FORSYTH NOTES October 1, 2009

Welcome to the two hundredth issue of Forsyth Notes. Forsyth Notes is published bi-monthly by Clan Forsyth Society of the USA, and is your e-link to your extended Forsyth family. Click here for back issues of Forsyth Notes in PDF format.

Welcome to the 200th Anniversary Issue of Forsyth Notes In this very special issue, we are celebrating our Anniversary by reprinting first-person accounts of Forsyth(e) stories from prior Issues 1 through 199.

Forsite, "The Just" (a/k/a Forsite, Forsate, Forsath, and Forsyth.)

Around 70 B.C., Odin was the chief of a Scythian tribe of warriors that immigrated from the East and fought their way North, passing through Germany into Scandinavia.

Through superior intelligence, skill and bravery, Odin brought the natives into subjection and established a kingdom. He made an alliance with the King of Sweden, and the Romans never conquered his kingdom. The son of Odin and his wife, Frigge, was Balder, "The Beautiful and Good”. Balder was worshiped as a beautiful, youthful warrior, whose wisdom and valor were as

well known as his beauty and goodness. I was born to Balder and his wife Nannie. I was known as the honorable and honored one. I was king of that part of Northern Europe known as Friesland, where my palace, Glyner, was celebrated for its magnificence and for the fact that no petitioner was turned away without a hearing and without receiving justice. My reign was noted for peace and harmony, and my symbol was the Griffin, which denotes vigilance and strength.

Robert de Forsyth II

In the early 1300’s, when the English invaded Scotland and were going to destroy the walls of Dykes, the king called for someone to stop the raid until he had time to mass his forces. I volunteered, and succeeded in stopping the English with less than four hundred men. As a reward of my service to the king, the motto Instaurator Ruinae (Restorer of the Ruins) was approved and granted to my family for its invaluable services at the battle of Dykes. I built Castle Dykes around 1350, and became feudal Baron of Dykes and the first lord of Castle Dykes. My family occupied Dykes for two and three-quarter centuries. I was one

of the greatest military leaders of Scotland. I became the governor of Stirling Castle about 1360. This was the highest military command in Stirling Province. Stirling Castle is a noble architectural pile, and it is placed on a great lofty crag fronting the vast mountains and the gloomy sky of the north. It plays an important part in Scottish history. In 1304, Edward I of England took the castle after a three-month siege; however, Bruce retook it ten years later after the battle of Bannockburn. James II and James V were born in the castle, and here in 1452, James II stabbed the Earl of Douglass. The battle of Bannockburn where Bruce defeated Edward II, was fought two miles southeast of Stirling Castle.

Reverend Alexander John Forsyth (1769-1843)

I lived in the 18th century. I was an avid duck hunter, but the state of art in firearms was

the inefficient flintlock. In order to overcome the flintlock’s gross inefficiency, I pioneered the development of the modern percussion lock, which replaced the flintlock. In gratitude for my pioneering work, I was eventually awarded a small pension by the government, but I died before

the first installment reached me. My invention is still in use in most firearms today, and my workshop is on display in the Tower of London. I am known as the father of modern firearms.

Captain John Hubbard Forsyth (1797-1836)

I was one of the brave officers who fell at the Alamo in Texas with Col. Travis, Jim

Bowie, and Davy Crockett on March 6, 1836. In the Alamo chain of command, I was number three, outranked only by Travis and Bowie. Due to the circumstances of Bowie's grave illness and Travis being killed in the opening minutes of the battle, it is highly likely that I commanded the actual

last stand at the Alamo.

Robert de Fauside

In 1296, I signed the “Ragman Roll” by which the nobles and landowners of Scotland, after military defeat, were made to swear allegiance to Edward I of England. Subsequently, my descendants supporting King Robert the Bruce fought against the English to regain independence from England, and were rewarded with lands in Stirlingshire, and became members of the Scottish Royal Household. The Ragman Roll was signed by both Robert del Faufyde (del counte de Edeneburgh) and William de Faufyde (del counte de Rokefburgh). (In the 13th century, the letter “f” was used to represent the letter “s” and the letter “y” represents the letter “i”)

Thomas Forsyth

I was an incorporator and founder of Glasgow University in 1473, where I received a Master of Arts degree. In 1496, I became dean of the faculty in recognition of my work and service. I was Canon of Ross, and vicar of Tullynessle (near Aberdeen). I was appointed rector of the University of Glasgow in 1501, 1502 and 1503. I was also chosen Dean of the Faculty of Arts in 1496, and was continuously re-elected until 1500. One of my brothers signed the charter of the College in 1483, and was one of its instructors. Another of my brothers, Matthew, was an elector to choose regents for the University in 1497, and another brother, Robert, was an officer of the University.

William Forsyth

I was born at Old Meldrum in 1737, and became a distinguished horticulturist. In 1784, I was appointed Chief Superintendent of the Royal Gardens at Kensington and St James Palace. I was one of the founders of the famous Kew Gardens in London. In 1802 I published A Treatise on the Culture and Management of Fruit Trees which proved so popular that the first three editions were sold out. The Clan Plant Badge is "Forsythia" brought from China by me. In honor of my name, the genus of plants was termed "forsythia". My portrait by Henry Raeburn hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Col. George A. Forsyth

I served under General George Armstrong Custer; however, I was not present at the Little Big Horn battle. Photographs of Custer and me exist today. I was well noted for my battle with an overwhelming force of Indians at the Battle of Beechers Island in eastern Colorado in 1868. I was seriously wounded in the battle, and in later years had to retire because of my wounds. I later became

a Brigadier General in 1897. I was an uncle of Captain John Hubbard Forsyth who gave his life for freedom at the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas in 1836.

