This story is about the Westward Expansion Era of our great American heritage as actually experienced by pioneer families spanning several generations. The original European immigrants began arriving on our shores about four hundred years ago and they were the founders of our country, which became a 'melting pot' for all these ethnic groups. These families eventually emerged from colonial times in early America however, and gradually started moving westward displacing the native Indian nations that were here before. The exemplary families of this story were thoroughly immersed in this western migration that has become known as the Western Expansion Era of our American History. This was also the period of the sad commentary regarding the displacement of the native Indian nations as they were crowded out of their homeland and eventually placed on reservations while the descendants of the migrating settlers continued to move on west as the new land opportunities became available. In this setting the story is told of these rugged and tenacious settlers on the frontier facing the hardships of 'hacking out' a homestead from the wilderness forest while facing the dangers of Indian uprisings and other encounters in the wild native environment. This new Our American Heritage series takes a genealogy approach in presenting our American History. This different look at our past through the eyes of some of our ancestors affords a more personal touch that results in a deeper understanding and more lasting impressions that are not usually garnered through the reading of textbooks. Images of ancestors engaged in the associated historic events are enabled to be brought into sharper focus from their often fuzzy obscurity. Such historic accounts in our ancestor's lives are intertwined and are all integrally wrapped up together in our American History; and we should know them both better than just the cursory impression gained from a smile in a faded photograph or a few memorized dates of some long ago historic events. Some of these ancestor generations were born in special eras with unique sets of circumstances and challenges that fate had designated for them; and for which make interesting life stories. For these reasons they provide enjoyable and worthwhile reading as well as a better appreciation of our great American heritage. The exemplary families of this story first settled in western Pennsylvania before moving on to North Carolina, and then on successively to Ohio, Indiana, and finally Kansas, always staying on the very edge of the wilderness, it seemed, as they moved on west. The lives of these descending generations were full of the usual gamut of human experiences and accomplishments. They homesteaded, raised children, farmed, mined and other such endeavors, and overcame their adversities until the next generation took over. Each family has ancestors waiting to be remembered and family stories waiting to be written. These unique cameo glimpses of family experiences help to fill in the pieces of our history and make them more interesting. For some of us the hardy pioneer families of this story are buried and long forgotten in an era that has long ago quietly disappeared into the past. Yet some of us in these succeeding generations can still hear those voices calling to us from across the years. Our ancestors left many footprints in time in many places, such as their names on streets, gravestones, granite markers around old battlefields, and headstones on buildings. But most of all they left behind the vast amount of historic records, which were used to document the accounts of this story. They served as resounding echoes from the past, without which this story could not have been written. There is a legacy left behind for each life that is lived, and if a person is remembered by those left behind, that person lives on in their memories. The same can be said of our American History which is all a part of our great American Heri
About the Author: John Kekec now resides in Bonne Terre, MO with his wife and co-author, Mary Kekec. John is a longtime member of his regional writing societies which are affiliated with the Missouri Writer's Guild. Having authored several works his complete writing profile can be viewed on the Missouri Author's Directory website listing (http: //books.missouri.org/author) He is a retired Mineral Area College instructor with considerable graduate work past his master's degree from Kansas State College of Pittsburg, and at the Universities of Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Arizona. Mary has provided the inspiration and has co-authored with her husband in writing various family stories and a poetry edition. She has also been the family genealogist for many years and has compiled many family records. Their recent collaboration in working together in writing this Our American Heritage series is working well with John functioning as the writer/researcher filling in the historic background. Mary loves children and epitomizes the mother/grandmother/homemaker roles; the family matters having always mattered most. For many years they both have been quite active in historical and family genealogical research. Now retired, they remain avid readers and writers and in addition are currently busy with their four children, twelve grandchildren and six greats.