Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2015 June 12

= June 12 =

Counties without popular vote, US presidential election, 1856
File:PresidentialCounty1856.gif has two separate colors highlighting counties where there was no popular vote in the 1856 presidential election. Most of them I understand: territory residents couldn't vote for president, of course; South Carolina didn't choose its electors by popular vote; and most of the other counties are frontier regions like northern Michigan, southern Florida, and western Texas, where having any election would be difficult. But what's going on with places like Crittenden County, Arkansas or Greene County, Mississippi or Union County, Tennessee? None were in frontier regions or had other obvious explanations. Nyttend (talk) 02:25, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

Writer with initial Y
Is there a writer with a first name with initial Y and no last name or one with initial S? 117.205.218.186 (talk) 11:46, 12 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Sappho and Saki for the latter (sort of) ... none with a Y immediately sprang to mind. Tough one for Scattergories. ---Sluzzelin talk  13:56, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * I couldn't spot any in our article Mononymous person (only Yui who is not a writer). Our List of one-word stage names features plenty of mononyms starting with the letter Y, but none are "writers" (though there are plenty of songwriters, and Yanni co-wrote his autobiography :-). ---Sluzzelin talk  14:02, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Oh, or do you mean or a last name with initial S? In that case, I'll throw in Yeardley Smith - she has written books that got published, including fiction. Sorry if I misunderstood the question. ---Sluzzelin talk  14:14, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Yes, that's pretty much what I meant. Are there any notable writers at all with first name initial Y? Perhaps in other languages? There are plenty of first names starting with Y in Japanese, but I couldn't find a writer belonging to one... Thanks anyway. 117.205.212.217 (talk) 05:04, 13 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Yvonne Whittal, Yvette Rosser, Yasmina Reza, Yehuda Halevi, Yitzhak Laor, Yvan Delporte, Yannis Psycharis, various writers named Yves, Yann Queffélec, Yann Martel ... and now I even found Yiannis Skarimpas which would be a Y.S. (sort of, actually a Γ. Σ., and accordingly more often transliterated Giannis). ---Sluzzelin talk  06:23, 13 June 2015 (UTC)

The Vanderbilts
Was the Vanderbilts related to King Henri III of France 1551-1589 ? Vickie beard — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.89.234.75 (talk) 14:34, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * They were Dutch immigrants so highly unlikely.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 14:42, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

While touring the mansion a few weeks ago, I saw a picture hanging in a hallway that looked like King Henri III. The tour lady did not know who it was. I would like to know. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.89.234.75 (talk) 14:49, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * It depends what you mean by "related". On a broad level, almost certainly: almost everyone of European descent is descended from Charlemagne.  On a close level (i.e. descended from Henri himself), I have no idea, so you should depend on Jeanne Boleyn.  Bear in mind that wealthy art collectors may obtain portraits because they look nice or because they're valuable, regardless of their relationship to the person in the portrait.  Nyttend (talk) 15:12, 12 June 2015 (UTC)


 * It's more likely that any painting from that era was acquired by the Vanderbilts as a status symbol. One of the 20th century Vanderbilts married a prince of Liechtenstein, who would be a relative of Henri III, but my educated guess is that that's not the source of the picture. AlexTiefling (talk) 15:05, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

Gerry Adams's family origins
Would anyone here happen to know if Gerry Adams' family originated in Belfast's Varna Street in the Falls Ward? Thanks.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 14:42, 12 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I think you'd need a good biography of Adams to confirm that. It's possible, though. According to the Belfast Street Directories online at Lennon Wylie there's a David Adams living at 12 Varna Street from 1910 to 1943. Here's David and his family in the 1911 Irish census. In 1951 and 1960 the same house is occupied by a Francis Adams. There's also a Thomas Adams living at 8 Varna Street from 1924 to 1960. I haven't found anything connecting any of them to Gerry Adams, but something to look for perhaps? --Nicknack009 (talk) 17:30, 12 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your help. It was the 1911 census that sparked my curiousity having found David Adams. I located his maternal great-grandfather in the same census.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 17:56, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

King Henri III of France 1551-1589
I am searching for facts and or pictures of personal items belonging to King Henri III of France 1551-1589. Such as his sword, or hat, or hunting horn, or something of this nature. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.89.234.75 (talk) 14:54, 12 June 2015 (UTC)


 * See the Commons category Category:Henry III of Poland and France and subcategories. Paul B (talk) 16:29, 12 June 2015 (UTC)