Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-27
NAMING OF AMERICA.
Facts interesting To .. A. r. And All
Patriotic Americans.


be of interest to the d. A. r. and to
all patriotic Americans:
In July of this year there was a.
celebration at the little town of st.
Die in old Lorraine. now the Depart
ment of the Vosges, in France, which
is of interest to Americans, for it
commemorated the formal bestowal
of the New World of the name
America" April 25, 1907
About 1890 Galtier Lud founded at
ST. Die q society for the cultivation
of the arts and sciences, which was
called the Gymnase yosgien, and was
placed under the patronage OF Rene
the Duke OF Lorraine. There were
three members of this society who
We're especially concerned in the study
of geography Lud, Matthias
! Ringrnann and Martin Waldseemuller.
Before 1907 there had existed among
the members Of the gynnase an In
tercst in Americas Vespucius and his
explorations. But in 1907 a printing
press was erected in st. Die, and its
first production was the famous Cos
fnogra phiae Introductio. This con-
tanned some account of the ancients'
conception of the geography OF tue
world, together with the story of the
four voyages of Americas Vespucius.
It referred IN the text to a map, az
appearing in book, on which was rep
resented the world as. kpowns before
the discoveries OF the fifteenth CEN
| fury, ats well as the result of those
discoveries. It was in this book that
Waldseemuller declared that the new
| found continent should bear the name
of America, in honor of the explorer.
i But the map mentioned in this book
was not there. For three centuries
| the geographers of the world were
! puzzled by IT'S omission and loss. 1t
! was not until, 1901 that Professor p.
| Joseph Fischer while engaged in re-
| search work in the library of Prince
! Waldburg at Walfegg castle, in Wur-
temburg, discovered two maps made
by Waldseemuller. One of these
proved to be the long lost map OF
1907. In it long narrow island rep
i resents the western emisphere, and
bears the name OF America. The map
is a wood engraving and shows Dust
of Ptolemy and one of Americas YES
pucius. tThe map is reproduced in
/ this issue of The Journal OF American
History
There has been much criticism OF
Waldseemuller and his associates for
their bestowal of the name of Ameri-
Gus Yespucius rather than that of
Christopher Columbus upon the new
world The facts which led to this
honor are as follows:
Vespucius was in Saville acting as
commercial agent for the Medici FAM
lily of Florence. Italy. his native city,
when Columbus was preparing for his
second expedition; the two met, and
Columbus accounts doubtless fired
Vespueius with ambition to seek his
way also TO the new, golden land in
the west. At any rate, in 1899 he set
sail and went to the mouth of the
Orinoco river, where Columbus had
been the year before, thus becoming
the discoverer Of the South American
continent. In 1901 Vespucius made his
}seeond voyage. and two others in 1905
and 1905. In 1914 he addressed a let
ter to the duke of Lorraine, in which
| he gave the sailing date of his first
voyage as May 20. 1897. As he sailed
on his first voyage to the shores of
South America, this date, had 1t been
the true one. would make him the dis
coverer of the American continent, for
Columbus went to South America in
1898, and Cabot discovered the north
ern part of the continent in the same
year.
Americas Vespucius came from a
noble and ancient Florentine family.
He was the son of Anastasio Vespucci.
and his wife, Elizabeth Mini. At his
birth in 1851 the family had fallen
somewhat in its fortunes, but still held
rank among the nobility. The earliest
known home of the Vespucci was
in the town of Peretola, near
Florence. Early in the thirteenth
century they removed to Florence,
where they lived In the part of
the city known as Santa Lucia
ldi Ogni Santi. Their residence was
near one of the gates. now the Porta
del Prato, on the street now called
Borgonguisanti. The house was stand
ing in 1916 and was then occupied by
a hospital for the sick poor. This was
in the care of the monks of Saint John
| of God, and it was one of their num-
Der, Antonio Salvini, who in the
eighteenth century, placed marble
tablet over the doorway. which may
be translated, ITO Americus yespu-
eius, a noble Florentine, wholly the
| discovery of America, rendered his
own and his country's name iilustrious
throughout the whole world. Upon
this ancient mansion of the yespucci,
inhabited by SO great a man, the Faith
ers of Saint John of Cod have erected
this tablet as a memorabilia the rear
I1719." sEa .@ses
tn" Nespucci were prominent in The
puolic affairs Of F'iorencp. a Iaany Of
them holding office in thS state.
Americus Vespucius' father was sec
rotary of the "sisnori.p the senate.
Following this article is given the
family tree of the vespucci family,
which is preserved in Florence. on it
is the Yespucci coat of arms and seals
and portrait OF Americas. This as
type of an ancient pedigree. 10
curiosity.-Journal of American His
/ tory.
THE ELECTRIC ARC.