The Mandans and Minnitarees looked to an Old Woman Who Never Dies as the force behind growing crops. She lived in the south and sent migratory birds as her emissaries. Each type of bird represented a particular crop — the swan for gourds, the goose for maize, and the duck for beans. When each type…
Sinclair
“Commit Thy Work to God” John Sinclair was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, and deported to America. An article written at the turn of the century identified him with Major John Sinclair, son of Henry Sinclair of Lybster, but the identification is unlikely. Lineal Genealogy 1. George Sinclair, Earl of Caithness (c1527-1582)….
Swanström Brand
In heraldic terms, a cattle brand is a badge. The Swanström brand, H Lazy S, was first registered in 1914 with the Wyoming State Livestock Commission by my grand uncle, Hugo Swanström, of Marbleton, Wyoming. He probably had registered the brand a decade earlier with officials in Sublette County. When he moved to California, he…
Walliser
Anton Walliser (1729-1800) was a German mercenary who served with the 60th Royal American Regiment, and later settled in New York. He was a Loyalist during the American Revolution. He and his family fled to Ontario, where they anglicized their name to Wallace. A generation later they returned to America, settled in Ohio, then moved…
Astrological Lore
In astrology, a prominence of Cygnus is said to give a contemplative, dreamy, cultured and adaptable nature, with ill-regulated and unsteady affections. Talents are said to develop late. There is some love of water and swimming and the arts. Manilus, writing in the 1st century CE analyzed the influence of Cygnus as follows: “Its down…