The semi-weekly messenger., 1902-06-03
THE CITI OF NEW BERN.
Name-The Above the Correct
Spelling
Editor of the Messenger:

the correct orthograpay of the name of
the city Of New Bern 1t is variously
spelled by the different adherents OF the
several methods, New Bern. Newbern,
New Berne and Newberne, but the last
mentioned is so absurd and without
warrant, that IL will net be considered
In this article.
The enquiry is often made, What is
the correct spelling. 2" The replies vary,
as intimated above, according to the
taste of the particular writer. but if in
formation is sought as to the legal
spelling Of the name of the town, as
now established by statute there can
be but one answer; it Is New Bern. This
may be seen in the act o. assembly
quoted below, and this spelling would
seem to conform TO that originally used.
In an act to amend The charter Of the
city of New Bern, being chapter 121,
private laws OF 1897, the general as
sembly Of North Carolina declared:
THAT the corporation heretofore ex-
listing as the city of Newbern SHALL
hereafter be known and designated as
the city of New Bern, and al laws inI
conflict with the above are hereby re-
pealed."
to give some account Of the origin and
history of the name of the town. which,
It is thought, may be of interest and
tend somewhat to settle the contro-
versy as to it's spelling.
New Bern was founded in 1I10 byI
Christopher, Baron De GIaffenried,
who, with Louis Michel, brought out al
colony Of Bernese Swiss, and Germans
Of the Palatinate, and was named byI
him Bern in honor OF his native cam
ton and city, Bern in Switzerland. Bernl
was then, and still is. the German
Swiss spelling of the word. and it would
seem natural to follow that spelling inI
the name of our city.
In the first volume of our Colonial
Records De Graffenried's account of the
settlement of New Bern, written about
1713, is printed in full. A foot note of
the translator on p2ge 923 says De
Graffenried's orthography for NewbernI
(sic). most of the time, is the German
form New Bern" Naturally he would
follow the form to which ne was ac-
eustomed. He knew no other. There
was, and is. no final, ''e' in the name,
which, in the German text, is Bern.
Rerne is the name A1glicized, and as
such the only authority for that spell
ing, though the form is preferred and
would appear to be more proper
as denoting the origin of the word, and
it's history.
Bern is the word, in the old Suabian
dialect of the Germans for bear. The
city of that name was founded in 1871
by Duke Berchtold cf Zaringhen and
the name was given by him, it is said, to-
commemorate his exploit in killing al
bear on the spot where the cathedral of
Bern now stands. The bear is the
principal charge in the Bernese coat-of-
arms. and in the city cf Bern are sew
eral bear pits in which bears are kept
en- exhibition, and provided for at the
public expense. A handsome flag was
presented a few years ago to New BernI
by its mother city. Upon it Is a climb
ing bear. and the cOlors OF the flag
black and red, have been adopted as the
solors also of New Bern.
In 1928 the town Of Newbern was in
sorporated by the general assembly, and
the spelling last quoted was apparently
adopted as the legal name. 1t occurs
twice in the act of INCORPORATION, and, u
as, il to accentuate the orthography,l
it appears in italics. The act is givenl
herewith in full: From the collection of
nshed by F. Y. Martin at Newbern inI
1894
Tx. George I. The 25rd of Novem-
Der. 1928. o. S.
Chapter XIII. An act for the betterI
settlement the town of Newbern, in mel
precinc1 of Craven.
l. Whereas, a certain plot of ground,I
being Tart of tract Of land, lying inI
the fork of Neuse river, late belongingI
to the Honorable Colonel Thomas Pol
lock, de ceased, but now the pl operty of
Mr.. Cullen Pollock, was formerly laid
out into a township by the name of
Newbern. with proper allotment for al
church. court house and market place;
as by d plot or draught, upon record inl
the clerks office of Craven precinct
court, will more plainly appear: There
fore, for the advancement of the saidI
town,
IL Be it enacted by his eXcellencyI
the Palatine, and the rest of the trueI
and absolute lords proprietors of the
province if Carolina by and with the ad-
vice and consent of the rest of the
members of the general assembly, now
met at Edenton, for the north east
part of the said province, and by the
authority of the same, that the said
land, as it is already laid out by theI
said draught, together with as much
other land lying contiguous and most
convenient to the said town, to COM
pleat a township, as shall make the
whole two hundred and fifty acres, re-
serving to the owners thereof the PROP
erty Of such lots as are sold already by
William Hancock. attorney Of the said
Colonel Thomas Pollock, is hereby and
henceforward invested in Mr.. Cullen
Pollock, Mr.. William Hancock, Jun.
and Richard Graves or any Of them, for
the use aforesaid, declared, confirmed
and incorporated into a township, by
the name Of Newbern; with all pr1Vl-
leges which ever have belonged to the
said town. or shall Hereafter be eX-
pressed, forever"
1t will not avail TO say that there
may have been a misprlnt, for the same
spelling is used in a dozen other places
in the same volume, and Newbern was
the form most commonly used In thosel
and in later days. The United States
government still preserves that form,
and as Newbern the city is known as a
postoffice
The name, therefore, was originally
New Bern, the German-Swiss form,
which by act Of assembly became New
bern in 1928, and so remained uneil 1897,
when by statute it became New Bern.
the present legal name, The Anglicized
form New Berne will, however, continue
to be used by many In preference.
GRAHAM Dawes
To Dispense With Smoke.