Re: Sinclair Genealogist

["John S. Quarterman" <jsq@mids.org>]

Hi-

Welcome to the list, Niven.

>Pete Cummings was our genealogist but, alas, is now dead.  Brad Sinclair
>Barker, our new President for the United States, has appointed Laurel Fechner
>as the new genealogist and I know that Brad and Laurel will welcome your
>undoubted skills and knowledge in undertaking this daunting, if absorbing,
>task.

Laurel seems like a good choice to me; I've been working with her 
some time on the web pages.

>With regards to articles about distinguished Sinclairs, I intend to do
>a series on this subject (time permitting) and have already sent our
>Editor, Sindy Barker, a piece on General Sir John St Clair who played
>an important role in the French and Indian Wars in the 'American
>Colonies'.  We have a whole string of Admirals and Generals we can
>write about and you may be interested to know that both Field Marshall
>Viscount Alexander of Tunis and Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery of
>Alamein (who were the outstanding British Generals in the last war) had
>Sinclair blood in their veins.

That's good news.  If someone else is doing the work of writing up the
text, putting it it in web pages becomes much easier.  I would still
prefer that someone else handle those particular web pages, since I'm
reaching my limit for the amount of work I can do on web pages, but if
nobody else volunteers, I will handle what you send until someone does.

>Similarily, there were two Sinclairs in Churchill's war-time Cabinet.
>Sir Archibald Sinclair* who had the key post as the "Minister for Air"
>and Dr Hugh Macdonald Sinclair who advised Churchill on the nation's
>diet which was almost of equal importance.  Hugh, who I knew,
>eventually set up the International Nutrition Foundation (now being run
>by Reading University as Hugh joined his ancestors some ten years ago)
>and Sir Archibald (who was a close friend of John H. Sinclair, the
>grandfather of Donald Henderson Sinclair of California and a relation
>of the Reverend John Henderson Sinclair of Minnesota) who became the
>1st Viscount Thurso.  Both men came from the Ulbster Branch of the
>Sinclair family - a Branch which has produced more than its fair share
>of distinguished men plus a few eccentrics who added a bit of color to
>life.  One notable Ulbster Sinclair was Sir John Sinclair who founded
>the Department of Agriculture under William Pitt, the Younger.  He was
>a friend of Washington with whom he carried on a voluminous
>correspondence which I have in book form in my library.

>I will stop now before you begin to think that I've already embarked
>upon another article.  There is just so much fascinating material that
>it is difficult to know where to begin or, in the case of this e-mail,
>where to stp.

If you can think of that many interesting relatives off the top of your head,
we all have a real treat in store as you gear up to write these pieces.
I'm looking forward to it.

>Regards.

Once again, welcome to the list.

>Niven

John Sinclair Quarterman <jsq@mids.org>, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/
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