Word challenge: CLOWDER--Does "clowder" refer to soup? cats? rainfall amounts? (see answer at end of blog)
One of the most frustrating parts of research is to discover that sources do not agree on basic information. A recent example on which I spent quite a bit of time was the correct spelling of the name of a merchant schooner. Most reliable sources from the past had the name as Anna Elizabeth; then in more recent materials, I began to find it spelled Hanna Elizabeth. Obviously, just looking in books was not going to tell me what is correct. Fortunately, I have a friend who is somewhat of an expert on naval history, and he was able to clarify that the more recent spelling is the correct one.
Today's Martin De Leon tidbit: The wild Texas mustangs on which De Leon made a fortune were descendants of the horses brought to the New World by Spanish conquistadores in the 1500s and 1600s.
"Clowder" is a collective name for a group of cats.
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