Who's that Ancestor?

The Man
The genuine Thorfinn was the son of Torf Einar and succeeded his father as the Viking Earl of Orkney around the year 947, although it appears that he shared the earldom with his brothers Arnkel and Erlend. It has to be said that not a great deal is known about him. It is known that he married Grelaug or Grelod the daughter of a Dungladr or Dungaldus who it appears was a subordinate 'earl' of Caithness at the time.
According to the Orkneyinga Saga, Gunnhildr the wife of Eirikr Bloodaxe fled back to the safety of the Orkneys after the death of her husband at the battle of Stainmore in 954. (In which battle incidentally both of Thorfinn's brothers Arnkel and Erlend were also killed.)
Gunnhildr and her sons appear to have then taken over the government of Orkney. (Presumably by grant of the king of Norway, as the earldom of Orkney was subject to Norway at the time.) As one of Gunnhildr's daughters named Ragnhild was then married to Thorfinn's son and eventual successor Arnfinn, there does not appear to have been to much animosity generated by this switch.
Gunnhildr subsequently decided to leave Orkney and left for Denmark at which point Thorfinn resumed his reign. The Orkneyinga Saga then informs us that Thorfinn died peacefully in his bed and was buried at Hoxa in North Ronaldsay; probably around the year 977.
There is rather disappointingly no explanation of how Thorfinn came by the name 'Skullsplitter' and there are no surviving accounts, whether historical or legendary that ascribe any heroic or bloodthirsty deeds to our Thorfinn. Or indeed make any reference to the actual splitting of skulls.
Of course it is worth mentioning that the Vikings were not without a sense of humour in the nicknames that they bestowed upon people. There was, for example, a Thorfinn the Short who was actually noted for being very tall, and it is therefore within the bounds of possibility that Thorfinn 'Skullsplitter' was so named because he was a gentle old soul who wouldn't have hurt the proverbial fly.

The Isle of Orkney home of Orkney Brewery has won world wide acclaim for it's "Skullsplitter" Ale. The lable has an imagined likeness of Thornfinn Einarsson (Skullsplitter) on it.

Who's that Ancestor?

At the reunion, we'll have a fun QUIZ game about our ancestors. You'll want to check in on this site every week or so, to learn about a different ancestor. This year we're focusing on our ALEXANDER branch of the family. Here's your first Alexander ancestor story:

Reverend James Alexander:

James' brother Andrew along with his wife Mary Maxwell and their 9 children were about to escape Ireland and the persecution that their Puritan religion had brought down on them. Along with other Puritan families, they pooled their resources to charter a ship to take them to the wilds of the American Frontier. It is thought that Mary indentured her grandchildren to local Lords in order to acquire the needed funds for their share. The day before the departure she either paid off their indenture ship or kidnapped her grandchildren. The Congregation requested that Rev. James would travel from their home church in Scotland to see them off. He traveled over the Irish Sea to Baptise the children and pray for the blessing of their trip. Upon their anchoring away and departing, (in the late 1680's) James remained on his knees on the dock. As the family waived and shouted their goodbyes to him, they were horrified to witness English soldiers arrest him and take him to the garrison jail. Mary Maxwell, ordered her sons to turn the ship back in order to rescue him. Of course the company on board objected, but Mary stood firm. According to a family journal, "she stood wide and with her fists on her hips, she ordered her sons, in only a manner that a mother can command, and demanded that they return to rescue James." The ship returned in the night and the Alexander men rescued Rev. James from the English garrison jail. It is likely that English soldiers were injured. There was no choice but to bring the hapless Rev. James to America with them. He later returned to Sheppard his flock in Scotland, unafraid of the English persecution and the warrant for his arrest. He has a long marriage and church service and left no heirs.