I grew up in a small town in West Virginia that was founded by General Adam Stephen, who served under George Washington in the Seven Years’ and Revolutionary wars. Thirty-some-odd years ago, our 4th grade class took a tour of his home, which had been restored to its 18th-century appearance. While walking the grounds, I found a ring sticking up out of the mud – a plain but very large ring, likely a man’s ring, with a rectangular stone in it. I ran off to the teacher yelling, “I found a ring! I found a ring!”
The teacher suggested I “donate” it to the group who oversaw the property; I did, and never found out what happened to it.
I had practically forgotten about that incident until a few years ago when I learned Gen. Stephen was cashiered from the army for drunkenness during the battle of Germantown. Funny how they didn’t tell us that in 4th grade…