Surname Saturday Roberts

I have had a couple of family names that confused me at first glance.  The first of such was my great grandmother Katherine Roberts Humphries Roberts.  The family thought that she was a Humphries at first, but after research, it was revealed that she had married a Humphries when she was young, did not have any children, and after his death, married my great grandfather George Washington Roberts.  Her maiden name was Roberts.  This gave way to speculation, were they related?

The census revealed that George was a veteran of the Union in the Civil war and had settled in Kansas with his land bounty from his service.  He was born in Jackson Co., Michigan, a descendant of Capt. Lemuel Roberts of Connecticut/Vermont who wrote his Revolutionary War Memoirs. (Michigan people I have decided I may need some help with Jackson County I am running into challenges with probate records)



Katherine on the other hand was born in Lawrence Co. Kentucky, her Roberts go back to the Roberts who came in the early 1700's to Virginia. 

Connecticut, Virginia...nope doesn't look like a cross.
Below is my grandmother's ancestry line back 5 generations.

Click on the picture to view it larger.

Captain Lemuel Roberts

We are blessed with information from Lemuel, himself.  He wrote a book of his memoirs of his time in the Revolutionary War.  The only enlisted man to do so, which has given us today great insights into the men of that time period.  It is now required reading in some Universities for American History courses.

Found on Archive.org

Lemuel said he was born on April, 1751, in Canaan, Connecticut. He told us his father Lemuel Roberts who was married to Lydia Purchase gave him his Christian name.This was proved by Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)

 

Interesting that he gave a different date.

When he was ten they moved to Stillwater, New York.  He spent a time with his eldest brother in partnership working lumber.  He helped his father for 6 years 1769 to 1775 in building a home in Charlemont, Franklin, Massachusetts. 

In 1775, when the British fought the Sons of Liberty (his words), he and many youth of his area marched off under the command of a Captain Avery to Cambrige where he enlisted under Captain Maxwell.  He describes his motivation as “feeling his bosom glow with love for my country.” (Page 21)  His description of service, I imagine would be true for most young men his age…”my zeal for liberty urged me to an attentive observance of all necessary orders…”(page 22)
His father died while he was gone, and he says himself became sick.  He took this occasion to go home on a pass to check on the fatherless family who he had promised to care for.  Lemuel was giving up hope of continuing as a soldier, when his older brother and his family came back to care for them. 

He re-enlists, as his previous enlistment had expired, with Captain Thomas Alexander in Col. Porter’s regiment of the Massachusetts line.  His description of the battles, and action are riveting.  It is hard to put the book down.  He early on had explained how daring and physically active he was before the war. He maximized on those traits, which today has earned him a fond title of “Rambo of the Revolutionary War”.  He was captured in Canada, and imprisoned, only to escape 3 times. The Canadians became wary of him and isolated him. He prevented cowardly officers from needlessly surrendering to weaker British forces. Just to mention a few moments of excitement. A Colonel Herrick commissioned him a lieutenant for a scouting expedition on 12 January 1778. 

After leaving the war he stayed in Vermont. He asked Col. Herrick for back pay; but due to the countries lack of organization, he never received compensation.

He married Sarah Collins on March 14, 1781, in Rutland, Vermont. He was a Captain of the Ira Militia in Vermont in 1785. They had five children during their marriage. He died in 1810 in Franklin, Vermont, at the age of 58.   

In 1790, Lemuel Roberts lived in Chittenden, Rutland,  Vermont.

In 1800 - 1810, Lemuel Roberts lived in Franklin, Vermont.

This is the time period in which he wrote his Memoirs for publication.

1810 United States Federal Census 

No one has his death or burial place, to my knowledge, today.

This is two of six service records from the U.S. Revolutionary Service Records on Fold3

All his life, Lemuel served family or community, or country.  He continues to give, as we are enabled to learn about the battles, and feelings first hand from his memoirs.

 I love his closing.  

More than anything I am uplifted by his belief in God.

Mattie Roberts Whitson Was an Awesome Grandmother

I was blessed that my grandmothers were still living when I was growing up and both had quit house-keeping and would come to visit for extended lengths of time. My mom was a teacher, so she especially would love when Grandma Whitson came to stay… and I have to say, some of my best memories of Grandma was helping her in the kitchen.

