The Companion to the Fiery Cross, a Breath of Snow and Ashes, an Echo in the Bone, and Written in My Own Heart's Blood

by Diana Gabaldon

  Abernathy, Mrs.; Young Grannie—Daughter-in-law of long-lived Old Grannie, the Abernathy clan matriarch, and mother of Arabella. Young Grannie is in her seventies and lives with other members of the Abernathy clan. [Ashes]

  Abernathy, Old Grannie—Family matriarch of the Abernathy clan on Fraser’s Ridge; she confides to Claire that she was actually born a Fraser. Almost one hundred years old, her family’s longevity lets her live with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law. [Ashes]

  Abram—A member of Jamie’s militia and part of a three-man hunting party searching for game before the Battle of Alamance. [Fiery Cross]

  Absolute, Lieutenant—A literary reference and professional nod to author C. C. Humphreys and his own literary character “Jack Absolute” (himself a reference to a character of the same name in Sheridan’s play The Rivals), an eighteenth-century British soldier; also in attendance at the Battle of Bemis Heights during the Saratoga Campaign. [Echo]

  x Accompong, Captain—The head of the maroons on Jamaica, he helps keep the peace between settlers and the escaped/freed blacks. [PZ]

  Adams, Bernard Donald—First Secretary of the Ministry of Ordnance and a secret Irish Jacobite and cousin to the Twelvetrees brothers; an investigation by Lord John proves him to be the Irish Jacobite who killed Gerard Grey, Lord John’s father, when he discovered the identity of key Jacobite members in London society. He confesses to the murder of Gerard Grey (first Duke of Pardloe) and is hanged for the crime. [BL, CA, SP]

  Adams, Billy, Private—Young soldier at Battle of Monmouth. Claire treats his wounded arm. [MOBY]

  x Adams, John—(1735–1826) Patriot statesman, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and VP under the first U.S. president, George Washington; elected as the second U.S. president and noted for the abundance of letters and documents pertaining to the formation of the first American government. [Fiery Cross, Ashes, Echo]

  Adams, Private—Lord John’s military orderly, he assists Lord John with military business, as well as caring for his uniforms and personal needs—that is, until Tom Byrd appears. [PM]

  x Adams, Samuel—(1722–1803) Radical patriot, political agitator, master propagandist, and signer of the Declaration of Independence; he was the founder of the Committee of Safety and reported to be in danger of arrest on the night of Paul Revere’s famous ride. [Ashes, Echo, MOBY]

  Adso—Claire’s beloved gray cat, given to her by Jamie, who found the wild kitten (“cheetie”) on their trek to Fraser’s Ridge after the Gathering at Mount Helicon and the aborted double wedding. [All]

  Agnes-Maria—A young Prussian schoolgirl who, at Tom Byrd’s urging, enlists Lord John to help her with a school assignment by providing her with a narrative on his travels in Scotland, a place far from Prussia. [BL]

  Agrippa—Roger’s horse, named for the first-century Roman statesman and general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (63 B.C.–12 B.C.), who was a close confidant and military strategist for Roman emperor Octavian. [Ashes]

  Ahkote’ohskennonton—See “Sun Elk.”

  Alderdyce, Mrs.—A friend of Jocasta Cameron’s and the widowed mother of Judge Alderdyce, she’s eager to see her son wed to Brianna, in hopes of obtaining a grandchild. [Fiery Cross]

  Alexander—Stephan von Namtzen’s young son. [BB]

  Alfred—The pet bulldog belonging to Lord John’s cousin Olivia; his undershot-jaw makes him resemble Captain Jones from the Royal Armory. [HS]

  Alice—A young Cross Creek prostitute who is abused by her client and then offered to a pub’s common room for sport; Jamie wins the girl in a game of cards and mercifully returns her to Cross Creek’s most popular brothel, run by Mrs. Sylvie. [Ashes]

  x Allen, Ethan—(1738–1789) Colonel for Continental forces, led Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys to capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. Claire describes his exploits and consequent disgrace in a letter to Brianna. [Echo]

  Almerding, Viscount—Owner of a game preserve near Earlingden and a friend of Benjamin Grey, who often hunted there with his cousin William Ransom. [MOBY]

  Amandine, Baron—Percy Wainwright/Beauchamp’s brother-in-law and one of Trois Flèches. [Echo]

  Anderson, Corporal—Soldier who helps William on the quay during the evacuation of Philadelphia. [MOBY]

