Reflections March 2012

I'd like to take some time to reflect on this experience so far. It's been interesting and surprising in ways that I did not expect. Which, in a way, I DID expect. Or perhaps just hoped. In terms of the timeline of the diary, I have only read entries for a few days but because I am reading it slowly, feel like the story of it is a constant in my life. The decision to take my time was, I think, a good one. At some point early on in the process, I decided to seek information about Anna Christina's immediate family and it is here that the results have been particularly interesting. Both in what I've found and also what remains elusive.

It is because of my initial research through Ancestry.com that the diary even came to me. But it wasn't until I had the book in my hands that I decided to look in earnest at other resources on the internet. It is through various genealogy websites and a few homemade ones, that I encountered researchers and living, distant relatives connected (mostly) to Moses Spafford Teeter Sr. and his father Adam Michael (aka Michael) Teeter. No doubt because these individuals were involved in the War of Independence (Michael), the War of 1812 and the settlement of a Toronto area township (Moses Sr.) there is more information available and I've learned the most about these individuals over the last three months.

People have also been very generous. I've received maps, pictures, stories and documents that have helped to flesh out the story of these men. Once I discovered that Moses Sr. was an early settler of Toronto Township (now Mississauga, ON) I decided I needed to focus my efforts and attempt to answer some specific questions:

1. Why did the family leave Pennsylvania for Canada?
2. Why did the family (Anna Christina and Moses Teeter Jr.) leave Canada for Iowa?

With the help of some resources and one of my distant relatives in Canada, I think I've found the answer to the first question - or at least a very plausible hypothesis! Question two is yet to be answered.  I have other questions too. But I'll leave those for another post.

I intend to add a separate page to this blog titled: The Teeters: PA to CA to IA. I hope to be able to follow the story from Adam to Anna. Stay tuned!