From A Foreign Land As I trace my family tree, I find that I am a MUTT. So far, it appears that most came from the Old World and drifted into the mountains of the South. For most, the mountains probably reminded them of the homelands they had left behind. With each discovery of a family link, I am amazed at the courage it took to leave everything behind to seek a new life in a strange world. For some, it was probably the only hope. The Palatines came to escape war. The Irish came seeking a better life. The British ancestors probably came because they were either a younger son looking for land of his own or it was an adventure. Near Staunton, Virginia, is an exhibit of an early American farmhouse and copies of a German and Irish home from the old country. I've toured them a couple of times. Also, in Gatlingburg, Tennessee, is the original home of my ancestor that settled in Gatlingburg after crossing the mountains from South Carolina. Hand-hewn logs that supposedly were cut and stacked with the assistance of the Native Americans (Cherokee) who befriended this ancestor. My ancestors left their marks on the Old World and came to the New World seeking a new life. I owe a debt of gratitude to each of them. To each generation that came afterwards. I am an American. Not Irish-American or German-American, or whatever blend. There is no hypen before the word AMERICAN. My ancestors helped tame a continent and that makes me proud. A few of the names and their origin: OGLE          England THOMAS        Wales PLOTT        Germany STARKS        England HUSKEY        Ireland QUEEN        Scotland KEAR (CARR)     Scotland KOON (KUHN)     Germany BURNS          Scotland WHISENANT        Switzerland The flags on this page are a representative of the various countries my ancestors came from. These are modern day flags and countries and flags change through the years.         Britain            Wales          Switzerland           France       Ireland            Germany         Scotland                Luxembourg Spain gtdiffee@cox.net BACK Graphics by Mountainwinds