On this 4th of July holiday, I would like to pay tribute to one of my Revolutionary War ancestors – Ranger James Riggs of the Pennsylvania Militia and member of the Continental Line.
The Corps of Rangers, (also known as Riflemen or Partisans) was created by the Continental Congress as a group of sharpshooters and long-term militiamen who were to serve out the duration of the revolution. Enlistment was expensive. Each soldier had to furnish a good long rifle, powder horn, charger, bullet screw, twelve flints, a pouch to hold four pounds of balls, knife, and whatever else he needed. The estimated total cost was somewhere between 20 to 30 English pounds. The most famous Ranger Corps were Morgan’s Rangers and Marion’s Brigade.
James Riggs is a descendent of Edward Riggs who came to the colonies in 1637. On October 30, 1666, Edward Riggs, along with 64 other residents of Branford and Milford of the New Haven Colony CT, signed an Agreement to found a common township at "New-Ark on Pesayack" – Newark, New Jersey.
On September 15, 1742 (a little over 100 years after Edward Riggs came to America), one of his descendants, James Riggs, was born in Rock Creek, Montgomery County, Maryland. The actual site of his birth is now the National Zoo in Washington D.C. In 1776 James, his wife, Mary, and their children; Robert, age 12, Thomas, age 9, Maxemelia, age 7, Mary, age 4, and Basil, age 2, moved to Friend’s Cove close to Bedford Pennsylvania. Right after the move, James enlisted in the Bedford County Militia as a Rifleman in Edward Rose’s Rangers and signed the following oath:
“I have this day voluntarily enlisted myself as a soldier in the American Continental Army for one year, unless sooner discharged, and do bind myself to conform in all instances to such rules and regulations as are or shall be established for the government of said army.”
The Pennsylvania Militia Riflemen as described by Dr. James Thatcher in his Military Journal of the Revolution:
“They are remarkably stout and hardy men; many of them exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white frocks or rifle shirts and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim; striking a mark with great certainty at two hundred yards distance.”
Members of the Pennsylvania Militia Riflemen were with George Washington as he crossed the Delaware, and fought in the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Whitemarsh, Long Island, and defended the southern end of the Schuylkill River.
After the American Revolution ended, James Riggs was personally granted 200 acres on the west side of the Ohio River. He and other Revolutionary War heroes (who were also awarded land grants for their meritorious service in the Revolutionary War and included the Dye family) cleared the area and James, himself, was the first settler to set foot on what later became the town of New Matamoras, Ohio.
I would like to thank my mother, Hyla E. (Athey) Watson, who compiled our family history (some of which is pre 1066) and includes the Athey, Dye, Riggs, and Ridgeway families. I would also like to thank the organizations of the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution for their detailed documents and meticulous records. I would also like to thank Dr. George Athey of Houston for his contributions to the Athey geneological records and information.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
December 21, 2012? or, December 24th 2012?
Mayanists disagree over whether the New Mayan Age will begin on December 21st or December 24th of the year 2012. Here’s the reason for the disagreement:
Julius Ceasar created the Julian calendar in 46 BCE and it determined that leap years should fall every four years. However, after Ceasar died the leap years didn’t fall at the proper time. Emperor Augustus finally corrected it with the result that the Julian calendar didn’t really start until 7 CE. The Julian calendar was composed of 3 years of 365 days and one year of 366 days which wasn’t accurate because adding a whole day every four years was just too much.
Now, fast forward to 1582 when Pope Gregorius revised and corrected the calendar, deleted 10 days (October 5th to October 14th) and determined that the new calendar should always begin on January 1st. The main reason for the change was that Easter was being celebrated on the wrong day - which has to do with the first full moon after the spring Equinox.
To make matters more complicated, only Catholic countries changed to the Gregorian in 1582 and other countries were slow to adopt it. Correlations between the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar were begun in 1582 but not actually completed until 1919 CE. So, in calculating dates between the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar one must add years and the number of years increases in proportion to the amount of time passing. From Jan 1, 1800 to Feb. 29, 1800 you add 11 days. From March 1, 1800 to Feb. 29, 1900 you add 12 days. And, after March 1, 1900 you add 13 days. Plus the fact that all years that end a century are “leap” years.
