Toiling Away The Day, The Day

Work and research.

That's about it. Even the dart games are suffering. My father has buried me in family historical documents of which I have been reading and researching associated peoples, myths, legends, etc.

Much of our father's heritage goes back to Scotland. I have roots in Massachusetts as early as the 1630s. In the 1700s, David Burns sold the land the federal government on which the White House, The Old State, War and Navy Building, The Executive Building and surrounding grounds now exist.

Apparently, there is a letter form Franklin (or Jefferson) to President George Washington quoting something like, "...the obstinate Mr. Burns...," refuses to sell for a fair price. I've seen an old transcript of the letter, but haven't been able to locate it. Supposedly, the original letter resides at an old museum near the White House and in the same museum, the mantle from the fire place of the Burns' home.

Otherwise, there are connects to the poet Robert Burns in Scotland, but the exact links have not been established. Many family members believe that Robert Burns' offspring bear close resemblance to some of the current alleged descendants - noting a rare-ish chin dimple or some such. The more respected researchers in our family place the connection as a direct line to Robert Burns' grandfather, which is more believable for me since his grandfather spelled his name Burnes as did our earliest American Burnes' settlers.

I guess if you go back far enough most all of us are related in some manner.

Eh, its interesting enough reading material that I have spent what time I have had this week away from occupational work in doing so.

I watched the movie Ride with the Devil last night. Good movie. It's about the Civil War goings on about the Missouri/Kansas borders. The shear brutality by which the people lived 150 years ago seems so foreign to me. Much of what I watched in the movie paralleled the letter transcripts. I enjoyed the movie.

Tobey McGuire played a decent role as did Jewel, the country singer. (I had to chuckle when the house missus said with a feigned note of distress, "They're going to kill Spiderman?")