Lugnasa Superior Wolf Moon
This is the birthday of Richard Ellis, the first of our Ellis clan to arrive in the U.S. He came as an indentured servant in 1707, arriving in Massachusetts instead of Virginia. He was supposed to become the heir to a relative there. However, ship captains in the time had few scruples and made money as they could, in this case a form of temporary slavery.
Richard worked out his indenture and went on to found the still existing town of Ashfield, Mass. He also became a captain in the Revolutionary Army. His descendants have spread out across the U.S. now, and into Singapore and Saudi Arabia, too. I’m declaring this a family holiday in his honor.