Anyone have a headache yet? I do.
Other dates in question.
Whether the Mayan date of 13.0.0.0.0.0 is the “end” of a previous age or the “beginning” of the new one?
And, did this current age begin on August 14, 3113 BCE or August 14, 3114 BCE?
And, does this current age begin/end on December 21, 2012 or December 24, 2012?
As well as…is this the end of the “Fourth” Age of mankind? Or, the end of the “Fifth” age?
No one can agree.
Julius Ceasar created the Julian calendar in 46 BCE and it determined that leap years should fall every four years. However, after Ceasar died the leap years didn’t fall at the proper time. Emperor Augustus finally corrected it with the result that the Julian calendar didn’t really start until 7 CE. The Julian calendar was composed of 3 years of 365 days and one year of 366 days which wasn’t accurate because adding a whole day every four years was just too much.
Now, fast forward to 1582 when Pope Gregorius revised and corrected the calendar, deleted 10 days (October 5th to October 14th) and determined that the new calendar should always begin on January 1st. The main reason for the change was that Easter was being celebrated on the wrong day - which has to do with the first full moon after the spring Equinox.
To make matters more complicated, only Catholic countries changed to the Gregorian in 1582 and other countries were slow to adopt it. Correlations between the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar were begun in 1582 but not actually completed until 1919 CE. So, in calculating dates between the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar one must add years and the number of years increases in proportion to the amount of time passing. From Jan 1, 1800 to Feb. 29, 1800 you add 11 days. From March 1, 1800 to Feb. 29, 1900 you add 12 days. And, after March 1, 1900 you add 13 days. Plus the fact that all years that end a century are “leap” years.
Anyone have a headache yet? I do.
Other dates in question.
Whether the Mayan date of 13.0.0.0.0.0 is the “end” of a previous age or the “beginning” of the new one?
And, did this current age begin on August 14, 3113 BCE or August 14, 3114 BCE?
And, does this current age begin/end on December 21, 2012 or December 24, 2012?
As well as…is this the end of the “Fourth” Age of mankind? Or, the end of the “Fifth” age?
No one can agree.
Is Equality Just a Eight Letter Word?
Most people who know me know I’m very interested in history and philosophy. I do a lot of reading in both of these subjects, current books as well as books written decades ago.
One of the books I just finished reading is about a well-known (although supposedly secret society) which will remain nameless as I don’t want to get into a great deal of hot water here. The book was first published in 1927 and reprinted in 1980 and again in 1995. The theme of the book is about hierarchies, both here on earth and in heaven, as well as secret rites used in the Mystery Religions that regenerate the soul for its continued enlightenment.
Before I continue further, I want to define the term “Mystery Religion”. The definition can be as narrow as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism or as broad as to include the Gnostics as well as the worship of Osiris, Zoasterism, and Mythras. Also included are the teachings of the great Greek philosophers such as Plato and which are called the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Some of the book is quite interesting, some more than a little bit boring, but towards the end of the book I came across a sentence that made me sit up and take notice:
“The disordered modern world, with its perverse democratic ideals of equality and uniformity, has lost all sense of the hierarchic principle, which since it obtains in the higher world ought to be reflected in this.” (Bolding is for emphasis and is added by me.)
What?????
Up until this point, the author has been writing about the different levels of heaven and how one’s stage on the path to enlightenment determines the level the soul resides in after death, of which there are seven levels to choose from. (Other books cite nine or eleven levels, but that’s neither here nor there at the moment.)
Here in the United States we’re taught that everyone is equal – right? Some people are prettier, some have more money, some have incredible talents, but no one is better than anyone else. I believe in equality. Most people I know believe in equality. But, now, as I look at the Corporate Kings and Politicians (including past presidents many of whom either are or were members of this organization – uh oh, I’ve said too much!) I’m beginning to wonder how many of them actually believe in our (the public’s) idea of equality?
