The Scuba Jedi was once employed in a job where I got to talk to all kinds of people from all over the world in all walks of life.  Once, I had a caller who worked for the  Daughters of the American Revolution in Alabama. I helped her with her technical issue then we got to talking about family histories.

Many years ago, a cousin of The Scuba Jedi did a partial family history. This was on my father’s side of the family and my cousin Newt, that is, my father’s sister son did a little research. Turns out my great-great grandfather was a Lieutenant in the Confederate Army and  my way great grandfather and uncle were both soldiers in the Colonial Militia and fought in the American Revolution. Also, an uncle on my mom’s side did a family trace and found out that their peeps emigrated in the late 16oo’s to New Brunswick, Canada. So I am really, really American. A Daughter of the American Revolution and a Daughter of the Confederacy.

I don’t really know that much about the distant ancestors, but I was made aware of a series of letters that a distant cousin found and posted on a web site. The letters are from Lt. Andrew Aston of Alabama to his wife Minerva from the battlefield. His last letter was written on January 18, 1862. He was unfortunately killed at the Battle of Mill Springs on January 19, 1862. It was his first battle, and he was buried in a mass grave at the site.  He was 35.