Introduction

I was born Carol Ruth Sweenie many years ago in Franklin, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.  My father was Harry William Sweenie, son of James Hamilton Lyle McNab Sweenie and Florence Edna Keniston, and Helen Grace Bailey, daughter of Robert Walter Bailey and Ruth Augusta Williams.  From the time I was a small child, I was curious about my heritage; and as I grew up, my curiosity grew up, too.  

Thirty-seven years ago I began my journey through time to link myself to all of my ancestors.  The "Sweenie" name is Scottish.  My grandfather, James HLM Sweenie, was born in Scotland and came to America at the age of 9.  His father had come to America the year before to find employment and establish residence before bringing his wife and son (my grandfather) over.  I have only been able to prove it back to 1810 to John Sweenie who was the illegitimate son of Agnes Burns who named the father as John Sweenie, a "canal boatman".  I have never been able to definitively prove who this John Sweenie was or where he came from.  Sweenie is also Irish but the "Irish" version is usually spelled Sweeney.   I have learned, though, a great deal about the Sweenie name and will post a history of it in a subsequent blog posting. 

The rest of my heritage goes all the way back to the original settlers including Mayflower passengers.  My grandmother, Ruth Augusta Williams Bailey, often told me stories about her family.  Many times she related that we were of "Puritan Stock".  She also mentioned that we have Mayflower ancestors.  Whenever I studied American History I would wonder who these ancestors were.  I have since learned who they were and will explain it all in another posting.  

The Keniston side of my heritage dates back to the mid-1630's when the first Keniston came to America and settled in the Strawberry Bank area of what is now New Hampshire.  The Bailey family from which I descend goes back to John Bayley, one of the founders of Haddam, Connecticut.  The William's line traces back to Richard Williams, one of the founders of Taunton, Massachusetts.  Again, there will be posts on these families as I go along. 

My research has uncovered a lot of fascinating information; things to be proud of, things to laugh about, cry about, wonder about and of course, things that probably other family members would prefer to keep hidden.  I will post more detailed histories of some of the most interesting family members, too. 

I'm new to blogging therefore this will be a work in progress.  I am not new to family history research, however, and hope that my research results will benefit others.