Matilda Roberts Whitson in New Mexico 

Fran at 15

One precious memory was making a boiled spice raisin cake from scratch with her. She let me help with every step. First, we boiled the spices (wow the kitchen smelled fabulous), then we added raisins to “plump them up” (her words).  While the spices were boiling, we mixed the dry ingredients together.

We did let the boiled mixture cool, and knowing Grandma, I am sure there was something we did in the meantime. She was always busy.  

[While we are waiting on the spices to cool, I will digress and tell another funny memory I have of her. She was, in my father’s words, obsessed with washing clothes. I think she was just obsessed with automatic washers.  😉 Back to the story, she would twist the knob too many times (may have been because she had coke bottle bottom glasses) and my dad would end up having to fix the washer, so he was say…’Mom don’t do any washing.’ Before the day was through, she had done a couple of loads and hung them out on the line. Probably one of the sources of my stubbornness.]

Back to our recipe. After the spices cooled, we added it to our dry mixture, then mixed well. We then poured the mixture in a greased and floured 9 X 13 baking pan and set our timer for 35 minutes. When the timer went off, she let me take the cake out. I was devastated. The cake looked like a ski slope. She just laughed and said, “Sweetie the best tasting cakes are failed ones.” She was right it still tasted great. Never figured out what caused the cake to do that but learned from her nothing was a failure if you found a bright side and learned from the experience.

Years later I wanted to make the recipe for my kids only to discover that Grandma never wrote her recipes down. We lost the best tasting roll recipe because of that too.  I searched cookbooks thinking maybe I could find a recipe that someone else had done that was the same.  Unable to find one, I used my memory and basic cake making skills to recreate her cake.  It was as close as I could get, but the real reason I sought the cake was centered around the memory of being in the warm kitchen after school with my grandmother and just having fun with something great tasting to share with my parents. Ah, days gone by. 

Now the kids have another Matilda Roberts Whitson story. (I have read that the boiled spice cake was invented in the depression when eggs and milk were a premium. 

This was NOT how our turned out.

Boiled Spice Raisin Cake

Ingredients:

Wet mix:

1 cup water

1 cup molasses

2 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups raisins

1 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp pure Vanilla

Dry mix:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, mix water, molasses, brown sugar, raisins, butter, and the spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a separate bowl, mix, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed.

Pour into a 13x9 inch glass dish or cake pan that you have greased and floured.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.

You can frost or not. Makes a great breakfast cake (high in iron).

(the vanilla is my addition... I use vanilla. 😀) franE

Treasure Chest Thursday " Rambo of the American Revolution."

I have blogged reference to a couple of times about my ancestor Captain Lemuel Roberts b. 1751 in Canaan, Connecticut died about 1813 in Vermont.  I have found his children's birth records on FamilySearch records, and a cousin had traveled to Ira, Vermont and got his marriage record to Sarah Collins.
He is my treasure chest.  At the suggestion of one of his friends, he was encouraged to write about his Revolutionary War experience.  (He apparently had been complaining that he was never reimbursed for his service.)  The world now finds him to be a treasure of information about the world at that time.(Me too) Here are some sites that cite or hold his book. I am linking a site to each place.
World Cat.
Wikipedia
Dr. Paul Loatman, Stillwater, CT City Historian says"The book is fascinating on a number of accounts: it gives us a rare glimpse of life among the lowly in 18^th century America; and, it may be the only first-hand source we have from that era which recounts life in the local area."

Memoirs of Captain Lemuel Roberts containing adventures in youth, vicissitudes experienced as a continental soldier, his sufferings as a prisoner, and escapes from captivity. Bennington, Vermont, 1809. First edition of an exceptionally rare account of wilderness hardships and captivity among the Indians. Most of the events described took place in 1776. 
(This book is available at many University libraries, including Texas A&M University, in the Revolutionary War reference area.)
American Centuries: History and Art from New England I love this site as an example of how they dressed. It is interactive. (Okay I am a child at heart.)
My gratitude is not only that he chose to serve, but that he did take the time to write it down.  I know much about him as a person.  

