Mordecai Andrews (1664-1736)
Favorite Photo
The Present Facing the Past
April 2013, my mom Ruth Champion Hirons looking up at her maternal 7th great-grandfather Mordecai Andrews’ house, built in 1699, the core of the house is the oldest house standing in Ocean County, New Jersey.
(My mom was born and raised in nearby Port Republic, New Jersey.)
There is nothing terribly noteworthy about the photography of this photo taken in April 2013 — it was taken on my Blackberry phone, low resolution, poor lighting. What makes it my favorite photo is the moment that it captured: my mom deep in thought, reflecting on what she is seeing — a piece of her tangible heritage. As a genealogist and more importantly her daughter, it was a joy to share with my mom chapters of her ancestral story, to introduce her to the ancestors on whose shoulders we stand. This picture captured one of those moments — it’s a picture that requires little explanation, it speaks for itself.