The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1871-12-14
Names of the States.


the States are called by their present
names, and what are their derivation and
meaning, an exchange answers as fol
lows:
Mane-So called from the province of
Maine, in France, in compliment to Queen
Henrietta, of England, who, it has been
said, owned that province This is the
commonly received opinion
New Hampshire-Named by John Ma.
son, in 1859 (who with another obtained
the grant from the crown, from Hamp
shire County, in England. The former
name of the domain was Laconia.
VermOnt-From the French verd mont,
or green mountain, indicative of the
mountainous nature of the State The
name was first officially recognized Jan.
airy l6, 1717.
Observation-Disclosures name, signify
ing "the country about the great hills"
Rhode Island-This name adopted in
l644 from the Island of Rhodes, in the
Mediterranean, because of its resemblance
to that island
Connecticut-This is the English
orthography Of the Indian word Quon-
eh ta-cut, which signifies "the long riv-
err"
New York-Named by the Duke of
York, under color of the title given him
by the English crown in 1864.
New Jersey-So called in honor of Sir
George Carteret, who was Governor of
the Island of Jersey, in the British Chan
mel.
Peunsylvania-From William Penn,
the founder of the colony, meaning
"Penn's woods"
Delaware-In honor of the Thomas
West, Lord de la Ware, who visited the
bay, and died there, in 1910
Mary GRANDFATHER Henrietta Maria
Queen of Charles L, of England
Virginia-So called in honor of Queen
Elizabeth, the 'virgin queen" in whose
reign Sir Walter Raleigh made the first
attempt to colonize that region.
North and South Carolina were origi-
nally in one tract, called "Carolana," af.
ter Charles TX, of France, in 1504-
Subsequently, in 1865, the name was al
tered to Carolina
Georgia-So called in honor of George
H., Of England who established a colony
in that region in 1882.
Florida-Ponce de Leon, who discov.
cred this portion of North America in
1912, named it Floriday in commemora-
ton of the day he landed there, which
was the Pasquas de Flores of the Span
iards, or "Feast of Flowers" otherwise
known as Easter Sunday
Alabama-Formerly portion of Mis-
sissippi Territory, admitted into the Union
as State in 1919. The name is of In
dian origin, signifying "Here We rest"
Mississippi-Formerly portion of the
province of Louisiana. SO named iu 1900
from the great river on the western line. .
The term is of Indian origin, meaning
"long river"
Louisiana-From Louis XIV, of
France, who for some time prior to 1868
owned the territory.
Arkansas-From kansas" the Indian
word for "smoky water" with the French
prefix "are," bow
Tennessee-hdian for ''the river of
the big bend" i. e., the Mississippi, which
is its western boundary.
uNh buC uCdu VI
the river"
Ohio-From the Indian, meaning
beautiful" Previously applied to the
river which traverses greater part of its
borders.
Michigan-Previously apple ed 20 the
lake, the Indian name for fish weir. So
called from the fancied resemblance of the
lake to fsh.trap.
Indiana-So called in 1902 from the
American Indians.
Illinois-From the Indian 'illini, men
and the French suffix "ois," together sig.
nifying "trade of men,"
Wisconsin-Indian term for "wild
rushing channel"
Missouri-Named in 1921 from the
great branch of the Mississippi which
flows through it. Indian term, meaning
muddy.
Iowa-From the Indian, signifyine
'the drowsy ones"
Minnesota-Indian for "cloudy water >
California-The name given by Cortes
the diacoverer of that region. He prob
ably obtained it from an old Spanish ro
nance in which an maginary island of that
name is described as abounding in gold
Oregon-According to some, from the
Indian oregon, "river of the west. =
/ Others consider it derived from the
Spanish "oreganO" wild marjoram, which
grows abunbantly on the Pacific coast.
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