Ha! I knew it! OK, if you ever had a chance to read my blog https://judestringfellow.blogspot.com/2008/07/spies-radars-and-ranges-stringfellow.html you would know exactly who Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow was. He is in fact one of my ancestors and looks nearly identical to my father Reuben Wayne Stringfellow. Pictures posted.
I took a test online called "Which Founding Father are You" and it turns out I am like the actual Benjamin Franklin. I laughed when I saw the results because I've often referred to myself as a "bit of a Benjamin" meaning I take risks, invent things, experiment openly, and take charge of any situation that needs to be wrangled (without asking or being asked to do so). I am the type that will go out into the rain with a kite on a string with a key attached and just SEE what would happen if I just flew it a bit higher! I'm the type that would (and do) engage in philosophical conversations being held by others, inserting my opinion(s) and fully expecting to be invited into the mix. I don't know why I'm so forward and direct. I don't know why I think it's allowed, but there I am, nearly every time - - butting in where I don't necessarily belong.
Last night my son, his wife, and myself were at the Gameday celebration of the opening game for the Oklahoma Sooners 2020, on Campus Corner in Norman. People walking by, hustling and bustling by, some with beers, some with water, some just trying to take in the smells and sounds as they passed each other -- all of us wearing our beautiful crimson and cream! (Boomer Sooner!) Along came a few girls in short skirts and cowboy boots; I asked them if I could take their picture and they all giggled and said yes. I didn't expect them to say no, otherwise I would not have approached them. I asked clowns, men with beards, police personnel, security, workers, anyone and everyone who was out and about just having a good time. My daughter in law shook her head in amazement and asked why I thought I could just interrupt a gathering (or five) and take photos. My answer was "People like to be remembered. They don't mind." She said she would have told me no. I reminded her I didn't marry her, my son did.
Benjamin Franklin was an awesome founding father, but he's not the Benjamin Franklin I think I associate with the most. Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow would have to the man I find myself most likely to be related to in more ways than one. A Confederate spy from before the Civil War, Stringfellow was assigned to the 43rd Virginia Cavalry. According to Wikipedia: "When war broke out, Stringfellow sought a commission in the Confederate Army. Despite four denials due to his fragile health (and 94-pound weight),[3] Stringfellow eventually secured a commission as Captain in the 4th Virginia Cavalry (his brothers also served the Confederacy, although his cousins Pleasant and Robert Stringfellow served in the U.S. Army). Stringfellow rode with General J.E.B. Stuart at Seven Pines, Cold Harbor, and the raid at Catlett's Station. Stringfellow also rode with Colonel John Singleton Mosby of the 43rd Virginia Cavalry, most notably in the raid at Loudoun Heights on January 9, 1864."
In 2008 I traveled to Manassas and literally stood in the forest at Bull Run where Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow had arranged for a meeting between himself and his cousins who fought on the Union side. For them it may have been their last meeting on Earth; at least at that time they believed it may be. I found the very tree where he placed a metal marker. The cousins were to walk 100 feet to the west and 20 feet south to their actual meeting place where Stringfellow had forged a little hidden "fort" where the three could bow and pray together for God, country, and family. I knelt there on the ground holding my cell phone in my hand with my son Reuben on the other end of the phone; he was in Alaska, serving in the 180th Cavalry. We prayed and we cried a bit too.
I will admit that from time to time I would love to have my face on the 100 Dollar Bill, that would be really cool, but if you gave me the option of being known for being one of the forefathers of our great nation or the descendant of a brave soldier, it's a no-brainer. I am always going to pick the soldier every time. When I took the test, I thought I would end up being like Thomas Jefferson, a writer, a critic, a philosopher, a person who sees both sides of the story before making a decision. Turns out I'm more pragmatic. Turns out I place value on the masses being held accountable rather than trying to persecute the few for their injustices. I see that. It's just funny how a bit of reflection can bring back a flood of truth. I am my father's daughter. We are Stringfellows through and through.
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