The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-08-14

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the Joneses. st. John has given
more Christian names to Christian
babes than all the other Evangel.
lists. And Johns son naturally
takes the patronymic Of either
johnson, or Jones, or Johns. Over
two hundred and forty thousand
persons in England bear the name
of Jones, besides the numerous
families of their first cousins, the
Johns and Johnsons. A host OF
surnamcs are derived from Chris
tian names, such as the Williamses,
the Wilson's, the Williamsons, the
Thomases, and the Thompsons, the
the Jameses, and the Jamesons.
Generally the.patronymic. bears the
fathers name; but sometimes the
mother transmits the name of Nel's
son.
Time and habit have great in
fuence in softening the harsh ideas
under which our ancestry first as
sumed their titles; and a foreign
language often elevates democratic
origin into most aristoc"atic socie-
ty. The Malebranches of En-,
gland would decidedly object to
being known as the Badarms.
Many a fair reader of "Ivanhoe'
would find her cultured taste shock
ed by the conversion: Of Front-de-
Beuf into Bullock's-head. The
celebrated engineer Todlebcn would
thus be anglicized into Mr.. Death
in-life; pertinent name; by the
way, for one who sentsuch slaught-
er into French and English ranks.
Notwithstanding what Shakespeare
says, rose often does smell sweet
er to its possessor than if its name
had vulgar associations. Thus the
aristocratic Fojambes would de-
cidedly object to having their young
ladies Suxonized into the Miss Bad
legs.
All history tells us that the early
dwellers upon earth erected their
tenements upon the shores of lakes,
along the banks of rivers, or close
by the sea, whence SO much OF
their food was drawn. A'fortunate
piscator would naturally bear the
name of his fnny prey. And SO
we have the numerous Fish families,
at the head Of whom may be put
the father Of our Secretary of State,
Preserved Fish. Fisher, Hook,
Bate, Batcman, Sholcs, Dolphin;
Thrasher, Ecls, Conger, Salmon,
IIake, Bass, Goldman, Pike, Roach,
Rotch, Place, Whiting, Herring,
Mullctt, Ray, Lamprcy, Pollock,
Haddock, Trout, Roe, Spratt,
CLubb, Turtle, Finncy, Cookie,
and Crabb, all Of them good old
English names.
There are fashions in names as
in all earthly things. In Crom-
wells time, Puritanism weighed
very heavily on the tender babee
brought to the baptismal font.
Hume gives US the names of jury
in the following age, among whom
we find Stand fast high Stringer,
Kill-sin Pimplc, Fly-debate Rob
erts, Fight good. fght-of. faith
White, More-fruit Fowler, Sleep
not Billings, and many other such
biblical worthless. These names
indicate the wishes of the parents
rather than the picty Of the chill
lren. And we are not aware that
the Parsons, the Priests, the Chris
tians, Deacons, Crecds, Churches
or Devotions, have any better chill
dren than have the IIoggs, the
Hams, the Bawns, the Clays, the
Mudds, or the Nettlcs. A member
of Congress rcjoicea in the name of
Gcdlove, but is scarcely more pious
than his congressional FELLOWSHIP
ners. Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
ale often bad boys, bet their sisters
Divine, Faith, Hope, Charity, and
Love, are not much better. q
Till they reach their majority,
poor mortals have no responsibility
for their names; that matter is
settled by the fond mother at bap.
tism. But when able to reach
twenty-onc and the Legislature, it
is thoir own fault if they retain the
name of infancy. In this amusing
account of Suffolk surnames, Bow.
ditch tells us that, in 1875, Pepper
Mixer, Esq, was permitted to change
his mixed address. Soon after Mr..
Whitcfoot dropped his foot. In
1913, a whole family of Vests di.
vested themselves of their old
name. In 1850, Thomas Jest de.
cided to jest no longer. A distin.
guished lawyer Of M;ddlesex Coun.
ty, in Massachusetts, named Burn.
side, disliking his Christian name,
applied for leave to change it. Un.
fortunately, he wrote a bad hama,
and SO the clerk of the Great and
General Court thought. he also pc.
titioned to change his last name into
Burnside. The Legislature granted