The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-20
The Process by which Mun-on became Ed
Mnrd-. nnd JO.hmn Disnppemred.

To THE EDITOR Oh The SUS-Sir: There
Is no SUCH gre It mystery about the methods by
which our Minister to England worked out the
object OF his small vanity, and transformed
himself from Joshua Munson Pierpont into Ed
wards Pierr,pont 1t Is case OF transportation,
IN accordance with the universal laws u Ian
euage and Of small vanity. and shows, in fact
sort Of Diplomatic acuteusss which establishes
Mr. Pierreponts title to be An AmoassaIor Ex-
traordinlry aud Minister Plenpotentiary, not,
PERHAPS to the frank and magnanmous Court
OF Great Britain, but at least TO some OF the
smaller powers -let us say for ins, ince. tho
kinsl OF the Ilellenes. or tao C1nfedsrAcy Of
Samoa.
Mr.. perropont wished to establish Untccclcnt
to conhrmatory intelligence from Lady Nary
his double connection with tho OH BRUSH stock
OF the PierrepOuts (moro usually spelled Pier
poinU, aud with the old Puritan stock OF the
Edwmd.os, who, AS l. well known, intermarried
with the Pierponts OF Connecticut. James rler-
pont Of New Haven was one OF tho eleven Con-
uectiCut ministers WAC. in 100, met at New
llayen. and aiterward at Branford, ana founded
ldlo College, bS eniOwiug IL with forty pom
derous theological tuliOs. IL was Miss Sarah
iierrepont Of tins family whom the great
Jonathan Edwards married ~ July, l1,6. one ot
their ten children was PrrrcpOut Edwards,
United states District judge for Connecticut.
JOhn Picrpunt, the poet, was "A direct descend
ant OF TINS same Rev. James rorpont, founder
~ ! ale, SO there Is precedent IA the family Tor
both spelllnEs, 30 also IN England. The Pier
paints are known to have come over with tho
| Conqueror though CAmurn starts an unhand-
some suauiciOn IN I n good many OF our Ssy-
mours, and lovells, and Sncuirs, and Per
| points, and Spsncers, and I, rrclls "aro de-
scended from servants who took tho names OF
their masters" lie this as IL may the Pier
| points are found In the Ron Of Battell Abbey,
| m LelAnds copy as Perpnunte e. Navasor ct
| NarrOys, PerpDunto ct Ftl-Pcrsl, In Holtns-
| hed's copy IA PeTepound. In Candens list Of
| Litinlzod surnames, and in MIights Court II aud
| Restored, tho name occurs as Piorrepont, vul-
| carly Plerpoint, lalini2ed into DE Petraponte
1t Is evident from all this that our Minister h ~
| family pr, cndent, on both sides tho ocean, for
| spelling his name according to hls own sweet
| will.
| Now, a. To Munson. Assuming that Munson
| PierrepOnt wanted TO make primI fIcie case
| ofknship with the Edwards family, with which
| the Pierreponts confassediy lntermArred all he
had TO do was to trace MunsOn back to its gin.
| What Is Munson2 II Is u diminutive surname
| derived from baptismal name, thus; MunsOn
| Tor Monsoon, Mum, Edmundson, EdMunds, Ed
| mund.
| But there is great similarity In both sound
| ana meaning between the saxon words Fad
| mund, happy peace, and Eld-waru, happy pre-
| server; and, by the simplest and most allowable
| process OF metonymy. all Mr.. Pierrepoint had
10 do was to put the cause for the effect the ao-
| tive Fad ward for the passive Fad -mund, add an
s, ias sign OF tho possessiye case) and mud him
| self Il waris Plerropont.
| OF course 90 d taste Induced him to drop the
| marsh Hebrew joshua" submission to God -
| nut this was mere rhetorical paraleipsis
since he chose 10 reveal the extent Of his piuus