Have you ever planted a flower, a vegetable, or perhaps a tree, and then discovered your ancestors planted the very same thing long ago? This happened to a gentleman who recently planted fields with pine trees.
This gentleman has always loved the scent of pine. Whenever he drives behind a truck carrying fallen pines, he is more than happy to follow the truck wherever it goes. It has been said that the scent of pine can have a positive therapeutic effect, but in this case, it seems to go beyond that point. This gentleman's library is full of tree books, including a few rare tomes devoted to pine trees. So when the opportunity arose to plant pines as part of a conservation program, you can imagine his delight!
As it turns out, there was a pine-grower along the Y-DNA line of his paternal ancestry, as well. Estate documents from the 1800's indicated land and numerous tools that were used for the ancestor's pine tar business near Wilmington, North Carolina. You may have heard of the North Carolina Tar Heels, so yes, pine tar was a vital industry at that time. If you are familiar with the Wilmington area, then you know that pines seem to be the predominant tree. Yet, this gentleman does not live near Wilmington.
Is it possible that pines have formed an invisible thread between these generations?