Story About Earl Told By Earl

My passion for family history started as a teenager. By joining Indiana Society Sons of American Revolution, I was able to obtain more information about the war my family was involved with. The benefits of belonging to the organization included the ability to preserve my family history in an acid free storage system that will be available for future generations. One of my biggest areas of focus is researching my revolutionary ancestor Nathan Salisbury and his alleged in involvement with the Gaspee.

Dragons are Slayed by Earl

I considered it to be an epiphanic moment when I discovered the reason communities and villages developed dragons. It does not matter what country I was researching, dragons appeared to be the common demoninator during the medieval societies. There were Arabian dragons, Chinese dragons, and Welsh dragons. The dragon became a symobolic tool for a univeral problem for all communities in all countries. The common problem was how to sell the harvest and crafts to other surrounding villages. The dragon became a marketing tool for the children.
The parents could shop at the market while the children were entertained by the dragon.
Dragons would be popular in parades because parades were a means of selling the community.

The Creation of a Real Fire Breathing Dragon

I also discovered articles about Carl Cantrell's theory about creating a real fire breathing dragon. Cantrell has a Creation and Evolution website.

My Mother's Family History Shook the Coast

The Salisbury family was very in depth with researching and genealogyt. My mother often said her side of family did not have any interesting stories. However, I began some
research in 1970s testing geneaology software. I discovered that my mother's side was very interesting. Eugenia Brannock was born in Danville, Illinois. Her mother came from California to Danville after she met her husband during his Army stent in California. He played in the army band in San Fransico. Eugenia's father was from Danville as to why couple moved to Danville. The big note of interest was my mother's grandmother was killed in the 1915 San Franscico Earthquake.

Fashion Change Caused the King Philip's War

I find myself in a disagreeable state when reading books about the White Man encroaching on Indian territory as the cause of the Indian Wars. It seems like the media has an agenda to push of white man's encroachment.

The fact of the matter, the settlers and Indians lived in harmony for 60 years in Massachuettes. The Indians would collect a variety of fur pelts that included Beaver to trade with the settlers. At that time, the beaver pelt was a commodity that was of value because of the Beaver Felt Hats in Europe. Eventually the fashion changed and beaver was not in demand. The Indians noticed the amount of money received for pelts was
dropping. Also an incidental note, the settlers also traded the superior Flintlock Rifle for furs. This trade would later prove deadly when the King Philip's War broke out over a change in fashion. The settlers retained the Match Lock Rifle that had a 50-50 chance of firing. The settlers almost lost the war because of the antiquated rifles.

2009 Halloween Scares Earl

This year I went as Hugh Hefner, My first wife used to work for Playboy so I had an aged image from a google search that worked well. Smoking jacket, cravat and pipe. Pajama pants and a captains hat. I went to several parties and my favorite was the Biergarten at the Rathskeller. It is always well attended and has great bands. This year it was Xanadu. Since I was stag, I was watching for a new playmate of the hour, a month would be tooooo long. I noticed a very tall young lady with long blonde hair standing alone. I approached with an opening compliment. "Young lady, you look terrific, your dress could win the costume contest" and without a pause I asked, "How tall are you?" She responded, "six-foot two without the heals" with the lowest masculine voice I'd heard since the Lawrence Welk Show.

I had no cool comebacks like "don't ask; don't tell". I just walked away.

Count Suckula

Earl's Research on Global Cooling and Nathan's Death

Theory of Nathan Death's
Nathan Salisbury died during the Spring (1817) after the year (1816) without summer due to Tambora's eruption in April 1815 in Sumbawa islands, Indonesia. The eruption had global impacts causing loss in agricutlural production and cooler temperatures.

Thousands passed after starvation (no crops) and lack of enough firewood to stay warm in the 25 degree below zero temperatures in New England as well as around the world.
Although the research is in progress, I think he probably died in a very dark room with a high fever of typhus or typhoid fever (104 degrees). One hundred and four degrees is a typical anal temperature for typhus.

