My affinity for German extended beyond language. I felt Germany in my very bones. This was strange and difficult to explain. I can only describe it like a long-lost memory of a place I had not yet visited.

He was made a prisoner in the Tower of London and stripped of his property. He remained imprisoned in the tower until 1646.

My Irish predecessors had deep religious convictions and were unwilling to compromise their beliefs. They also had strong views about independence.

One of the most colorful and remarkable Ballinger family stories is the tale of how my direct ancestor, Joseph Ballinger Jr., became an American hero by supporting Major General Nathanael Greene’s army during the famed Battle of Guilford Court House in 1781 during the Revolutionary War.