I do believe that we possess some genetic memories from our ancestors. When I start reading about or researching my ancestors, I can almost travel back in time and imagine what my ancestors had to go through just to live... They had an impact on me and an impact on American society.
My 11th Great Grandfather, Henry Bull, and several others had a falling out with the Puritans in Massachusetts back in the early 1600s so they left and moved south to Newport, Rhode Island. There they didn’t want to be judged or harassed just because of their religious beliefs, so they drafted and signed the Newport Compact creating a community free of religious persecution. This doctrine allowed the first Jewish Synagogue and the First Baptist Church on this continent to be built in Newport, R.I. The Newport Compact was probably one of the precursors leading to the idea to ensure separation of Church and State as it’s spelled out in our Constitution. And people have been fighting about the intent of the idea ever since.
In 1839 a young Martin Hirsch, a recent German immigrant, left civilization behind in Pennsylvania and joined the other westward bound German settlers and homesteaded a claim on what was then the edge of the American frontier in a relatively new state called Missouri.
Missouri was annexed as America’s 24th state only 18 years earlier in 1821. Martin found a fine and productive claim located about 12 miles southwest of present day St. Joseph, Missouri. He met 17-year-old Mary Jane Raney and they were married on August 7, 1845. During this period of time in history, England was threatening to recognize Texas as an independent country, this forced the United States Congress in 1845 to annex Texas as the 28th state which led to the Mexican War which began May 8, 1846, and lasted until 1848.
As with many other homesteaders of Missouri at the time, Martin and his new bride spoke only German. While surviving in this rural isolation, with the threat of the Mexican’s from the south, and the Indians all around, Martin built a home, cleared the land and created a farm, got married and raised a family. His children grew up, survived a Civil War, and Americanized the spelling of their name to “Hersh” and moved on to other parts of the country to build their own legacies in Kansas and Nebraska.
My great-grandfather, William, homesteaded near Broken Bow, Nebraska where my Grandfather, Norval, and his brothers were born… they all lived through snow storms, locust infestations, tornadoes and illnesses that took many lives. I’m quite sure that if I were placed down in the 1839 wilderness of this country that I would soon starve to death or die from exposure to the weather.
William spent many months away from home as he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, as a superintendent of construction, building many train depots in small communities on the spur lines of the railroad… many of which survive to this day… albeit as museums or relics of the past.
Grandpa Hersh wasn’t interested in farming or ranching… after a stint in the United States Marine Corps during World War I, he returned to Nebraska and moved to the big city of Omaha, where he worked and lived until he retired. He then moved to California to be closer to his children and grandchildren.
My Grandfather’s short Marine Corps experience provided him with the Marine Corps discipline for the rest of his life. I adored my Grandpa and Grandma Hersh and spent every minute I could with them. Grandpa Hersh always seemed to be very business-like and always impeccably dressed and groomed. Whenever he walked anywhere, which was almost always, his pace was always brisk. If I was with him, he was always telling me to “pick up your feet.” When I was five years old, I could never figure out how to pick up my feet without falling on my behind. But, because of that experience, I never wasted any time in getting to where I was going while walking. It also seemed as though Grandpa was always cleaning or polishing something… again this was probably something he got from his Marine Corps experience.
He was also an avid collector… he collected stamps, coins, and rocks. Grandpa’s favorite hobby was Rock Hounding. His collection had specimens from all over the world. If he spotted a rock while taking a walk, he couldn’t resist bending over and picking it up to inspect it. Every rock in his collection had a number on it, and Grandpa kept a ledger with the number listed from the rock with the common and scientific name for the rock or mineral and where it was found or who gave it to him. After he retired Grandpa had more time to clean and polish, garden and collect things. Grandpa even got into polishing rocks and making jewelry. At Grandpa and Grandma’s house, it was impossible to find one weed in Grandpa’s lawn or garden, or anything out of place in their perfectly maintained home. Their home and garden was the pride of the neighborhood.
I can see some of my Grandpa Hersh in my children and grandchildren today. My oldest son is an avid Rock Hound, and when I would take my oldest granddaughter out for a walk when she was younger, she couldn’t resist stooping over to pick up a rock to inspect to either reject or put in her pocket. It’s that genetic memory thing… Now she is very impeccable in her dress and grooming… and she is always cleaning or polishing something… today she is an accomplished photographer and proud Army wife living with her husband in Washington state.
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