Introduction

        There is no doubt that one of my descendants, some day, somewhere, will suddenly pop this age-old query: Mommy, where did I come from? The sole purpose of LINK is to provide an answer.  

As I grew up, married and aged, I came into contact with a host of fascinating people, all linked to me, who in their lifetimes did extraordinary things, traveled to far off places, and met incredible people. This is their story. I will tell it, often using their words as recalled by me or by their survivors, or through written words they left behind. Many of these fabulous people are no longer alive. This tale must be told before my generation, the last ones able to link this century to centuries past, also become dust.

Four major branches provide the base blood for this story: Butler, Salazar, Covell and Beck. Roots are English, Irish, Spanish, and German, a rather typical mix. All  were ‘pioneers’, that is, they arrived in Americas during the 18^th century and earlier, no one awaited their arrival, they had no place in particular where to head, had no job prospects and no one to provide shelter. But, America was a land of opportunity. These four branches took root, worked diligently, moved across vast distances and settled into new homes where they would stay for another 150 years.  

Some of the fascinating stories contained herein may sound outlandish yet all facts have been checked out as best as can be. Let’s start with Uncle Benito. Wow, what a guy! Here’s his story on early flight.

Bill Butler

May 2003