Up a Tree

I  grew up believing, on the basis of the few stories that were actually discussed in our house, that I was the third generation of relatively recent immigrants to the United States and focused on that in a variety of ways, including the denial of my ancestors involvement in pretty much any part of the country's less savory past. To the extent that I can point to at least two and possibly three grandparents who came from other nations, that worked out pretty well. Now, after plowing through the genealogical record, I know that the one leftover grandparent had a heritage that extends all the way back to the colonization and establishment of the nation, which shatters my assumptions. My side of the family has thoroughgoing American roots.  Many of this particular line immigrated from Great Britain and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, as I have pointed out in another of these missives. I'm beginning to think we're going to have to plan a trip to New England.  As I work