Russell Swonger AKA Russell Four Eagles, Soaring Eagles Wellness

[WINative]

I just ran across this person when I was searching online. I have never heard of him before and there is no thread on him and Google did not come up with much, except apparently he has done "over 45,000 healings" on people who come to him from all over the world.
He has also written a book and had a movie proposed about him. It seems he came out of nowhere, and since being from Wisconsin also someone would have likely heard about him. As with most frauds he looks the part of a Non-indian, doesn't say anything correctly, but also has chosen Oneida as his destination tribe. Oneida traditional healers do not call themselves medicine men or women and if legitimate are associated with the longhouse. Which he does not claim, one of the pages says he's "Ojibwa, Menomonee, and Onida" none of which are spelled correctly. His generic name, and claims of healing scream fraud. I know there's some excellent researchers in here.
So Im sharing what I have found.


About the Author
Russell FourEagles is a spiritual/energy healer with over 40 years of experience. He has performed over 45,000 healings in Canada, Central and South America, Europe, Indonesia, Thailand and across the United States, and visitors come to his healing center from all over the world. Russell has lived in Wisconsin most of his life, except for a stint in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He finished his Medicine work apprenticeship under the tutelage of his Oneida Grandmother when he was 25 years old, but studied off and on until age 31. He began practicing the traditional medicine work in 1973 and due to demand, he opened Soaring Eagles Wellness Center in 1998. Russell has regularly sponsored seasonal healing conferences at the Soaring Eagles grounds, and has offered workshops on a number of Native American practices. He has also taught workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Menomonie on the traditional Oneida Healing and regularly speaks as a Native American Medicine Man and Holy Man at Native American gatherings and festivals across the country. Russell FourEagles is an oft sought-after source of wisdom on the authentic ways of the Original people locally, nationally, and worldwide. He openly shares this knowledge so that the old ways are not forgotten. Russell's Grandfather was captured living in the wilds of Canada and taken to the Couchiching Reserve in 1870, where he escaped and immigrated to the U.S. and settled near the Oneida Reservation, but not onto it. The medicine that Russell FourEagles's Grandmother taught him was therefore never broken and came directly down the lineage, since living off the reservation meant that none of his ancestors ever went to boarding school. His Grandmother learned from her grandmother and she learned from her grandmother back two hundred grandmothers.

https://www.facebook.com/russell.foureagles

http://soaringeagleswellness.com/

https://www.facebook.com/borntohealmovie/posts/1468365773399748

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Healer-Teachings-Oneida-Grandmother/dp/0835609278?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top

[Sparks]

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Healer-Teachings-Oneida-Grandmother/dp/0835609278

46 customer reviews, 45 of which rate the book at five stars; one gives four. Too good to be true?

Here are more reviews, at the publisher's site. Look who recommends the book:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-making-of-a-healer-russell-foureagles/1118762533

[WINative]

Looks like his real name is Russell Allen Swonger, born July 21, 1951 in Trego Wisconsin. Only saw he's been married three times in his public record search. It looks like he started using the last name FourEagles after 2012 since he has a facebook account under Swonger until then.

https://www.facebook.com/russell.swonger


Here's his mother's obituary:

Lauretta “Ret” Swonger, age 86, a resident of  Spooner in Casey Township, died on Friday, September 26, 2008 at the Spooner Health System.

Lauretta May Olson was born on March 16, 1922 in Milwaukee, WI to Alfred Anton and Evaline Cordetta (Lackershire) Olson.  She attended a rural country school in the Trego area and as a child moved to Casey Township in the Spooner area where she resided her entire life.  Lauretta was united in marriage on January 11, 1939 at Trego, WI, to Edward E. Swonger who died on April 3, 1986.  She loved doing crossword puzzles, watching game shows, singing and listening to music and quoting scriptures from the Bible.

