Connecting to our Ancestral Mothers
Life has been busy with two new family members—Mason and Maddie—our mini sheepadoodle pups. Two of the cutest, fluffiest pups we have ever owned. Since we lost our dog Charlie tragically in June of 2022, we decided to wait a while until we felt the time was right and the pups were right for us. Mason and Maddie are litter mates now four-months old.
I knew that the ride to get them would take about two and a half hours. The destination was west and north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Once we settled on our GPS directions for the quickest route, my husband, my daughter, and I found ourselves traveling back country roads into a mountainous region of the state.
One road led us winding our way up over a mountain, then down a steep and winding road to the bottom and a small old town. This was on the Appalachian Trail. There were even a few inches of snow on the ground. Something we have missed at home this year. After being enamored of the puppies and deciding on two—not one—we looked for another route to bring us back home.
When I saw a sign that said Shamokin, I took a greater interest. Shortly after that, I saw another sign that pointed to Minersville, and my heart started beating faster. These were places I knew of through the research I did for the story of my second great-grandmother and grandfather, who made the trek all the way from Blaenau Gwent in South Wales, the United Kingdom, to have a hoped-for better life in America. It was exciting to be in the area where they lived and worked for many years of their lives. The young Welsh girl, Elizabeth Davies, who married young Thomas P. Williams, had a hard life as a coal miner’s wife living in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Like many miners of that time who grew up in the mines from a very young age, Thomas Williams died at the age of fifty-three, most likely of black lung disease. Thomas was also a veteran of the Civil War. His wife Elizabeth lived a full twenty years beyond him and never remarried. When the young couple left Wales, I doubt that they ever thought they would become players on the stage of the Civil War in American history.
This story mirrors the lives of many of the early miners in the United States. It is the fourth story (and seventh chapter) in my book, Remember the Ladies—Uncover the Stories from Your Feminine Line. Six ancestral women—six periods of time—from the 13th century to the 20th century are the represented stories. A signed copy of my book is available from this website. (The book can also be found on Amazon.com as well as Barnes and Noble Online.) Now that Mother’s Day is here, we all have women in our families that deserve our recognition. A part of your ancestors’ DNA has been passed down to you. Not just through physical attributes, but subtle traits, inbred habits (good and/or bad), may have been passed down too. The best way to honor these women (and men) ancestors is to learn what you can about their lives and find a way to connect to them. Perhaps like me, having researched, and discovered facts about their lives, this small trip to a beautiful area of Pennsylvania with a tell-tale look of small mining towns, was another way I was connecting to them.