“The Silver Swan who, living, had no note, When death approached, unlocked her silent throat. Leaning her breast against the reedy shore, Thus sung her first and last, And sung no more: Farewell all joys, O death come close mine eyes. More geese than swans now live, more fools than wise.” — Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), The Silver Swan From Ireland to Siberia, it was taboo to...
Scandinavians didn’t use hereditary surnames in most cases until about 1900. Their customs would surprise many Americans. The following information was adapted from a posting to the Norrbotten mailing list by Gwen Boyer Björkman.Because Swedish soldiers typically came from rural backgrounds, they often used patronymics. These names might be very common, such as Andersson, Eriksson, Olsson or...
“Ad Lucem” Henry Luce (c1640-1689), a Puritan, came from Wales to Massachusetts about 1666. Attempts to discover his ancestry have been unsuccessful, but I believe he might have belonged to the Lewes family at Chepstow in Monmouth. Henry Luce’s descendants in the male line have tested consistently as belonging to yDNA haplogroup I2b1a (Luce Surname DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA.com)...
In the culture of European chivalry, the swan is the king of water birds, as the eagle is the king of all birds. The swan was said to be the only bird the eagle thought it worthwhile to fight. In medieval times swans were a delicacy. They were kept in a swannery, and when they were brought to the table for feasts it was customary to swear oaths on them. Lohengrin – The Swan Knight The story...
Third Governor Was Run Out of Utah After 3 Weeks By Will Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune (Dec. 30, 2001) Nobody ever had a worse New Year’s Eve than the Utah Territory’s third governor, John W. Dawson. Dawson, an Indiana lawyer and newspaper editor, had a tough time during the three December weeks he spent in Utah in 1861. In a speech to the Legislature, he called on Mormons to pay $26,982 in...