Beat Your Drum Loudly

One of my pastimes is researching my family history. My mother was active in this endeavor, as is my brother. Following their passion in genealogy, I saw an opportunity to delve into my family's military contributions to this nation. This soon led me to research the American Revolution to discover if any of my or Emma Jo's family had been involved in this war. Most of our family lines have lived in this nation for hundreds of years, so I expected to find maybe two or three Patriots in the bunch. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of Patriots we found, and we may never complete this project, as my ancestors have so much to tell us. I am in awe of Patriots. I have met only a few modern patriots, but I hold those men and women in high regard. I place those who fought for and supported this nation in its fight for independence in a special category. I am humbled by their vision, commitment, and bravery. If you are a member of my or Emma Jo's family lines, the Revolutionary War Patriots I have researched are first family, and secondly, they did something very significant. Their service to this new nation influenced history in no small way, and their lives were influenced to the extent that it shaped future generations, even to this day. They placed their lives, sacred honor, and fortunes at great risk for their family's freedom and the freedoms we enjoy today. Their lives are worthy of recognition, and we would do well to listen to what they have to tell us. This book is my attempt to gather their stories and present them in a useful and interesting way. I have researched these stories mainly for our children and grandchildren, but there is something for everyone, family or not.