Image from Benjamin Butterworth's The Growth of Industrial Art 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Tombstone Tuesday Children's Grave

I was going through my mother's pictures and found this.  These are the children of George Washington Roberts and Katherine Roberts.  There had been no death dates for these children, and my mother when she took the picture did not know who they belonged to.  I have proved them on Census records and now I have their death dates.  Sometimes random acts are helpful.

Post Christmas Whew... Finally Some DNA Responses.

This year was another hard one.  You would think after 5 years it would be easier at Christmas not having the Hero with me. I guess not, because I really wasn't motivated to put up the tree. On the other hand I had fun Christmas Eve putting the tree up and decorating it when my son came over.  I have to wonder how my grandmothers felt each year after the death of their spouses. Especially my mom's mom who still had 6 children to raise at home and had a need to make holidays as normal as possible.

                                                                                                                                         

Mattie Roberts Whitson 1930

Lenorah Gildon Langley 1958

There were a couple of unexpected Christmas presents.  Two responses to my DNA tests.  
One was from Gedmatch.com that still has me wondering.  "I notice on Gedmatch that your DNA matches my three kits (F#, F#, and F#) on Chromosome 14 between about 69 and 80.  The segment is of particular interest to me because the admixture tool Dodecad World9 shows that it contains Native American ethnicity."  I can not find the person on Gedmatch myself, nor any information about this statement.
This has been a hope of mine to prove Native American ancestry or disprove it. This is my William B and Mary Burleson Self line.  Mary's father is Moses Burleson and his mother's line Weatherford are supposed to of Native American ancestry.  Some debate going on here.  Then there is William B Self''s mother who is said to be of Native American Indian ancestry... No proofs found here, that I can see.  Wish a gene Fairy would come along with real source.  Sigh.
The second response was much clearer. A solid match for William Hatcher b 1680 in Virginia .
Both are on my dad's side.  Hmmm looks like DNA maybe heavier on the dad's side... or just no one doing my mom's side; time will tell.
Learning about the searches, and different areas of DNA research is a Big learning curve.
Let you know if anything comes forth.

Sharing Memories Week 14 Grandmothers

I have been joining The Olive Tree Genealogy Blog  (clicking on this will take you to her memory)in the Sharing Memories on my personal blog because they were associated with my personal memories of myself.  This prompt was to share memories of our grandmothers, so I thought this blog would be a better place for my participation. 

My Grandmothers were alike but different.  Interesting you say.

My mother's mother talked some about her youth, and she was always engaged in doing something.  She was not a sit still person.   I have looked at some newspaper clippings of her activities as a community hostess for Eastern Star meetings, Methodist Church Women's meetings, etc.  She was actively engaged.  I will give you some background on her. 

Mathilda Roberts Whitson is on the right.

If you click on the picture you can view it in a larger size.

She was born in Elk Falls, Kansas.  She was the ninth of 11 children.  They moved to Oklahoma after some very hard winters in Kansas.  When her father obtained land in Oklahoma, they lived in a tent near an Indian reservation.  One of her favorite story to tell, was of her sister (who is shown with her above) and her going down to a near by village.  The Indian women were cooking and doing other chores.  They ventured near one tepee, and the woman smiled at them and while stirring the pot, gestured for them to get some bowls for food.  Then she said, as they started to dip the spoon in," hmmm, dig deep, puppy in the bottom".  My grandmother would give a hearty laugh when she told this.  It was almost always when we were stirring a pot of stew.  

She loved sports.  I don't remember days associated, but if there were a bowling league on TV or baseball game (she loved the Yankees) she was there watching it.  Interestingly she had arthritis all her life.

She was a good cook.  Her rolls were to die for.  I think that the recipe book her recipe was written in was ruined when in storage.  My favorite cooking memory was of making a spice cake with her.  We did it together, and some how when we took it out, it looked like a ski slope.  I was distressed.  She laughed and said, 'failed cakes taste the best' and proceeded to show me how good it tasted.  That stuck with me to share when my grandchildren have been distressed when a food did not come out as they planned.  

Her other talent was sewing.  She pieced quilt tops, and when she was young, quilted them also.  When I was 15, she gave me two quilts.  One for then, and one for when I would get married.  The admonition was:  I was to use them, not put them up in a box.  I used them, and now I am salvaging pieces to make pillows for my children to have a piece of their great grandmother's handy work.

