If Teresa can post about purse shopping, then I can write about this awesome story... don't hate, it's called the spirit of Elijah, remember?
While working on a history paper, I pulled out my Grandpa Burnett's personal history and found my favorite story... (the history nerd in me thoroughly enjoyed it)
While working on a history paper, I pulled out my Grandpa Burnett's personal history and found my favorite story... (the history nerd in me thoroughly enjoyed it)
"Heather Flower"
In the early 1600s on Long Island, New York, lived the young Native American princess Cantoneras, translated as "Heather Flower". She was the daughter of Wyandanch, Grand Sachem of the prominent Montauk tribe. On the day of her wedding, Chief Niniget of the Narragansetts killed her would-be husband and kidnapped her, taking her across Long Island Sound. Her distressed father turned to his personal friend Lionel Gardner, the Puritan "Father of Long Island". Gardner used his influence to rescue her from the rivaling tribe. With the loss of her Native American groom, she married a Dutchman named Cornelius Jansen Van Texel, becoming my ninth great grandmother. Her son Jan moved the family to what is known as Sleepy Hollow, New York. Her granddaughter, was the pretty Katrina Van Tassel of Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Um, Wow?
I summarized it, so it's condensed but intense.
When I was little I just liked that I was related to an Native American princess that shared the name of Heather, but her story is crazy. Kidnapped on your wedding day? Rescued by a powerful Englishman? Marrying someone from not just a different culture, but practically another world as you!? And then having your granddaughter immortalized in American literature! Wow.
*I'm feeling a very Disney Mulan moment here: Haha, um ancestors...a little help here? Pretty please?
2 comments:
What's wrong with my purse shopping post? Cool story, where did you find it? If I remember right, our books only have pedigree charts, not stories.
Nothing's wrong with purses. I like the one you picked out, but I can just see you do "circle eyes" :) as you read my post.
I found the story in grandpa's personal history that he wrote, along with some other good stories.
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