State Name Origins - Part IV

   By Tiffany Amber Stockton

In August, my post focused on the invention and minor evolution of the sewing machine, showcasing how it revolutionized the clothing industry. You can read last month's post if you missed it.

Today, it's time for the next 10 state name history stories. Aren't you excited? Has your state already been covered? If not, there are only 10 more after this group, so it's certain to be covered soon.

STATE NAMES and their ORIGINS

One thing I found interesting with this list is it's almost a 50/50 split of the state names starting with a letter of the alphabet from either the first half or second half of the 26 letters. Montana is the 26th state out of 50 and the last one with an "M." The remaining 24 states come from the latter half of the alphabet. It would have been fun to see 25 of the states start with letters in the first half of the alphabet and the other 25 from the second half, but we're close!

New Mexico is self-explanatory and based on the Spanish Nuevo Mexico. Although, did you know the Aztecs coined the word Mexihco for their ancient capital?

New York was named for the Duke of York and the future King James II.

North Carolina is named after a monarch, King Charles II, as Carolus is the proper Latin version of Charles.

North Dakota describes the northern land of the Dakota people, but it also means friendly or allies.

Ohio comes from a body of water, this time, the Ohio River. The Seneca Native Americans billed it as a good river.

Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw word meaning "red people."

Oregon has an origin where some scholars point to Algonquin as the source.

Pennsylvania was named after Admiral William Penn, under Charles II. It literally means Penn’s Woods.

Rhode Island has multiple name theories, including the idea that Dutch explorer Adrian Block applied the name Roodt Eylandt, meaning red island, to reflect the red cliffs of the region. Alternatively, it may come from the Greek island of Rhodes.

Tennessee comes from the Cherokee village name ta’nasi, but the meaning is unclear.

And that's all for today. If you're like me and LOVE puzzles, download this PDF for some puzzle challenge fun. You might be able to solve it on your own without reading the rest of the blogs in this set, or you can save it and add to it in future months. :)

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Which one of these states was the most fascinating to you?

* Do you live in any of the 10 featured states this month? If so, do you have any other unique tidbits about your state?

* What do you think might be the origin of any of the final 10 states?

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. For those of you who have stuck around this far, I'm sending a FREE autographed book to one person every month from the comments left on each of my blog posts. You never know when your comment will be a winner! Subscribe to comments so you'll know if you've won and need to get me your mailing information.

Come back on the 9th of October for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my quarterly newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and four cats in southeastern Kentucky. In the 20 years she's been a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Standard Register Company

 

LET'S TALK ABOUT STANDARD REGISTER COMPANY!

BY

Molly Jebber

Author, Amish Historical Romance

I had friends and colleagues who worked for Standard Register, so this company was near and dear to me in Dayton, Ohio.

In 1912, Thomas Schirmer and his brother, John Sherman refined a machine they created so it would produce as many as eight copies of a document at a single writing. The machine kept multiple documents aligned which allowed all the layers of paper to be preprinted with lines, check boxes, and other formats. They rented space and began their company using this machine and others to offer companies preprinted forms and copies for recordkeeping.

In 1913, a great flood happened and nearly destroyed their business due to debt and backlogged orders. But Schirmer and Sherman devised a plan to save the business. They borrowed money against the life insurance policies to fill backorders and to accept new business, and get up-to-date. They had the company back on track in seven months.

In 1916, the company had enough business to erect a purpose built factory.In the 1930's, Sherman applied a pin-fed concept to machine written documents to speed up the process. of continuous forms. The new machine and process added to Standard Register's increased business.


In 1933, the company's business increased to one million dollars, and increased to five millon in 1938. This rapid growth was due to international licensing agreements. The company authorized R. L. Crain Limited, a Canadian firm, to produce its patented forms in 1934, and they formed an affiliation with W.H. Smith & Son (Alacra) Ltd. in England a year later. Thomas Schirmer died, and his brother, John Sherman, ran the company until he died in 1944.


Milford Spayd, who had joined the company in 1933, took over as President. Sales increased to eleven point four million dollars in 1946, and to over forty three million dollars in 1956. Standard Register continued to grow, placing factories in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and California as well as some international countries.


In 1966, Kenneth Morse took over the company and increased business and increased sales. In the 1970's the business slowed due to weakened supply and fierce competition. In the 1990's, Standard Register filed Chapter 11, and later closed it's doors. It was a sad for many.


