The United States of America turns 250 on July 4, 2026. What a time to be an American to commemorate 250 years of United States history, with many families celebrating across all 50 states.
The United States of America is named after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci who set forth to the new land after Christopher Columbus sailed here in 1492.
The American Revolutionary War began in 1776, leading to the birth of The United States of America. Many historical figures in 1776 made a significant mark that led us to where we are today.
English-American political philosopher and writer Thomas Paine published his 47-page pamphlet “Common Sense” in Philadelphia on January 10, 1776. His writing style and philosophies appealed to the masses, helped to promote his arguments and encouraged common people to fight for an egalitarian government, a person or principle that advocates that all people are equal in fundamental worth, moral status and social importance.
In “Common Sense,” Paine wanted the colonies to unify, “It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies; yet our present numbers are sufficient to repel the force of all the world.”
The 13 colonies did not have a large population but they could unify and use the resources they did have to overcome and win the war.
At this time, the 13 colonies did not have a navy established but could use the shipyards and borrow money to build a navy that rivaled the British Navy.
Irish-born soldier Thomas Hickey, a casualty of the conflict between the colonies and England, was arrested in April 1776, for passing counterfeit money and later executed by the Continental Army for “mutiny, sedition, and treachery.”
Hickey had been part of a protective detail for General George Washington.
Hickey told a fellow prisoner he was part of a conspiracy to assassinate General Washington, which proved enough to warrant his execution on charges of mutiny, sedition and “treacherous correspondence with the enemies of the Colonies.”
Benson J. Lossing’s “History of the American Revolution” (1906) describes Hickey’s crime as a “hellish plot” and a “foul conspiracy.” The book describes Hickey as a “dark-complexioned Irishman, a deserter from the British Army several years before, and a resident of Wethersfield, where he bore a good character and was selected (to be Washington’s bodyguard) from the ranks of Knowlton’s Connecticut Rangers,” according to the Wethersfield Historical Society.
Tension between Native Americans and Kentucky settlers during the American Revolutionary War led to the capture of Jemima Boone and the Callaway girls, Betsey and Fanny, on July 14, 1776. As they left Fort Bootesborough to canoe the Kentucky River, they were captured by five Native Americans and taken northward. Daniel Boone, with eight men, led a successful attempt to rescue his daughter Elizabeth and the Callaway girls, who were the children of Colonel Richard Callaway. A fictionalized version of the incident was included in James Fennimore Cooper’s novel, “The Last of the Mohicans.”
As Americans engage with their nation’s history, they might be compelled to learn more about their genealogy.
It can be a way to jump into your own history, see where your history led and what backstory from American history is threaded through your own life.
It may be a way to do something fun with your kids for the summer or to explore unknown facets of your family history you may not have otherwise known.
Your own personal details can serve as a starting point as you work toward more unknown facets of your family history. After you note all of your own details, learn and document all you can about your parents and further generations.
Emphasize four vital components: Names, dates, places, and relationships are tools to identify family records.
Inform others
Inform family members that you're working on a genealogy project, they may have valuable information and documents to share or they may have answers you are seeking about your family.
Access government records
The U.S. federal census dates all the way back to 1790. State and county archives can be great record keeping resources of births, deaths, marriages, and other notable family historical events.
Utilize other digital tools
Websites like ancestry.com, my heritage, beenverified or truth– finder may be helpful. The websites may cost money to do research or require documentation but they are a great and easy way to find factual information about your family history.
Peruse any existing family archives
A relative might have kept various types of documents that help to paint a picture of your genealogy. Ask around in the family to see if anyone has kept records, which might include:
•Newspaper clippings
•Birth and death certificates
•Military certificates
•Marriage licenses
•Letters
•Diaries
•Photographs/photo books
•Scrapbooks The emphasis on history makes 2026 a great time to study your family’s part in bringing about America's 250th birthday. Perhaps you find unexplored details that are woven into the ongoing American story. ✲
by Becca Roberts
