Let the (Ancestral) Digging Begin!

When told that we were doing an ancestors project I became very excited. I have always wanted to learn more about my families history. Both of my parents are first genereation in the United States so I really only know about my great grandparents and ancestors through my grandparents, parents and relatives.

My maternal and paternal grandparents met their spouses shortly after their arrival to the United States coincidentally all four of them immigrated to New York. My maternal Grandpa is from the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States in search of refuge from the rising dictator Rafael Trujillo. My maternal Grandma immigrated to the United States from Costa Rica, to chase the "American Dream" and be able to provide for her four children who remained in Costa Rica. Both my paternal grandparents had a similar goal in mind of escaping poverty and made their way to New York from Ireland.

For the sake of this project I will be researching an ancestor from my paternal side of my family in Ireland. From my research online I cannot seems to find any information regarding my maternal side of the family. Although research on both sides of my family is challenging a few years ago one of my cousins began compilling a family tree and went to Ireland to access documents and records not accessible to us here. I am very excited to begin my research on the McLoughlin clan and learn about my family history!

My Top 5 MUST SEE Charleston Churches

Last week we visited ten local, historic places of worship right here in downtown Charleston. This post is a breakdown of my top five favorites. Whether it was the architecture, the setting or the vibe all of these Churches are unique and beautiful in their own rite!

#5: Second Presbyterian Church

The Second Presbyterian Church, located at 342 Meeting St., was a a beautiful sight to see! The stunning white stone of the building stands out against the greenery. This church was opened on April 3, 1811 but was founded in 1809.  This is a church of Presbyterian faith, meaning it is a branch of Christianity that believes in, "the Five solas: Scripture alone, faith alone, Christ alone, grace alone, glory to God alone." The architecture of this church is inspired by Jeffersonian style.

Our First SPOOKY Visit

Last week during class we visited two church graveyards! The two graveyards we visited were St.Patrick Church and Cathedral Church. During out visit to these beautiful churchyards we learned about the different grave markers and the symbolism behind them.