Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-08-11
TOWN.NOMENCLATURE.
Curiosities of Place. Names in the United
States.
from The Contributors Club" In the Atlantic
for August.

From The Contributors Club" In the Atlantic
for August.
The Atlantic for April, 1860, contained
an article (entitled "Come 81 ChiamaT)
on the names of American towns. At
that time there were some 5000 places
cities, towns and villages on the census
return for 1850. The Omitted States Pos
tai Guide" now contains the names of
SO, 1875 post. offices. There are only about
half that number of names for use in dis
tinguishing them. If mere nominal diff
ferences be overlooked, where the varia-
ton is in the mode OF writing, as Flat
Woods, Va, and Flatwoocs, Pa, or the
adding of 8 apostrophized, as Foster and
Fosters, the names would be less than
half the places. The Postmaster General
has therefore issued an official circular re-
questing the use OF the county names.
But for the 2,567 counties are provided
only ,455 names. Some popular names
are found in half the States of the Union.
Since the article OF 1860 much has been
done to corret the evil. There were then
one hundred and thirty eight towns named
Washington. There are now but tsoenty-
sac post offices so entitled. The same Is
true of other names, then popular, that
they have been reduced In like proportion.
But the poverty of invention then COM
planned of remains. Many of the Dames
are not names at all. They are simply
appellations. They might be borae by a
ship, or horse, or locomotive with
more fitness than by town.
For instance, all proper names of per-
sons. The classic names which perpetu.
ated the founder or the founders favorite
showed by the grammatical termination
what was meant. Alexandria, or Antio-
CHA, was the city of Alexander, or Antio.
chus, Cesares, the city OF Caesar. The
name recorded fact. 1t may be preten-
tious for Mr.. Smith or Mr.. Dodge to call
his new factory village Smithville or
Dodgeopolis, but it is legitimate. Smith
OF Dodge is the real conditor ur6is, and
has as good right to say so as had MIN.
rod or Belus.
But, if patronymics are Objectionable,
given names are more so. The postal
Guide" shows how deeply we have sinned
in this particular. Under the letter A
alone are more than thirty, beginning
with Aaron and Abel, and ending with
Aubrey and Aucilla.
Again, names belonging to countries or
natural features are unfit. What is the
sense Of calling town Europe, or
America, or Andes, or Australia, or Italy,
or Ireland? Yet this has been done re.
peatedly, as the "Postal Guide" shows.
There Is no good reason tor applying to
petty places the names of famous cities
and towns abroad. There is one excep-
ton, which is justif1able on the ground
that it records a fact-namely: that the
settlers of the new town came from the
old. Thus, in my former paper I WAS
puzzled over the title High Spire. A cor
respondent informed me that it was the
corruption of Neu Speyers,-New Spey-
ers,-trom the famous Rhinelsnd city.
Scriptural names were once highly sig
nificant; but repeated they lose all their
meaning, and become as distasteful as
when the good New Englanders bestowed
on their children names taken at random
from the Bible, regardless whether they
were of prophets or of apostates, of
martyrs or of malefactors.
The classic fever which led to the bap.
tism of so many unhappy towns, notably
in Western New York, has died out. But
names taken from modern literature, as
Ivanhoe, Waverley, Highland Mary, Don
Juan, are not much better.
Also, there is a class of names which
seem borrowed from the sheet-music
which lies on the pianos of rural inns,
such as Hazel Dell, Sunny Dale, Glen
Julia, and the like.
Then there are names chosen mainly
for the sound. Thus find in the "Postal
Guide" Ambrosia, Alpharetts, Animosa,
Alexandriana, Amicolola. Alpha, Beta,
Delta, Kappa, Omega, Caverna, Colita,
Robious, Noverta, Padora, Omro, Ora,
Orel. There are quaint names with q
meaning, such as Accident, Recklesstown,
Troublesome, Difficult, Disputanta, Dis
cord, Antiquity, Agenda, Alert, Alcm bic,
town, Jolly, Industry, Glad Tidings, Good
Intent, Gravity, Mirabile, Mutual Love,
Energy, Liberty, Effort, Equality, Emi.
nence, Justice, Enterprise, Modest Town,
Clear Grit, Sublimity, Temperance, Toler-
ance, Bird in Hand, Blowout, Bargain
town, Cashtown, Businessburg, Pay
Down, Convenience, Congruity, Day.
Book, Buyerstown, Competition, Com
pensation, Confidence, Concert. Form is
represented by Angle, Acme, Apex, Ogee,
Oblong; architecture by Fan-Light and
Cupola; Latin grammar by Amo. Amor,
Esto. Now, Ira, Celia, Caput, Strata and
Caro-. Mythology appears as Lethe, Me-
dusa, Saturn, Ceres, Juno, Clio, River
Styx. Cieon and Demos suggest Aristo.
planes. There are unsavory names, too,
as Graball and Bangall, Muck, Drain,
Cuthand, Cut Shin, Catarrh, Dirt-Town,
Dismal, Bogus. Saw-Dust, Frost, Hurri-
cane, Cyclone, Fussville, Poverty Hill,
Raub, Trickum.
There are names without meaning, or
euphony, as Ari, Alvey, Anso, Beloil,
Bashi, Busti, Canni, Chilo, Chino, Gull
drum. Drenthe. De Huntsville, Flo, Ell.
rod, Eucutta. Gard1, Cisne, Hahira, Hico,
Harthegig, Hike, Hika. Lapldum, Inkpa
City, Jadden, Leopaa, Marak, Moe, Malta
woman, Comic, Medybemps, Nurey, NJ
Gums, Pysht, Clitherall, Slagle, Speonk,
Squak, Skagit, Zif and Zig. There are
compound titles. also odd, as Cob Moo Sa,
Coinjock, Bonduel. O. z, o. T., Jay Eu,
Nj Wot, Ty Ty, Nola Chucky. Dragons