Journal of the American Kernel

January 1, 2002 was no ordinary New Year's Day for me. It was life-changing! My wife woke me, a little white plastic stick in hand. A thin pink line was visible through its window. At 42, I was going to be a first-time father! Happy New Year!

The first few days of 2002 were filled with a joy that allowed no intrusive deep thought. But soon I began to contemplate what kind of father I would be. And there were questions: What kind of life will she have? What will I do to nurture her growth? What kind of person will she grow up to be? In the aftermath of September 11th, what kind of world, and more importantly, what sort of America am I leaving for her? The questions came one after the other and they kept on coming for many days.

John Endecott

Then, the biggest question came to me: How will I tell her who she is and where she fits in when considering the loftier perspective of pride for her heritage?

From birth, I was made keenly aware of a rich family tradition that is interwoven throughout all of earliest American Colonies and that my heritage is that of a hearty lot. My first American-resident ancestor, a ship captain named William Jones, arrived in Virginia in 1608, just one year after the first permanent settlement of Jamestown. Later, in 1628, another great grandfather, Governor John Endecott, led the expedition that led to the founding of Massachusetts Bay Colony in Salem.

My daughter's ancestors had a hand in the sowing the seeds that grew into this great nation, not just in one, but all three of the major colonial groups: the northern, middle and southern colonies. All of her ancestors and relatives were duty-bound to carefully hand down family traditions with a sense of pride, responsibility and solemn stewardship.

I realized that this duty was now in my hands and that I had a long-standing commitment to take it very seriously.

So, I began to consider how I would handle my mission. What is the best way for me to make sure that I pass down the things I consider to make up my true "American soul?" My daughter is integrally connected to the blood, toil and sacrifice contained in each and every seminal event that made this great nation. It is important that this thread remain unbroken. How do I make sure this is so?

Well, one of the things that I think I do best is put words on a page. The advent of the Internet offers the opportunity and the means for me to establish a permanent record in a manner that my ancestors did not have. So, I have decided to keep an ongoing record of my thoughts about both my ancestry and current events viewed through the lens of what I know in my heart to be things true to the "real" American traditions.

What is "The American Kernel?"

I believe that there began a unique culture that sprang forth very early in the American colonial era. The people who were ancestors of those who fought to free this land and found a nation were diverse only in the narrowest of senses; they shared far more commonalities than differences. The hardships of frontier and geographic isolation from the nearby foreign influences common in the rest of the world soon produced a people who were more "American" than they were anything else. These hearty people cobbled together something different from anything that came before it in the history of the world. With a nod both to history and to technology I decided to call this essence "The American Kernel."

With all these things in mind, I dedicate this site to my daughter and, hopefully, the rest of my children and their descendants. I have decided to communicate to them in a series of letters. In addition, through this web site I will entertain and post the thoughts and ideas from others who share a similar desire to cherish and preserve the American Kernel.

What is "The American Kernel?"

Katie's Dad
March 30, 2002

Historic Documents

What is "The American Kernel?"

Katie's Dad March 30, 2002

Historic Documents

Katie's Dad
March 30, 2002