When I was a little girl, my grandmother took me to an old, old homestead in Rhode Island that belonged to a General. If I remember right, we took a picnic lunch and a blanket and ate on the beautiful green grass, right there at this home. I never paid attention to where we were, or whose house it was, just that it was fun being there with Grandma and eating a picnic lunch on the green grass and seeing the old fashioned ways they did things back then.
Jump about 42 years. Remember in my last blog I said we'd gone to River Street to walk around with the kids? Well, we also walked thru some of the squares and for the first time I decided to read some of the markers. I've been to River Street a gazillion times, but, it seems I never stopped to read any of the Historical Markers. Not sure why, but, Sunday I read one that caught my eye. Just in front of the Historical Marker was a statue that said this General was interred there. Imagine my surprise when it was the same General where Grandma and I had our picnic lunch. His name is Major General Nathaniel Greene and we had our picnic lunch at the Nathaniel Greene Homestead in Powtawmut, Rhode Island. The Statue on River Street is where he's buried, after being called to help General Washington in the American Revolution. I feel a small amount of kindred spririt with this General because, like me, he was born and raised in Rhode Island, then had to go to Georgia to help with the war and died here. I was born and raised in Rhode Island, and, will probably be buried here, in Georgia, too, some day. For those reading this that no longer live where they were born and raised, and where you always assumed you'd stay your whole life, it's kind of meloncholy to read about someone from your home state, buried in the state you moved to. Nathaniel Greene and I have something in common, and I was fascinated enough by him to come home and look him up on the computer and to see if it was actually the same Nathaniel Greene that I remembered from my picnic with Grandma. It was.
So, I'm not the only Rhode Islander that will end up in Georgia. I don't expect to be buried in the middle of a square in Historical Savannah, but, I'll end up in Georgia.
Side Note: I was talking to my Mom while writing this blog entry and she reminded me of something I hadn't thought about in years. My Great Grandmother (Nannie), my Grandmother and my Mother were all members of the Kathryn Littlefield Greene Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. I would have been the 4th generation if I had stayed in Rhode Island.
And, another note. This is so weird, haven't thought of this guys name (Nathaniel Greene) in decades and all in one day I hear or read things that I had not known or had forgotten. There was a little insert in our local paper today about our area. Written in it was a small paragraph that said that Ely Whitney, the inventor of the Cotton Gin, built his gin on Mulberry Plantation in Georgia. Guess who owned the plantation? Major General Nathaniel Greene! Wow! All that in one day.
Oh, and I'm still knitting, about ready to turn the heel on my last Embroidered Leaves Sock. BTB and the Baby Girl are going to Disney World with the band for the weekend so I get to stay home and pug sit, but, I'll have 3 days of uninterupted knitting so plan to start something new. Just not sure what yet.
2 comments:
Interesting about Nathaniel Greene. I am a southerner (Texas) who was transported to the North (Ohio) but have returned south to stay. My husband, on the other hand, is like you, a northerner transported to the South. We are a mobile society.
I grew up in Iowa, but deep down and knew I wouldn't stay there forever. My parents encouraged us to spread our wings and go far away from home if we so choosed, as they had done. Only my sister lives in Iowa now. Well out of the kids, my parents are still there.
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