Duchess of Downtown Tacoma

While following my Patriarchal line, I noticed that my last name evolved over time - the last change I can't yet find but I found some hints. As I explained in my last blog seemed that around 1100 AD we may have been named after a river. Or the river may have been named after us. All I know is that we were both there with the name Jossa around that time. I can't trace the name beyond that point. They were obviously wealthy because they built castles and had "von" in front of the name which indicated Lordship.  I read also that German last names can mean their original occupation but it can also indicate the place where they are from. Several times while reading about the von Jossa's, they also called them "von Jasza" and this confused me.  I also learned that they used to name rivers after their Gods. Was the Jossa river named after an old Pagan God? Probably not. I see no evidence of this. Then I ran across a old map of Europe that had a place named Jas...

When I tell you that there is a link between witches, angels and fairies I know that it sounds like a wacky conspiracy theory. But I've been researching my ancestry for a few years now and these things just keep jumping out at me. These blogs are just a collection of the evidence. The conclusion of these facts is up to you the reader. I'm just documenting things I discovered about my ancestors in this blog.  One story in my ancestry really fascinates me is the story of my 7th Great grandmother Mercy Disbrow (sometimes spelled Disborough). Any discussion about the Connecticut Witch Trials especially in the academic collegiate circles usually includes Mercy's story. More details about that below. This story just won't leave me alone.  As I researched other famous people, Mercy and her husband Thomas's names kept showing up in the relationship path. Here are a few examples of our common relations: Drew Barrymore my 18th cousin once removed. Thomas Paine my 17th cousi...