Neighbor News
Who Do You Think You Are? One Woman's Genealogy Journey
From family tales to making history. Hear how a local woman tracked down her ancestors including Revolutionary War and Civil War heroes.
What do a Revolutionary War General, a Civil War captain, an infamous prison escape and a stay-at-home mom have in common? They’re all from the same family.
Freelance writer and former newspaper reporter, Sandra K. Lee, grew up hearing she was descended from a famous Revolutionary War general, Nicholas Herkimer, for whom Herkimer County, NY is named.
Hear how she put the pieces together to learn about not one but two amazing ancestors spanning the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, as well as some amazing stories. She will be speaking from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on Oct. 15 at the Warren Township Library. Please register by calling 908) 754-5554 x64 or sign up online.
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After years of painstaking research - with a little luck thrown in - she discovered that she was related to Herkimer and that another ancestor, her great-great-grandfather, took part in a famous escape from Libby Prison during the Civil War.
General Nicholas Herkimer is immortalized in several books about the Revolution as bravely refusing to leave the battlefield after being wounded during the Battle of Oriskany, considered one of the Revolutionary War’s bloodiest battles. Sandra learned that the family stories were mostly true as she is descended from his brother, Captain George Herkimer, who also fought during the American Revolution and is related to another Herkimer brother who fought for the British against his famous brother.
Find out what's happening in Warrenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
While researching her connection to the Herkimers through her great-great-grandfather, William H.H. Wilcox, she discovered that he had his own amazing story. Wilcox was a Union captain for the 10th New York Zouaves who was captured and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Va. He was among 109 prisoners who crawled through a rat-infested tunnel to flee the Confederate prison, nearly as infamous as Andersonville for its horrible conditions. In her research, Sandra obtained a copy of Wilcox’s diary, offering a firsthand account of life in the notorious prison.
Sandra was interviewed by CBS News in early 2014 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the escape.
She will share how she uncovered these incredible stories and others as well as some of her favorite resources and tips for genealogy research. Sandra has used her investigative skills to trace several of her ancestors and share their histories.
