Happy 250th Birthday America

 

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

By: Drifting Cowboy aka Jerry England

Celebrating America 250

Welcome back to the campfire, friends.

Today is no ordinary Fourth of July. As the morning sun rises across the spectacular landscapes of this great nation, we are hitting a monumental milestone—the 250th birthday of the United States of America. For two and a half centuries, this grand experiment in liberty has weathered storms, crossed rugged mountains, and pushed the boundaries of human freedom.

If you’ve been following along with my Celebrating America 250 series, you know that history isn't just something trapped in dusty textbooks for me; it’s alive in our veins. Lately, I’ve been tracing our family trails back through the centuries on FamilySearch, and the deeper I dig, the more I realize that our ancestors were right there in the thick of it. From the old Dutch pioneers clearing the wilderness of early New Amsterdam, to the brave minutemen of the Albany and Pennsylvania militias standing watch on perilous frontiers, and even to a self-taught cousin named Samuel Huntington who boldly scratched his name onto the Declaration of Independence—our family blood helped clear the fields, fight the battles, and write the very words that built this country.

So today, let’s pull up a chair, tip our hats to the patriots, farmers, and pioneers who blazed the trail before us, and look ahead at the long, open road still before us.

Happy 250th, America. Let’s dive into today's post...

Happy trails!

The Barrel-Maker’s Quill: The Shared Blood of Samuel Huntington

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-barrel-makers-quill-shared-blood-of.html

• Jul 4

A Cycle of Bloody Retaliation: La Prairie vs Deerfield

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-cycle-of-bloody-retaliation-la.html

• Jul 3

The "ghost trial" of 1673

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-ghost-trial-of-1673.html

• Jul 3

Our Ancestors’ Contribution to The Bill of Rights

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/07/our-ancestors-contribution-to-bill-of.html

• Jul 2

They Came Seeking Spiritual Liberty, Peace, and Self-Determination

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/07/they-came-seeking-spiritual-liberty.html

• Jul 1

Moving To The Edge: Iowa Territory In 1845

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/07/moving-to-edge-iowa-territory-in-1845.html

• Jul 1

Patriot of the Upper Hudson: The Life and Legacy of Captain James Wilson

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/patriot-of-upper-hudson-life-and-legacy.html

• Jun 30

The Boylston Bloodline — From Colonial Surgeons to a Founding Father

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-boylston-bloodline-from-colonial.html

• Jun 30

Lt. William Smith: Climax at the Siege of Yorktown

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/lt-william-smith-climax-at-siege-of.html

• Jun 29

Celebrating America 250: Jackson Bailey, an American Farmer

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/celebrating-america-250-jackson-bailey.html

• Jun 29

The Skirmisher of the Delaware: The Story of Sergeant Joseph Hallowell

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-skirmisher-of-delaware-story-of.html

• Jun 28

The Coast Guard of Lake Erie: The Story of Smith Bailey

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-coast-guard-of-lake-erie-story-of.html

• Jun 28

Daniel II Denison: New London County Style Cabinetmaker

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/daniel-ii-denison-new-london-county.html

• Jun 27

From the Wallabout to the Jersey Hills: The Long Trail of Peter Monfoort

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-wallabout-to-jersey-hills-long.html

• Jun 27

🇺🇸 The Watchman of Rensselaerwyck: The Story of Peter Wyngaart

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/watchman-of-rensselaerwyck-story-of.html

• Jun 27

🇺🇸 Guardians of the Open Sky: The Flight of Fred and Helen Morgan

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/guardians-of-open-sky-flight-of-fred.html

• Jun 26

The Call of the High Country: Why the Bailey Brothers Crossed the Border

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-call-of-high-country-why-bailey.html

• Jun 26

The Last Pioneer: The Grace and Grit of Velma Veda Bailey

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-last-pioneer-grace-and-grit-of.html

• Jun 26

Out of the Monongahela Mist: The Legacy of Lydia Waggoner

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/out-of-monongahela-mist-legacy-of-lydia.html

