Grandma's Granny's Family Album

  As I wrote this, I thought of the quilt made by my great-grandmother. She died before I was born, yet I feel her love when I lie under its warmth. In Chapters One thru Seven, we met Sarah Rushton walking her land grant in 1827 Westchester, Nova Scotia with her daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren. Sarah, husband Jeremiah, and family were exiled from New York as Loyalists after the Revolution. Promised land by the British, they boarded a ship, then walked for days, hauling their belongings. Fretting over her husband’s plan to move to Upper Canada, Elizabeth asked, “How will I have a baby in the wilderness?” Sarah explained she’d avoided pregnancy as a refugee. The Rushtons labored to meet the terms of the land grant, as shown in a chart detailing women’s work. Sarah and Jeremiah dealt in complex transactions of land, including legal action for debt.

  Writing this, I kept thinking how the kid I was drove the back roads of Nova Scotia in the back seat, sandwiched between plump elderly women in stockings and floral dresses, my grandmother and any one of her sisters. As they pointed out possums, foxes, and The Measured Mile 1 for me to view, whoever was driving would back up if I missed it. Driving there today, I look out at the scenery… and feel love. In Chapters One thru Six, we met Sarah Rushton walking her land grant in 1827 Westchester, Nova Scotia with her daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren. Sarah, husband Jeremiah, and family were exiled from New York as Loyalists after the Revolution. Promised land by the British, the family boarded a ship, then walked for days, hauling their belongings. Fretting over her husband’s plan to move to Upper Canada, Elizabeth asked, “How will I have a baby by myself in the wilderness?” Sarah explained she’d avoided pregnancy as a refugee. The Rushtons labored to meet the terms of the land g...

  As I wrote, I channeled my mother and grandmother raising me, as well as what I brought into my own children’s childhoods. In Chapters One thru Five, we met Sarah Rushton walking her land grant in 1827 Westchester, Nova Scotia with her daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren. Sarah, husband Jeremiah, and family were exiled from New York as Loyalists after the Revolution. Promised land, the family boarded a ship for the unknown. After years, they boated and walked for days, hauling their belongings: iron pots, bedding, cows. Fretting over her husband’s plans to move the family to Upper Canada, Elizabeth asked, “How will I have a baby by myself in the wilderness?” Sarah explained that she avoided pregnancy as a refugee due to the danger. Considering childbirth’s risks without a midwife, kin, or house, Elizabeth decided to send her husband on and join him later.

  My grandmother would have never discussed this as Sarah does. In Chapters One thru Four, we met Sarah Rushton walking her land grant in 1827 Westchester, Nova Scotia with her daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren. Sarah, husband Jeremiah, and family were exiled from New York as Loyalists after the Revolution. Promised a land grant by the British as a soldier, they boarded a ship for the unknown. After waiting two years, the Rushtons boated upriver and walked for days hauling their belongings by hand: iron pots, bedding, cows. The children were enthralled with the big ship and brown cow. They nearly lost their land for missing a deadline. Elizabeth raged that her father received no compensation for risking his life; Sarah pointed out their new life was better regardless of what could have been. The Story of the Pioneer’s Wife….a fictional look The little ones ran up to Elizabeth, Lucy burying her head in her mother’s skirts, Eddie loudly protesting. “William! Stop teasing your brot...

  As I wrote this, I heard the voices of my grandmother and her sisters telling me about their lives. In Chapters One and Two, we met Sarah Rushton walking her land grant in Westchester, Nova Scotia with her daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren. Sarah, her husband Jeremiah, and his family had run a successful cordwaining business in New York City during the Revolutionary War, but were exiled as Loyalists at the peace. Promised a land grant in Nova Scotia as a soldier with the Westchester Refugees, the family boarded a ship for the unknown.  Elizabeth, fretting over her own husband's plans to move the family to Upper Canada, asked, “How do you know when to go? What do you bring to a new life in the wilderness?” The Story of the Evacuee’s Wife...a fictional look “Then what happened, Grannie?” Eddie wanted to know as the family continued walking along the land grant’s path. “Did the big ship bring you right here?” He looked around them at the narrow fast-flowing brook. “No, silly...

  Sarah speaks in the voice of my grandmother and her sisters. In Chapters One thru Three, we met Sarah Rushton walking her land grant in 1827 Westchester, Nova Scotia with her daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren. Sarah, her husband Jeremiah, and his family were exiled from New York City as Loyalists at the close of the Revolutionary War. Promised a land grant by the British as a soldier with the Westchester Refugees, the family boarded a ship for the unknown. While the children were enthralled hearing about the big ship, berries, and brown cow, Elizabeth, fretting over her own husband's plans to move the family to Upper Canada, asked, “What did you know about starting a new life in the wilderness? What did you do first?” The Story of the Refugee’s Wife....a fictional look Elizabeth touched Sarah’s arm to let the children run ahead on the meadow brook’s U-shaped path. “But I’ll be leaving for a wilderness, Mama,” she whispered plaintively. “No houses. No roads. No towns.” ...

    The Black Loyalists suffer a double whammy in American history…they supported the losing side in our origin story, and they don’t fit our founding myth that the Declaration of Independence declared all men are created equal and deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Or that we’re the good guys. The Virginia Proclamation is not in the Virginia public school curriculum. Patrick Henry’s speech advocating independence from England, given at St. John’s Church in Richmond, is. 1 "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" 2 It is obvious to everyone who hears it that Patrick Henry, a slaveholder, held some cognitive dissonance he probably didn’t even notice.

  As I wrote, I heard the voices of my grandmother and her sisters whenever Sarah spoke. In Chapter One, we met Sarah Rushton on her land grant in Westchester, Nova Scotia, walking her favorite path with her daughter Elizabeth and grandchildren. Sarah, her husband Jeremiah, and his family had run a successful cordwaining business in New York City during the Revolutionary War, earning good silver money serving thousands of people jammed into a city under occupation. When peace came and Jeremiah's regiment was disbanded, the Loyalist family faced exile. Elizabeth, fretting over her own husband's plans to move the family to Upper Canada, challenged her mother: it wasn't Sarah's choice to leave New York, she said. Danger forced her. (see Rushton Pedigree Chart, Sarah Hall & Jeremiah Rushton Descendant Chart, Sarah Hall Rushton, the Cordwainer's Wife ~ Chapter One, Revolutionary Cowboy in New York ~ Jeremiah Rushton Stole for King and Country Parts One and Two) The S...

    As I wrote about Sarah, she came to life...I got to know her as a person.  I came to know what she would  say next,  what she would do.  As I wrote her voice, I heard it in my head. Listening to it, I realized it was the voices of her great-great-granddaughters, who grew up in the county she made home...Nana (Bessie), Aunt Eva, Aunt Anna, Aunt Helena, Aunt Connie. The voices I grew up hearing, telling stories of their lives. (see Rushton Pedigree Chart, Sarah Hall & Jeremiah Rushton Descendant Chart, Revolutionary Cowboy in New York ~ Jeremiah Rushton Stole for King and Country Parts One and Two) The Story of the Cordwainer’s Wife….a fictional look Westchester, Nova Scotia, about 1827 “This is my favorite spot on all of our land grant.” Sarah Rushton spread her arms across the small peninsula fashioned by the U-curve of the meadow brook. 1 She looked at her daughter Elizabeth, walking the path beside her as the children 2 played hide-and-go-seek b...