Category: Storytelling
COTTON SURNAME ORIGINS
Members of Family 11 of the Cotton DNA Project include the surnames COTTON, COTTAM AND COTHAM. The Cotton surname has been proven back to Roland Cotton born London, England 1558. The Cottam surname shows a lineage back to St. Michael on Wyre, Lancashire, England to a Thomas Cottam circa 1740 and a William Cottam born Read More …
MY WRITING TOOLS
As I learn more and more about self-publishing, more and more options come up. So after a steep learning curve, I settled on the following strategy: Buy your own ISBNs through Bowker so that you own and control them. Take the time and effort to register your own copyright. Own your work! Get your work edited professionally. If Read More …
FOURTH OF JULY REFLECTIONS 2017
He is gone the veteran is no more Come drop a grateful tear The love of God to call his (home?) While he resided here In that blessed faith through life he (persevered?) And died without a fear. On the Fourth of July 2017, I reflect on my 3rd great-grandfather, Lt. John Cotton, who was Read More …
THE PRIZE
Today, as my prize for having won the 2017 Writers; League of Texas Manuscript Contest for Nonfiction, I met with Andy Ross. Andy is from the West Coast and represents authors who write books in a wide range of subjects including narrative non-fiction, science, journalism, history, current affairs, contemporary culture, religion, children’s books and commercial Read More …
WONDERFUL SURPRISE!
The WRITERS’ LEAGUE OF TEXAS announced that I won the 2017 Manuscript Contest for nonfiction. Contestants submitted one chapter of a work along with a publishing proposal. My submission was a biography of my 7th Great-grandfather, John Cotton.
NEW COTTON HAPLOGROUP
My FamilyTree DNA test results resulted in a new Haplogroup that contains both my results and two Singletons. The Haplogroup is defined as BY2574.Cascading down from Z255 to L159 to ZZ7_1, Haplogroup BY2574 shares BY2573 with a Byrne and a Brabazon as shown on THE BIG TREE Chart for R-ZZ7. Thanks to the wonderful work Read More …
LANCASHIRE CONNECTIONS
Members of Family 11 of the Cotton DNA Project include the surnames COTTON, COTTAM AND COTHAM. The Cotton surname has been proven back to Roland Cotton born London, England 1558. The Cottam surname shows a lineage back to St. Michael on Wyre, Lancashire, England to a Thomas Cottam circa 1740 and a William Cottam Read More …
REFLECTIONS ON JULY 4th
Plymouth Rock is one of America’s most visited historic sites, but this famous chunk of bedrock wasn’t always the shrine it is today. The first settler made no mention of it in historical accounts about the famous landing on December 21, 1620. In fact, before going ashore to the mainland, they took refuge that first night Read More …
KNITTING EYEBROWS WITH MY 7th GREAT GRANDFATHER
“Cotton’s conversion by Sibbes and his shift to Sibbes’ plain evangelical style of preaching was affirmed when John Preston knocked on his door to tell Cotton how his sermon had enabled “God to speak effectually unto his heart”. Prior to his conversion, Preston studied music, medicine and astronomy and “thought it below him to be Read More …
