...and of course I'm late... but I was just going to contribute something that you have probably already done, Logwood: with confusing, all-over-the-place text like this, I'd go to some trustworthy source (read encyclopaedia, biography, whatever), and check up on the facts of TR's father's life. That way you know at least what the text is trying to communicate and then you can work around the ambiguities and dreadful syntax...


Do let us know how the results go!