She died when I was 16.  She was a mother of 13 and raised 2 grandchildren a widow when my mom was 2.  That subject will be for other posts.

 

Lenorah Gildon Langley with youngest daughter Lillie

My dad's mother was around a lot more than my mom's mother.  My dad kept trying to take the roll as care giver of her by purchasing homes for her live in.  We ended up having 4 rent houses near ours, because she would live in one for a while, then go off to another child's home.  I had fun while she was there.
She was a quiet person.  She didn't talk about her youth or family at all. [ I did know her mother.  She lived with my grandmother until I was 5.  I remember she always had nickels  in a pocket book and gave one to a great-grandchild when thy came to visit.]
My grandmother would sit daily and read the scriptures.  She had a devotional calender every year that she would mark off the scriptures as she read them.
She would take me to church with her.  My dad said his father was a Church of Christ evangelist. 
Her favorite thing to do was to make fried bread and jam for me when I got home from school.  I can still remember the great taste.
She loved sewing.  She would embroidery, piece, and crochet.  I learned my love of sewing creativity from her.
If you gave her what she considered a treasure, the gift went into a trunk.  When she died, my aunt  gave some pillow cases my grandmother had put back in the trunk for when I got married.  She died two years before I married.  I was to have been given the trunk, but lightening burned the barn it was stored in at my aunt's farm.
They were two similar women in that they loved creating and cooking, but different in that one was out going and the other was not.  I was blessed to get to know each.

Ancestor Approved Award

I have procrastinated all day thinking on this award.  I do thank Joan at Roots 'n' Leaves   ,  Carol from Reflections From the Fence , Lindalee at Flipside  , and Karen at Ancestor Soup  for this award.  I don't know why I would deserve it, but I will honor their gift. Now I am trying to hurry (sure, it just took me a day to get this done) so I can go visit the other blogs they awarded it too.



As a recipient of this award, I am to list 10 things I have learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me and then pass the award on to 10 other genealogy bloggers who I feel are doing their ancestors proud.
I can not imagine doing this quickly.  I include my husband's genealogy with mine.  As we became one when wed, our families became one in my mind.

1. I was surprised to find a son of John G Porter that had never been known before.  Extensive research had   been done on this family, but they apparently had never read the actual probate records.
2.  I am frequently humbled by the story of my grandmother Matilda Roberts Whitson who persevered  raising 6 of 13 children and 2 grandchildren after her husband died of cancer and the creditors took everything.  It helps me keep things in perspective.
3.  Enlightened by my study of the Mason's Apron which belonged to Thomas Thorn and the amount of interest of others that was generated by the story.
4. Surprised by a newpaper article I found at Genealogybank.com that points to a possible change in the history of my great grandfather and who his father was.  I am still exploring this.
5. Humbled by the history of the times my ancestors live through.  As my own children have moved many states away from our home, I have developed empathy with the mothers that must have sobbed at night knowing they probably would never see their children again that had gone west.
6. Surprised when I found the true story of my grandfather Charles Gildon moving west from Georgia.  My father had some of the truth, but it was steeped in lore that was not true.
7.  Enlightened when I read the book "Of Plymouth Plantation" by my ancestor Governor William Bradford.
It was wonderful to hear the story of the pilgrims in the words of one who had lived it.
8.  Surprised and elated when after 3 years of searching for the Hero's great grandfather, I looked on the opposite side of the index page and found him out of alphabetical order.  Silly me.
9. Enlightened by new methods of research.  DNA nailed an ancestor James Alexander Vance that many were sure about, but much had been circumstantial.
10. Enlightened, when I discovered in Old Wyoming Newspapers the true nature of my great grandfather Richard Whitson's death.  Family had always said he died in a gunfight...Highly romantic, he died of pneumonia.

Hmm looking at my list I would say not much has surprised me, but I have been greatly enlightened by study and certainly new facts can surprise one.  LOL

Now the 10 bloggers to pass the award on to and then the fun part of going to their blog and letting them know.  They are not in any particular order and you can visit them by clicking on their Title.

