As America celebrates 250 years of independence, I wanted to proudly share that I recently found out one of my ancestral grandfathers, Christopher Werner, served as a Private in the Pennsylvania Militia — Captain Jacob Heller’s Company, Second Battalion, Northampton County — during the Revolutionary War in 1780-1781. He was born around 1742 and lived out his life in Pennsylvania and Maryland, helping build the country we celebrate today.

His descendants carried the family forward — the name eventually anglicized from Werner to Varner, a common shift for Pennsylvania German families — all the way down through generations of Varners in Cambria County, PA, to my own family tree today.

250 years later, I’m proud to know that when this country needed ordinary people to stand up for something bigger than themselves, my family answered the call. Christopher Werner is recognized as a Patriot ancestor by the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR Patriot #P-329049) — a small but meaningful thread connecting my family to the founding of this nation.

Happy 250th birthday, America. Grateful for the sacrifices made by those who came before us — including, it turns out, my own family.