> Does anyone have info on what the significance of this name [Cincinnatus] is > regarding history, it sdefinition or what it was named for? Tim, Cincinnatus was the name of a 5th-century-BC resident of Rome, a retired nobleman, who, according to legend, left his plow standing in the field in order to respond to a call to defend Rome against an enemy at the gates. The towns in New York and Ohio, Grant's horse, and all other modern uses of the name refer back to this classical original. In the days when ancient Greek and Roman models were better known than they are today, George Washington was often referred to as a Cincinnatus -- an aristocrat who had withdrawn (more or less) from public life to his rural estate, but who returned to leadership at the call of his country. Many of the towns in this part of New York were similarly named for classical people or events. Marathon, for instance, is named for a battle at the town of Marathon, near Athens, the site of a Persian invasion of Greece in the 5th century BC. After the Greeks had repulsed the Persians in the battle of Marathon, a messenger (according to the legend) ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory, then dropped dead from the strain. Our modern marathon race is based on the length of the run that messenger made from Marathon to Athens. To make this vaguely genealogical: I am researching the family of James JONES/Sarah LEACH, who lived in Texas Valley, Marathon, Cortland County, in the early 19th century. Any other Jones family members out there? Ardis Parshall AEParshall@aol.com