1. Lisa at The Faces of My Family
2. Travis at TJLGenes:Preserving Our Family History
3. Robin at Where I Come From
4. Jo at Those Who Went Before
5. Terri at The Next Chapter-Page 2010
6. Heather at Nutfield Genealogy
7. Barbara at Life From the Roots
8. Laura at It's All Relative
9. Kathy at I Will Remember
10. Donlynn at Homestead Origins

A Quest For Knowledge of the Apron

 I have looked at many of your Christmas blogs and I see pictures of a Grandmother in an apron, a mom in an apron, so I decided to write about the apron.  I associate an apron with my grandmother who raised 13 children and 2 grandchildren,  Mattie Whitson.  Mattie became a widow when her twins were 2 years of age.  She had 6 children in her home to raise the others had gone to war.  She would eventually raise two of her grandchildren with her twins.  I love her indomitable spirit.

Here she is (on the right) with her sister Fay Roberts Perkins sitting visiting on the front porch.  Great Aunt Fay lived to be 90 years of age.  You notice the apron that she has on.  

Memories of my grandmother revolve around the kitchen and cooking.  That will be for future posts.  To me, she was what I called real.

The other person I associate an apron is my mother-in-law who is 90 this year.

She has always been the proper example of society.  She had an apron in her drawer for every holiday occasion and party.  I love her sweet way of guiding my daughters and sons in social etiquette.
Below is a well worn apron email poem that I found on an Alberta Centennial site.

That plagiarized story of Grandma's Apron is based on a poem by Tina Trivett, a poem that is one of the most beautiful eulogies that were ever written, a eulogy that celebrates the life of Tina Trivetts' grandmother.  It  has been around for years on the Internet, as have been many other abridged plagiarized versions of the story and even abridged plagiarized poems (I have yet to read one that comes close to meeting the quality of Tina Trivett's original) with the same title. :  From a post by Walter H. Schneider that was presented at the Alberta Centennial. 

Grandma's Apron

by Tina Trivett

The strings were tied, It was freshly washed, and maybe even pressed.
For Grandma, it was everyday to choose one when she dressed.
The simple apron that it was, you would never think about;
the things she used it for, that made it look worn out.

She may have used it to hold, some wildflowers that she'd found.
Or to hide a crying child's face, when a stranger came around.
Imagine all the little tears that were wiped with just that cloth.
Or it became a potholder to serve some chicken broth.

She probably carried kindling to stoke the kitchen fire.
To hold a load of laundry, or to wipe the clothesline wire.
When canning all her vegetables, it was used to wipe her brow.
You never know, she might have used it to shoo flies from the cow.

She might have carried eggs in from the chicken coop outside.
Whatever chore she used it for, she did them all with pride.
When Grandma went to heaven, God said she now could rest.
I'm sure the apron that she chose, was her Sunday best.

I miss you Grandma...
A friend who posts her shared her poem about the apron.  I love it! Click here to read it.

As I started my search of information about aprons, I find that many are interested in fact there is a whole blogsphere out there that posts around and creates aprons.A wonderful post on Aprons. 

Which makes me think that Avis Yarbrough was sadly mistaken when he said in "A History of 1950's Aprons" in September 28, 2007 that the apron would never reach popularity like it had in the 1950's.

I go into the fabric store and there a mulitude of retro and new apron patterns available.  One of my favorites is a Daisy Kingdom pattern by Simplicity.

In my search about the apron's historical use, I have found a variety of information and many opinions.  One writer, David Graham, had the opinion that aprons were symbols of oppression, relating them to domestic servants, then he seemed to change his mind after reading Aprons: Icons of the American Home by Joyce Cheney, who in his words, 'lumps aprons in with hearth and home commodities such as picket fences and apple pie'.  My humble opinion is women are smart, they find the apron useful in their "gourmet" cooking to protect their clothes and there is a bit of nostalgia that comes from the relationships with family members of by-gone eras.

