Tim Stowell pondered: >Upon returning home, I found out that General US Grant's horse had >been named Cinncinnatus. This got me to wondering what that name means >and if the town or horse got its name from one or the other? Since the >name is very close to that of Cinncinnati, I was also wondering if they >come from the same root word. > >Does anyone have info on what the signifigance of this name is regarding >history, its definition or what it was named for? Tim: Firtst, I hope you had a good trip. Last time I was up north I spent a day running necessary erands and got nothing accomplished and saw no one. So much to do so little time! Cincinnatus gets its name from the classical hero of the same name. You will find classical names all across central new York in the area that was the New Military Tract, i.e. Onondaga, Corland, Cayuga Counties ... Homer, Virgil, Pompey, Marcellus, Fabius, ... and several others that are no longer used. Cincinnatus was a Roman citizen. When Rome was threatened by invading barbarians, he was called upon to save the city. Although a wealthy Roman landowner, Cincinattus liked to farm his own land. When the heralds asked him to command the legions, he put aside his pitchfork, hurried to Rome, and took command of the army as the Dictator. He led the Roman army against a barbarian horde about to attack Rome itself. After several days' worth of fighting, Cincinattus returned to Rome triumphant. On the very day that he returned, he resigned his command and went back to his farm and picked up his pitchfork again, foregoing power, glory and fame. It was a grand name to have in the early days of the US, or as that period of 1780s to 1825 is called, the "New Republic" Such heroic names were used in many facets of society, and good old Cincinnatus lent his name (or had it taken) to be used in many places and for many functions which evoked the image of the heroic warrior and noble citizen. You recall the Order of the Cincinnati, which was a brotherhood of Revolutionary War officers who felt that they followed the footsteps if Cincinnatus and after fighting valiantly in the war returned to their place in society and carried on, many of them as gentlement farmers. George Washington of course was the presindent, and it was open to nearly all high ranking officers. Ben Franklin had no use for it for he felt that the membership was to be hereditary in the line of eldest sons, like titles of nobility. He believed that an organization whose members would be selected according to birth rather than merit was unwise. Dan W.

At 10:23 PM 4/1/01 -0400, Daniel H. Weiskotten wrote: >Tim Stowell pondered: >>Upon returning home, I found out that General US Grant's horse had >>been named Cinncinnatus. This got me to wondering what that name means >>and if the town or horse got its name from one or the other? Since the >>name is very close to that of Cinncinnati, I was also wondering if they >>come from the same root word. >> >>Does anyone have info on what the signifigance of this name is regarding >>history, its definition or what it was named for? >Tim: > Firtst, I hope you had a good trip. Last time I was up north I spent a >day running necessary erands and got nothing accomplished and saw no one. >So much to do so little time! > Cincinnatus gets its name from the classical hero of the same name. You >will find classical names all across central new York in the area that was >the New Military Tract, i.e. Onondaga, Corland, Cayuga Counties ... Homer, >Virgil, Pompey, Marcellus, Fabius, ... and several others that are no >longer used. First of all - thanks to everyone who has passed along the info on Mr. Cincinnatus, gentleman farmer and stand-in dictator. Ya gotta wonder how they picked him to be the general. Did they see him chasing his livestock around with that pitchfork and figure he'd do ok with the rabble invaders? :) Secondly Dan, imagine my surprise when I wandered into the library in Cazenovia to ask your whereabouts - hoping to see you, only to find you live in one of the Virginias! But then this belief caught up with me for the Cortland County host - Vicki - finding out that she like myself lives in the Deep South! Go figure! Tim