PL!,CE NAMES IN THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES OF MISSOURI by Martha Kennedy Ewing,... B. S. in Ed • SUBMITTED Ill PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE RE·Q.UIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the GRADUATE SCHOOL of the UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI For the assistance he has given me in the preparati'ori of this work, I wish to thank my adviser, Dr. Robert L. Ramsay. For his helpful criticisims, his unfailing willingness to read the material submitteq, and the interest he has shown, I am truly grateful. I also wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Miss Sarah Guitar for affording me every help possible in the use of the State Historical Society Library; to those who have gathered material in their particular localities for my use in this study; and to all those who gave me information, either by interview or by letter. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page rvl.A.P. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 CHAPTER I 1. statement of the problem. • • • • • • • • • 2 2. Work done on the problem • • • • • • • • • • 3 3. Importance of the problem •••••••••• 5 4. Methods and sources used ••••••••••• 6 5. Classification of names ••••••••••• 8 6. The periods of the names ••••••••••• 21 7. Nature of the names ••••••••••••• 24 8. Changes in the names •••••••••••• 26 9. Suffixes and prefixes. • • • • • • • • • • • 27 10. Folk names ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 28 11. Phonetic changes ~ • • • • • • • • • • • • • 29 12. Classification of names ( outline) • • • • . 30 13. Summary . • • • • . • . • . • . • • • • 37 CHAPTr..m II The origin of place names in the North- west Eissouri Counties ••••• • • . • . 39 .lL2PENIJIX: School names in northwest Missouri •• 14':: TLBLE OF CO!JTEUTS OF BIBLIOGRAPGY. • • • • • • • • 157 I:EY TO BIBLIOGRAPHY . .158 3IBLIOGRP.PHY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .160 1 Map of Counties tudied (in red). (Those previously studied are lso indicated)• .- Northwest Counties North Central Counties f tiss Adams) I - _.J Boones Liok Counties }- -- ( Miss Pace) I I ___ _LT __ _ I I I T- - - .J_f I I I I ( I I ~----- --1. -- ~ I r---­ r---L~J - ------1 I I I I I .,o...,;'"r==-:::i••• ---so===U' 1. Atchison ..... a., '"tr.Buchanan 9. Vorth 2. Holt 6. Clinton lo.Harrison 3. Nodaway 7.De l(alb 11. Daviess 4. Andrew 8. Gentry 12. Caldwell CHAPTER l STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. This study is an attempt to discover the origin of the names ot towns, townships, counties, streams, and schools of twelve counties of Northwest Missouri. It 1a a part of a larger project in which it is hoped that the origin of place names of the entire state of Missouri may be studied and recorded. The oounties included in this survey belong to the region often referred to as "Northwest Missouri". They are,namely, Atchison, Holt,. Nodaway, Andrew, Buohanan, Worth, Gentry, DeKalb, Clinton, Harrison, Daviess, and Caldwell. The Platte Purohase of 1837-inoluded Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, Andrew, and Buchanan. With one exception, Worth, these counties were settled and organized between .the years 1820 and 1845, inoluaive. Worth, the smallest county in the state, was set apart from Gentry in 1861~ Although these counties are not the same topographioally, ;' . they are a pa.rt of the prairie plains, and were largely settled by the same class of people, - an honest, indus­ trious folk who came to this region because of its fertil­ ity of soil and cheap land. The pioneers were largely from-Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinoia, and the older counties of Missouri. Sinoe the place named in this region were largely given during a oertain ~riod, by the same kind of people, and were conferred upon places which were somewhat the same geographioally and topographically, it is to be - - expeoted that they should show some unity. This question will be discussed in another section. WORK DONE ON THE PROBLEM The study of geographical names •a a division of philology has only been underta.ken in recent years. About thirty.years ago w. w. Skeat aroused interest in the study of English place names when he declared that•the methods of investigation were identical with those of the etymol­ ogist•.l It is now a generally accepted fact that a scientific investigation of the origin of place names ia a valuable contribution to language study. The gepgra.phioal names of a ·nation a.re an integral part of philology. In the United States varioua-attempts have been made to rec·ord the names of the states, Indian names derived from certain tribes, and a few studies have been restrict­ ed to certain states and localities. Mr. Henry Gannett's stud; called The Origin of Certain Place Nam.ea in the United States is the widest in soope. Published in 1905, l • .Ma.