John Shinn

John Shinn
Immigrant Ancestor of nearly every Shinn in America
Married Jane "Jean" Garwood and had 9 children: John, George, Mary, Thomas, Sarah, Esther, Francis, Martha & James
We are the chosen. In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors, "You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us.". How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who I am, and why I do the things I do.
John Shinn
Married Jane "Jean" Garwood and had 9 children: John, George, Mary, Thomas, Sarah, Esther, Francis, Martha & James
George Aldrich
Married Katherine Seald and had 11 children: Abel, Joseph, Mary, Miriam, Experience, John, Sarah, Peter, Mercy, Jacob & Martha
John Marsh
"Captain" John Marsh married "Lady" Grace Baldwin and they had 9 children. Sarah, Hannah, Joseph, Lydia, Grace, Thomas, John, Samuel & Mary
Melungeon Roots
The Melungeons are a Tri Racial people of the Appalachian Mountains
The Great Pilgrim Migration started with the Puritans, escaping England, travelling thru the Netherlands. They hoped to have religious freedom and braved the ocean and the harsh winters of the Americas. By 1635, 11 ships carrying some of our ancestors, landed on these shores. These Mayflower Ancestors established the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Between 1630 and 1640 the original 4 of the 13 colonies were established: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut & New Hampshire. By the end of 1640 there were approximately 20,000 people.
In the time between 1640 and 1650 the 13 colonies were established and our population was somewhere near 50,000 ancestors. Most Americans, over 65% descend from those ancestors.
Here we honor those families, documenting their stories and their descendants, who range from free to indigenous to enslaved people. Our history is as diverse as the Americas are beautiful. "Teresa (Shinn) Obst"
Charles S. Lewis
Charles "Charlie" was a founding member of Genspaces (Formerly Myrootsplace)
Judy M. Coffey
Judy was a founding member of Genspaces (Formerly Myrootsplace)
Francis W. Sloat
Frank was a founding member of Genspaces (Formerly Myrootsplace)
David B. Avery
David was a founding member of Genspaces and the life partner of the Co-Founder, Eunice
We all have Choices. Those above are some of the people that chose to give their time, large portions of their lives, to this family tree. Thank you also to the other founding members of Genspaces (Formerly Myrootsplace) including James D. Shinn, Jack Sandy Anderson (1932-2015), Phillip "Wayne" Lewis, Marylin Suter, Sherri D. Thornton (1957-2010), Arla (Essley) Sims, Cheryl (Fults) McDonald, Vivian R. Clark, Marvin (Marsh) Rothe (1944-2000) & everyone else who contributed to our MRP Tree. Your work is memorialized here!
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We strive to document all of our sources in this family tree. If you have something to add, please let us know.