Hope and Faith to Start Life Anew – Relationship Retool

Hope in Trials

I have often thought about the impact that my ninth great grandfather, Francis Fincher, has had on my life. He was a Quaker who endured prison and in his old age, left his homeland for a new country with hope. Hope for freedom of conscience and freedom from tyranny.

When he left England, he brought all of his children and his second wife. His first wife had died, probably because of poor diet and cold, suffering while he was in prison. He was a man of respect. In Philadelphia, he was elected to be the speaker of the General Assembly. He recognized his own limitations and declined. He died later that year after moving his family to West Chester.

Francis brought with him a love of freedom which he passed on to his children. As I consider that impact, I also have to look at how long it took me to learn about Francis. I was around 13 years of age when I first heard about Francis. I remember sitting in an upstairs room in our county library, where years later my mom would work. We were reading records of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, when we ran across that record.

Loss of Memory

How did I not know about Francis? Memory loss occurred  between generations as my father did not know his father because of choices his father made that impacted him and his mother. I grew up with no knowledge of the Finchers, and frankly, I had a very negative opinion of the family. As I discovered the truth about my family, my opinion not only changed, but I found ancestors to look up to who fought for freedom. They had faith that things could be better and put their lives on the line for their beliefs.

That lost memory, once restored helped me through tough times as I thought about what my ancestors had endured. That journey helped me become a better man. A similar journey may help you.

You can learn more about my story of healing on Stories of My Grandfather.

Mark Fincher
Chief Mentor and Trainer
Living Tree Connections