Ted, my cousin, has done some great things for our family in the realm of our genealogy. Because of his in-depth research, he has greatly enhanced my own interest in our family heritage. All of us in the family line owe Ted a big thanks. I look forward to the book he has promised to eventually publish that will comprehensively document our lineage. I’m down for at least a half dozen copies.
One of our most remarkable ancestors is Samuel Lount of Toronto, Canada. He is my great x 3 grandfather hung in 1838 by the British and their Canadian Loyalists in 1838 for treason. I won’t go into the details here of his righteous life and unjust death, but I will say he was a remarkable man. Thanks to Ted, I’m learning that he was one of several extraordinary people to whom I am directly related.
Just as Jose Rizal wrote “My Last Farewell” the night before he was executed for his beliefs here in the Philippines in 1896, Samuel Lount wrote his own poignant final farewell while waiting to similarly die for having acted on his own idealistic values.
I can’t imagine trying to write something beautiful and important knowing that death awaits just moments away; and that makes Samuel’s last prose all the more amazing, especially considering how truly lovely and heartrending it is.
Please read and appreciate my grandfather’s last written words, all devoted to his family and to his high ideals. And so, here is Samuel Lount’s Farewell…
xxxx
12 comments:
Actually, some studies suggest that with death looming over you, your true character comes out tenfold (ie. If you're racist you become more racist, if you're affectionate, you beome more loving, if you're optimistic etc). What does that mean? Samuel Lount must have been a very religious and quite the family man in life.
Phil:
Samuel Lount has his own wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Lount
There is a movie made, too.
Hey Phil,
I am a lurker on your blog a bit...I usually jump on from Kat's blog...I am stepping out of the fog to see if you would do this meme...you don't seem like much of a meme doer, but I bet your response would be pretty damn good. Either way have a good one.
Yes Katana, I think you are right. Interestingly, he was a Quaker, yet he still did what he did because the Brit's actions were so outrageously egregious.
Amadeo, I've been to every site that mentions my grandfather and my cousin has provided even more info on his life. I've seen the movie. It was produced by one of my cousins.
Hope, you're right; I don't normally play tag, but I might try this one.
I hope to organize my research someday too. Not sure I'll do it in book form but then again, that may be just the ticket.
If I were writing my last words, I don't think it would be in prose. It would be written fast on dozens of sheets of paper... if I had the time.
"..dozens of sheets of paper..." My grandfather was kept in a dark dank prison cell and his keepers, I'm sure, were not willing to grant him access to much. They wouldn't even allow his friends and family to visit him even once from the time they captured him. It was a harsher world.
Hi extended cousin,
I didn't expect to have a relative born in Japan! That's cool. Sounds like you got around the planet alright...
Samuel Lount was a third generation uncle of mine.
My sister was the one who made the movie about Samuel. You can find info about it here: SamuelLount.com.
So far we have this data for Samuel's descendants entered.
If your genealogy isn't in Extended Lount Family Genealogy we can add it in. Please email all the details of your branches of the family - and Ted's - and we can add it in.
Also if you have anything you'd like to add to Lount.org please let us know. Thanks.
All the best,
Peter William Lount
Peter.Lount.com
peter at smalltalk dot org
Hi,
Oops... there seems to be two entries for one Samuel... gotta correct that... here's the more complete Samual Lount entry.
Cheers,
Peter
Hello yourself Peter!
Mary Lount, Samuel's daughter, married Moses Spear. George, their son, sired Ray, my grandfather. My dad is one of Ray's boys. So, I proudly say that I am directly descended from Samuel.
I will certainly be looking into those sites you provide. Currently I live in the Philippines, but I was born in Japan while my dad was stationed there. phil...
Hi Phil,
Excellent. Your grandfather is already in the Lount database - and actually so might you be! There is a Philip Spear, is that you? If it's not you we can add you if you wish - what's your Dad's full name and your full name? Oh yeah, if there are any mistakes please let me know. In any case as you wish.
All the best,
Peter
peter at smalltalk dot org.
Phil,
I'm your dad's first cousin David (Bud) Spear. My parents were Dor and Beulah (Russell). Born in 1945, I'm the youngest of my Spear generation, and not so much older than you. I'm pretty sure I remember you as a little kid when I was a teenager in the 60's. Your Dad and my older sisters are about the same age and I think had a pretty close relationship when they were kids. They spent almost every Sunday going "home" which was the farm in Sanilac county. I found your blog through a Google search for Samuel Lount and have enjoyed your reminiscences (?)(no spellcheck)about the family history. I briefly saw your piece about the farm earlier today, but have been unable to find it tonight. Can you tell me how to find it? You might be interested to know it was my Mother, your Great Aunt Beulah who got Ted interested in the family genealogy. It was she who made the connection to Samuel and Elizabeth (Soule) and who got us back to Archibald and Robert Spier in New York. It was also she who tied Elizabeth Soule to George Soule, the Mayflower Pilgrim. I'm not sure Ted has followed that line, but it makes us eligible for membership in the Mayflower Society. And your daughter(s) are eligible for the DAR as well, but in the Phillipines that's probably not too interesting. The DAR is through Archibald Spear who was a teenager when in the New York Militia. Ted will have to tell you that story if you don't already know it. I'd like to correspond with you in a more private way, but don't know how to facilitate that. I think you'd probably be interested in the Lount, Soule and Hollingshead genealogy. It's a tangled webb, but Samuel and Elizabeth were both Mayflower decendents and were infact cousins, more than once. Strangely, my mother Beulah shares some early grandparents with the Spears. So I'm my own cousin several times over; and so are you. If you'd like to correspond write to me at bud15789@gmail.com
Hiya Bud, yes, I'll be sending you an email directly.
You know, I read that 20% of the US population can trace at least one ancestor back to the Mayflower; an amazing stat cosidering how few of them there were and how fewer still survived to progenerate. In our case we actually have three ancestors in that small bunch of brave souls, a father/daughter combo (the dad did not survive the first year) and another male. Interestingly, every single person who came over on that tiny ship has their own Wikipedia entry. Talk to you soon.
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