- My ancestor James Mosman fashioned the crown for Queen Mary of Scots. The crown now resides at Edinburgh Castle as a part of the Honours of Scotland.
“When an old man dies, a library burns.” ~old African proverb
Everyone has a story. Most are forgotten by earthly mortals once a person passes on into eternity. I take joy in knowing God keeps these stories safe in his care. After all, He wrote them. But the curiosity side of me wishes to dig up as many of those stories as possible, particularly as they relate to me and my ancestry.
My heritage is a good mix of German, Indian and a few other nationalities. I have names. Dates. Documentation. But it’s the stories I find about these people who are related to me in the distance that give me a sense of warm comfort. It’s a mix of character and color that all blend with history and come together to create more intrigue for me.
For example, my great, great grandmother, grandfather and three of their kids died of scarlet fever while venturing out on the Oregon Trail. My great grandmother and two of her siblings alone survived.
Or the fact that my ancestor James Mosman was the royal goldsmith to Queen Mary of Scots and fashioned the crown that now sits on display as part of the Honours of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle. He was beheaded, along with Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange, and their heads were placed on the castle wall.
Then there are the strange stories. Like the ancestor who willed that his body be buried with his head above ground, then a hedge of cacti be planted around his head.
The purpose of this site is to establish a record of my ancestors in effort to preserve their stories, at least the bits and pieces that I am able to unearth.
