Odd family memories.

[saxikath]

I was talking with my mom tonight about her stepfather -- a man I really wish I'd had the chance to know. (He died before I was two years old.) He had an extraordinary life -- born in Ireland to a Spanish mother and Irish father, came to the US as a child, lied about his age to serve in WWI, spent time "adventurously" in Mexico (Mom doesn't know details, but said he came back with scars on his right arm and had to switch to using his left hand), studied at the Colorado School of Mines, eventually wound up in Indiana.

I have several research projects related to him now, but one of them is going to be tough. According to Mom, he used to tell stories (he was quite the storyteller by all accounts) involving a character named, phonetically, "Bolliver Gagnus." I have no idea if this is an Irish figure, or a mangling of "Bolivar," or what. My Google-fu is thus far inadequate to this task, if there's anything out there. (Mom doesn't think he invented the name, though it's possible.)

Anyone have a clue?

Comments

[pernishus.livejournal.com]

More data would be helpful. What sort of stories? Set where? etc. I found one German reference to an Oliver Gagnus. And depending on the amount of time you want to spend, there is a fair amount of information on the Gagnus family at www.ancestry.com. Nobody named Bolliver, or Bolivar that I could find, though. Other first name possibilities strike is as perhaps "Gulliver" or "Tolliver".

[saxikath]

My mom thinks he was a leprechaun or similar figure. I suspect he may have made the name up, but I'm curious to see if I'm wrong.

[42itous.livejournal.com]

Geneal says, "'Bolliver' sounds like 'Tolliver,' which actually is spelled 'Taliaferro,' fwiw. Cf. Chumley."

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe Bolivia?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivia

Steve