Ok, onto my first actual genealogy post.  As I mentioned before, I spent about a year doing really interesting and rewarding research connecting the generations starting with mine and going back in time to my 6xs Great-Grandfather, John Phillip Klingensmith.  So, I'm going to start by telling you about him and his second wife, my 6xs Great-Grandmother, Christina Walthour Klingensmith.

There's really so much to tell about these two, I'll probably post more than one entry to get all of their information in.  But to start, here goes.

John Phillip Klingensmith, more commonly known as "Blockhouse" Phillip, was born the same year as George Washington himself - 1732.  He was born in the colonies, although I haven't confirmed just where yet, but I'm fairly certain somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania.  I do know for certain that, at some point, he settled land in Hempfield Twp., Westmoreland County, PA, and built a blockhouse.  Just a short side note - Hempfield Twp. is not that far from Pittsburgh.

So, what is a blockhouse?  Blockhouses were built as a type of fort that would serve as protection from enemies and other dangers for the family and surrounding neighbors.  In Blockhouse Phillip's day, their main concern was the frequent Native American attacks.  To learn more about the blockhouses in Pennsylvania, including information on Blockhouse Phillip's house click here.

Alright, back to Phillip.  One of the most interesting things I've learned about him is that he is believed* to be among the signers of the Hannas Town Resolves.  What are the Hannas Town Resolves, you ask?  Well, before I get to that, I should first tell you that, at the time, Hannas Town was the county seat of Westmoreland County.  Also, its important to keep in mind the time frame we're talking about - the mid- to late-1700s.  This was the time in our country's history when the colonists were experiencing and losing patience with Great Britain's oppressive heavy hand. 

So, not long before the Hannas Town Resolves were signed, there was a little incident in Boston.  You may have heard of it - the Boston Tea Party :-)  Well, after the Boston Tea Party, Great Britain really cracked down on Massachusettes with an increased presence of British soldiers, cutting off Massachusettes Bay, which restricted shipping and trade, etc.

Well, the folks in PA got wind of this and didn't want the same treatment coming down on them as was being forced on Boston.  So, they decided to do something about it - they wrote and signed the Hannas Town Resolves; one of the most direct challenges to British authority preceding the Declaration of Independence (taken from Wikipedia's article on the Hanna's Town Resolves).

Well everyone, it's getting late, so I'm going to continue the story of Phillip & Christina later on in the week.  In the meantime, if you're interested in reading the Hanna's Town Resolves, click here.  I highly recommend it.

Oh, one more thing.  For members of my family who may be reading this and wondering how/if you're connected to John Phillip & Christina, they are ancestors of Herbert Miller Caldwell.  So, if you're a descendent of Herbert Miller Caldwell, and you know who you are, you're also a descendent of Phillip & Christina.

*The reason genealogists and researchers strongly believe that Phillip was among the signers is due to the fact that he was a prominent settler in the area as well as the owner of a blockhouse.  Unfortunately, Hannas Town was burned in an Indian raid and the town's original documents were burned as well, so we do not have any copies of the Resolves with signatures.  We know what they said though, thanks to the Resolves being printed in a number of local newspapers of the time.  Fortunately, those newspapers have preserved an important piece of history.