  Anderson, Mr.—One of the Teal’s displaced crewmen, now with the Continental army and Jamie’s unofficial corporal during the evacuation of Ticonderoga. [Echo]

  x André, John—(1750–1780) British officer hanged by Continentals in collusion with American General Benedict Arnold, for espionage to surrender the American fortification known as West Point to the British army. Claire meets him at the Mischianza ball in Philadelphia in May of 1778, and he later brings William a note for Banastre Tarleton, just prior to the Battle of Monmouth in June. [Echo, MOBY]

  Andrews—A footman at Argus House, the London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Pardloe. [SP]

  Andrews, Private—An infantryman in one of Lord John’s companies. He loses his hat marching to battle, but Lord John deftly spears it with his sword and drops the hat onto Andrews’s head, to the cheers of his companions. [BL]

  Angelica—Newborn baby of Jenny and Ian Murray’s eldest daughter, Maggie. [Fiery Cross]

  Angelina (slave)—One of Jocasta Cameron-Innes’s slaves at River Run; Claire gives her orders for supplies when she is required to treat Jocasta’s painful eye condition during the party held for Flora MacDonald. [Ashes]

  Angie—Possibly a member of clan Campbell, she is the young apprentice (helot) to the builder hired by Brianna to renovate and make repairs to Lallybroch, the Fraser homestead purchased by Roger and Brianna upon their return to the twentieth century. [Ashes]

  Angus Mhor—Colum MacKenzie’s body servant, bodyguard, and general factotum of justice at Leoch, and the one Jamie took a beating from in front of the entire clan to save a very young Laoghaire MacKenzie from punishment for wantonness, thus impressing Claire with his bravery, as well. N.B.: “Mhor” is not a last name but rather a Gaelic adjective. [Echo]

  Anna—The English name of one of the Cherokee women Claire and Jamie meet upon visiting the village of the nearest Cherokee leader, Tsatsa’wi, while hunting for the white bear. [Fiery Cross]

  Annabelle—The Frasers’ new jenny mule and companion to Clarence. [MOBY]

  Annie and Senga—Housemaids in Brian Fraser’s home, Lallybroch. [MOBY]

  Annie and Tab—Two servants from Cheapside working in Mayrhofer’s house; both are aware of their employer’s fetish for being totally shaven. [PM]

  Anstruther, David—The sheriff of Orange County (North Carolina) and one of the men detaining Father Donahue at the Gathering on Mount Helicon, effectively preventing the priest from performing the marriage ceremony of Jocasta Cameron and Duncan Innes. [Fiery Cross]

  Anthony, Lady—One of Benedicta Grey’s close friends in attendance at her wedding. Lord John discreetly attempts to get Lady Anthony’s attention by throwing a small candy at her back, but it hits her husband instead. [BL]

  Anthony, Paul, Sir—Husband to Lady Anthony, Benedicta’s close friend, he becomes the unfortunate victim of Lord John’s candy missiles, tossed from the church balcony to garner attention—and help—for Olivia’s plight. [BL]

  Appledore—A bosun’s mate onboard the Sunrise, he was part of the secret theft of the stolen copper and kidnapped Gormley from the Royal Arsenal when he came too close to discovering the truth. [HS]

  Arabella—See “Jane Pocock.”

  Arbuthnot, Victor—An astronomer friend of the Duke of Pardloe; the duke suspects him to be one of a group of secret London Jacobite sympathizers. [BL, CA]

  x Archie Bell and the Drells—Twentieth-century R&B musical group (1960s) whose hit song “Tighten Up,” which supplies the phrase describing the movement of the Bell women. [Echo]

  Armstrong, Bertram—Lord John’s alias when disguised in the militia. [MOBY]

  Armstrong, Nicodemus Patricius Marcus; Uncle Nick—A great-uncle of Lord John’s, one of his m
other’s relatives, and a Jacobite supporter, as well as a heavy investor in the South Sea Bubble prior to its collapse in 1719. [BL]

  x Arnold, Benedict, Colonel—(1741–1801) Later promoted to major general and a victor at Ticonderoga; became disgruntled with the Continental army and, with Major André’s help, attempted to surrender West Point, the fort under his command, to the British. Claire meets him at Saratoga and forms a friendship with him, despite her knowledge of his eventual treason. They meet again when Arnold becomes military governor of Philadelphia in June of 1778 and he offers Claire a ride to Bartram’s Garden. [Echo, MOBY]

  Arthur—The footman for Hal, the Duke of Pardloe. [Echo]

  x Ashe, John, Colonel—(1720–1781) A member of both the Committee for Correspondence and Committee of Safety, as well as a leader of the Sons of Liberty, he instigated the burning of Fort Johnson after North Carolina governor Josiah Martin fled, forcing Martin to direct the Loyalists from aboard his ship, the Cruizer. [Fiery Cross, Ashes, Echo]

  Asher, Viscount—See “Henry Grey.”

  x Atterbury, Francis—(1663–1732) The Bishop of Rochester, he was banished for attempting to exploit the already disgruntled public feelings regarding the South Sea collapse, by staging an invasion by James Stuart (the Old Pretender) and dethroning the king. Since he was a close friend of Gerard Grey (the first Duke of Pardloe), Pardloe was deemed guilty by association of also being a Jacobite. [BL]

  Augustus—One of the horses in the stable of Lord Dunsany at Helwater. [SP]

  Auld John—See “John Murray.”

