Chief Amatoya Kanagaota Moytoy was a powerful 17th century Cherokee leader, born and died in what is now Tennessee. In translation, he was referred to as “emperor.” Moytoy married Quatsy of Tellico, a full-blooded Cherokee of the Holy Clan. She was also referred to as Nancy in other records. It is a common tome of myriad Native nations that the …
This past week, I posted some thoughts after visiting the cemetery in St. Cloud, Minn., where my grandfather, William Vogel, and seven other members of my mother Minnie Vogel Vorland’s family are buried. I had been struck by the fact I know nothing about what became of the descendants of mom’s nine siblings. It’s different on the Vorland side of the …
I hate to rain on Jim Maxson’s May 4 article, “On Burgum, Nelson, Stenehjem, At Least We Know We’re Getting a Norwegian,” from theMinotVoice.com. In it, Maxson claims North Dakotans will have a choice between three gubernatorial candidates of Norwegian descent. Only problem — Fargo Republican Doug Burgum is not Norwegian. Most of his Burgum ancestors were English. I traced his family tree, …
Perhaps inspired by that clever television commercial in which a guy trades his lederhosen for a kilt after learning he’s not really German as he was led to believe all his life but rather Irish, the other day Ginny signed us up to take one of those Ancestry.com DNA tests. For about $90, Ancestry.com will send you a DNA test kit. You get to spit …