• Jun 25

⚔️ The Crucible: Our Ancestors' Civil War Engagements 

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/crucible-our-ancestors-civil-war.html

• Jun 25

From Kennebec County to the Mud of the Argonne

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-kennebec-county-to-mud-of-argonne.html

• Jun 24

Colonel William McDonald: High Sheriff of Somerset County

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/colonel-william-mcdonald-high-sheriff.html

• Jun 24

Cockpit of the Revolution: Jersey Blues to the Ohio Frontier

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/cockpit-of-revolution-jersey-blues-to.html

• Jun 24

The Plymouth Colony Trial of Dinah Silvester (March 1661)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-plymouth-colony-trial-of-dinah.html

• Jun 23

From the Governor's Staff to the Beat of a Patriot's Drum

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-governors-staff-to-beat-of.html

• Jun 23

The Fatal Cliffhanger: Matthew Beckwith & His Descendants

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-fatal-cliffhanger-matthew-beckwith.html

• Jun 23

Our Yankee Diaspora, “Go West, Young Man”

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/our-yankee-diaspora-go-west-young-man.html

• Jun 22

🏆 The 1930 World Cup & The American Pinnacle

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/1930-world-cup-american-pinnacle.html

• Jun 22

The Unyielding Pen: Our Kinship with Founding Father George Mason

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-unyielding-pen-our-kinship-with.html

• Jun 21

Our Dutch-French Descent & Historical Milestones

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/our-dutch-french-descent-historical.html

• Jun 21

Rev. Samuel Fuller: Genealogical Goldmine with a Major Plot Twist

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/rev-samuel-fuller-genealogical-goldmine.html

• Jun 21

When the Sparks of Liberty Ignited into Open Rebellion

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/when-sparks-of-liberty-ignited-into.html

• Jun 20

The Block Island & Onrust Connection

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-block-island-onrust-connection.html

• Jun 20

From Block Island to Narragansett Plantations & Maritime Elite

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-block-island-to-narragansett.html

• Jun 20

Ensign Gerard Spencer: The Military Anchor of Haddam (1614–1685)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/ensign-gerard-spencer-military-anchor.html

• Jun 19

The Iron Ring of Saybrook: How Engineer Lion Gardiner and the Backus Line Secured Connecticut

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-iron-ring-of-saybrook-how-engineer.html

• Jun 18

From the Atlantic Surf of Gloucester to the Flathead Valley of Montana

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-atlantic-surf-of-gloucester-to.html

• Jun 18

American Patriots: From the Shores of Rhode Island to the Carolina Woods

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/a-few-more-of-moms-revolutionary-war.html

• Jun 18

Thomas Shailer: Lost at Sea in the West Indies (1706)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/thomas-shailer-lost-at-sea-in-west.html

• Jun 17

The Timber Barons of Kittery: Nathan Lord I

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-timber-barons-of-kittery-nathan.html

• Jun 17

The Frontier Crucible: Our Littlefield-Stevens Family in Maine

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-frontier-crucible-our-littlefield.html

• Jun 17

The Tragedy at Old Providence (1641)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-tragedy-at-old-providence-1641.html

• Jun 17

The Mythic Legacy: Isaac Potts and the Praying Washington

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-mythic-legacy-isaac-potts-and.html

• Jun 16

Burying the Guns: How Our Potts Cousins Saved Washington’s Artillery

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/burying-guns-how-our-potts-cousins.html

• Jun 16

🇺🇸 Plymouth Rock 1620 to "We the People" 1787 & Beyond: Our Family’s Footsteps Through the American Story

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/plymouth-rock-1620-to-we-people-1787.html

• Jun 15

Did you ever wonder what the differences were between Pilgrims and Puritans?

