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.

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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.

From Slaves To Warriors

By Elaine Marie Cooper

One of my favorite paintings of General George Washington is where he is kneeling on one knee in the snow next to his horse. It is obviously an artistic depiction of earnest prayer. After studying the American Revolution for nearly ten years and knowing he was a man of faith, I understand why the General needed to pray. Events in the 8-year Revolutionary War went anything but smoothly. One of the ongoing circumstances that reared its head was the lack of sufficient troops.

 

When 1778 rolled across the calendar, the Continental Congress devised a mandatory quota of troops from each state. Since Rhode Island had such a small population of white people yet numerous black slaves, General James Varnum proposed an idea to General Washington: Enlist black slaves to fill the quota of troops. 

On Valentine’s Day of 1778, the Rhode Island Assembly voted that “every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man-slave in this state can enlist into either the Continental battalions being raised.” The assembly stipulated that these soldiers would be discharged from serving their master or mistress and would be completely free. This law was not popular with Rhode Island slave owners. Their objections to this practice led to the law being repealed the following June. But in that 4-month period of time, over 100 free and formerly enslaved men enlisted in the Army and secured their freedom. The former slaves became the First Rhode Island Regiment but were more commonly referred to as the Black Regiment.

After months of preparation that changed these former slaves into battle-ready soldiers, the regiment’s skills were finally tested in the Battle of Rhode Island, that took place on Aquidneck Island. While it was not deemed an American victory, the troops definitely held their ground. Success in the battle might have been claimed by the Americans if a terrible storm had not occurred that caused much damage to the French ships that had come to assist the Americans.

This formation of the first black regiment in the Revolutionary War was the core of my research for my just-released novel, “Scarred Vessels.” Here is the Back-Cover blurb: In 1778 Rhode Island, the American Revolution rallies the Patriots to fight for freedom. But the slavery of black men and women from Africa, bartered for rum, is a travesty that many in America cannot ignore. The seeds of abolition are planted even as the laws allowing slavery in the north still existed. 

Lydia Saunders, the daughter of a slave ship owner, grew up with the horror of slavery. It became more of a nightmare when, at a young age, she is confronted with the truth about her father’s occupation. She is burdened with the guilt of her family’s sin, as she struggles to make a difference in whatever way she can. When she loses her husband in the battle for freedom from England, she makes a difficult decision that will change her life forever. 

Purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/Scarred-Vessels-Elaine-Marie-Cooper/dp/1649170025/

Elaine Marie Cooper describes herself as an author who is a complete history geek. She focuses on creating historical fiction set in the American Revolution. She loves to discover little-known events that occurred in that war and create characters who are caught up in the conflict. Her latest release is Scarred Vessels which focuses on the black soldiers in the American Revolution. The setting for most of the action takes place in Rhode Island. She has also penned Saratoga Letters (Finalist for Selah Award in Historical Romance), Fields of the Fatherless (Winner of the Selah Award for young adult fiction), and Bethany’s Calendar (Selah Winner for Best Memoir). Love’s Kindling is Finalist in 2020’s Selah Award for Historical Romance. This book as well as the next 2 books in the Dawn of America series will re-release with Scrivenings Press in 2021. Elaine and her husband have two grown sons and five grandchildren. Their only daughter, Bethany, died from a brain tumor in 2003. Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/VkIo20TMZFg