James Forsyth

I inherited the lands of Failzerton and Kilsyth from my mother, who was a daughter of Sir William Livingston. I was a famous preacher, a minister for the church in Airth in 1661 and at Stirling in 1665. My sermons were published in London in 1666. I was registered at Lyon Court as successor of Dykes and Nydie. I married Marion Elphinson, a daughter of the noted Bruce family, and the nearest line derived from the royal family of Bruce. Having no children, I adopted my relative, James Bruce, who succeeded as James Forsyth of Failzerton, alias Bruce of Gavell. I was a member of the council of Stirling with the Duke of Hamilton.

My grandfather, Wilhelm Forsyth, is recognized in the Chronicles of Scottish history as a feudal lord of County Peebles, who signed the Ragman Roll of Scotland in 1296. The Ragman Roll was an agreement to submit to the arbitrators of King Edward the claims of the thirteen

competitors for the crown of Scotland, so that civil war between them might be avoided.

Osbert Forsyth II

My father, Robert I, moved into Stirlingshire while Robert Bruce was fighting for his crown against King Edward. My father and I became partners of Bruce. We took a prominent part in the battle of Bannockburn. After Bruce’s victory in this struggle he became king of Scotland. In

gratitude to us for our valuable service rendered in this most notable battle of all Scottish history, Bruce gave me a feudal grant of land in County Stirling.

James William Forsyth (1836-1906)

I was born in Ohio, attended West Point from 1851-56 and received a commission as second lieutenant in the 9th U.S. Infantry. After serving in Washington Territory at Fort Bellingham and Camp Pickett, San Juan Island, I was promoted to first lieutenant in 1861 and returned to the East to command Union forces in the Civil War. From 1862-63, I served with the Army of the Potomac and in 1864 became Chief of Staff for Major General Philip H. Sheridan.

I continued on Sheridan's staff after the war and served as acting inspector general in the Military Division of the Gulf. I moved with Sheridan when the latter became commander of the Department of the Missouri in 1866. I served first as the department's secretary and then as an inspector, with an appointment in the cavalry. I took part in military campaigns against the Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa

Indians in 1868-69. I went to Europe in 1870 as an official observer of the Franco-Prussian War.

During the late 1870’s, I spent much of my time inspecting Indian agencies and reporting on the relations with Indians on and off reservations in the military department of the Missouri, roughly Montana and the Dakotas. I commanded cavalry units in the 1878 Bannock campaign, and in succeeding years, spent most of my time inspecting cavalry units throughout the West.

In 1885 I was in command of Fort Maginnis, Montana, where the army was monitoring the Crow, Cree, and the Gros Ventres (Atsina) Indians. I was promoted to colonel in 1886 and placed in command of the 7th Cavalry stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. In December 1890, I led my troops to the Pine Ridge Agency in South Dakota. Sioux Indians had left the agency and many were involved in the Ghost Dance religion. On December 29, in the midst of mounting tension, my attempt to disarm the Indians turned into a fight, later known as the Wounded Knee massacre. On the following day, I again engaged the Indians at Drexel Mission. My actions were investigated at General Miles's instigation, and although I was cleared of any wrongdoing.

I was commissioned brigadier general in December 1894 and appointed commander of the Department of California. I served in this position until my promotion to Major General in May 1897 when I retired from the military. On retirement, I moved back to my native Ohio. I died in Columbus on October 24, 1906.

Frederick Forsyth

I was born in August 1938 in Ashford, Kent, England, and was educated at Tonbridge school, and later Granada University, Spain. I started work as one of the youngest pilots in the RAF at the age of 19, serving from 1956 to 1958. For the next three and a half

years I worked as a reporter for the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk, before becoming a correspondent for Reuters in 1961, first in Paris, at the age of twenty-three, and then in East Germany and Czechoslovakia, locations which provided me with information for my first books. Returning to London in 1965, I worked as a radio and

television reporter for the BBC. As assistant diplomatic correspondent, I covered the Biafran side of the Biafra-Nigeria war from July to September 1967, and this provided me with knowledge of international politics, and the world of mercenary soldiers. In 1968 I left the BBC to return to Biafra, and reported on the war, first as a freelance and later for the Daily Express and Time magazine.

In 1970, after nine years of an intense journalistic career, I decided to write a book using the research methods I had learned while a reporter. My first book, The Day of the Jackal, became an instant success, and spawned a career of many successful books.

I speak fluent French, German and Spanish, and have traveled widely in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and my experiences can be seen in the authenticity of my books.