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/did-you-ever-wonder-what-differences.html

• Jun 15

The Sword and the Surveyor’s Chain

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-sword-and-surveyors-chain.html

• Jun 14

                  

Simon Weeks and Bellinger’s Regiment of New York Militia

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/simon-weeks-and-bellingers-regiment-of.html

• Jun 14

Samuel R. Brown and Ball's Squadron of Light Dragoons

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/samuel-r-brown-and-balls-squadron-of.html

• Jun 14

The Frontier Defender: Solomon Brown’s Revolutionary Service

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-frontier-defender-solomon-browns.html

• Jun 13

The Drummer and the Dragoon: A New York Frontier Legacy

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-drummer-and-dragoon-new-york.html

• Jun 13

America 250 Thematic Anthology

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/america-250-thematic-anthology.html

• Jun 12

Putnam Catlin: The Teenage Drummer of the Revolution

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/putnam-catlin-teenage-drummer-of.html

• Jun 12

Cousin George Catlin: American Artist 1796-1872

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/cousin-george-catlin-american-artist.html

• Jun 12

The Revolutionary Anvil: John Catland (Catlin) (1718–1808)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-revolutionary-anvil-john-catland.html

• Jun 12

The Phantom of New Haven: The Tale of Captain George Lamberton

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-phantom-of-new-haven-tale-of.html

• Jun 11

The Lineage of the Compass and the Square: 1853 to 2013

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-lineage-of-compass-and-square-1853.html

• Jun 11

Jonathan Brewster, Master of the Coastal Frontier

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/jonathan-brewster-master-of-coastal.html

• Jun 11

John Gardner and the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/john-gardner-and-1778-battle-of-rhode.html

• Jun 10

Rhode Island: The most rebellious colony in British America

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/rhode-island-most-rebellious-colony-in.html

• Jun 10

1710 Palatine Migration: Harrowing saga of early American history

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/1710-palatine-migration-harrowing-saga.html

• Jun 10

The New Netherland Ancestry of Charity Winegard (2026 update)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-new-netherland-ancestry-of-charity.html

• Jun 9

Transactions Between Job Babcock And Ninigret II Sachem Dynasty

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/transactions-between-job-babcock-and.html

• Jun 8

The Voice on the Border: Job Babcock and the Language of Survival

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-voice-on-border-job-babcock-and.html

• Jun 8

The Forge and the Pulpit: The Armed Defiance of Westerly

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-forge-and-pulpit-armed-defiance-of.html

• Jun 8

The Loom of Aquidneck: The Shared Destiny of the Tylers and Havens

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-loom-of-aquidneck-shared-destiny-of.html

• Jun 8

The Convergence of Empires: From Manhattan Fortresses to Narragansett Fields

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-convergence-of-empires-from.html

• Jun 8

The Current of the Bay: The Maritime Tapestry of Portsmouth and Exeter

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-current-of-bay-maritime-tapestry-of.html

• Jun 7

The Engine of the State: The Uncompromising Hand of Timothy Pickering

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-engine-of-state-uncompromising-hand.html

• Jun 7

The Fortress and the State: The Structural Mastery of the Wingate Bloodline

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-fortress-and-state-structural.html

• Jun 7

The Coggeshall Dynasty: Pillars of the Patent

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-coggeshall-dynasty-pillars-of-patent.html

• Jun 6

The Unyielding Spirit of the Rhode Island Bull Family

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-unyielding-spirit-of-rhode-island.html

• Jun 6

From the Potomac to the Prairies: The Unstoppable Arc of the Mason-Boyd Line

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-potomac-to-prairies-unstoppable.html

• Jun 6

The Master of the Shifting Tides: Jan Cornelissen DeZeeuw

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-master-of-shifting-tides-jan.html

• Jun 5

Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/ethan-allen-and-green-mountain-boys.html

• Jun 5

Dr. Zabdiel Boylston and the 1721 Smallpox Crisis

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/dr-zabdiel-boylston-and-1721-smallpox.html

• Jun 5

The Weaver of Medfield: Mary Smith and the Blueprint for Survival

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-weaver-of-medfield-mary-smith-and.html