  Aunt Burton—Relative with whom the Bell women live in New Bern. [Echo]

  Auntie Darla—The abusive Scottish aunt of Malva and Allan Christie; after forcing them to watch their mother being hanged as a witch, she performed her Christian duty and kept the children while their father, Tom Christie, was imprisoned at Ardsmuir after Culloden. [Ashes]

  Auntie Gertrud—One of the names mentioned by matchmaker Ute McGillivray and family as a possible wife for Joseph Wemyss. [Ashes]

  x Avery, Waightstill—(1741–1821) Opposed to the Regulator movement because of what he perceived as a mob mentality, Avery was nonetheless a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence for North Carolina in 1775. An extract from his deposition regarding the behavior of Regulators who arrested him is quoted. [Fiery Cross]

  Azeel—A young slave girl employed in the Jamaican governor’s house and in love with Rodrigo. She is abused by the governor and flees, paying a witch doctor to curse the governor for his crimes against her. [PZ]

  B

  Babette—A former mistress of Michael Murray’s close friend Charles Pépin. [SB]

  Bacon, Eglantine and Pansy—A pair of young girls at the Gathering on Mount Helicon who present Claire with an overly large and garishly embellished mobcap, made by their grandmother, Grannie Bacon, to cover Claire’s hair. [Fiery Cross]

  Bacon, Grannie—An elderly resident from Edenton who deems it unseemly and amoral for a woman of Claire’s age to not only have her head uncovered but to wear her hair loose about her shoulders; to repay Claire for medical treatment, she sends Claire a cap that is obviously several sizes too large. [Fiery Cross]

  Bacon, Polly—Grannie Bacon’s daughter-in-law and mother to Eglantine and Pansy; she gives Claire the first supply of dauco seeds—an Indian remedy for preventing pregnancy—which Polly has possibly used with success. [Fiery Cross]

  Bad Sweat—The name applied to an Indian agent who visited Ian’s Mohawk village of Snaketown. He was a fearful man who reeked of body odor and fear and expected to be killed by the Mohawk at any moment; Ian was required to act as translator but preferred to think himself Mohawk rather than acknowledge any kinship with the white Indian agent. [Ashes]

  Bailey, Emmanuel—A Jewish banker living in Philadelphia, also the owner of three ships, including the Asp, with regular runs to the West Indies; he obtained the letter of marque from Congress for Captain Hickman. [Echo]

  x Balcarres, Sixth Earl of—See “Alexander Lindsey.”

  x Baldwin, Jeduthan—(1732–1788) Engineer who constructed fortifications for Boston Siege, New York City, and Ticonderoga. [Echo]

  x Baldwin, Nathan—(unknown) Town clerk for the city of Worcester, he was one of many clerks who copied General J. Palmer’s missive, later known as the “Lexington Alarm,” for distribution to militia companies throughout the colonies by order of Colonel Ashe. [Ashes]

  Bampton-Howard, Colonel—A British leader present near Crefeld; his men beat Ruysdale’s men in a game of bowls, or skittles. [SU]

  Banquo—One of the characters in Shakespeare’s “Scottish play,” Macbeth, and the secret name given to George Longstreet by other conspirators involved in the Jacobite plot to kill King George and set James Stuart in his place. [BL]

  Baragwanath, Colenso—A Cornish stable-boy employed in Lord John Grey’s home in Philadelphia during the wake of the British defeat at Saratoga. He becomes William’s groom and accompanies him to the Battle of Monmouth, where he forms a friendship with Jane and Fanny [Echo, MOBY]

  Barlow, Robert—A heavyset merchant opposed to the Regulators. As a guest at Jocasta Cameron’s wedding, he gets in a physical altercation with old Ninian Hamilton and several other guests, until Major MacDonald and Hermon Husband bring a peaceful end to the conflict. [Fiery Cross]

  x Baron de Tollendal—See “Thomas Lally.”

  x Bartram, John—(1699–1777) Founder of Bartram’s Garden, outside Philadelphia; known as the father of American botany. Bartram’s Garden was the site of Jamie and Claire’s reunion following his escape from Philadelphia with Lord John Grey. [MOBY]