When I think about our current financial situation and the corruption of politicians and the wars that have been thrust upon us that rob us of our young men and women and put our nation in financial peril, I often wonder, “How can this happen?” My conscience alone would keep me from making some of these horrendous decisions.
Could it be that these Captains of Industry and World Leaders actually believe that the hierarchic principle has been established here on earth as they think it is in heaven? Can they possibly think that we “the masses” have less value? That our lives and our families exist on a lower level than theirs? Perhaps at the bottom of the human food-chain?
Am I crazy? Because I feel like I am.
This book was first published right before the Great Depression. Our current financial situation came about in part because of the blatant disregard and changing of the rules and regulations governing banking and financial institutions. These rules were setup after the Great Depression to protect the average American by keeping the country financially stable. What happened? Was it all just because of greed?
Read the passage again. More slowly this time.
“The disordered modern world, with its perverse democratic ideals of equality and uniformity, has lost all sense of the hierarchic principle, which since it obtains in the higher world ought to be reflected in this.”
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Mayan Blue
MAYAN BLUE
What makes "Mayan Blue" so interesting is not only the light blue color, but the pigment's long-lasting qualities. Mayan Blue pigment has been found that has withstood fading caused by the elements. It is a mixture of plants and copal resin.
The Ancient Maya used Mayan Blue not only for art, but they also painted their sacrificial victims blue. The Sacred Cenote in the Yucatan had a thick layer of blue pigment that washed off the victims who were thrown into this large limestone well.
OTHER FAMOUS "BLUES"
CHINESE LAZURITE
EGYPTIAN LAPIS LAZULI
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Southern Indiana Writers Group & Nostalgia
This morning I was checking my emails on the online group Murder Must Advertise and saw a post by Marian Allen. On a whim I clicked on one of her links and found myself at the website of the Southern Indiana Writers Group. http://southernindianawriters.com/index.html
This group, like The Final Twist, publishes an annual anthology and their latest book is Ghosts on the Square and Elsewhere.
So, I perused the site of the Southern Indiana Writers Group for awhile and found myself overtaken by nostalgia. The great state of Indiana holds a special place in my heart. My dad was career Air Force and I spent almost all of my childhood overseas. When I was ten we left Japan after three long years and his new assignment was Bunker Hill AFB which was just outside Peru, Indiana. I don’t even think that base is there any longer, or if it is the name was changed to something else.
When you’re a kid living overseas “The States” takes on the semblance of paradise. In Japan in the late 1950s, we weren’t allowed to drink the water, eat ice cream, and all our milk was from the powdered form. Yuck. Plus, we endured earthquakes and lived under the shadow of Mount Fujiyama, which I feared would erupt at anytime. Television was in Japanese, of course, and even Mighty Mouse looses its charm when it’s in a language you can’t understand.
I experienced a lot of “firsts” in Indiana. That was where I had my first A&W rootbeer float, my first frozen Milky Way candy bar – on a stick yet! And, my first ever banana split. Walking into a drug store was fascinating. I remembering standing in front of the card section and reading the different types of birthday cards, captivated by the fact that there were separate cards for grandmother, grandfather, sister, brother, Mom, Dad, cousin…
I saw my first cheerleading competition. I hadn’t even known such a sport existed. I went to the tryouts, just to watch and, although those cheers were not nearly as elaborate as what cheeleaders do today, I thought they were wonderful. I got my first dog, a cocker spaniel named Lady, in Peru. I went to my first state park, Francis Slocum, and at the time there was some kind of equestrian event going on and I saw my first horse (as they say down here in Texas) “up close and personal.”
My friends and I rode our bikes to the outskirts of town (it was a small town) and ate big, juicy blackberries off the vines that grew by the railroad tracks.
My most beautiful memory is of walking to school in the wintertime after a new blanket of snow had fallen. It was dark when I left the house and must have been very cold, but I don’t remember the cold. I just remember the bright stars and how the full moon gave the snowy world a bluish tint.
