Morning journal and courier., 1883-02-28
The Mechanics Course.

The Sixth Lecture-PrOfessor Dexter on
 s.The History of fConnecticut as IIlustra-
 ted in the Names Offts T0wns''-A Large
 and Highly Interested Audience.
 The sixth lecture of the Mechanics course was delivered at North Sheffield Hall last even- ing by Prof. Dexter. The lecturer sought to trace few of the minor points of the history of this State as seen in the names of it's towns. ''Of the hundred .towns," said he,
 s'that were named from places in England,
 seventeen received titles on account of their
 locality; ten on account of their geograph-
 ical partition from towns already named; ;
 eight had biblical titles; three took the
 names of prominent Americans and two
 were named after towns of Massachusetts.
 As whole the Connecticut colony was of
 pure English blood. The settlers were or
 derIy, thrifty and religious. The New Ha- ven colony was settled by men of abundant resources, but it was for long time 8 most unfortunate one. Disastrous commercial measures, trouble with their German neigh bors and it's puritanical rigidity were the chief causes of this. In 164O, after it had been called Quinnipiack for two years, it's name was changed by order of the General court to New Haven. This was probably done on account of the inherent fitness ot the new title-it was indeed a new haven. .Guilford was named after the town of that name in Sus ! sex, England. Milford was probably so called ! because mill was early located at that place. ! Brsnford is a corruption of the English Brentford Hartford was so named to com \ Ia kI,o ak1o of fOrS ! Windsor was named after the customary resi- dence of the British king. Wethersield de- rived it's name from town of that name in Essex, England. Stratford was named from Q suburb of London. Saybrook was so named out of respect to Viscount Say -and-Seal and Baron Brooke, who were the chief promoters | in the colonization of that town. Middle town was so called because it was midway between Hartford and Saybrook. Int first plantation east of the Connecticut was properly called New London. Killingwortl l is corruption of the English Wentworth Chatham received it's name in the hope that it might rival the great shiE building town in Kent, England. The towni | named out of compliment to the British l crown or court are conspicuous by reason oi | their absence if we except Somers whicI l originally belonged to Massachusetts. Int towns of Thompson, Bedding and Mansfield I are examples of towns named from infuen i tial colonial proprietors. The biblical names | were mostly conferred by the General As \ sembly.
 | ''Of the names conferred upon towns since the resolution about one-third are descrip tive and another third those of eminen | Americans. Among these latter are Wash
 ington. Monroe. Madison, Seymour, Sher man and Wolcott. In the entire list there i not name from classical literature, but tn town of Avon took it's name from the rive
 by whose side Shakespeare was born.' Tn ] choice of names was ordinarily left to tn Governor, with an occasional suggestion from the inhabitant of the place to be chris ! tened. Names of Connecticut towns hav
 been reproduced in Ohio and in State l farther West in the same manner as tn
 early settlers took the names from tn
 mother country
 The next lecture will be given tomorrow ! evening by Prof. Brewer. The subject I ssThe Domestic ation of Animals"