•er and Stenton ed. Introduotion to the Study of English Place Names,_ Part 1, p •. 2. 4 it is one of the oldest of the United States surveys. In 1914 there appeared a study of Minnesota Place Hames, by Warren Upham. The origin of :rir1mes in Pennsylvania, and Nebraska,were recorded in 1925 by Harry A. Espenshade and Lillian Fi~zpatrick, respectively. Indian nomenclature hes been studied in certain localities, particularly in the state of T.'lisconsin, and primarily published in local news-papers and magazines. Missouri place names were first studied although not in anything like completeness, by Mr. David W. Eaton, who, in 1916 published"How Missouri Counties, Towns, and Stream were named",in the Missouri Bistorical Review. Various newspapers copied the articles, and in a few cases valuabl corrections were made by their readers. Several names of Northwest Missouri were included in this pioneer survey. In a few county news-papers the origin of certain interesting geographical names have been published, ~ltho for the most part, these are not separate place name studies;in most instances the subject has been approached from the historical standpoint and the origin of the names are embedded in the accounts of the pioneer settlements. The first survey of Missouri place names restricted to a certain group of counties, or a particular class.of names.in an effort to discover and record the origin of D every name therein was completed in June, 1928, when Miss Nadine Paoe wrote her masters thesis on the "Boone's Liok" Counties of 6entral Missouri. In August, 1928, Miss Orvyl Guy Ada.ms finished.a similar study of the names of the North Central Counties. The present thesis is there­ fore the third of its kind. It is hoped that by thus dividing the state into smaller unite more thorough work may be done, and that finally the whole state will have been covered with accuracy and completeness. IMPORTANCE OF THE PROBLEM. As has already been indicated, place names have largely been interesting to the historian. It has been pointed out many times that the history of the settlement of Missouri can be traced by a study of her geographical names, - those given by the aboriginal tribes, by the Frency fur-traders and explorers, and by the pioneers who came to make their homes here. The majority of the names found in Northwest Missouri were given by the early settleis not a few of which reveal incidents, customs, and traits of character which help us to understand the ptoneer perioc of Missouri History. Students of geology and geography are interested in the subject because ·of the large number of names which revaal the natural features of localities. In a few in­ stanoea the name has been more lasting than the object 6 which it describes. It is my purpose to show that geographical names may be of interest to a student of the English language, for they are indeed subject to the same laws which apply to an other class of words. While too short a period of time has elapsed for them to show much philological. development, it is hoped that the facts recorded will be of value to future research workers in the field of •1inguistics. METHODS .AUD SOURCES This study deals with the origin and development of the names of twelve counties. The total number of places studied equals 835; the total number of names, 778. For 532 names, or 68~-%. the origin is known; for 178, or 23%, it can be reasonably conjectured.; and only 68 names, or 8~'%, have remained unsolved. Those of which no definite information could be found are indicated by*; those of which I have resorted to safe conjectures are designated oi o. The main sources used in this work are to be found ih the library of the State Historical Society of Missouri County Histories were available for all counties excepting Andrew and De Kalb. Most of these histories contain valu­ able information for place name study, especially the oldest ones. A few county news-papers were found very helpful. Early i\tlases, Gazeteers, Postal Guides, Maps 7 and Railroad Directories were useful 1n obtaining namea - which had a brief existence, and locating the same. - Reference is made to the works of Mr. Eaton and Ur. Gannett for a few names wh1oh they included in their studies. In many oases, the origin of names oould only be obtained through correspondenoe and personal interviews. Information concerning the names of sohools was largely furnished by the teachers and clerks of the districts. The work is not complete, nor is it infallible, although precaution was taken to prevent errors. Of the names whose origins are unsolved, a number were given by the railroad.officiala and hence no record is available; others are said to have been adopted upon the suggestion of postal officials at Washington and in these cases the investigator oan go no farther. A few streams and towns bear personal names whose identity is loat. Several un­ official names were conferred upon towns and townships, .