Just another bit to throw into the discussion: I remember reading, and seeing photos of stone heads of bearded men, in South America (do not remember the specific country, but it was on the Atlantic side).

As the Indians did not have beards, the article made the surmise that they were the result of (possibly) a visit by St. Brendan. There are, of course, a great many things we do not know. People did get around a lot, even back then.

How bout a name in my family, Turrentine? They came to the US in the early 19th century, from Ireland, go figure.