Happy 5th of July

Today I deter from my usual 52 Ancestors blog to talk about those brave ancestors of ours.  We really should be celebrating the Fifth of July and in this July 4, 2008 post, I’ll tell you why:

Happy 5th of July…that’s right!

I originally wrote this blog in July of 2008 and believe the message even more today.  Let’s thank our veterans for letting us celebrate this wonderful holiday and to our family and friends.   


As our country ponders what we will do to right the ship, we need to remember it is OUR country – we did not give the power to someone else.  Thus WE must be the change we want to see to paraphrase Ghandi.  


Happy 5th of July!




What? Happy 5th of July? Don’t you mean 4th of July? Nope…5th. Here’s my thought process.

On July 4th, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress . Actually on July 2nd, the Congress had already voted to declare independence from Great Britian. It was later published and signed near the beginning of August. 

So, why Happy 5th? 

On the Fourth, we actually made a statement as a country saying, “We’re not gonna take it anymore.” We listed the reasons why, what we believed to be the ideal nation, etc, but on the morning of the 5th, can’t you imagine those of the Continental Congress waking up to wonder, “What did we just do?” They had pledged EVERYTHING they had to see this through! 

It’s a whole lot easier to say, “I’m not gonna take this anymore and I’m changing something”, than it is to actually do it. Once you’ve made that public statement you have to begin to formulate how the action will take place; how you will change what you believe to be substandard. How many of us have said, I’m gonna lose weight, or I’m gonna finish school to wake up this next morning thinking, ahhh…maybe tomorrow. 

Well, these people had no choice. They had made a rather bold statement of independence and now they were known for it. People would be judging them on how they had achieved that goal or fallen short. They would judge them if they individually profited from the situation.

So, I believe it much harder to actually put the statement into action and today was the day of action for our country. We could no longer talk about doing something, we had to move, take action, change the world. And…overall, I believe it worked out very well.

But…I imagine for a little bit on the morning of the 5th of July, 1776 there were some men who wondered What the heck did we do yesterday? And today, July 5th, 2008 there will be more men wondering the same thing, but for different reasons! Happy 5th!

52 ANCESTORS CHALLENGE – INDEPENDENT

Emma Jane Harrison Smith

As July 4th nears, I began thinking about the word “independent” and what definition I would use in this blog.  Obviously the Fourth reminds one of the independence of the American spirit as we became a new nation, but independent can also categorize people.  An individual can be less dependent on others.  They can carry an independent spirit or they can struggle to keep their independence as they age.  All these definitions can be used here.

Amelia (Emma) Jane Harrison was born March 21, 1868 to Robert William Harrison and Eleanor Senate Lawrence.  She married George Smith, who was five years her elder, in 1888 and during the next 23 years she gave birth to six children.  Her third child, Jessie Eleanor, was my grandmother making Emma Jane Smith my great grandmother.

Jessie Eleanor Smith Yess

Grandma Jessie always talked about her mother as a hard worker and the industrious type.  One could imagine how busy Emma Jane was running a household with six children.  Grandma’s father, Great Grandpa George Smith had a tendency for heading to town with her egg money at times to visit the tavern.  Keeping their head above water probably also made Emma Jane an independent woman.

Emma Jane’s father, Robert, died when she was only 22. She had given birth just a few months before to their first child, Blanche.  Emma’s mother, Eleanor Harrison, died when Emma was 54; her husband, George, died when she was 63 in 1931.  Emma lived until the ripe age of 85 and died November 20, 1953.  During her later years, she sometimes lived with my grandparents (John and Jessie Smith Yess).  She was used to doing something of worth every day and when her health and eyesight were no longer what they had been, she still felt the need to contribute to the daily housework at Jessie and John’s house.  Grandma Jessie would take newly-cut out tea towels and have her mother hem them each day.

Sharon Yess Chenoweth

My mother, Sharon Yess, recalls watching her grandmother, Emma Jane, carefully hem the tea towels each day.  She also remembered watching her mother, at night after Emma had gone to bed, unhem the tea towels. The unhemmed towels were put back in a stack for stitching the following day.  In this way, Grandma Emma contributed to the housework in her mind and still felt some independence or worth.

Sharon Yess Chenoweth

I come from a long line of independent women.  I’m pretty sure our family motto was “Do It Yourself Because No One Else Will Do It”.  DIY is what we’re all about. I believe independent spirit can be handed down or bequeathed through DNA and I believe I have a double dose of independent spirit from both sides of my family.

Julie Chenoweth Terstriep

.  Obviously our facial characteristics can be inherited too. As I loaded pictures of myself, my mom, my grandmother and my great grandmother, I was struck by the fact we all look quite a bit alike.  That must be what “Independent Spirit” looks like.