• Jun 4

The Seeds of the Boylston Line: From London Planter to Frontier Fortitude

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-seeds-of-boylston-line-from-london.html

• Jun 4

Susannah Eaton: The Collateral Cost of the War For Liberty

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/susannah-eaton-collateral-cost-of-war.html

• Jun 4

The Guardians of the Frontier: The Pierce Legacy

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/part-1-sorting-out-two-thomas-pierces.html

• Jun 3

The Fortress of Louisbourg: The "American Dunkirk"

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-fortress-of-louisbourg-american.html

• Jun 2

Captain Adriaen Crijnen Post and The Peach Tree War

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/captain-adriaen-crijnen-post-and-peach.html

• Jun 2

ADIOS OLD PAINT — AN OLD COWBOY'S LAMENT

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/a-cowboys-lament-thoughts-about-valley.html

• Jun 1

The Architects of the Republic: Cousin Roger Sherman and the Sherman Spirit

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-architects-of-republic-cousin-roger.html

• Jun 1

Our New Netherland Dutch & President Martin Van Buren

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/our-new-netherland-dutch-president.html

• Jun 1

Our high-stakes, blood-soaked world of Scottish Clan Royalty

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/our-high-stakes-blood-soaked-world-of.html

• Jun 1

The Year the Earth Stood Still

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-year-earth-stood-still.html

• Jun 1

The Winthrop Tapestry: Boston Iron to Long Island Peace

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-winthrop-tapestry-boston-iron-to.html

• Jun 1

The Sovereign Ground: How the Ellsworths Anchored the Connecticut Valley

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-sovereign-ground-how-ellsworths.html

May 31

Fort Stanwix, Zepheniah Rogers and the Road to Ohio

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/fort-stanwix-zepheniah-rogers-and-road.html

May 31

Our Plimpton family and the geographic expansion of early America

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/our-plimpton-family-and-geographic.html

May 31

Major General Nathanael Greene our 3rd cousin 7x removed

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/major-general-nathanael-greene-our-3rd.html

May 30

The Brown Family Great Migration Out of Massachusetts

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-brown-family-great-migration-out-of.html

May 30

The Patriotic Legacy of our Townsend Line

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-patriotic-legacy-of-our-townsend.html

May 30

Rebel Daughter of the Winthrop Dynasty

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/rebel-daughter-of-winthrop-dynasty.html

May 29

Early American Medical Folklore and Revolutionary Heroism

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/early-american-medical-folklore-and.html

May 29

The Great Swamp Fight plot thickens into an unbelievable, high-stakes drama for our Tefft family

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-great-swamp-fight-plot-thickens.html

May 28

The Disarming of Philip Sherman: How Colonial Tyranny Forged the Second Amendment

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-disarming-of-philip-sherman-how.html

May 28

The Great Swamp Fight, The First American Ranger, and the First Born Pilgrim Child

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-great-swamp-fight-first-american.html

May 27

The Blacksmith of Freedom: The Ordeal of Richard Maxson

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-blacksmith-of-freedom-ordeal-of.html

May 25

The Thirty Coats: The Forging of Haddam, Connecticut

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-thirty-coats-forging-of-haddam.html

May 24

The Keepers of the Castle: A 600-Year McNeill Odyssey

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-keepers-of-castle-600-year-mcneill.html

May 23

Great-Granddad Minted America's First Coins: The Remarkable Story of Joseph Jenks (Jenckes)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/great-granddad-minted-americas-first.html

May 22

Prince Henry Sinclair and his Alleged Voyages

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/prince-henry-sinclair-and-his-alleged.html

May 16

Robert the Bruce and the Tale of the Brave Heart

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/robert-bruce-and-tale-of-brave-heart.html

May 15

Captain Donald MacDonald: from the Highlands to the Battlefields of Quebec

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/05/captain-donald-macdonald-from-highlands.html

May 14