  Bartram, Sissy—Daughter of John Bartram. [MOBY]

  Bartram, Young Mr.—Son of John Bartram. [MOBY]

  Bates, Ezekial, General—Father of the traitorous Michael Bates, and close friend of General Stanley, who was stepfather to Hal and John Grey and Percy Wainwright. [BL]

  Bates, Michael, Captain—Son of esteemed General Ezekial Bates; General Stanley’s chief aide-de-camp for a time; was secretly obtaining military information and selling it to the French through his connections with Private Otway and Mr. Ffoulkes. Hanged on a false charge of sodomy. [BL]

  Batty—A sneaky-tempered cat at Magda’s brothel, Batty is very likely to bite in return for affection. [PM]

  Baudry, the Widow—A woman from Brownsville with whom Wendigo Donner stays after arriving with Hodgepile and company. [Ashes]

  x Baum, Friedrich, Lieutenant Colonel—(1727–1777) Commander of approximately six hundred “Hessian” dragoons serving under General Riedesel; was defeated at the Battle of Bennington by the larger and battle-proven forces of John Stark. Had Baum’s request for enforcements been expedited by Colonel Breymann (who didn’t like Baum, so marched slowly to assist him), the outcome might have been different. [Echo]

  Bear Cub—Indian name Glutton gives to William after he is injured in the Great Dismal Swamp. A fitting name, since the Cherokee gave Jamie the Indian name “Bear Killer.” [Echo]

  Beardsley, Aaron—Owner of a trading post deep within the Treaty Line, he bought identical twin boys, Keziah and Josiah, as bond servants to cover the passage for the rest of their family, who died on the journey to America. Abusive to his servants, Beardsley was also possibly a murderer who killed several wives; he suffered a debilitating stroke before he could murder his fifth wife, Fanny, who left him to die a slow death while she tortured him. Jamie found him and helped give him a swift death instead of allowing him to linger painfully as his vengeful—and insane—wife had intended. [Fiery Cross, Ashes]

  Beardsley, Alicia—See “Alicia Beardsley Brown.”

  Beardsley, Frances; Fanny—The widow and fifth wife of Mr. Beardsley, she has apparently lived a life of isolation and abuse and is mentally unstable, her only friends being the goats in her care. After being discovered in horrible conditions by Jamie and Claire, she travels with the Frasers toward Brownsville, to live where there are other people; during the nigh
t, she quietly delivers a mixed-blood child, then disappears, abandoning the child to Jamie and Claire. [Fiery Cross]

  Beardsley, Josiah; Jo—Though Jo is a wayward youth, Jamie picks him as a tenant for Fraser’s Ridge. Because he is under sixteen, he can’t be conscripted into the militia, which leaves one more male figure on the Ridge to help the women who are staying behind, and he is a capable hunter. In exchange for Jo joining Fraser’s Ridge, Jamie offers to have Claire remove the youth’s badly infected tonsils and adenoids. He will be joined later by his identical-twin brother, Keziah, both of whom become Lizzie Wemyss’s husbands. [All]

  Beardsley, Keziah; Kezzie—One of a pair of identical twins whom Jamie takes in as a resident for the Ridge, Keziah is exempt from the militia call-up, leaving another able-bodied male on the Ridge to hunt and provide food and protection for the women and to help with chores in the men’s absence. Later, Keziah and his brother, Josiah, become partners in a bigamous marriage with Lizzie Wemyss. [All]

  Beardsley, Lizzie Wemyss—See “Lizzie Wemyss.”

  Beardsley, Mary Ann—The fourth dead wife of Mr. Beardsley. Her ghostly apparition appears periodically to Fanny Beardsley, warning the lonely, abused woman that she’ll be the fifth wife buried in the woods if she doesn’t get away. [Fiery Cross]

  Beardsley, Rodney—The first child of Lizzie Wemyss Beardsley and one of the Beardsley-twin husbands. [Ashes, Echo, MOBY]

  Beardsley Brown, Alicia (aka Alicia Beardsley)—The nameless child Fanny Beardsley delivers on the journey to Brownsville, then abandons to the Frasers’ care. Jamie notices a small bluish discoloration above the newborn’s buttocks, which Claire calls a “Mongol spot,” indicating that the child is of mixed blood—part African, or “mulatto”—and therefore cannot be the child of Fanny Beardsley’s recently deceased husband. Richard Brown and his family agree to adopt the infant and name her Alicia; the girl is the sole heir to not only her dead (legal) father’s farm but also to the considerable trade goods stored there. [Fiery Cross, Ashes, MOBY]