Makers of America Quotes

“The Perea family is of Arabic origin. The surname Perea originates from the Arabic word “Bariya” and denotes a homeland now located in modern-day Jordan. This surname was phonetically changed in Spanish to “Perea,” which commonly happened with Arabic words absorbed into Spanish—including the word “Albuquerque,” the capital city of New Mexico, which derives from Arabic.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“During the 1950s, Grandfather Ray’s volunteerism led him to make one of the greatest achievements of his life—his leadership as an air rescue pilot and commander of the Civil Air Patrol.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“My Irish predecessors had deep religious convictions and were unwilling to compromise their beliefs. They also had strong views about independence.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“Carlos was a plain, ordinary and overlooked man who—throughout his entire life—was maltreated by others because of his thick Spanish accent and the color of his skin. He didn’t have money, power or fame. He did have one thing, and that was love. For that reason, Carlos’s memory has lasted a very long time in the hearts and minds of people who knew him, who still think of and speak of him with affection and admiration.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“The surname Fletcher belonged to my maternal grandfather and was one that he held very proudly. It is the name I legally adopted as my own surname at age 15. Fletcher is an English surname meaning “arrow maker” that was given to medieval craftsmen who designed and crafted arrows.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“Now “my Germany” is not only a distant consciousness, but a solid and living part of me that I carry with me wherever I go.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“I am a direct descendant of Adolf (sometimes spelled Adolph) Herrmann Lothar Gosling, born in Osnabrück, appointed Consul General in New York
City for the Kingdom of Hanover by King George V of Hanover.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“Like many Swiss-Germans, Wisner was rugged man of nature who had a gift for machinery and engineering. His grandfather was Johannes Wiesner, a Swiss mercenary from the Canton of Zürich. The German surname “Wiesner” means “of the meadows.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“Carl Heinrich Nachtrieb (also known as Charles Henry), born in 1794, decided to make a daring escape to America with his 13 children.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“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.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“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.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“In 1646, the king recognized John Aylett’s heroism by adding distinguished symbols to his coat-of-arms—including a canton, the Rose of England and a crest depicting an arm holding a sword.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“He fought alongside a royalist army against the usurpers during the Siege of Colchester and commanded those besieged in the city. He distinguished himself through his bravery.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History

“He was made a prisoner in the Tower of London and stripped of his property. He remained imprisoned in the tower until 1646.”
― Zita Steele, Makers of America: A Personal Family History