10 June 2009 is Be Kind to New Jersey Day–seems the salsa advertising campaign and other jabs at New Jersey made New Jersians feel bad about themselves. So take another look at New Jersey and find something good about it:
- An important Scottish immigration arrived in New Jersey before 1700 and from there spread out into Virginia, Pennsylvania, and down into the Lower South. These ancestors become confused with those Scots who migrate into North Carolina via the Cape Fear River and then spread over the Lower South. Not the same guys, folks. Come from different parts of Scotland too.
- George Washington and his American Army won the Battle of Trenton by taking the Hessian troops by surprise on 26 Dec 1777. Seems the Hessians had celebrated a little too vigorously on Christmas Day. And the Americans captured them with very little loss of life. This gave Washington the leverage he needed to re-up his men at the end of their enlistments. And to wring funds out of Congress to purchase supplies and ammunition.
These two reasons alone could give New Jersians a reason to feel more cheerful. What do you know about New Jersey and your New Jersey ancestors that might help us all? Send me an email. Arlene@arleneeakle.com
And stay tuned for more New Jersey good news!