Bill Forsyth

I was born in Whiteinch, Glasgow, 1946, the son of a plumber. I left school at 16 and entered the film industry by chance, answering an ad in the Evening Citizen and becoming an assistant to Stanley Russell of Thames and Clyde Film. I spent three

months at the National Film and Television School before quitting to go back to film production. With fellow Scot Charles Gormley, I started Tree Films, a small feature film and documentary production company. In 1977, I began working with the Glasgow Youth Theatre, and wrote the script for "Gregory's Girl" with the Youth Theatre members in mind. When I couldn't

find funding for that project, I wrote "That Sinking Feeling", another showcase for the young actors, but with a much smaller budget. The success of that film in 1979 enabled me to get "Gregory's Girl" off the ground. I received the British Academy Award for Best

Screenplay for that film. In 1983, I received an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow.

William Forsythe

I am a native of Brooklyn, New York, and began my acting career in the fifth grade when I was coerced to appear in the title role of the play “Julius Caesar” by my teacher -- a Savarian brother. “He had something on me and threatened to go to my parents, and I had no choice; it was the bard for me.” I soon began to excel in school plays and local community theater where I was known to sing a song or two in several musicals, including “Oklahoma,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Godspell” and “Bells Are Ringing.” After graduating early from high school, I headed for Manhattan, studied acting and took roles in a variety of plays while sleeping on friends’ couches -- and even on dark theater stages. “I lived out of a bag and never had a dime. I loved that time in my life because all I wanted to be was an artist, an actor. I lived and breathed my craft every day and still do.” Among the many other plays in my professional career are “The Matchmaker,” “1776,” “Grease,” “Vox Humana,” “Hair,” “A Hatful of Rain” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.” I arrived in Hollywood in the late 1970s where I continued to work on stage while supporting myself working various odd jobs, including dishwasher, singing busboy, singing waiter, bartender, alarm salesman and doorman. My first of 70 feature films came in 1980 with “King of the Mountain,” starring Harry Hamlin and Dennis Hopper. Soon after, I was noticed by director Sergio Leone, who cast me as Cockeye in his epic film “Once Upon a Time in America,” starring Robert De Niro. “It was my dream come true since I was off to work in Rome with one of the great directors in a movie starring Robert De Niro.” Hollywood then took notice and I began amassing many noteworthy film credits. Some of my most noteworthy films include “The Lightship,” “Raising Arizona,” “Patty Hearst,” “Dead Bang,” “Out for Justice,” “Dick Tracy,” “Stone Cold,” “The Rock,” “The Waterdance” (earning me an Independent Spirit Award nomination), “Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo” and the upcoming “City by the Sea.” My television movie credits include “Gotti,” “Dollar for the Dead” and “The Long Hot

Summer,” and I also co-starred in the miniseries “Blind Faith.” I have guest-starred on numerous series, including “Hill Street Blues,” “CHiPs,” “T.J. Hooker” and “Fame.” My only previous credit as a series regular came in the TV version of “The Untouchables,” where I played infamous gangster Al Capone.

In addition to my thespian talents, I am a writer and hope to direct one of my scripts for the big screen. My hobbies and interests include history, traveling, painting, reading, football, boxing, swimming, boating and the “great outdoors” in general. My birthday is June 7.

Thomas Forsyth I was born in Kelso Scotland in 1813. I was a great self-educated engineer. My family emigrated from Scotland to eastern Canada. I later married Isabella Donald, who was a child when she came on the same boat with me from Scotland. My wife and I lived in Canada until we moved to the United States, and eventually ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah. My wife bore me seven children. She and my last child died in 1851, and are buried in the cemetery in Salt Lake. I later married a widow, Mary Browett. With my family, and at the invitation of the LDS church authorities, I moved to Pine

Valley in Southern Utah. In 1865 to 1885, I engaged in the lumber business, where, under the primitive circumstances of the times, and with little more than oxen and horse power, I took a sawmill up what is now known as Forsyth Canyon, to a meadow about 9000 feet high, and cut lumber and had it hauled down the canyon to help build the pioneer

homes including many buildings in what is now the city of St. George, Utah. Transporting a sawmill up the canyon was considered an impossible feat because it was so narrow, and had so many rocks, trees and stumps; however, I was known as a person who did the difficult things right now, and the impossible things a little later. A large slab pile at the mill site is still in existence. When the lumber was all gone, I moved to the other side of the mountains to a town called Toquerille, and lived there with my second family until I died in 1898. Under the direction of my great-grandson, LeGrand Forsyth, an active member of Clan Forsyth Society of the USA, a monument was established and dedicated to me in the presence of many of my descendents. Those in attendance at the dedication will include Dale Sandusky, President of Clan Forsyth Society of the USA, and our Clan Chief’s acting representative for the United States of America. A monument that is consistent with the US Forest Service signs will be constructed and placed on the parking lot that leads to the head of Forsyth Canyon. A Reunion of my descendents will be held on Forest Service properties in Forsyth Canyon.

John Forsythe

My portrayal of Blake Carrington, the ruthless Denver oil magnate in Dynasty, won me critical acclaim as well as numerous Emmy nominations, and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Dramatic Television Series. I have a distinguished list of credits from virtually every sector of the entertainment industry and my career continues to flourish

after five decades. I remain only one of a few actors who have been a part of three extremely successful, long-running television series--Bachelor Father, Norman Lear’s The Powers That Be, and Charlie’s Angels. I began my career as a sports announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers, segued into radio acting and, later, moved on to become one of the original members of the prestigious Actors Studio. Broadway appearances in Vickie and Yankee Point

led to a motion picture contract with Warner Bros. and my Hollywood debut with Cary Grant in Destination Tokyo. After serving in the US Army Corps during World War II, I

acted in many of the early live television shows, including Studio One and Philco Playhouse, and went on to starring roles on Broadway in Mr. Roberts and Teahouse of the August Moon. I also starred in numerous television movies, series, and specials, and in such feature films as And Justice For All, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble With Harry. Currently, I am narrating various documentaries, Arnold Palmer: Golf’s Heart and Soul among them, and supply numerous character voices for a variety of animated children’s projects for television series and videos.

