The photo above is a monument in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, New York called
Memorial Day in The United States is about honoring those who have died in the armed forces fighting wars in defense of our country. Those of you that know me know that I am all about peace keeping and not at all about war. Never the less, while I do not like it when our young people are put in harms way, I am very much supportive of and appreciate their sacrifice. This year I wanted to post a blog for Memorial Day that keyed in with my interest in family history and honored an ancestor that was killed in the line of duty. While there are a fair number of people in my family tree that served in various wars, and more than one were disabled as a result, I could only think of one that died in a war. My fifth great grandfather, David Morris 1736 - 1779, died on a British Prison Ship named The Old Jersey. During our Revolution, England used disabled ships to house their war prisoners. Conditions were very poor on these non sea worthy vessels as the men were not fed adequately and the quarters were rat infested with very poor sanitation. Disease took the lives of many men including my ancestor. Please click on the links through out the text above to learn more and enjoy the video that follows. Although it is a long video, there is a short part that mentions prison ships in the beginning, then if you wish, proceed to minute 7:30 and view on to the end to watch the part about British Prison ships in the American Revolution.
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