THE BALLAD OF JOHN HURLEY

A fugitive Englishman  
   traveling through the olden Midwest
Pursued a married woman
  who most likely felt she was dispossessed
He took her away from everything 
And she bore him a son

The English found John and they convicted him
And then he was executed
John Hurley, a pivotal figure
On a family tree he polluted 

When John was gone 
   the mother and son traveled to the far West
Refused by her first husband,
   she married a protector
Who gave safety and stability 
She gave him loyalty
 
From this blemish on my ancestry
Generations of good descended
John Hurley, a pivotal figure
On a family tree he augmented

June 2021, Ash Hall