Florida & Bahamas (2011): A Family Trip With History Built In
This page traces one family's travels across Florida and the Bahamas, blending seaside relaxation with a personal search through the past. Read on for the tale behind the cemetery photo, the ancestors the family managed to find, and the reasons they think a dose of history deserves a place on every trip.
Home India Arrival Webpage Go Live Message Share the World Subscribe Follow Us on Facebook Pinterest Instagram
Frequently Asked Questions
Which location was the cemetery photo taken in?
The shot was taken in New Berlin, Florida — a small coastal town close to Jacksonville, sitting right beside a nuclear power plant.
Whose graves did the family find at the site they visited?
The Boy and the author found the headstones of the author's great-grandfather, Hans Hansen, and his wife. Hans Hansen arrived in the United States around 1900 and, according to his tombstone, rode with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in Cuba.
What makes the family weave history into their trips?
The page makes the case that adding a bit of history to their travels has always made sense, because history directs our attention inward while science directs it outward.
How was The Girl first introduced to travel?
The Girl's first taste of travel came on a Halloween Disney Cruise.
How does the family approach checking family legends?
The author recalls an aunt devoted to tracing the family's ancestry who relied on paper trails and primary sources rather than oral history and legends alone — and her findings matched the author's own wish to verify a piece of family nostalgia.
Whether you are planning your own Florida and Bahamas trip or simply curious about the family's story, this page shows how a beach holiday can double as a lesson in where you come from. The mix of sun, sea and cemetery visits proves that travel and family history can share the same itinerary.