The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-05-31
Origin Of the Names Of States.
From Fat Contributors Saturday Night

From Fat Contributors Saturday Night
Maine was so called on account of the
people there always keeping an eye on
| the main chance. ~
VermOnt-well, the Green Mountains
| were named after Vermont.
New Hampshire-0ld ham wal sold i'll
the adjoining States, but if you went
there you got new ham-sure, hence the
name-NeW Hampshire.
Massachusetts, - When slaves were
| owned there the mistress of a household
| caught one of them chewing tobacco.
| She was about to order him punished
| when he said, "Massa-ehews-it." She
committed his sentence to hanging and
Immediately gave a name to the State.
Rhode Island-Named after Aunt
RhOdy.n -. 49,.
Connecticut-An old Indian in the to-
baccO business named Konnecti used to
! get uD two very good brands of chewing
tobacco. He called one fine-eut and the
other Konnecti-cut. The latter gave the
name to the State.
New York-So called to distinguish it
from old York on the James.
New Jersey-NO stranger has ever
stopped long enough in the State to as
certain where it did get its name from.
1t is supposed to have been named from
" Jersey lightning"
PennsylVania-All the pencils were
made there once and the people were eX-
ceedingly vain of it, hence the State got
to be called "Pencilvainia." The Or
biography has been changed somewhat
since.
Delaware-We don't know what kind
of ware "Dela" is, but whatever it is
that,is where the name came from.
Observation-Disclosures couples used to
fly there to be married, hence Marry
land. Some careless printer dropped
out an + in making upn one day; and
it has never been put back again.
Virginia-When Paul and Virginia
were so thick together Paul named the
State after his girl. =.
Carolina-A man named Car settled
the Carolinas. He was rated an old
liner, hence the term, Gardiner, now
suits you.
.Florida-So called because the COM
plexion of the people is SO horid-eh?
.Alabama-The Albania family owned
the entire State once, hence Alabama.
Georgia was named after George
Washington. They thought a great deal
, Of Washington down there and used to
call him "Georgie:"
Louisiana-Named in honor of Louisa
Ann.
Mississippi-Old Sfppi who settled the
State, had two very charming daughters,
the Misses Sippi, and they gave name to
the State.
Arkansas, pronounced Arkansaw-
Named after the title of the first saloon
ever opened in the State, whose device
was the picture of the Ark and a Saw,
the device being called the "Ark-and-
Saw The Ark denoted that they were
above such q thing as water, and the
Saw was intended as a symbol that this
is a world of saw-row.
Tennessee-In the early days of that
State the people had a mania for betting
on the ten-spOt, hence "Ten-T-see."
Kentucky-An Indian name, signify
, ing handsome women, fine horses, TO-
bacco and Bourbon whisky.
Ohio-So called because it Obs a good
:. deal.
Northumberland after Lake Mich,
gan. The lake was named afterthe State
Indiana-The State was declared al
> it's first settlement to be 81 healthy. that
twas quite aquestion for q time whether
7 those who went In-die-any. That some.
how got to be the name. Curious how
names of many of the States originated
, don't it? 1
l Tllinois-The earliest settlers were
made sick by the bowling of wild beasts
and of the Chicago City Council, hence
: nl-o'-nOise. ...
Wisconsin-Named after the Wiscon.
: sin river. It might have been named
7 before it, only the river was older thar
the State, and got named first. ,...
= Missouri-Named /" Misery originally
now corrupted to Missouri.
E Iowa-This State hasalWays been fret
! from debt, and it's motto is "I-owe-t
cent to nobody Inconfirmation of tina
fact, "Nobody" called the State Iowa
: Oregon-Egon was the original Indian
, name, but people. got to talking SO mucl
about "going to California or EgOn,
! that Oregon came to be the title.
Kansas and Nebraska were named af
ter that " Kansas and Nebraska Bill
: they had such a fight over in Congress
> some twenty years ago. Bill had hare
z time of it but he named two States.
a Minnesota small stream called thu
" Sofa, famous for it's minnies, gave name
! to- that State. aa- g
= CalifOrnia-This State was not named
r after John W. Forney, as some nigh
| suppose. They didn't Call-it-F orny-ah
i and then make California out of it, al
though many names and titles come {
much more roundabout way. We ar
: obliged to confess that the Golden State
with its golden statements, is too muel
for us. We give it up. -s