I was fascinated with the styles of the different era's.  The early 1900's were much like my favorite apron, more of a smock which covered most if not all of the dress.  Click here for a great site if you are looking to identify period dressing.  They have great examples.  Here is another great historical pattern site.  Below is the 1675 - 1760 New France Girls Pattern

Well, my quest has been a long one, I don't know if I have enlightened anyone else, but I have had fun researching such a nostalgic subject for me.  I was amazed to find out that the bib overall we have now that mostly farmers wear, was a full fitting bib apron that men wore while working in a shop in the early 1700-1800's.
As I was searching, I asked my daughter where her aprons were.  I was met with a blank stare.  Of course, I had to make her an apron.  I have started on a matching on for my granddaughter.  They must keep the tradition of gentility and family values as represented by an apron.  Below you see my product of piecing and quilting scraps my daughter had in her fabric boxes. 

 

I hope you have enjoyed the journey with me.  I thank you for dropping by, and leave a comment about your feelings about aprons if you are so inclined.

Some Left Some Didn't

The 1930's was the time of the Dust Bowl for some of my folks in Oklahoma. (If you click on Dust Bowl it will take you to Wikipedia for the subject.)  They were marginal farmers.  Thus when the drought hit, followed by the dust storms, they left for California.  I have been through a dust storm in the panhandle of Texas in recent years.  It lasted just an hour, but it was enough for me to understand the panic and suffocating feeling of the heat, dirt in the air you breathe and no visibility. It makes me thankful that after the disastrous events of the 1930's better conservation farming and irrigation techniques were developed to reduce the possibility of a recurrence of that time..

Clinton Oklahoma 1930's

Charles Langley was a gas station owner in Clinton, Oklahoma.  An area that was overcome by the dust storms.  His brother-in-law Lowery Bowen and sister Bessie moved with their 6 children to California for work.  Charles is said to have gone to California with them.  I tend to believe that he stayed and operated his gas station as it was on the legendary Route 66.  There are lots of interactive sites about that.  If he did go, he came back because he died in the Clinton, Oklahoma area.


 Lowery and Bessie stayed in California, as well as their children.  Their granddaughter was the person who contacted me and and let me know where they and gone.
Charles's nephew John moved to Missouri and stayed there.  The rest of the family stayed in the Pawnee County area.    
My mom's mother, Matilda Roberts Whitson, was a widow of 8 years at that time. She had 6 of 13 children still at home and 2 grandchildren. Their home was in Fay, Oklahoma.  If you have been to Custer County or Dewey County, Oklahoma then you know how sandy it is and dry and hot in the summer time. My grandmother owned a creamery and ironed and washed clothes during that time to make ends meet. Leaving was not an option.  They did not have transportation. Things of necessity were bought at a local grocery or a cousin or uncle would pick things up for them in the "big cities".  She would look at the Sears catalog and make dresses for the girls out of flour cloth.  I was told by her, she even cooked the squeal of the pig.  Thrifty and amazing person, I am glad to have her genes.

Mattie Whitson  Fay, Oklahoma 1930

Our Past Can Give Us Direction

Studying the events of the day can sometimes take us back to learning of our past if we are looking to the cause and effect of actions and looking to not making the same mistakes.

I was studying the U.S. Constitution and I came across facts that made me thankful for the heritage I have.  I have written about my ancestor's (Benanuel Bonfoey) testimony of the good character of George Washington.  This line is through my mother.  Her grandfather George Washington Roberts fought for the United States.  During the Civil War (I have ancestors on both sides as do most), he fought to preserve the Union.  Just as his ancestor fought to make a Union, he fought to make that dream of his ancestor continue as conceived.  Benanuel fought at Valley Forge.  I did not know the total facts until just now (American History class just said they suffered and we went on)  There were 8000 men originally, 3000 abandoned and went home, 200 officers resigned, and over 2000 died of starvation and disease due to exposure.  Benanuel looked to the positive side and had a vision of what he wanted for his family and hung in there to see it through.  How thankful I am that he stuck it out so I can have the priviledges I do now. 

I think that is where I am in my feelings about this nation now.  My ancestors fought to create this nation, and then their prodigenity worked hard to up hold the Constitution and the Country.  I must follow suit to help my children and grandchildren.  Some of my help may be in teaching of their forefathers, and some may be to raise my voice in unison with those who are trying to uphold the Constitution and this Nation as One Nation Under God.  Facts are facts and principles are principles.  There are true principles in the Constitution and we need to seek and uphold truth.