A physician’s immigrant patients

In the living room of the house where I grew up hangs a framed copy of a 17th-century map of Pennsylvania. The land is divided into tiny plots, each painstakingly labeled with a family name.

When I was little, I’d stand in front of the map and search for the little squares labeled “Sharples” — the original version of my last name. I’d imagine my distant ancestors, John and Jane Sharples …

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