Talk:Springer Hoax
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A source from Sweden by a Springer descendant through his mother's side (Lady Beate Salinus): http://www.sahlinska.se is listed under Baltsar Salinus in pdf, but it may not be of use as it is in Swedish. The article is by Olle Sahlin. The actual genealogy used by the hoaxers can be found online. Sahlin's article lists the good articles in English (eg by Baldwin Maull) which establish Springer's actual, as opposed to fantastical, descent. The Swedish Colonial Genealogical Society has verified this information, which includes a letter from Springer to his mother shortly before her death in 1693 giving the facts of his kidnapping in London, which still sits in the Swedish Royal Archives. Not on the hoaxers themselves (your point), nonetheless Sahlin's piece gives documentation from Prussian, Polish, and Swedish Court archives to Springer's actual origins--the hoax made him a "German" noble, not a Swedish one. In fact, as Sahlin and other sources make clear, his parents were senior Swedish Court officials, whose offspring were members of the nobility (in some cases), and that his father was the overseer of the Court accounts, and his mother was a "husfru", honorary lady of the bedchamber to Dowager Queen Hedwig Eleanora; his grandfather Baltsar Salinus was Queen Christiana's court surgeon, Hovkirurgen. Thus, the article on the hoax is a bit wide of the mark when it suggests that the Swedish noble connection was part of the substance of the hoax. In fact, everything before Christopher Springer's grandfather Dr. Casparus Salinus and his wife Appolonia, who emigrated to Sweden in 1613 from Ducal Prussia (he was in service to various princes as a lawyer) is a complete fabrication; the Swedish Court connection is entirely accurate. The Sahlins (as his mother's family came to be known) were very prominent in Swedish history. Bacres Bacres (talk) 04:45, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Sources
I am having difficulty finding reliable sources for this article. Though numerous amateur genealogists have postings which allude to newspaper articles and books. Unfortunately, though their work seems to be authentic, the researchers are clearly not reliable sources in their own right and their citations are often vague or incomplete. To track some of these down, I am adding them here on the talk page until they are located and verified for the article.
1) "William F O’Dell published his family tree in 1981 Through Gateway Press Inc. Of Baltimore." [1]
2) "Also in the book” Crane Hook on the Delaware” by Jeannette Eckman Copyright 1986, she writes a very similar description on page 137. You can get this book from the Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church Foundation, Inc. The Hendrickson House, 606 Church St. Wilmington, De. 19801 or go to the Hendrickson House at Hendrickson house" [2]
3) "according to the Chicago Herald Examiner, dated 10 May 1923. “ A king’s ransom pales before the claims of the Springer Heirs, Incorporated. Kings’ crowns and jewels, heirlooms from 420 A>D>, land and money in Stockholm, Sweden, and an item of some $ 500,000,000 in Wilmington, De., are the riches that the 2,000 Springer Heirs hope to divide among themselves.” A sub headline reads:” Decendants Hold Convention Here Prepartory to Filling Action in Wimington. Del. " [3]
4) "Another newspaper article says Mrs. Mary Springer McMahin of Cedar Rapids, IA. Was the Mary O Springer who ran an add in the Chicago papers scouting out heirs." [4]
5) "Still another newspaper article proclaims that five members of the Springer Heirs Inc. were residents of Los Angeles, and engaged Attorney James H Mitchell ... “Mr. Mitchell said he heard that the city of Wilmington recently made an offer to the Springers Heirs Inc., to settle the suit out of court for $ 5000,000,000. There are more than 2000 known Springer heirs, and through their attorneys they have decided to contest the suit”" [5]
6) "Mr. M. C. Springer wrote a book on the Springer family. The original book was published in 1870’s.... Scribner published an undated version of the book in 1917 that supposedly corrected errors." [6]
Mdbrownmsw 14:13, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
More potential sources:
7) "“RAMBLIN ROUND ‘When “Springer Heirs” Claimed untold Millions” by Joe Martin in Philadelphia newspaper." [7]
8) "Feb 1,1909, a statement was prepared and published by the then mayor of Wilmington, Horace Wilson" [8]
9) "article by Judge William G Whitely, which appeared in the Delaware Gazette, a Wilmington newspaper (which afterwards was incorporated with the Every Evening one of the components of the Journal Every Evening) of Jan 3, 1884" [9]
10) "In last Sunday’s Philadelphia and New York papers there appeared a history fo one of these expectant millionaires. Also his victims it is said to the tune of $6,000.00"[10]
Mdbrownmsw 14:19, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
More possible sources:
11) "“THE AMERICAN GENRALOGIST” date 1941" [11]
12) "“THE SPRINGER GENEALOGY:A CRITICAL REVIEW” by Milton Rubincam, Esq of Washington D.C." [12]
Mdbrownmsw 14:36, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
Found on amazon, may be worthless: 13) Clerk of the Interstate and International Springer Heirs Association: Incorporated 1913 by Elbridge L Scribner
Mdbrownmsw 15:01, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