Please visit me here to see where I'll be speaking. Will I be near you? I'd love to meet you! Molly's News

From Circleville to Chillicothe on the Ohio-Erie Canal

by

 

I wasn’t sure what to think when a friend asked me to join a historical novella collection about the Erie Canal. But this historic achievement soon captured my imagination. I became even more excited when I discovered that the Ohio-Erie Canal connected Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes, to the broad Ohio River.

 

My ancestors settled in Ohio way back in the late 1700s when Virginia gave land to their Revolutionary War veterans instead of paying them in cash. The Virginia Military District, consisting of more than four million acres, was north of the Ohio River between the Little Miami River and the Scioto River. This was before Ohio became the 17th state in 1803. 

Fun Fact: President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower signed Ohio’s official statehood documents in 1953, retroactive to the March 1, 1803 date. 

 

Getting back to the Ohio-Erie Canal, here are the basics:

·      Date of Construction: 1825 through 1832

·    Length: 308 miles

·    Lift Locks: 146

 

Two towns located along the canal’s route, Circleville and Chillicothe, have connections with my childhood so I chose them as settings for my novella. During my research, I learned fascinating information about both.

 

Circleville

 

My Connection

When I was growing up, my mom and her nine siblings held our annual Christmas get-together at the local high school with a potluck and gift exchange. Multiple cousins and their families still live in the area.

 

The Town's History

 

In 1810, the streets were laid out in a circle on top of a Hopewell Indian mound on the eastern bank of the Scioto River, hence the name of the town. 

 

As time went by, the residents complained about the odd layout. They didn’t like going around in circles or how the circular streets formed irregular lots. 

 In the late 1830s, the Ohio General Assembly created the Circleville Squaring Company which was tasked with changing the streets into a grid layout and to rebuild the curved buildings.

 

The town’s modern-day claim to fame is the popular Circleville Pumpkin Show. It's marketed as the "Greatest Free Show on Earth," and held the third Wednesday through Saturday in October. 

 

Chillicothe

 

My Connection

 

My paternal grandparents lived for a time at the end of a “holler” south of this historic city. I loved visiting my grandparents and often spent a week or two with them during the summers. But I didn’t like driving through Chillicothe to get to their house. The century-old paper mill located there emits a very unpleasant odor. The locals euphemistically call it the smell of money, but I always held my nose!

 

History

 

Chillicothe, first settled in 1796, is also located along the Scioto River. The town has the distinction of serving as Ohio’s first capital (1803-1810) and its third capital (1812-1816). 

 

In the years prior to the Civil War, Chillicothe’s free black community played a vital role maintaining stations along the Underground Railroad. In my story, the heroine and hero help runaway slaves escape the hunters who wanted to take them back across the Ohio River.

For the past thirty-plus years, Chillicothe has hosted the annual Feast of the Flowering Moon Festival, a three-day event celebrating Native American culture, with music, arts and crafts exhibits, and various demonstrations. 

 

The city also hosts the annual Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival. Though the multi-day event only began in 2004, the history of storytelling in the region has a long tradition that includes the Shawnee and Mingo tribes, early settlers, and travelers along the Underground Railroad. All these groups passed stories from one generation to the next.  

My story in the Erie Canal Brides Collection is called "Journey of the Heart" and takes place in 1852. The heroine, Charity Sinclair, secretly writes abolitionist pamphlets while thwarting architect Tavish Dunbar's effort to redesign her father's post office--a hidden stop on the Underground Railroad. When a slave hunter captures a runaway, Charity vows to rescue the fugitive. But can she trust Tavis with her secret...and with her heart?

How Ohio Almost Started the Civil War

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

Before the Southern states succeeded from the Union in 1860, a small Christian college in Ohio almost caused the Civil War. It all started in 1850 with the Fugitive Slave Act. Before 1850, owners of slaves in slave states could not easily retrieve their slaves if they escaped to free states. Many of the escaped slaves settled in Ohio. When the Fugitive Slave Act was enacted, slave owners could not only chase their slaves down in states like Ohio, but abolitionists in free states were forced to aid them and hand over these slaves or be convicted of a crime.

That didn’t sit well with most Ohioans, but the students at Oberlin College were enraged by the law. Oberlin College was the only college at the time that allowed both blacks and women to graduate with a college degree alongside white men. A religious fervor had filled the campus, and Charles Finney from the Second Great Awakening had become the college president. Oberlin students felt it their duty to live out their Christian life in the culture of the times. Graduates became missionaries overseas, preached abolition in the South, and women’s suffrage and equal rights for all.

Since the Fugitive Slave Act, many escaped slaves settled in Oberlin and were warned by residents whenever slave catchers were around. In September, 1858, a federal agent arrested a fugitive slave, John Price, in Oberlin and transported him to nearby Wellington intending to take him to Kentucky. Half the town of Oberlin chased the agent down and took Price back. He was secretly moved to Canada by an Oberlin College professor. 20 men were arrested and charged with impeding the capture of a fugitive slave.

The trial caused such an uproar in Ohio, there were discussions about succeeding from the United States. The federal agents were arrested for kidnapping because they violated Ohio’s constitution against slavery. Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase was an abolitionist, but he talked the crowds out of succeeding. Many wanted him to run for president in 1860, but he stepped aside for the good of the country. He felt a moderate anti-slavery candidate, Abraham Lincoln, would have a better chance of winning.

Red Sky Over America, is about a woman abolition who attended Oberlin College shortly before the Oberlin Wellington Rescue.

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures. She loves to write historical fiction set in the United States because there are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith, romance, suspense and adventure in her stories. She is managing editor of Mt Zion Ridge Press. Her novel, Red Sky Over America, is available in print and e-book. She is also a contributor to the From the Lake to the River Buckeye Christian Fiction Anthology.

An Afternoon of Art II: Georgian and Regency

Linore Rose Burkard

Last month, I invited you to an armchair stroll, an afternoon of art, as I shared some of the photos I'd taken of beautiful paintings and sculptures from the Dayton Institute of Art's collection. This month, as promised, I'm posting more from the Institute, but only images from their Georgian or Regency Era collections.

(Please bear with my photos--I didn't take them with the intention of sharing publicly, but realized belatedly that others would enjoy them.)

American PIER TABLE c.1810-20

Wood with mahogany veneer, marble top, alabaster columns, gilt bronze ormolu and mirror.

(If you look closely, you'll see my legs reflected in the mirrored section!)

"The Pier table was inspired by the Empire style, a late 18th-to early 19th-century French style introduced during the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in France, which became popular in the United States after 1810.  It is best characterized by its classical and stately features, including beautiful wood, elegant columns, animal-paw feet, and elaborate, gilded acanthus-leaf ornamentation. This majestic furniture style was popular well into the mid-19th century." 

My two cents: This is truly classic Regency style! 

JANE ANN BENJAMIN POWERS, MRS. CHARLES WESLEY POWERS, 1829

Oil on canvas, by Ammi Phillips (1788-1855)

"Folk artist Ammi Phillips was born in Colebrook, Connecticut and began painting portraits throughout the region by 1811. A decade later, the period in which this image of Jane Ann was completed while the artist was working in Dutchess County, New York, his portraits became more sophisticated due in part to his interest in realism and the natural world. Phillips also began to experiment with dark backgrounds, which provided a dramatic contrast to this sitter's pale skin."

My two cents: Notice the lower waist line and wide sleeves, elaborate curls and poufed hair--definitely late Regency style. George IV (previously the Regent) would reign for one more year after this portrait was painted. He died  January, 1830.    

This is earlier than the previous portrait, definitely Georgian. Unfortunately my photo of the provenance for this portrait did not come out, so I can give no information regarding the artist, location it was painted, or exact year. 

  

by Ralph Earl, (1751-1801) American

"A portrait painter, Ralph Earl was a prominent southern New England portraitist who carried on the high standards set by John Singleton Copley. (1738-1815). Earl was trained in England.

The little brass plate (which you can see along the inset of the frame on the bottom) says, "MICHEL."

Unfortunately that is all the information I have on this lovely scene. My photo of the provenance is too blurry to read!   

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FRENCH CABINET, c. mid 19th-C.

Ebony, oak, marble, oil paint, glaze, ormolu

by Hippolite-Edme Pretot

"Nineteenth-century French craftsmen excelled at designing and fabricating furniture with intricate combinations of luxurious materials.  This cabinet was almost certainly made to showcase such skills. Signed by Pretot, a little-known Frenchy artisan, its materials include gilded bronze, brass inlay, and rich, dark ebony. The painted flower decorations are attributed to the virtually unknown Franco Joseph Napoleon. The cabinet was likely intended for a hallway or dining room, where it would have been used to store or display the belongings of the wealthy owner." 

The label identifying the Paris shop where it was crafted is still intact!