One of these days I'm going to go back to Indiana.
Diana
This group, like The Final Twist, publishes an annual anthology and their latest book is Ghosts on the Square and Elsewhere.
So, I perused the site of the Southern Indiana Writers Group for awhile and found myself overtaken by nostalgia. The great state of Indiana holds a special place in my heart. My dad was career Air Force and I spent almost all of my childhood overseas. When I was ten we left Japan after three long years and his new assignment was Bunker Hill AFB which was just outside Peru, Indiana. I don’t even think that base is there any longer, or if it is the name was changed to something else.
When you’re a kid living overseas “The States” takes on the semblance of paradise. In Japan in the late 1950s, we weren’t allowed to drink the water, eat ice cream, and all our milk was from the powdered form. Yuck. Plus, we endured earthquakes and lived under the shadow of Mount Fujiyama, which I feared would erupt at anytime. Television was in Japanese, of course, and even Mighty Mouse looses its charm when it’s in a language you can’t understand.
I experienced a lot of “firsts” in Indiana. That was where I had my first A&W rootbeer float, my first frozen Milky Way candy bar – on a stick yet! And, my first ever banana split. Walking into a drug store was fascinating. I remembering standing in front of the card section and reading the different types of birthday cards, captivated by the fact that there were separate cards for grandmother, grandfather, sister, brother, Mom, Dad, cousin…
I saw my first cheerleading competition. I hadn’t even known such a sport existed. I went to the tryouts, just to watch and, although those cheers were not nearly as elaborate as what cheeleaders do today, I thought they were wonderful. I got my first dog, a cocker spaniel named Lady, in Peru. I went to my first state park, Francis Slocum, and at the time there was some kind of equestrian event going on and I saw my first horse (as they say down here in Texas) “up close and personal.”
My friends and I rode our bikes to the outskirts of town (it was a small town) and ate big, juicy blackberries off the vines that grew by the railroad tracks.
My most beautiful memory is of walking to school in the wintertime after a new blanket of snow had fallen. It was dark when I left the house and must have been very cold, but I don’t remember the cold. I just remember the bright stars and how the full moon gave the snowy world a bluish tint.
One of these days I'm going to go back to Indiana.
Diana
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Flowers and Hamlet
Spring has sprung here in the Houston area. The bluebonnets are flowering and the air is warm and balmy. Yesterday I took a break from writing and went shopping for plants. I came home with sweet alyssum, bougainvillea, wisteria, and my very favorite flowers - deep purple petunias.
After the plants were potted, planted and otherwise taken care of, I settled back in a comfy chair and began reading about the history of Shakespeare's Hamlet. I knew that Shakespeare has been accused of stealing work from other writers, but for some reason I thought the story was original to Shakespeare's time. I was surprised to learn that "Hamlet" is a story passed down through the ages and that it predates the ancient Greeks, although Shakespeare's version is certainly the most eloquent.
Throughout the centuries and within different cultures, "Hamlet" has been called Amleth, Amlodhi, Brjam, Amlaghe, Amlaide and Lucius Iunius Brutus, who was written about by Livy and Cicero. In Persia, his name was Kai Khusrau, but as they say a rose by any other name...
Still, the essentials of the story remained the same and the purpose of the book I'm reading is to show that these myths contain within them certain information carried down through the ages - if we only knew how to read and interpret the symbols. In this case, the information in "Hamlet" has to do with archeo-astronomy.
It's an interesting concept and one I've run into before, although never with such a famous and well known story as Hamlet.
Diana
After the plants were potted, planted and otherwise taken care of, I settled back in a comfy chair and began reading about the history of Shakespeare's Hamlet. I knew that Shakespeare has been accused of stealing work from other writers, but for some reason I thought the story was original to Shakespeare's time. I was surprised to learn that "Hamlet" is a story passed down through the ages and that it predates the ancient Greeks, although Shakespeare's version is certainly the most eloquent.
