52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Long Line

It is week three in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge. This week’s prompt is titled Long Line.

I immediately thought of the many lines I have traced back through history the farthest. A few years ago, I became fascinated with identifying and proving lineage for several “gateway ancestors,” colonial immigrants whose ancestry can be traced to Old World gentry, nobility, or royalty. So far, I have determined that the following ancestors are direct descendants of Charlemagne: Edward Foulke (1651-1741) of Pennsylvania, my spouse’s 8th great-grandfather; Lawrence Smith (1629–1700) of Virginia, my 10th great-grandfather; Edmund Hawes (1612–1693) of Massachusetts, my 11th great-grandfather; and Peter Worden (1569-1639) of Massachusetts, my 12th great-grandfather.

Thomas Lynde

On this day, 30 December 1671, Thomas Lynde (my 11th great-grandfather) passed away in Charlestown, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

Born on 11 January 1594, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, Thomas was the son of Nathan Lynde, Jr. and Elizabeth Digby. He joined brothers Enoch and Richard Lynde.

Johannes Achenbach

On this day, 29 October 1692, Johannes Achenbach passed away. He was my 9th great-grandfather.

Johannes Achenbach was born on born in early July 1637, to parents Johannes Achenbach and Anna Catharina Lotsheidt in the town of Anstoß, Prussia (then part of the Holy Roman Empire but now in the modern-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). He was christened on 19 July 1637, at the Protestant church (Evangelische Kirche) of Freudenberg.

Book Review: The Welsh Fasting Girl

In the mid- to late-1800s, a phenomenon known as “fasting girls” were documented in the Americas and Europe. These young girls, usually preteens, claimed that they could survive for long periods of time without eating.

During the Middle Ages, some saints were said to have been able to survive without nourishment. Because of this precedence, many of the Victorian-age faithful regarded these fasting girls as miraculous and saw this self-starvation as a sign of sanctity. As a result, these young girls became spectacles, put on display, often for a price and always at a cost.

Thankfully, the fascination with fasting girls faded. Doctors eventually determined that these girls had suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder where food intake is restricted as a way to cope with negative emotions.

My Spiritual Journey, Step-by-Step

According to family lore, when I was just a newborn, my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother wanted me to be christened. However, my father interceded, saying that when and if I were baptized, it should be something that I knowingly would choose. His stance made sense to my mother, and I was not baptized as a baby.