Gerald Forsythe

I have become one of the most influential entrepreneurs in open-wheel racing, bringing my business acumen to a wide array of ventures, which include team ownership, track development and race promotion. I am the co-owner of Player’s/Forsythe Racing and Forsythe-Zakspeed, as well as a member of CART’s board of directors. I am also director and limited partner of the British American Racing Formula One team. In recent years, I have added track construction to my resume with my involvement in the creation of the Yuba County Motorplex in California and Rockingham Motor Speedway in England. In 2001, I have taken on yet another role, namely as co-promoter with Pat Patrick of the season-opening race to be held in Mexico. Outside of racing, I serve as a Chairman and CEO of the Indeck Group of Companies. The Indeck companies are industry leaders in the design, construction, and operation of state-of-the-art power facilities. Indeck is the world’s largest supplier of rental boilers, and also is a leading owner and operator of cogeneration and independent power plants. I first fielded a Champ Car for rookie Teo Fabi in 1983. The team won four races and six poles, including the pole at the Indianapolis 500, and placed second in the championship. In 1986, I sold the team to focus on expanding my Wheeling, Illinois-based Indeck Group of Companies. I returned to motorsports in 1993, joining forces with Player’s and co-owner Barry Green to run in the Player’s/Toyota Atlantic Championship with drivers Claude Bourbonnais and Jacques Villeneuve. Besides Villeneuve, who moved on to the CART series with Forsythe-Green in 1994, other notable Forsythe drivers have included Scott Brayton, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser Jr. at the early stages of their careers. Player’s/Forsythe Racing was established in the fall of 1994 and is based in Indianapolis. In its first year of operation, it took top honors in the PPG-Firestone Indy Lights Championship winning 10 of 12 races.

Thomas H. W. Forsythe I was recruited in New Orleans to fight for Texas independence. You know that Captain John Hubbard Forsyth was third in command at the Alamo when it fell to the Mexican army commanded by General Santa Anna. I missed that fateful fight; however, during the September preceding the Battle of the Alamo, I participated in the Battle of Bexar in which the Texans recaptured San Antonio and the Alamo. I received a land grant as a result of his service. I lived briefly in Sabine County, and then in Angelina County where I married Syrena White, the daughter of Martin D. and Sarah Dollarhide White. Syrena and I settled permanently at Alabama Creek in eastern Trinity County where I served as a Hard Shell Baptist minister. Both Syrena and I died in an epidemic about 1865. My son, William Earl Forsythe, served in the Confederate Army in Hood's Texas Brigade and fought in the Virginia Theater. He participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. After the War William Earl married Rachel Richardson, the daughter of David Felder Richardson, whose family had fled the Civil War chaos of Southwest Missouri. David also served as a minister in Trinity County but died a young man only a decade after the war, some speculate from wounds he received in the Civil War.

Major Robert Forsyth

I was the father of John Forsyth, a Georgia governor and congressman. I was a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and later a major in the Virginia state militia. I moved to Richmond County in 1785, and almost immediately, I became a prominent fixture on the area's political scene, serving as a city commissioner, tax assessor and justice of the peace before President Washington submitted my name in 1789 to the U.S. Senate for the position of marshal of the District of Georgia. An article in the Jan. 18, 1794, edition of The Augusta Chronicle And Gazette Of The State detailed the circumstances of my murder. Surrounded by a number of witnesses, I attempted to serve court papers in a civil suit on Beverly Allen and his brother William. When I prepared to enter the room where Beverly Allen was staying, he reportedly was warned, ``if he came further, (or words to that effect) he would blow his brains out.'' The article continued, ``Allen, . . . at the same instant discharged a pistol through the opening of the door and verified his fatal threat, by killing the marshal on the spot.'' History will remember me as the first U.S. marshal slain in the line of duty on Jan. 11, 1794.

John Forsyth (1780-1841)

I was considered the most accomplished Georgia politician of the early 1800’s and one of the most able men in the young United States.

I was born in 1780 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I was the second son of Maj. Robert Forsyth, then the deputy commissary general of purchases for the Revolutionary Southern Army. I was 13 when my father, who was appointed the first U.S. marshal of the District of Georgia, was shot and killed while serving a warrant.