Throughout the centuries and within different cultures, "Hamlet" has been called Amleth, Amlodhi, Brjam, Amlaghe, Amlaide and Lucius Iunius Brutus, who was written about by Livy and Cicero. In Persia, his name was Kai Khusrau, but as they say a rose by any other name...
Still, the essentials of the story remained the same and the purpose of the book I'm reading is to show that these myths contain within them certain information carried down through the ages - if we only knew how to read and interpret the symbols. In this case, the information in "Hamlet" has to do with archeo-astronomy.
It's an interesting concept and one I've run into before, although never with such a famous and well known story as Hamlet.
Diana
Monday, March 23, 2009
Will the World End in 2012?
Will the world end on December 21, 2012? What did the ancient Maya know that we don’t? And, where did their information come from? Were they psychic? Or, did other dimensional beings or extra-terrestrials give them special knowledge about the future?
And, does anyone else think all the above is really, really lame?
As 2012 approaches, there are some who will be terrified, but by doing just a little thinking it should become clear that in its 4.5 billions years of existence, the earth has never been destroyed. Not once. And, in the hundred of thousands of years of human existence humanity has never become extinct. We came close once during an ice age, but we still made it through and we did it without any modern conveniences.
Ancient peoples who wrote down their dire predictions based them on events that were common occurrences in the parts of the world they lived in. Hence, volcanic eruptions in areas with volcanoes, earthquakes in earthquake prone areas and floods in – you guessed it, areas that flood. And, even though they applied these prophecies to the “whole” world, their conception of the whole world was limited in scope to their immediate surroundings, trade routes, and explorations.
We hear the same thing in respect to California. The Big One is coming within the next 50 years and California will shake itself right into the Pacific Ocean. Obviously, an earthquake in California would be a major disaster, but it won’t end life here in Houston. Just like last year’s Hurricane Ike was a disaster here in Texas, but it didn’t affect life in California. We live with the potential threat of hurricanes. Californians live with the potential threat of earthquakes. People in Washington and Oregon live in the shadow of volcanoes and so on.
And, why should we believe that a civilization that didn’t have the foresight to save itself, possessed the uncanny ability to warn the rest of us about anything? The demise of the Maya was because of a multitude of poor decisions. Through war and sacrifice they depleted the working class while the elite class grew. They burned the forest to create additional farmland and in doing so they destroyed their own weather system. In the end, the smart ones deserted their cities and went to live in villages.
We try very hard to take generalities and make them into specifics. We also tend to take theory and make it into fact. It’s a theory that the demise of the dinosaurs was caused by a meteor. It’s not a fact. This theory will stand until a better one comes along – which could be any day now because there are paleontologists who are refuting it.
We want to believe that by looking into the past, we can predict the future. We want to find clues that “the ancients” knew more then than we know now. We want to decipher Bible Codes and ancient texts and realize the thrill of uncovering a lost secret. But we should never lose sight of where these predictions and prophesies came from, who wrote them, the time period in which they were written, or the language of the original text.
And, just as importantly, we need to be aware that translations will vary according to the knowledge and mindset of the translator.
For instance, we’re all familiar with the biblical story of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt when God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Zecharia Sitchin writes in his book The Wars of Gods and Men (footnotes of pages 313 and 314) that…
“…the literal translation of the Hebrew term Netsiv Melah has been pillar of salt and tracts have been written in the Middle Ages explaining the process whereby a person could be turned into crystalline salt.”
Sitchin goes on to explain that the mother tongue of Abraham and therefore, Lot was not Hebrew, but ancient Sumerian and that “the Sumerian word, Nimur branched off to mean both salt and vapor.”
He then surmises that “the biblical translator misinterpreted the term pillar of salt when, in fact, Lot’s wife became a pillar of vapor.”
Sitchin is proposing his theory that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a nuclear war and this one mistranslated word (if it is indeed mistranslated) changes the whole meaning of the passage as we now live in an age where we visualize a person turning into vapor.
