This book is a story of the people who gave birth to my father's family and the times in which they lived. The Ferguson and Schneider families are fairly recent arrivals in America by genealogical standards. My great-grandfather Ferguson was born in Glasgow, Scotland, arriving in the United States while still an infant in 1848. My great-grandfather Schneider was born in Germany and came here in 1868. The Burnet side of the family goes back to the earliest settlers of this country and has its roots on Long Island, New York, in 1643 while still under Dutch rule. That family intermarried with the Dutch of New York City and flourished in trade and medicine, playing significant roles in the early growth of this nation. Throughout the book, I've tried to present stories of who these long-dead ancestors were - what their lives were like and the circumstances that shaped their destinies.