I went to school at Springer Academy in Wilkes County, Ga., a school of choice for Augusta boys. I studied the classics under the gigantic John Springer, a Presbyterian minister reputed to weigh more than 400 pounds. Among my classmates was William Harris Crawford, a future U.S. senator and secretary of the treasury under President James Monroe. Later, while I attended Princeton University, tragedy again struck my family. My only brother, Robert, a law student in Savannah, died. Shortly after my graduation from Princeton, I returned to Augusta to practice law with attorney John Y. Noel. I was admitted to the state bar in 1802 and six years later, after a stellar legal career, I was elected attorney general by the state Legislature. I was married in 1802 to Clara Meigs, the oldest daughter of Josiah Meigs, first president of Franklin College in Athens, which became the University of Georgia. We had six girls and two boys. When I returned home to Augusta, Georgia, in 1821 a diplomat who had just completed difficult negotiations for the acquisition of Florida from Spain, I received a hero's welcome. The Augusta Chronicle praised me, and city and state leaders sponsored a testimonial dinner at the old Planter's Hotel. At the time, I was one of the most respected men in Georgia. Not only was I known for my quick mind and superb debating skills, I also was considered handsome, genteel and polite.

Townspeople were obviously proud of me, a man whose career had risen from Georgia attorney general (1808) to the U.S. House of Representatives (1813-1818). I continued my achievements by being named U.S. minister to Spain and finishing the Florida Treaty.

My hometown, however, did not seem to have a hold on me. Even though I was elected Georgia governor in 1827, I returned to Washington after one term to serve in the Senate. My wife also seemed unhappy in what was then a rural and isolated region. Her letters to friends in the North are filled with complaints and tribulations. When South Carolina nullified the federal tariff in 1832 and asked Georgia to follow, it was me who persuaded fellow Georgia legislators not to support its neighbor.

As a leading nationalist in the 1820’s, it was natural that I became an ally of Andrew Jackson after he was elected president in 1828. Jackson rewarded me in 1834 with his top Cabinet post, secretary of state, a position I held for six years, through the end of Jackson's term and that of Martin Van Buren, who followed him. I did not retire to Augusta. Months after leaving office, I was considering another Senate bid when I died from a fever at my Washington home Oct. 21, 1841. I was buried in the congressional cemetery. Upon my death, a Washington newspaper reported: “He possessed qualities which placed him above the level of the mass of mankind.” In Georgia, an old foe wrote: “The mental qualities of this gentleman justly merit ... the

highest praise that can be awarded.” Forsyth County, Georgia, was created on December 3, 1832 by a legislative act. Forsyth County was named in my honor.

Footnote: In the fall of 1837, John W. Hancock established a post office at the mouth of Swan Creek in the Ozarks in Taney County, Missouri, and named it for an old friend, the Honorable John Forsyth of Georgia. In 1845, when the Missouri Legislature passed an act that prohibited the transaction of county business at places other than the duly approved seat of justice, Forsyth, Missouri became the permanent seat of justice for Taney County.

John Forsyth (1780-1841)

I was considered the most accomplished Georgia politician of the early 1800’s and one of the most able men in the young United States.

I was born in 1780 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I was the second son of Maj. Robert Forsyth, then the deputy commissary general of purchases for the Revolutionary Southern Army. I was 13 when my father, who was appointed the first U.S. marshal of the District of Georgia, was shot and killed while serving a warrant.

I went to school at Springer Academy in Wilkes County, Ga., a school of choice for Augusta boys. I studied the classics under the gigantic John Springer, a Presbyterian minister reputed to weigh more than 400 pounds. Among my classmates was William Harris Crawford, a future U.S. senator and secretary of the treasury under President James Monroe. Later, while I attended Princeton University, tragedy again struck my family. My only brother, Robert, a law student in Savannah, died. Shortly after my graduation from Princeton, I returned to Augusta to practice law with attorney John Y. Noel. I was

admitted to the state bar in 1802 and six years later, after a stellar legal career, I was elected attorney general by the state Legislature. I was married in 1802 to Clara Meigs, the oldest daughter of Josiah Meigs, first president of Franklin College in Athens, which became the University of Georgia. We had six girls and two boys. When I returned home to Augusta, Georgia, in 1821 a diplomat who had just completed difficult negotiations for the acquisition of Florida from Spain, I received a hero's welcome. The Augusta Chronicle praised me, and city and state leaders sponsored a testimonial dinner at the old Planter's Hotel. At the time, I was one of the most respected men in Georgia. Not only was I known for my quick mind and superb debating skills, I also was considered handsome, genteel and polite. Townspeople were obviously proud of me, a man whose career had risen from that of Augusta lawyer to Georgia attorney general (1808) to the U.S. House of Representatives (1813-1818). I continued my achievements by being named U.S. minister to Spain and finishing the Florida Treaty. My hometown, however, did not seem to have a hold on me. Even though I was elected Georgia governor in 1827, I returned to Washington after one term to serve in the Senate. My wife also seemed unhappy in what was then a rural and isolated region. Her letters to friends in the North are filled with complaints and tribulations. When South Carolina nullified the federal tariff in 1832 and asked Georgia to follow, it was me who persuaded fellow Georgia legislators not to support its neighbor. As a leading nationalist in the 1820s, it was natural that I became an ally of Andrew Jackson after he was elected president in 1828. Jackson rewarded me in 1834 with his top Cabinet post, secretary of state, a position I held for six years, through the end of Jackson's term and that of Martin Van Buren, who followed him. I did not retire to Augusta. Months after leaving office, I was considering another Senate bid when I died from a fever at my Washington home Oct. 21, 1841. I was buried in the congressional cemetery. Upon my death, a Washington newspaper reported: “He possessed qualities which placed him above the level of the mass of mankind.” In Georgia, an old foe wrote: “The mental qualities of this gentleman justly merit ... the highest praise that can be awarded.”

