It is Week 8 in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks’ writing challenge. This week’s theme is Prosperity. Prosperity usually means a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, particularly in financial respects. This word derives from the Middle English word prosperite, borrowed from the same Old French word which came from the Latin word prosperus, meaning favorable or fortunate, as in luck.
When I first saw this writing prompt, I immediately thought of the many wealthy ancestors found throughout our families’ trees, specifically in my Cole-Marriner and Watts-Stark lines. Although I have written about several of these ancestors in past posts, a part of me wanted to write about someone not so wealthy and much less famous. So, I thought a bit outside the box. Instead of people who were wealthy or successful by nature, what if I focus on someone whose surname IS this week’s theme?
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