My name is Ronald Keith (Ron) Hamrick and I was born April 14, 1949, in Niles, Michigan. My parents are Keith Hamrick and Mary Jackson. I lived in Niles until I went away to college. I have always had a keen interest in music and, in my younger years, I was a successful songwriter and keyboard musician with a rock band called The Sixth Generation from 1966 through 1968 . I co-wrote a song that became a number one hit for the band in 1967.

 

While I was in the band, I met the girl who became my wife. Alida Ann Churchill and I were married at the United Methodist Church in Marcellus, Michigan on January 31, 1970. Alida was born October 8, 1950, in Dowagiac, Michigan. She is the daughter of Darwin Churchill and Gertraud Ries. Since we have been married, Alida and I have lived in Alaska, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and now we have lived in Burke, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC, since 1984. We have two children. Our son Brandon Joshua was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin on July 29, 1980, and our daughter Ashley Kristen was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania on January 31, 1984 (our fourteenth wedding anniversary). Brandon is an information security project manager in Northern Virginia. He married Natisha Clarke on October 18, 2014, and they currently live in Manassas. Our daughter Ashley is an attorney working in Washington, DC. Her home is also in Manassas. I am retired from the information technology industry, where I served in senior executive positions with several companies for more than twenty years. Alida has been a CPA for many years and is a partner in a CPA firm in nearby Fairfax, Virginia.

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I have always had a keen interest in history, so researching my family roots is something I thoroughly enjoy. I am fortunate to live in the area where there are a numerous variety of records that have been preserved since colonial times. I am also fortunate that my travels have taken me to countries such as England, Ireland and Germany, where I have been able to conduct direct research from time to time. For those interested, I also have significant information on other branches of my family lineage including the Jackson family, the Mathews family, and the Shannon family (my grandparents ancestors). I also have a significant amount of information on the Churchill family and some on the Ries family (my wife's parents).

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In addition to genealogy, I still thoroughly enjoy songwriting and performing. In 2010, The Sixth Generation reunited with original members and began recording and performing once again. I was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame with the other band members in 2011. In 2013, we were invited to play at the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England, and we had a very successful tour over there. In 2015, one of the songs I wrote made it to #2 on the Billboard charts and stayed in the Top 10 for 12 weeks. The other band members retired in 2016. I have been releasing new songs and performing as a singer/songwriter since then.