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Therefore the failed effort to rid the Union of papists during the F/I wars would account for the presence of papists during later years.

LOL. Let me help you with some of this. In the 1750's, the colonies along the Atlantic seaboard had almost no Catholics. The place was probably about 98% Protestant, or more. In New England, it was largely of a fanactical, at that time, Congregationalist, variant. The Papists that needed to be driven out were in New Brunswick and Quebec. The ones in New Brunswick were in fact driven out, and a few ended up in Louisiana (they are now known affectionately as "coonasses"). The Brits refused however to drive out the locals along the St Lawrence River because it would have been an administrative nightmare, much to the chagrin of the colonists.

America continued to be a largely Catholic free zone until the Irish arrived in the 1840's, and a few German Catholics from the 1848 revolution.

I hope that helps. It is shocking how little history is taught these days.

I don't need your help with a history lesson. You asserted that your ancesestors tried to drive out the papists during the F/I wars, n'est pas?

Labelledamesansmerci replied that her papist ancestors served in the armed forces sometime after that, demonstrating the failure of your ancestors' efforts.

You then asked if she knew when the F/I wars occurred, suggesting that her chronology was askew.

Hers wasn't; your history lesson was superfluous, even gratuitous.

Unless, of course, I have not followed correctly the flow on this thread... which is quite possible, given the italics problem.

America had TWO primarily Roman Catholic colonies: Maryland and Rhode Island. Both were formed by "Papists" under persecution in other colonies or in Great Britain. The colonists wanted to move West. The French and Indians were in the way. When Washington went up the Allegheny River to deliver a message to the French at Fort LeBoeuf, near Erie, Pennsylvania, the message stated that Western Pennsylvania was British Land. Virginia claimed that part of Pennsylvania as part of its land.

Congregationalists not only did not like Catholics, they did not like Anglicans, referring to them as "High Churched." Anglicans populated most of the Southern States, particularly the wealthy landed class. The Nineteenth Century influx of Irish and Italians into New England and New York displaced the old line Protestants in some sections of Boston, New York and other cities, but the original colonists of Massachusetts Bay still have a great deal of power. Families such as the Bush family, the Lords (Winston Lord), the Harrimans, the Lodges, the Tafts, are all of that class. Even the Blythes, the true family of origin of William Jefferson Clinton, were on one of the first boats to put in at Plymouth, Mass. The Blythes came over on the same boat with the original Bush emigres to America, as the Blythes and the Bushes were neighbors in the English village of Gotham, and some members of those tow families actually married, making Bush a possible distant cousin of Bill Clinton. Bush has about 33 Presidents on his family tree.