Excerpts from the The Daily Union Vedette (1863-1864), a Civil War newspaper published at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City. These excerpts describe the murder of Samuel R. Bunting by Jason Luce, an associate of Bill Hickman, and Luce’s subsequent trial and execution. *** Murder.—On Monday morning last the prevalent quiet and monotony of city…
Author: Justin Durand
Haurie Families in France
Many French families bear names similar to the Swiss Hauris, but they have a different origin. Noms de Famille, an amateur effort, lists the following: Arouet, a name immortalized by Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire, 1694-1778), but now extinct. It might be a variant of Arrouet, which is undoubtedly a diminutive of arrou, which means a watering…
Symbolism of Swans
In the ancient world, it was widely believed that swans sing only once in their lifetimes, just before they die. Socrates and Plato both mentioned this belief. Geoffrey Chaucer alluded to it about 1374. Hence, the phrase swan song, meaning a person’s final labor. This belief led to an association between swans and prophecy, because…
Hauri Family in Freiburg
There was a Hauri family at Freiburg-im-Breisgau, in Baden-Württemberg in the 13th century. The city belonged to the von Urach family, who were Counts of Freiburg. In 1299 a war broke out between the city and Count Egino II over the issue of taxes. The burghers fired on Schlossberg with catapults. The Count called upon…
Weight
Heinrich Vecht (c1773-c1822) was living in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in 1820. He was a German, but his ancestry is otherwise unknown. He might have been a son of Peter Weicht, who immigrated from Silesia in 1753. His descendants anglicized their surname to Weight. Lineal Genealogy Heinrich (Henry) Vecht (c1773-c1822), a farmer in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania….