Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1900-09-05
THE NAMES OF STATES.


the Island of California, where crta
abundance of gold and precious stones
are found.
Oregon was name formerly giye1
to an imaginary RIVER of the We :
Carve, an American traveller, wi {
mentioned it in 1878, evidently con.
founded it with the Mississippi, bu,
the name was finally applied to the
present State Of that name.
New Haurshire VS. named from
Hampshire county in England by John
Mason, of the Plymouth Company, ia
whom the territory was originally
granted by the English COVE nment
Massachusetts was ramed from a
bay of that name. The word originated
from the Indian word ''massa," or, at;
"wadebusah, " mountain or hills, and
the sufix "et," meaning at or near.
Connecticut, erelled in Indian dia-
lecf, Quin- -tuk-qut, signifed '1and
on long tidal river
New York is named from the Duke
OF York, the original grantee. HIS
| charter included lands "from the west
side of the Connecticut River to the
east side Of Delaware Bay"
The territory of New jersey was
gwen by royal charter to Sir George
Can to. ct and Lord Berkeley. Carteref,
in Eogland's great civil war, had
bravely defended the Isle OF Jersey, in
the British Channel, and his new pos
sessions were named in ccmmemoration
of thus fact.
Pennsylvania was first named "Syl.
vania," forest country, to which the |
anne of Penn was affixed. Three
counties lying southeast OF Pennsyl-
yania were formerly territories of that
State. In 1701 they we're granted a
charter and named Delaware after
Lord de Ia Ware, who first explored
the bay iuto which the river empties.
Maryland was named in honor of
Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I. In
the charter its name in Latin was
&c Terra Mariae," meaning the land Ct
Maria, or Mary's land.
Nir sinia was named in homer of the |
Queen Elizabeth, who was known as I
he Virgin Queen" Ia
The territory of the Carroll aus was | /
granted TO the French settlers in 1862, a
md named otter Charles 1 of France. | {
King George of England was the I
ponSor for the State of Georgia. II,
Maine, in the charter granted by r
Charles I in 1889, was named "The a
Province or Countie of Mayne, because Ii
main) Lande of New England" Id
Vermont is formed from two French
lords, "verd" and "mont," meaning b
reen mountain. lie
kentucky Is an Indian WORD, variously IL
xplained as meaning cat the head of N
1eriver, ","river of blood" and the dark ii
nd bloody ground. d,
Mississippi is from the Indian "Mee- G
Yeedee," meaning "the great waters" Ell
Colorado is named for the Rio Colo -
lido. In Spanish Colorado means
lddy or Fed, referring to the color of
le water of that river.
Tennessee is supposed to have been A
AIMED from Tenas See, one of the chief
llages of Cherokee Indians, which
as located on the banks of the Ten fu
sssee River. Pc
The name of Minnesota is taken from ul
10 Indian "MiniSotah," meaning "col- r.
ed water" pr
The State of Nevada is named from GU
9 Sierra Nevada Mountains, which in 81
IN are said to have been named from oi'
e Sierra Nevada Of Grenada, Spain. RI
Kansas is named from its principal Hi
'er. A tribe OF Indians formerly in tic
at locality were known as the Konsos In
Rows, and the State is probably yo'
med from them. ~
The name Nebraska comes from an Thu,
dian word meaning "shallow river" anC
Alabama is named from an ancient ma
dian tribe of the Mississippi Valley. t fbO
g name signifies "Here we rest" nat
The word Ohio originated from O he dru
of the Wyandotte Indian dialect, lare
ich means something great, The pro
ne was first applied to the river. ~"
iowa is named from the river of that roY
ne, the river from the Ioway IN BIZ
rs. Wrl