Forsyth County, Georgia, was created on December 3, 1832 by a legislative act. Forsyth County was named in my honor. Footnote: In the fall of 1837, John W. Hancock established a post office at the mouth of Swan Creek in the Ozarks in Taney County, Missouri, and named it for an old friend, the Honorable John Forsyth of Georgia. In 1845, when the Missouri Legislature passed an act that prohibited the transaction of county business at places other than the duly approved seat of justice, Forsyth, Missouri became the permanent seat of justice for Taney County.

Captain Benjamin Forsyth

At the beginning of the War of 1812, a company of U.S. riflemen, known as Forsyth’s Rifle Regiment, under my command was stationed in Ogdensburg, New York. Never a man to remain idle long, I decided to initiate action on my own. I had been advised by Dearborn not to commence hostilities because of his exposed position and

the possibility of British retaliation. But early in February of 1813, I learned that a part of the enemy had crossed the St. Lawrence River onto American territory, captured a few Americans, and carried them back to Elizabethtown (now Brockville), Upper Canada. There the prisoners languished in the local jail and allegedly were treated "with

severity". It was rumored that some of them would be executed by the authority of British court martial for desertion. I decided to attempt their rescue with my riflemen. "In consequence of this intrusion of the enemy on our soil, on the 6th Inst. about 10 P.M., I left this place with a part of my rifle company and a party of volunteers for the purpose of retaking the prisoners and chastising the insolent enemy," I wrote. Covered by darkness, my party of 200 set out on the 28 mile round trip through ice, snow and bitter cold. Reaching Elizabethtown about 3 a.m., my force surrounded and attacked the jail, demanded and were given the keys. A shot from a nearby window wounded one of my men. Otherwise, no resistance was offered. The opposition was so completely surprised that they did not have time to resist. I freed every prisoner except those accused of murder. Several prominent Canadians were also taken hostage and brought back to Ogdensburgh. The rescued prisoners and citizens numbered 53, among whom were one major, three captains, three lieutenants and one surgeon's mate. My party also brought off 134 muskets that had been captured by the British at Detroit, twenty rifles, two casks of fixed ammunition and some other public stores. As Dearborn had warned, British retaliation for my raid was not long in coming and was indeed directed at Ogdensburgh. Major "Red" George Macdonnell of the Glengarry Light Infantry chose to strike directly at me "for his late wonted aggressive on this frontier" at Elizabethtown. On the morning of February 22, 480 British and Canadian troops crossed the frozen St. Lawrence from Prescott to Ogdensburgh. In little more than an hour, eleven field pieces

and all the American ordnance, marine, commissariat and quartermaster general's stores were taken. The British captured four officers and 70 prisoners, mostly militia. In addition, they burned two armed schooners, the Niagara and Dolphin, as well as two large gunboats and the barracks. I was bolder in attack than defense, and had retreated precipitately from the scene. My rifle company made good its retreat from Ogdensburgh to Sackett's Harbour and increased that garrison's strength.

Master Gunnery Sergeant/Sergeant Major Daniel Lee Forsythe

I was a native of Hagerstown, Maryland. I enlisted in the Marine Corps August 23, 1960, Serial Number 1921003, and completed boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, Platoon #181. I was initially stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where I was involved in supply support operations for the Cuban missile blockade. I was transferred to Okinawa, Japan in 1963 and assigned to the 3rd Force Service Regiment (FSR). After returning from Okinawa, I served as the Supply Chief, B Company, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion from 1965 - 1967, including a tour in Viet Nam. I returned to the United States in February 1967 and was assigned to 5th FSR. I returned to Okinawa, Japan in 1969 and served as the Pacific Dive Master (In charge of SCUBA Operations) for four years. I was transferred to Barstow, California in 1973 and acted as the Base-purchasing agent for Special Services. I reported back to Okinawa, Japan in 1976 where I served as the Pacific Dive Master. In 1977, I reported to Twentynine Palms, California and was the supply chief for the First Field Artillery Group.

In February 1979, I became a member of the Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol Team. I became a distinguished shooter in 1979 at the Interservice Rifle Marches. During my tour, I was a firing member of the record setting Infantry Trophy Match in 1981, and I won the 1000-yard National Individual match in 1982.

In 1985, my team won the Critchfield-Herrick Trophy which is a six man team match fired at 1000 yards with the service rifle. In 1986, my team won the Marine Corps Development and Education Commanders ten-man Interservice Team Championship and the Critchfield-Herrick 1000-yard team match. In 1987, I won the National "Dogs of War Trophy" and the Crtichfield-Herrick Trophy. In 1988, my team winnings included the Rumanian Team Match (service rifle shooting against magnum scope rifles with scopes at 1000 yards), and again the Critchfield-Herrick Trophy. I am the only coach in Marine Corps History and the National Rifle Association to win four Critchfield-Herrick Trophies in four consecutive years. I was assigned to First Force Service Support Group in February 1987. I brought pride to the Groups shooting team by winning National Rifle Association Championship Matches at local and state and regional levels.

