrew Bermingham fought at the Battle of Antietam as a part of the Irish Brigade. Hear Civil War chronicler Steve O’Neill recount the story at the Ferro-Monte Chapter, NSDAR on Saturday February 8th at 10am.  

Ferro-Monte Chapter meetings are held at Roxbury Township Free Public Library 103 Main St, Succasunna, NJ at 10am the 2^nd Saturday of the month from October - April. Prospective members are always welcome. If you have an interest in learning about your family tree, we can help you; maybe we can even find a Patriot among your leaves. For information, email: NJDARFerroMonte@aol.com.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 165,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org.

Today's Google Doodle Honors a Legend

My dad has had a lot of cool jobs and worked with lots of cool people. He's even worked for a legend. Today Google is honoring a computer pioneer and my dad's old boss, Admiral Grace Hopper on what would have been her 107 birthday. As many American's did, Grace Hopper joined the Navy during World War II. Unlike most American's she remained in the Navy until 1986, when she was retired for the last time as the oldest active-duty commissioned officer.The Navy wisely assigned the newly minted officer with a Phd in mathematics to the Bureau of Ships Computation Project and the results have changed our world. Techno geeks can wax on about her contributions to the 1st computer, invention of the COBOL and more. I will remember her from the stories my dad would tell. 

The most famous computer bug

When I complained about a bug in a program, dad asked, do you know why it's called a bug? And launched into the story of how one day his boss was working on a programming problem on a computer so big you could literally walk thru it. When a glitch occurred, workers would have to visually inspect the entire computer looking for the problem. On this particular day, the culprit was a moth stuck to a component. Grace proclaimed the problem fixed and the computer "de-bugged". The term stuck. For that matter, so did the moth. It is permanently stuck in the log book and on display at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. 

Dad says Admiral Hopper was a character. The thing that sticks out in his mind most is her habit of picking up an object and chucking it at an employee crying "let's play". The recipient of the object would sit down to chat with Grace. On one such chat with her, she encouraged dad to go back to school. He complied and earned his masters at night from UPenn's Wharton School. After watching this clip of Admiral Hopper schooling David Letterman, I can imagine her "let's play chats". 

I've met many of my dad's bosses. I wish I could have met fellow DAR sister, the dazzling daughter Grace Murray Hopper. Happy Birthday, 'mam.

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