Survivors include her children: Virginia Correll of Spooner, Ed (Kay) Swonger of Spooner, Russell (Shelly) Swonger of Spooner, Roy (Joyce Kapp) Swonger of New Richmond, Geraldine “Jerri” (Dale) Blanchette of Spooner, and Gerald “Jerry” (Donna Ritter) Swonger of Spooner; 14 grandchildren; 26 great grandchildren; 7 great great grandchildren; brothers, Anton (May) Olson of  Spooner, Phillip Richie of Indiana; and Eugene (Arlene) Richie of Grand Marsh, WI; sisters, Marion Engle of Colfax, WI and Grace Swonger of Shawano, WI; and many nieces and nephews.  In addition to her husband and her parents, she was preceded in death by son, Vernon; daughter, Helen; great grandsons, Christopher and James; granddaughter, Jessica; and one sister, Alice Swonger.

[Sparks]

He also published a book in 2012, parts of which can be read here:

https://www.amazon.com/After-Cleanse-Russell-Four-Eagles/dp/1450074480

[WINative]

His grandparents on his mothers side were Alfred Antone Olson and Evaline Cordetta Lackershire
On his fathers side they were Charles C. Swonger and Minerva O. Swaner or Swonger?

His great grandparents on his fathers side were Samuel W. Swonger and Mary E. Moyer
and George W. Swonger and Caroline Gall.

I bet if you have access to census records you will not find any of them listed as Native American and especially not of Oneida origins.

[Diana]

 I'll take a look tonight and post sometime tomorrow, I'm out of town right now so I wouldn't really be able to do amy research until tomorrow.

Diana

His grandparents on his mothers side were Alfred Antone Olson and Evaline Cordetta Lackershire
On his fathers side they were Charles C. Swonger and Minerva O. Swaner or Swonger?

His great grandparents on his fathers side were Samuel W. Swonger and Mary E. Moyer
and George W. Swonger and Caroline Gall.

I bet if you have access to census records you will not find any of them listed as Native American and especially not of Oneida origins.

[WINative]

Cool Diane, I did more research and saw that his grandmother Evaline Cordetta Lackershire born 1895 and died 1985 could be the only one he could be referring to as his "Oneida grandmother." Since the other died in 1964, and he says he was taught the medicine ways until about 1984 by his grandmother. His grandmothers parents are:
Henry LaCourciere born 1868 in Oconto and died 1936, and his wife Lauretta Hover born 1869 in Pennsylvania and died 1892 in Spooner.
Both of Henry's parents were born in Quebec Canada. So I see no connection to the Oneida people at all in his family tree.
So it appears his Oneida roots is a lie, then you go to his claim of being a medicine man (which is absurd who calls themselves that?), and he does charge for services if you click on his web-site and click on book an appointment there is a fee chart.
Now does he have any actually healing abilities? I doubt it but I guess to me it does not matter if he's lying and misrepresenting himself, I wouldn't take a chance with him.

[loudcrow]

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=swonger&GSfn=charles&GSmn=c&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=31487671&df=all&

[loudcrow]

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3Aevaline~%20%2Bsurname%3Alackershire~

[loudcrow]

Alfred Olson
United States Census, 1870
Name   Alfred Olson
Event Type   Census
Event Year   1870
Event Place   Wisconsin, United States
Gender   Male
Age   7
Race   White
Race (Original)   W
Birth Year (Estimated)   1862-1863
Birthplace   Wisconsin
Page Number   15
HOUSEHOLD

ROLE

GENDER

AGE

BIRTHPLACE

Jents Olson      M   43   Norway
Sophia Olson      F   41   Norway
Anna Olson      F   15   Wisconsin
Ella Olson      F   13   Wisconsin
Josephine Olson      F   11   Wisconsin
Emma Olson      F   9   Wisconsin
Alfred Olson      M   7   Wisconsin
Sagra Genson      F   68   Norway
CITING THIS RECORD

"United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN94-G4K : 17 October 2014), Alfred Olson in household of Jents Olson, Wisconsin, United States; citing p. 15, family 113, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,207.

