I heard the Ripley item about the mysterious Mexican president Comonfort again and got puzzled again. The Ripley audio is unclear, and the announcer didn’t always handle foreign words well. Google filled in the proper name after I typed ‘Mexican president Ignacio C’.
Comonfort couldn’t be Spanish. Was it from the native tribes, or a misheard French phrase? Comme un fort, like a strong man? The latter would be a useful backfilled etymology for a military and political leader.
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Ignacio was born in 1812 in Puebla de los Ángeles, in the state of Puebla, New Spain (colonial Mexico). His father was of Irish descent; his lineage traced back to Callan, County Kilkenny, from where Comonfort’s grandfather, Joseph Comerford, immigrated to Mexico (the surname would be later changed to “Comonfort”).
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Polistra's Mill 