Is Sitchin right about the translation? Or, I guess more importantly, the question should be “Do I care?” And, the answer is, I do not. It’s an interesting and unique theory, but I don’t have the required educational background in ancient languages to either confirm or refute his findings.
In conclusion, when we see documentaries about the end of the world or hear dire warnings based on ancient prophesy we need to realize that there is a financial agenda behind all the sensationalism. If you really want to know what the Mayanists say about all this 2012 hype, check out academic websites maintained by people whose careers are based on years of education and research.
Diana
And, does anyone else think all the above is really, really lame?
As 2012 approaches, there are some who will be terrified, but by doing just a little thinking it should become clear that in its 4.5 billions years of existence, the earth has never been destroyed. Not once. And, in the hundred of thousands of years of human existence humanity has never become extinct. We came close once during an ice age, but we still made it through and we did it without any modern conveniences.
Ancient peoples who wrote down their dire predictions based them on events that were common occurrences in the parts of the world they lived in. Hence, volcanic eruptions in areas with volcanoes, earthquakes in earthquake prone areas and floods in – you guessed it, areas that flood. And, even though they applied these prophecies to the “whole” world, their conception of the whole world was limited in scope to their immediate surroundings, trade routes, and explorations.
We hear the same thing in respect to California. The Big One is coming within the next 50 years and California will shake itself right into the Pacific Ocean. Obviously, an earthquake in California would be a major disaster, but it won’t end life here in Houston. Just like last year’s Hurricane Ike was a disaster here in Texas, but it didn’t affect life in California. We live with the potential threat of hurricanes. Californians live with the potential threat of earthquakes. People in Washington and Oregon live in the shadow of volcanoes and so on.
And, why should we believe that a civilization that didn’t have the foresight to save itself, possessed the uncanny ability to warn the rest of us about anything? The demise of the Maya was because of a multitude of poor decisions. Through war and sacrifice they depleted the working class while the elite class grew. They burned the forest to create additional farmland and in doing so they destroyed their own weather system. In the end, the smart ones deserted their cities and went to live in villages.
We try very hard to take generalities and make them into specifics. We also tend to take theory and make it into fact. It’s a theory that the demise of the dinosaurs was caused by a meteor. It’s not a fact. This theory will stand until a better one comes along – which could be any day now because there are paleontologists who are refuting it.
We want to believe that by looking into the past, we can predict the future. We want to find clues that “the ancients” knew more then than we know now. We want to decipher Bible Codes and ancient texts and realize the thrill of uncovering a lost secret. But we should never lose sight of where these predictions and prophesies came from, who wrote them, the time period in which they were written, or the language of the original text.
And, just as importantly, we need to be aware that translations will vary according to the knowledge and mindset of the translator.
For instance, we’re all familiar with the biblical story of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt when God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Zecharia Sitchin writes in his book The Wars of Gods and Men (footnotes of pages 313 and 314) that…
“…the literal translation of the Hebrew term Netsiv Melah has been pillar of salt and tracts have been written in the Middle Ages explaining the process whereby a person could be turned into crystalline salt.”
Sitchin goes on to explain that the mother tongue of Abraham and therefore, Lot was not Hebrew, but ancient Sumerian and that “the Sumerian word, Nimur branched off to mean both salt and vapor.”
He then surmises that “the biblical translator misinterpreted the term pillar of salt when, in fact, Lot’s wife became a pillar of vapor.”
Sitchin is proposing his theory that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a nuclear war and this one mistranslated word (if it is indeed mistranslated) changes the whole meaning of the passage as we now live in an age where we visualize a person turning into vapor.
Is Sitchin right about the translation? Or, I guess more importantly, the question should be “Do I care?” And, the answer is, I do not. It’s an interesting and unique theory, but I don’t have the required educational background in ancient languages to either confirm or refute his findings.
In conclusion, when we see documentaries about the end of the world or hear dire warnings based on ancient prophesy we need to realize that there is a financial agenda behind all the sensationalism. If you really want to know what the Mayanists say about all this 2012 hype, check out academic websites maintained by people whose careers are based on years of education and research.
Diana
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