As a result of my shooting experience, I was personally involved in the design, development and testing of the brass deflector, three round burst mechanism and the adjustable rear sights for the M16A2 service rifle which all the armed services are using today. My decorations include: Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Unit Citation, Cross of Gallantry, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. At my retirement, I was presented with the Navy Commendation Medal. I retired from the Marine Corps March 31, 1989. At the Marine Corps Rifle Range in Hawaii there is a Trophy named after me, it is called the 'Forsythe Memorial Trophy'. (A record was set in the Pacific Regional Rifle Marches by me and my team from Camp Pendleton, California. The record is still standing today eighteen years later). The personal at the range decided to name a trophy in my honor. In 1991, I had a chance to shoot in the World Championships which were held in

Memphis, Tennessee. I showed up with a service rifle that I built (M1A). I was placed on the first relay, (the top three score on each relay would have a shoot off for the gold, silver, and bronze metals). I placed third on the first

relay. While I was waiting for the other relays to finish, I discovered that the World Record holder was there, along with three individuals that were Olympians. The shoot off began, and when the smoke cleared, and the scores turned in, I found out that I placed second, missing the gold by one point. The Olympian that won the gold metal told me that he may have won the gold medal, but I won the match because I was shooting a service rifle, and he was shooting match Olympic bolt guns.

Victor Clyde Forsythe (1885-1962)

I entered the comic strip world prior to World War I. My most successful feature was the long-running Joe Jinks, which dealt successively with automobiles, aviation, and boxing. I drew a number of other strips, and for a time, shared a studio with Norman Rockwell.

I was born in Southern California in 1885. Writing, drawing, and sports were among my early interests, and I combined all three when I got a job doing sports cartooning and reporting for a local paper. In the second decade of the century, I headed for New York City to work for The World. Among my earliest creations were a daily gag strip about boxing titled The Great White

Dope and a Sunday Western titled Tenderfoot Tim. Briefly in 1916 and 1917, I did a daily called Flicker Films. This kidded the movies in weeklong continuities, and was laid out in the two-tier format later used by Ed Wheelan on Minute Movies. Joe’s Car started in 1918, and was a daily humor strip dealing with Joe Jinks, his domestic life and his obsession with the increasingly popular automobile. Joe was a typical cartoon everyman vain, petty, argumentative, sentimental, and possessed the

required prominent nose and wispy moustache. In the 1920’s, Joe took up flying, and then met a boxing champ by the name of Dynamite Dunn and became his manager. In 1928, a Sunday page was added and the feature’s name was changed to Joe Jinks. In the daily, I concentrated on the gritty world of professional boxing while the Sunday page was a day of rest, covering Joe’s home life and his problems.

In 1933, I left Joe Jinks, when United Features syndicated it. The following year, I signed with King Features and initially began a cowboy strip called Way Out West. I then switched to a domestic feature, The Little Woman, while keeping my Western alive as a Sunday topper. Neither of these efforts was successful. I returned to Joe Jinks, drawing

it daily on Sunday from May 1937 into 1938. In 1938, I soon quit comics for good, and returned to Southern California, settling in San Marino. I devoted most of my remaining time to painting. Years earlier, while living in New Rochelle, New York, I had met Norman Rockwell. The younger, still struggling Rockwell became a close friend and turned to me frequently for advice. He mentions me in his autobiographical writings, saying, "Vic was about the only person I knew who would give me any real criticism." For a time, Norman Rockwell and I shared a studio that had once belonged to Western painter Frederic Remington.

Sir Bruce Forsyth O.B.E.*

I was a London-born entertainer whose 40+ year career has been rooted in traditional

variety since the age of 14, when I appeared on playbills as Boy Bruce, the Mighty Atom. In 1958, I was asked to join one of ITV's early hits, Sunday Night At The London Palladium, which made me into a national celebrity. I am still best remembered for hosting the Generation Game on the BBC during the 1970s, where my talent for interacting with the public shone

through. I also appeared in numerous film and stage roles. Since the 1980’s, I have presented numerous popular game shows, such as Play Your Cards Right (two incarnations), the Generation Game (again) and The Price Is Right. My catchphrases are so well-known that some of them appear in the famous Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. I can play the accordion, ukulele and banjo. I was born into a working-class, Salvation Army family in Edmonton, North London, where my father ran a garage and played the cornet. My mother and father encouraged my love for entertainment from the age of nine, I was dedicated even then and have continued to be so. At age 14, I left the family business behind and set off to become an entertainer. I am a natural, I can sing and dance, my timing as a comic is perfect and I have the classic mime artist’s face. Years of playing to live audiences taught me how to get them eating out of my hand. I never took a joke too far and never alienated my audience. They loved me.

After years of traveling up and down the country working seven days a week doing summer seasons and pantomimes, I was just about ready to pack it all in, but I was spotted on TV with comedian Dickie Henderson. A two-week booking on Sunday Night At The London Palladium followed. It was my big chance - the biggest job in light entertainment. My future career depended on its success. I was offered 36 more shows and by the end of 1958, and I was one of the biggest stars on TV. In 1971, I was offered The Generation Game. It was the first people show where the

public got to perform on prime time Saturday night television. The popularity increased and by the second series the viewing figures were at 21 million. The Generation Game became the linchpin of Saturday night television. I and my co-presenter, Anthea Redfern, who I later married, were a major part of the popular culture of the Seventies.