This global cooling event also resulted in 100,000 deaths in Ireland. Up until the mid-sixties global cooling was the environmental lesson at universities. I think it changes about every 100 years.

I still remember when global warming was the big money maker. Now it's been changed to "Climate Change" which means we don't know which way it's going but we need your money". Have you noticed "acid rain" hasn't been on the evening news for a couple of decades?

Earl's Brush with A Soap Star

I sent an e-mail to my "olde army buddy" F. William Parker asking him if he had heard that Dave Canary was retiring from his long career on the soaps? I'd heard it on "Regis and Kelly".

Dave was part of the same military entertainment group that Parker and I were in. Dave played El Guyo in our production of the Fantistics. I was sound and lighting.

Parker is west coast and one of the judges in the Academy Awards.

He was also my first wife's boyfriend.

Royal Wedding Invitation Guest List Omits Earl

A few weeks ago I was asked to dog-sit for one of the grand-dogs. I declined because I was awaiting my invitation to Prince Willam and Kate Middleton's wedding in London.
You see Kate is my cousin.
My interest in family history and genealogy started when I was just a teenager and I think it ruined my life. I could have been a player instead of spending all my extra time at libraries.
In 1989 I went to Great Britain to look at collections of family records, homes, castles, palaces, churches and cemeteries. Wow! What a trip. To this day my favorite place in the world is the National Library of Wales. Original documents (not just copies) were dropped on my desk for examination. While there, I also met other researchers ready to share their extensive knowledge of the Salisbury family and other relations.

One of the very interesting characters was "John of Four Thumbs" a knight known as the dragon killer of Denbighshire Wales. His given name was John Salusbury and he was a brother to a man that I was directly descended from. I'm aware you noticed the variation in spelling of Salisbury vs. Salusbury, but in Wales the name remained Salusbury for several hundred years changing around 1650. This is also true of Middleton vs. Myddleton and a LOT of other surnames.

When I read the name "Middleton" with the news announcements I went to my files/notes. Soon I found some copies from my travels.
John Salusbury of Bachegraig, Denbigh
*Son of John Salusbury of Bachecraig (d. 1685) and Elizabeth Ravenscroft, daughter of Thomas Ravenscroft (d. 1630) of Bretton, nr. Chester, and Catherine Grosvenor, daughter of Richard Grosvenor of Eaton (d. 1542), ancestor of the Dukes of Westminster, and Catherine Cotton. See Burke's Peerage under 'Westminster, Duke of' and 'The Family of Ravenscroft', by W. Ravenscroft and Rev. R. Bathurst Ravenscroft (pub. 1915, London). The family of Egerton of Tatton Park (Earls of Bridgewater) also descended from the Ravenscrofts of Bretton.

*Great grandson of Sir John Salusbury of Lleweni, Knight of the Carpet, (d. 1578) who married Jane Myddelton (d. 1588) daughter of David Myddelton, Mayor of Chester (d. 1548) of the Myddeltons of Chirk Castle. David Myddelton was the son of another David Myddelton by his wife Ellen, daughter of Sir Donne of Utkington. Ellen's parents preferred another suitor, a relation called Richard Donne of Croton. David Myddelton shot Richard Donne as he and Ellen were coming out of church after their wedding, carried off the bride and married her the same day. Thus Ellen was 'maid, widow and wife twice in the same day'.

*Sir John Salusbury was known as 'Sir John of the Thumbs', because he had two thumbs on each hand, and he is reputed to have slain a dragon which was terrorizing the town of Denbigh.

Wow! I had the Myddleton/Salusbury connection! But even though I know my relationship with "Four Thumbs" the question remained, is Jane Myddleton related to Kate Middleton?
I had very little time to verify that connection so I took a shortcut. I e-mailed a friend and fellow researcher in Wales who was very familiar with the Middletons and asked for verification. It only took minutes for his "yes".

But now it's too late. No invitation has arrived.

I guess I'll just take the grand-dog for a walk.

If you would enjoy visiting my family history on-line go to earlsalisbury.com.