A genealogical journal
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…
“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…
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,…
“By Faith and Fortitude” The Shaws were one of the principal branches of the Clan Mackintosh, a branch in turn of the Earls of Fife, and ultimately of the old royal family of Dalriada. The name Mackintosh derives from Mac-an-toiseach (son of the commander). The first chief was Shaw Macduff, second son of Duncan Macduff, Earl of…
In Norse myth, swans were born out of Ginnungagap (”seeming emptiness”) when the fire of Múspellsheimr (”flame-land”) in the south met the cold of Niflheimr (”mist-land”) in the north. Fire and frost were the primary elements of Norse mythology. The frost drops melted and the water poured into the vast chasm of Ginnungagap, out of…