CASTLEFORD WARE, English, founded 1790

TEAPOT, CREAMER, AND SUGAR BOWL WITH COVER, c.1785

Basalt Ware

My two cents: If the manufacturer was founded in 1790, I find it interesting that they date the pieces to 1785! You might say  they were crafted before their time. 

No information on this one, but it is certainly majestic.

I can't be sure until I return to the museum, but I think this is by Sir Joshua Reynolds. An imposing Regency personage, methinks, with a respectable cravat.

HENRY, 8th LORD ARUNDELL OF WARDOUR, c. 1764-7

(A name worthy of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, to be sure!)

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)

British, Oil on canvas 94 x 58 inches. (That is, nearly 8 feet high by nearly five feet wide)

"Reynold’s full-length portrait of the elegantly dressed English nobleman exemplifies both the brilliantly painterly skills that made him one of the most sought after portraitists of his age, and the luxury enjoyed by England’s richest noble families in the eighteenth century. The artist captures Henry with all the signs of his status: his peer’s robes, the crown of a Lord Baron resting on the parapet, and an aloof, if noble, bearing."

My two cents: Noble bearing, indeed. Contrast Arundell's pose with that of his monarch, George III, below (This painting is not from the DAI)

George III in his coronation robes. From commons.wikimedia.org

TEA SERVICE: TEAPOT, CREAMER AND SUGAR, English

Thomas Holland, Silver, 1806-1807

Silver looks more like gold here, but I can't tell if its my photo or if it had such a golden sheen in the case. Possibly the "tarnish" of the silver gives it the golden hues.  

PAIR OF CHAMBERSTICKS, English, 1812

Not much "younger" than the tea set above, the silver here is noticeably whiter.

PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN, English

Sir Richard Cosway (1742-1821) Watercolor on ivory set in gold box.

Cosway was the premier painter of miniatures of his day. I was so excited to see one of his tiny masterpieces in a Dayton collection! This is certainly Georgian, and most likely no more than 2-2 1/2 inches in length! I have a book on Cosway's miniatures--if I can find it before this post goes live, I'll double-check the measurements. 

COVERED CUP, c. 1752-53 (Georgian)

Sterling Silver

Amye Videau, active 1730-1770

English

"This splendid covered vessel in the form of a trophy...reflected Baroque style prevalent in Europe at the time." Videau was a French Huguenot who emigrated to nearby England as did many Protestants after their freedom of religion was revoked in the late 17th century. (Rather startling, isn't it, that Christianity is becoming less tolerated in our modern 21st century society.)

\

PORTRAIT OF ELIAS JONATHAN DAYTON, 1813

Oil on canvas

(What a proper Mr. Knightley he could be!)

by Thomas Sully (1783-1872)

Not my photo--this came From the DAI website. I had a poor picture of the provenance only.  

A dark photo of snuff  bottles, 18th century, Chinese

I hope you've enjoyed these pictures of art and artifacts from the Georgian and Regency eras. For myself, it is hard to get enough of them. Stay tuned as I re-visit the regency in other ways in coming months here at Heroes, Heroines and History!

.  

Linore Rose Burkard is best known for regency romance novels with Harvest House Publishers, and now writes YA/Suspense as L.R.Burkard. Linore teaches workshops for writers, is a mother of five, and still homeschools her youngest daughter—preferably with coffee in one hand,  and iPad in the other.

Linore's newest novel, RESILIENCE, the action-packed sequel to PULSE, is  available now for pre-order on Amazon.

An Afternoon of Art (The Dayton Art Museum)

By Linore Rose Burkard

Grab a cup of tea and enjoy some eye candy this month. (Pretend you've actually taken the time to drive downtown--wherever that is--to visit your local art museum. But so you don't have to, I'm sharing wonderful art finds with you in the comfort of your own home.) I love how so much of classical art is centered around the "greatest story ever told," the most important events in history--the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

All of the following are from The Dayton  Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio, which is housed in a beautiful building. Drivers going through Dayton on I675 get a perfect view of it. 

 (Click on the images, below, to get a larger view.)



THE HOLY FAMILY 

attributed to Michelangelo Anselmi

Ital., First half of sixteenth century

Painted on a piece of leather covered with metal foil

JUDITH WITH THE HEAD OF HOLOFERNES

Carlo Saraceni (1579-1620)  Oil on Canvas

Judith as conqueress was a popular theme for painters. Check out this page for more august renderings of this momentous event in ancient Israel's history.  (A BBC website says this painting is in Sheffield, England. They must have old information. The Dayton piece says, "Purchased with funds provided by the Five Twenty Five something or other." so either that BBC website has old information, or--horrors--somebody has a forgery, ha!)   