[loudcrow]

Alfred Olson
United States Census, 1940
Name   Alfred Olson
Event Type   Census
Event Date   1940
Event Place   Ward 1, Eau Claire, Eau Claire City, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States
Gender   Male
Age   36
Marital Status   Married
Race (Original)   White
Race   White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original)   Head
Relationship to Head of Household   Head
Birthplace   Wisconsin
Birth Year (Estimated)   1904
Last Place of Residence   Eau Claire, Wisconsin
HOUSEHOLD

ROLE

GENDER

AGE

BIRTHPLACE

Alfred Olson   Head   M   36   Wisconsin
Evalyn Olson   Wife   F   29   Wisconsin
Richard Olson   Son   M   9   Wisconsin
Mary Olson   Daughter   F   6   Wisconsin
Anabelle Olson   Daughter   F   5   Wisconsin
Shirley Olson   Daughter   F   3   Wisconsin
Sharon Olson   Daughter   F   3   Wisconsin
CITING THIS RECORD

"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7VN-N1H : 17 May 2014), Alfred Olson, Ward 1, Eau Claire, Eau Claire City, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 18-7, sheet 13B, family 302, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 4477.

View the original document. The original may contain more information than was indexed.
UNITED STATES CENSUS, 1940

[loudcrow]

Evalyn Olson
United States Census, 1940
Name   Evalyn Olson
Event Type   Census
Event Date   1940
Event Place   Ward 1, Eau Claire, Eau Claire City, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States
Gender   Female
Age   29
Marital Status   Married
Race (Original)   White
Race   White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original)   Wife
Relationship to Head of Household   Wife
Birthplace   Wisconsin
Birth Year (Estimated)   1911
Last Place of Residence   Eau Claire, Wisconsin
HOUSEHOLD

ROLE

GENDER

AGE

BIRTHPLACE

Alfred Olson   Head   M   36   Wisconsin
Evalyn Olson   Wife   F   29   Wisconsin
Richard Olson   Son   M   9   Wisconsin
Mary Olson   Daughter   F   6   Wisconsin
Anabelle Olson   Daughter   F   5   Wisconsin
Shirley Olson   Daughter   F   3   Wisconsin
Sharon Olson   Daughter   F   3   Wisconsin
CITING THIS RECORD

"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7VN-N1C : 17 May 2014), Evalyn Olson in household of Alfred Olson, Ward 1, Eau Claire, Eau Claire City, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 18-7, sheet 13B, family 302, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 4477.

[loudcrow]

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=swonger&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=51&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=30404575&df=all&

[Diana]

Here's Russell Swonger's parents in the 1940's census with their first daughter Virginia who's named in the obit. Lol, I don't know about the date of their marriage 1939 they already had a 51/2 child.



Loretta Swonger
in the 1940 United States Federal Census

Name:   Loretta Swonger
Age:   18
Estimated birth year:   abt 1922
Gender:   Female
Race:   White
Birthplace:   Wisconsin
Marital Status:   Married
Relation to Head of House:   Wife
Home in 1940:   Casey, Washburn, Wisconsin
Map of Home in 1940:   View Map
Street:   Town Road
Inferred Residence in 1935:   Rural, Washburn, Wisconsin
Residence in 1935:   Rural, Washburn, Wisconsin
Resident on farm in 1935:   Yes
Sheet Number:   2B
Attended School or College:   No
Highest Grade Completed:   Elementary school, 7th grade
Weeks Worked in 1939:   0
Income:   0
Income Other Sources:   No
Neighbors:   View others on page
Household Members:   
Name   Age
Edward Swonger   28
Loretta Swonger   18
Virginia Swonger   5/12

[loudcrow]

Sorry I made a duplicate post earlier. Here is a link to the entire Swonger/Schwanger family tree: http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/w/o/Alvin-K-Swonger/GENE12-0064.html