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| Lee's ancestor who is related to Gen. Herkimer |
Ever wonder if those family yarns your grandparents wove were true? In honor of National Family History Month this October, hear how freelance writer and former newspaper reporter Sandra K. Lee pieced together her genealogy to learn not one but two amazing stories spanning the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
Lee, an amateur genealogist for more than 20 years, will be speaking from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on Oct. 15 at the Warren Township Library. People can sign up for this free program by calling (908) 754-5554 x64 or by registering online.
| Lee grew up hearing about an ancestor who was descended from a famous Revolutionary War general, Nicholas Herkimer. After years of painstaking research - with a little luck thrown in - she discovered that she was related to Herkimer and that another ancestor, her great-great-grandfather, took part in a famous escape from Libby Prison during the Civil War. |
General Nicholas Herkimer is immortalized in several books about the Revolution as bravely refusing to leave the battlefield after being wounded during the Battle of Oriskany. Herkimer County, NY is named for him as well. Sandra learned that the family stories were mostly true as she is descended not from the general but from his brother, Captain George Herkimer, who also fought during the American Revolution.
While researching her connection to the Herkimers through her great-great-grandfather, William H.H. Wilcox, she discovered that he had his own amazing story. Wilcox was a Union captain for the 10th New York Zouaves who was captured and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Va. He was among 109 prisoners who crawled through a rat-infested tunnel to flee the Confederate prison, nearly as infamous as Andersonville for its horrible conditions. In her research, Sandra obtained a copy of Wilcox’s diary, offering a firsthand account of life in the notorious prison.
Sandra was interviewed by CBS News in early 2014 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the escape.
