I wish to thank the Sheridan Press for printing an article, in the 8/1/09 edition, about the graduating class of 1909. It includes an ancestor of mine--Bessie Ackerley. She was my great-aunt and sister of my grandfather, Allen Ackerley.
Not many people got a high school diploma in those days-some still don't. So she should be commended for that. I have noticed in reading history, and helping trace my family tree, that women didn't get much recognition-unless they did something really bad. How many people know that Mozart had a sister who was a piano player and songwriter too?
I am proud of the fact that an ancestor, Flora MacDonald, is a hero in Scotland. She saved the life of Bonny Prince Charles in 1745, after the battle of Culloden. The English would have tortured and killed her if she had been caught. I have her picture on my wall. Bessie's too.
Bessie Ackerley and her family, were homesteaders, coming to Sheridan in 1892 or early 1893. They didn't strive to be famous, they just worked hard to turn sage brush and dirt into a productive ranch. Such as the ranches who feed the world today.
I am proud to be their descendant, and to carry on the family tradition.