THE CRUCIFIXION WITH SCENES OF THE MARTYRDOM OF THE APOSTLES

c. 1630, Oil on Canvas

Frans Francken the Younger, Flemish (1581-1642)

"Francken's painting includes a central image of the Crucifixion, and a surrounding rectangle with the martyrdom's of each of Christ's twelve apostles. (Clockwise from the upper left corner: Peter, Matthew, Andrew, James Major, John the Evangelist, Thomas, James Minor, Philip, Bartholomew, Simon, Mark, and Paul.) Together, they reinforce the importance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, through which he conquered death and offered redemption to all. The Apostles were willing to give their lives to spread Christ's message of salvation.

William Adolphe Bouguereau, French, (1835-1905)

My delight knew no bounds when I came upon this painting in our own Dayton Museum! Bouguereau is one of my favorite artists, after Monet, Mary Cassatt, and other impressionists. 

I didn't capture a photo of the name of this painting and a quick online look failed to reveal it. It is unmistakable as his work, however, as you can see from other of his works on this page. Interestingly, I have a niece with a face remarkably similar to the girl in this portrait (and in many of his works). She has the face of perfect Victorian beauty.

THE ANGEL APPEARING BEFORE THE SHEPHERDS, 1870

Thomas Buchanan Read, American, (1822-1872)

Oil on Canvas

Read was a Cincinnati, Ohio, native, since the age of 10 until his death.

LAKE EDEN, VERMONT, 1944 

Grandma Moses, American (1860-1961)

Oil on Pressed Wood

ADORATION OF THE MAGI

Giuseppe Cesari, Ital. 1506-1641

MADONNA IN HER MATERNITY 

William O. Partridge

1892? (poor photo, sorry!)

William's wife served as the model

CHRISTIAN CHARITY

Giovanni Francesco Barbarbieri, called II Guercino

Ital., 1591-1666, Oil on Canvas

"The theme of Christian charity has belonged to the repertory of Christian iconography since the Renaissance. At the root of this allegory are the contrasting aspects of human love versus divine love, the former intended to illustrate human love's fragility and the latter the immortal love of the human soul. During the Counter-Reformation, the theme of a beautiful woman nursing her young undoubtedly would have been recognized as an Allegory for Charity or Love.  The woman might also represent the personification of the Church; her children represent the human soul hungry for spiritual nourishment."

PORTRAIT OF MACHTELD VAN DER GRAEFF, 1641

Jacob Willemsz Delff

Dutch (1619-1661), Oil on Wood Panel

BLISSFUL HOURS, 1885

Samuel Richards, (1853-1893) American

"A native of Indiana, Richards painted this image in Munich, Germany and described its sentimental subject matter, typical of many late 19th-century works, in a letter: 'It represents a Village maiden musing over her approaching wedding, busy with the last touches upon her bridal dress; you can see by the fresh-made tea placed upon the table, and the chair placed near that she is waiting for her lover who will come now any moment...'"

I would not have guessed any of the above! Would you?
Below are two close-ups of this beautiful painting:

How obvious! (In hindsight, anyway.) The cup awaiting the lover!

So there you have an eclectic mix of styles and subject matter. Next month, I'll post more photos from this same museum--these with one thing in common, and which makes them special to this regency writer's heart: They are all either late Georgian or Regency era! Be sure to stop by on April 20th!

Do you love art? Who is your favorite painter or painters?

 

Linore Rose Burkard is best known for Christian Regency  novels with Harvest House Publishers, and now also writes YA/Suspense as L.R.Burkard. Linore teaches workshops for writers with Greater Harvest Workshops in Ohio, is a mother of five, and still homeschools her youngest daughter—preferably with coffee in one hand, and iPad in the other. For free PDFs subscribe to Linore's mailing list at either of her websites.

Pre-Order the exciting sequel to PULSE! Available exclusively on Amazon for only $3.99!

RESILIENCE: Only the resilient can survive. But at what cost? 

Now that an EMP has sent the United States into a seeming Dark Age, society has fallen apart at the seams. Andrea, Lexie and Sarah must survive despite the loss of technology, electricity, and worse, the threats of marauders and lawless opportunists. The appearance of FEMA camps might be reassuring except the military seems determined to force civilians to enter them. Is the US government also a threat?...