History Lesson

I’ve been fascinated by the mystery of how my family moved from their homes in New Jersey to the wilderness in Ontario, Canada in 1801. In addition, I wanted to know the route that GW Howell took in 1846 that inspired this bicycle journey of mine. 

I spent a lot of time before this trip searching the internet for some clues for a possible route that my ancestors could have taken.  I was fortunate to find a book written by Lt. Hall that details a route he took from Buffalo to Philadelphia. That route, in reverse, was what I have been taking from Tannersville, PA (only 28 miles from Hope, NJ)  

It’s been a thrill for me to see the historic markers on the side of the roads I’ve travelled.  Before this trip, I had never heard of General Sullivan.  Now, I’m convinced, that his mission in 1779 cleared a trail that allowed my family to get to at least Elmira, NY, and then on a different trail West to Buffalo, before they crossed into Canada via the Black Rock Ferry.

I’ve taken pictures all along the route of the historical markers, although I know I missed some along the way. The collage below shows what I did capture of Sullivan’s March and the route he took.  (There are a lot more markers than just the Sullivan March, but I’ve included only those for this post.) Dan K. mentioned in a comment on Day 12 about a home schooling lesson based on a trip like this — I like the idea a lot.