Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-05-11

the filial and pous Scipio, who from lead
ing about his blind father, was hgurative-
ly called Scipio the staff
Successful Roman generals were some
times complimented with an addition of
fourth name or agnomen commemorative
OF their conquests, such as Coriolauus.
Africanus. Germanicus and the like. Com
plexion aud other personal qualities gave
rise to cognomens among the Romans,
such as Niger, black; Paulus. little;
Calous. bald; Coolies, one-eyed; Flaccus,
hap-esred and Fronto. heavy browed.
Order of birth also originated cognomens,
such as Quintius, the fifth; Septimus. the
seventh, etc, and others were derived from
time of nativity. such as Martus, Malus,
etc.
The use OF suruames among modern
nations is Of comparatively recent date.
As christianity succeeded pagsnism In
Europe, the old pagan names gave place
to those taken from the scriptures, or
from church history. which we're given to
converts. At times, in order TO save labor
aud trouble, whole company of christian
converts would be baptized by the same
name, so that the names Of Peter, Paul,
John, Mary. Elizabeth and Others, became
so common as to canse confusion aud
great Inconvenience.
For number OF centuries nicknames
derived from occupations or from per-
sonal peculiarities were used, but as popu-
latlon increased they failed to be suffl-
GENTLY distinctive, and recourse was had
To the present system Of surnames
Authorities generally concur In the opin-
| ion that hereditary surnames were not in
use In England previous to the Norman
Conquest, but Lower on the other hand.
In his Essays on English Surnames.
says that they were not altogether un-
known previous to that time And TO
prove his statement he says: That sur
| names among the Ssxons were sometimes
used as early as the ninth century. and
that we find in the year s04. the name of
Egbert Edgaring, that Is. Egbert. the son OF
Edgaring. signifying descent or progeny
and that such names a. l'ecrng. Brown
ing. whiting. etc. are supposed to owe
their origin TO a like source, and to mean
deer. tawny, and fair offspring White, |
Brown, Gray Good, Canning. and other |
Characteristic terms were In use a. sur.
names, and in the life Of Hereward the |
Saxon, the following named persons are I
mentioned Martin Light Foot so called |
on account Of his nimhleness Of foot; |
Swsrd the Red; wulrlck, the Black; and |
Leofric Prat, the Cunning"
The place Of residence gave rise to sur- |
names among the Saxons. and after the |
Conquest, places of residence or abode be. |
came one OF the most prolific sources Of ,
the present English surnames \ great I
many surnames appear in Domcsday book. \
some Of which are local some pat /
lonymicsl as Richard. Gllbert's son ;others |
Chamberlain. Rodolphus, the Hunter. ann /
Gilbert, the Cook
II was not until after the eleventh cen
tury, however, that the practice OF giving
scendants began to come into use in Ens-
land. BY the middle Of the twelfth cen-
tury II was thought TO be essential that I
persons Of rank should have an addition (
10 their oaptismal narge. lady In the |
reign Of Henry l.. objected to marrying I
a natural son OF that King because hr had /
no surname that monarch. thereupou gave
him the surname OF Fitz Roy, a designa-
tion which has since often been given to ,
the illegitimate offspring Of English sover. /
elgns. The prefix Fitz. corruption Of |
Ills, son, wss common among the Nor
mans, as Fitz Gilbert; Fitz-Gerald; Fitz-
Henry and Fltz Hugh. The Russians use
similar form by tie addition of Witch to |
their names as Paul Petroyitch, Paul the
son OF Peter.
In Wales, ap, or son, was used, as David /
ap Howels. Evan ap Rhys; John 50 |
Richards, names corrupted into Powell. |
Price. and Pri,chsrd. Many English names |
beginning with P can be traced to Welsh |
origin such for instance a. Pumphrey |
from ap Humphrey; Parry from ap Harry, |
and Pugh, from ap Hugh. Formerly 10 !
Wales 1t was not unusual for combinations /
to be carried up through several genera
tions In the manner Of Evan ap Griffith ap
David ap Jenkins ap Hugh ap Morgan ap
owen, etc, so that a mans pedigree Was
carried In his name. In the formation of
Welsh surnsmes from the patronymic the
.ti In
example in John Adamson, but the pater-
nal name was put In the geuitive. as
Griffith Williams, or as now written Will
liams, David Johns or Jones, Evan Har-
rvs or Harris. In consequence of that
custom and the paucity of christian names,
Wales has sCfered under the confusion and
| Inconvenience Of names.
Ia Scotland and Ireland the word mac
was used IN the same way that ap was
used in Wales, to signify the son of.
| Thus Macdonald and Macarty mean the
son of Donald and the son of Arthur
| The Irish also use oy, or o, signfylng
! grandson. as O'Hara and O'Sulliyan, the
| grandson Of Hara, and the grandson Of
| Sullivan.
In the reign of Edward H.. 1884 to
1927, an attempt was made by act OF par
lament TO enforce the use of family or
surnames in England, but as population
increased it is more than probable that
common convenience rather than the law
led to their use.
The Anglo -Saxons had a great variety
of baptismal names which mostly became
absolete after the Conquest, they being
superseded by scripture names introduced
by the Normans, such as John, James,
Peter and Thomas. and became so numer-
Gus that surnames were Indispensable
Surnames were not well settled. however,
among the middle and lower classes until
after the Reformation, when the introduc-
tion Of parish registers of births, mar
riages and deaths contributed largely to-
wards giving them permanence. But as
late as the eighteenth century many fami-
lies in Yorkshire had no fixed surnames.
And even at the present time. it is said
that few OF the miners Of Stafordshire