Evening star., 1926-04-11
Familiar Names in Old Directories
Assist the Rambler in His Travels
Relics
in atonlCa

THE names Fenwick, Brooke.
Middleton and Queen appear
mall In all issues Of Boyd's Wash, Wash
names are found in previous
directories from the first issue of
Boyds In 1863, to the first directory
for Washington and Georgetown pub
Ns,led in 1922. The Rambler looked
into several old directories and copied
from them some names, especially
those nf Fenwick, Brooke and Mid
dleton. with the belief that they
would Interest you because you are
related with them, or heard your
grandfather speak OF them. Also,
there must be readers of the RanbleS
who knew those Fenwicl1s Brookes
and others named in the directories.
The old Washingtonians having the
same surname were, in instances, dis
tant in relation and in instances may
not have been related. The name
"Fenwick is a place name, name
Of localit". as Moore" Wood" and
"Hill." 'Een" is an Anglo-Saxon
word for q marsh, moor and boggy
land. '"'tck," the suffiX of many
names, rs Berwick. Brunswick and
Ardwick. we have from the Anglo
Saxon wnrd "wic," which was the
Saxon rendering of the Romans word
'vicus," meaning u district, village,
hamlet or estate.
When tho Normans made surnames
usually in Britain there hved some
man whose given or baptism name
was John or Frank. He lived in
hamet. near a fen, or owned tract
of bogGy land and to distinguish him
from other Johns and Franks, his
neighbors called him John of the Fen,
or John of the Fen Wick and then
shortened the name to John Fenwick.
in writing these lines let me say that
this sufflX wick" brings to mind an
other SuftiX not uncommon with place
names and names of persons which
come from place names. You know
towns ending in chester" as Win
chester and Manchester, towns whose
names end in caster" as Lancaster
and Duncaster. and names ending in
"cester," as Worcester. The Ger
manic conquerors of Britain corrupted
the Romans word "castra," meaning
a military camp and particularly a
Fortified camp, into the words
t'ceaster," caster" and "cester" and
descendants of the Germanic conquer
ors changed "ceaster" to chester"
and preserved caster and ''cester."
is it clear7
It is probable that in parts of Brit
were men not related, who were given
the surname Fen or Fem" and
fFenwiok." Examination of lists of
Immigrants to the American colonies
might show that several FenwickS
came across, but it is assumed that
ell Tenwicks In the Potomac country
are descended from Cuthbert Fenwick.
shown by records to have been an i'm
portant man in MARYLAND when st.
Marys City was a month, or a few
years, old.
In the Office of Boyd's Directory is
q copy of the first Washington direc-
tory. It is an original copy; that is, it
Is not q copy but is one of the little
books that were printed in 1922. I
believe that many Photographic copies
of Washington'S first directory exist,
but on the first blank page of the
thin little book tell you of is written,
with free and bold hand, this: "Ofice
of the Bank. United States. at Wash
!ngton. II. Weightman, Supt." There
is no doubt that the paper and ink
are old. The little book belonged to
the branch bank of the United States, |
which occupied q square, plaster-cov
cred brick building at the northwest
corner of Pennsylvania avenue and
Fifteenth Street. You remember it,
I know.
In that 1922 directory are these
names: Richard Fenwick, porter,
Metropolitan Bank. dwelling, south
side + north between 10 and IL west;
Robert w. Fenwick. messenger. Pat
ent Office. dwelling. ditto" There
may have been Washington direc.
tories between 1892 and 1884. 1 do
not remember seeing one. and in the
directory of 1884 are these entries: