Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-10-16

more beautiful than that from Noun
Washington itself. Mr.. a. v. Fol
Assistant Secretary Of the Navy undo
President lincoln, wrote Of 10: "TskIn
everything Into consideration, Il IL un
gnestion.6ly the finest mountain In Ne'
nampshlrs."
The name Of the mountain IL withou
doubt of Indian origin. Mr.. fox quote
the late venerable Samuel w. Thompson
of North Conway, the builder and 10
many years the proprietor Of the kear
sarge House, ~ saying that the old In
dian chief Sabattis always told him tina
the name Was derived from keesuck,
great Indian captain. Mr.. Fox adds
There u no such word In the Algon
quln language, but In Roger Williams
"key Into the Language OF America"
and Josiah Cotton's vocabulary Of thu
Massachusetts, (ot Natick) indiana, 4
IL found In the Massachusetts, aud Mar
ragansett dialects, meaning Heaven,
most appropriate name for kearsarge
10 The dividing line between tn
Algonquin and more southern dialects
Il may here b. stated, was about 1t ths
SAco River.
In q series of historical articles on IN,
early settlement Of North Conway, pub
llshed In The ldlcr In the summer oil
$3.50. there IL given . poetical definition
of the name kearssrge. The author Of
the articles was Rev. II. Durgin East.
man, for many years postmaster al
North Conway, and who was q great
student of such historical traditions and
Indian lore ne related to the white
Mountain region. In Mr.. Eastman.
opinion the Indians, through their long
contact with nature, Of which they were
close students, were accustomed 10 make
their language harmonIre With II, as u
WAS the source Of their Inspiration,
Thus, the great Indian Spirit, ke-che-
mon-e-doo, endowed everything In
nature with power either to breathe It,
own name or In some other manner "a
define IL; consequently, Indian name.
are Invariably appropriate and not mean
ingle.s. The Indians, be added, were
sun.worshlppcr. aud believed that orb
To be the wlgwam of their Great Spirit,
keechemonedoo hence from him they
obtained the name Of their Heaven,
keesuck, and Of their moon, ke-hon.
Years ago, when the Peguswkets
raised their wigwams where Fryeburg
now stands, they were accustomed Ia
catch the fret rays Of the morning SUI
as they were reflected from the summit
Of the mountain that ID now known n
kearsarge, aud gave TO II name deriy-
cd from that they applied 10 the sun,
and from II the modern word kearssrge
has evolved. II will thus BE- .een that
Mr.. Esstman's View Of the definition Of
the name kearsarge harmoniyes In q
marked manner with that which the late
Mr.. Thompson heard from the lips of an
old Indian chief.
Hut 10 return 10 the claim that the Car
roll County kearsarge gave the name 10
the gallant warshlp which ysnqulshod
the Alabama and which was recently
wrecked on the l,oncador reef In the
Caribbean sea. Tho writer would not
press this elslm, thirty years after the
naming, without suificier. reasons for
establishing the same. UndlsputAble
evidence will be found In a petition pre-
sented Ia the Honorable senate aud
House of Representatives Of New lamp
shire on the OCCASION Of an endeayor "a
change the name NJ the mountain from
kearsaIge 10 Peluawket. The petition
Was signed by tho late Judge Joel
Eastman, ~ Conway, and all the other
bc.t-known men Of Carroll County, and
la Il the Legislature WAS admonlshed not
10 sanction the proposed change 20 name.
4 salient passage Ia II reads; There
IL no one In our region who has asked
for change of the name kearsarge, en-
deared Ia us by the associations 81 three
generations and rendered memorable by
the illustrious success of the United
states steamer named after 10, over the
rebel cruiser Alabama, In lsii."
Carroll County people were naturally
astonished al the assumption, " not
direct assertion, that the war.hlp Was
named after the Merrimack County
kearsarge, when the question was decid-
ed long ago In favor of the Carroll
County kearsarge.
In support Of the claim % the Carroll
County mountain, Hon. lthiel T.. Clay,
81 Chatham, writes a. follows: "ln the
autumn % l-,G I met u. v. Fox, Who
WAS Assistant Secretary ~ the Navy
during Abraham I.incoln's admlnl.tra-
ton, at the kearssrge House, North
Conway, and In . conversation In regard
tn which mountain the war steamer
sunk the Alabama-wzs
named for. he said positively for the
Chatham mountain, and gave Oh. cir
or reason Why Il had that
name, which was ne follows: When he
was quite q small boy, his father took
him 10 North Conway, and, after stay
Ing there several days, they went Ia the
top of kearsarge. II was the nrst
that he was ever on, aud the
scenery from it, top made an Impression
on him that lasted through his life.
During the war there were built three
war steamers, aud he well remembered
that the right Ia name them was With
the Secretary Of the Navy, who delegat-
I'll that right 10 Mrs. Lincoln wife Of
the president Mrs. q. v. Fox aud snoth-
er lady whose name he had forgotten
aud that the latter suggested Ia his wife
Ia call Il kearsarge, which she did, aud
.he had In view the mountain In Chatham
and Bartlett and no other" In connec-
ton with TIL. subject, II IL Interesting To
know that Mr.. Clay has In his possession
the first plan or map % Chaihim, accept
ell by the proprietors October 20, l,9a,
on which Il plainly written "kearsarge,"
spelled exactly "a Il IL now. Mr.. Clay
adds, at probably had that name years
before the plan was accepted"
DIR. Belknsps map, copied by him from
Mr.. whlpples, IL also Interesting, as
showing how nearly all the old names Of
the region are still retained. The origi-
nal IL Inscribed. ~ Rough Sketch OF the
Country Near the white Mountains In
New Hampshire, list" In II the name
Of the mountain IL printed "kyasarge."
In further proof Il may be stated that
10 ls;d, Judge Iory Odell, OF Ports
mouth, wrote to the Hon. Gideon welles,
Ex-Secretary Of the Navy, to the effect
that upon the occasion 81 the presenta-
ton, to the General Court Of New Iiamp-
shire, OF remonstrance by the people
Of the County Of Carroll against any
recognition Of the attempt then being
made 10 change the name OF their kear-
sarge mountain % Pequawket, the claim
that that mountain provided q name for
the sloop-of-war kearsarge WAS disputed
by = member from Merrimack County,
who asserted that II was not named from
the mountain In the county OF Carroll,
but from that In the county OF Merri-
mack.
Judge Odell Informed Mr.. wellcs that
the authority for the latter statement
Was said To be letter Of his, and he APP
pealed to him for his decision In the mat
ter In the following language; "The
Inhabitants Of the towns adjacent TO the
county Of Carroll, Kearsarge, recognise
that the Secretary Of the Navy, who WAS
required by law 20 name the vessels OF
war, IL the only person whose decision
and statements cannot be controyerted.