Q: During the early 1960s, I visited the Vatican and bought a St. Christopher medal. I still wear the medal, even though Christopher has long since lost his saintly status. Why did the Catholic Church make this change?


H.F., Janesville, Wis.

A: Prior to 1969, Christopher was considered a martyr. Nothing is known about him, but there are several legends. Possibly the most famous: He was crossing a river and a child asked if Christopher would carry him to the other side. Christopher lifted the child to his shoulder and was astonished at how heavy the boy seemed. It is said the child was Christ, who carried the weight of the world's sins. Because he helped the child across the river, he became the patron of safe travel. During the early years in the Church, many became saints based on popular approval often based on legends. Examining names on the list of saints, the Church determined that Christopher was more myth than man, and he became a saint in exile.

Q: After the death of Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas, his wife wrote a book about her husband. What can you tell me about his wife? What is the name of the book? Is it still available?

C.V., Fruit Cove, Fla.

A: Born in London, England, Caitlin MacNamara (1913-1994) met Dylan Thomas in a London bar in 1936. Married in 1937, the couple had three children. After Dylan's death in 1953, she moved to Italy, where she remarried. She wrote the book "Leftover Life to Kill" in 1957. A review in Time magazine says the book "... will shock and infuriate some readers, make passionate partisans of others." You can find the book online.

Q: Many years ago, I studied the Civil War in college. There was a battle with the name "sailor" in it. It was not a naval engagement but a land battle with Robert E. Lee as head of the Confederate forces. I can't remember any other details. Can you help me?

F.A.L., Bennington, Vt.

A: I think you mean the Battle of Sayler's Creek. Retreating from Richmond, Va., Lee encountered Union Gen. Philip Sheridan, near Farmville, Va., on April 6, 1865. More than 7,700 Confederate soldiers were lost. Sayler's Creek was the last major battle of the war; Lee surrendered at Appomattox three days later. By the way, the original name for the land was Saylor, after a farmer. During the Civil War, the name was changed to Sayler. Some official records called it Sailor.

Q: I saw a piece of farm equipment with the name Laverda on the side. I'm familiar with names such as John Deere and, well, maybe that's it. (I'm a city gal.) Where is this company based?

G.L., Brooklyn, N.Y.

A: An Italian firm, Laverda has manufactured farm equipment for many years. After World War II, it also built an impressive line of motorcycles. The name comes from founder Pietro Laverda (1845-1930), who established the company in 1873 to make farming implements.

Q: My grandfather crusaded against smoking, and he used to read a short poem to people. It started "Tobacco is a filthy weed." Do you know the rest of the poem? I might add, his opposition to smoking worked, at least for me, because I never smoked.

T.E.R., Lake City, Iowa

A: "Tobacco is a filthy weed, That from the devil does proceed; It drains your purse, it burns your clothes, And it makes a chimney of your nose." Benjamin Waterhouse (1754-1846) wrote the ditty. A founding professor of Harvard Medical School, Waterhouse was the first American physician to vaccinate patients against smallpox.

Q: A Ponzi scheme is one in which early investors are paid from the investments of later investors. Who or what is Ponzi?

O.L., Pottsville, Pa.

A: Born in Italy, Charles Ponzi (1882-1949) came to the United States in 1903. Considered one of the greatest swindlers in American history, he bounced around from job to job and even served time in jail for check forging. In Boston, Mass., he set up the Old Colony Foreign Exchange Co. to carry out his financial plan. For some investors, the scheme made money; for Ponzi, it made millions. All was going well for Ponzi until the feds took a closer look at his activities, and he wound up in jail. After his release in 1934, he was deported back to Italy. He spent the last years of his life in poverty; he died in a charity hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Q: In the early 1970s, there was a TV series featuring Don Adams as a bumbling detective. I asked a few people who are knowledgeable about TV programming, and they all gave me that look and said "Get Smart." It wasn't that show, I'm sure. I think I'm sure.

T.S., Attalla, Ala.

A: After "Get Smart" ended its run in 1970, Don Adams teamed with Rupert Crosse as bumbling detectives in a short-lived series called "The Partners" (1971-1972). While the reviews of the show were favorable, it did not draw a large enough viewing audience. Going up against "All in the Family," the highest-rated show on TV, probably had something to do with it.

Q: I was watching an infomercial offering songs of the 1960s. "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley is part of the collection. How old is she? What does the "C" stand for?

G.L., Waco, Texas

A: Born Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson, Jeannie C. Riley entered the world in Anson, Texas, on Oct. 19, 1945. She was only a teenager when she married Mickey Riley. She had one giant hit — "Harper Valley PTA" — and a number of smaller C&W successes. She later became a born-again Christian and began recording religious music. In the 1990s, she suffered from severe depression. With the help of her family, friends and her religious conviction, she claims to be recovering and doing well.