Luck of the Irish

Today is the celebration of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  He supposedly banished snakes from Ireland (modern research suggests that there were no snakes in Ireland to begin with). Another story goes that his staff grew into a living tree when it was planted in the ground.

I consider myself one sixty-fourth Irish by virtue of my 5x great-grandfather Samuel Archibald who was born in Ireland but came to New Hampshire with his parents in approximately 1720.  He and all but two of his siblings fled the burgeoning chaos of the American Revolution and settled in Nova Scotia, where they wed into other prominent Nova Scotia families such as Waddell and Blanchard.

Modern researchers have identified over twelve thousand descendants of the Archibald family.  Many became doctors, lawyers, and prominent political figures, such as Sir Adams George Archibald, who became Lt. Governor of Nova Scotia and is considered one of the Fathers of Confederation.

Although the Irish connection in my family is small I still celebrate it.