I am the recipient of numerous awards, the most recent being Life Achievement recognition by both The Royal Television Society and The British Comedy Awards, Top TV Entertainer of the last 75 years by readers of the Radio Times, and the O.B.E for services to show business. *The O.B.E. is the Order of the British Empire, and was created in 1917, during the First World War, by George V, as an award of honor that could be more widely awarded to people in the British Isles and other parts of the Empire who were helping the war effort both as combatants and as civilians on the home front.

John Forsyth (1780-1841)

I was a slaveholder from Georgia who served as Secretary of State in the Van Buren Administration at the time of the Amistad Affair. I had served as secretary of state

under two presidents and as the nation's minister to Spain by the time that I took the lead in coordinating the Van Buren administration's response to the Amistad case. Born in Virginia, I grew up in Georgia and returned to that state to study law after graduating from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). I soon embarked on a political

career that included service as attorney general and governor of Georgia and several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. I was a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson, particularly during the Nullification crisis, and Jackson named me secretary of state in 1834. I continued in that office until the end of the Van Buren administration in 1841. In Van Buren's absence, I led the first cabinet deliberations on the Amistad affair, and I subsequently directed both the diplomatic and legal strategy of the administration. As Secretary of State, I was most concerned with avoiding a diplomatic crisis with Spain, and I quickly decided that the United States was obliged by the treaty of 1795 to return Spanish property. My strong pro-slavery views and my prior experience as minister to Spain from 1819-1823 affected my decision to support Spain's demands for return of the Amistad captives to Cuba based on Pinckney's Treaty of 1795. My position

remained unchanged despite my private acknowledgment that the captives were not legal slaves, but rather Africans. I was in regular communication with the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, William S. Holabird, and instructed him to file the claim for the return of the ship, its cargo, and the enslaved Africans to Spanish authorities, with no deductions for salvage awards. Even before Van Buren made any decision on the Spanish request, I ordered Holabird to "take care that no proceeding of your circuit court, or of any other judicial tribunal, places the vessel, cargo, or slaves beyond the control of the Federal Executive." In anticipation of a court order to return the Mende to Spanish authorities in Cuba, I informed Holabird that the president had authorized sending a naval ship to New Haven in order to carry the captives away as long as no one appealed the decision, and I requested that Holabird prepare copies of the court proceedings so that they could be sent to the courts in Cuba. When Judge Andrew Judson ruled against the Spanish claim, I conveyed Van Buren's request that Holabird appeal the decision, both as it related to the return of the Mende to Africa and the grant of salvage to the Navy crew. My communications with the U.S. attorney reflected not only the diplomatic implications of the Amistad affair but also the broader duties of early Secretaries of State, who served as a kind of home secretary as well as the principal officer for foreign affairs. The Secretary of State played an important role in screening judicial nominees, and judges and officials in the federal courts often contacted the State Department with requests for copies of the United States statutes or special expenditures. For example, Holabird turned to me in November 1839 when he wanted to draw funds from the marshal's account in order to hire an assistant counsel. My handling of the Amistad Affair was severely criticized by John Quincy Adams in his arguments before the Supreme Court. Adams attacked my "extreme zeal" in complying with Spanish wishes, even when he knew that doing so would have almost certainly resulted in the executions in Cuba of the Africans. Adams argued that I was guilty of misstatements and deception in my interpretation of the Spanish claims as a treaty obligation to return slaves, rather than as a demand that the captives be returned for trials and executions in Cuba. I was a person of fairly modest means, and my slave holdings were limited to three household servants.

More Forsyth(e)s

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Clan Forsyth Society of the USA

Forsyth Notes is a publication of Clan Forsyth Society of the USA. If you are not a member of Clan Forsyth Society, we invite you to join us, and enjoy the full benefits of membership in your extended Forsyth family. If you are not a member of Clan Forsyth Society, and would like to join Clan Forsyth Society of the USA, go to http://alt.xmission.com/~forsyth/application.html and complete your membership application. A gift membership to Clan Forsyth makes

a great gift for your child or grandchild. Acquaint your family with their illustrious Forsyth heritage. The cost is small – the rewards are great. We welcome our Forsyth cousins to Clan Forsyth Society of the USA.

Be sure to visit our official Clan Forsyth Society of the USA web site at http://alt.xmission.com/~forsyth for the latest information on Clan Forsyth Society of the USA activities. You can visit Clan Forsyth – Rocky Mountain Region web site at http://www.clanforsyth.org, Clan Forsyth updates, and back issues of Forsyth Notes. If you have a Clan Forsyth or Scottish oriented web site, send your URL to jim@clanforsyth.org, and we will share your site with other Forsyths.

Closing

Review prior issues of Forsyth Notes at http://www.clanforsyth.org, and click on “Forsyth Notes” in the left navigation frame. You will find all 199 issues. Best wishes to you and yours, Jim Forsythe Clan Forsyth Society of the USA James H. Forsythe Rocky Mountain Regional Director New Mexico State Representative New Mexico Address: 11 Lobelia Lane Sandia Park, New Mexico 87047 Tennessee Address: 1938 Edwards Mill Road Germantown, Tennessee 38139 NM Phone: (505) 281-9259 TN Phone: (901) 267-5628 Cell Phone: (901) 494-5436

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