American PlaceNames

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American Place-Names

• A Concise and Selective Dictionary for the
  Continental United States of America
• Arlene Anderson
• LIBR 150 900s
• Winter 2005

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Call number/Bibliographic citation

• Item information
• 082 R917.3003 St49A
• 100 Stewart, George Rippey, 1895-1980
• American place-names a concise and selective
• dictionary for the continental United States
  of
• America / George R. Stewart
• New York Oxford University Press, Inc., 1970
• xl, 550 p. 25 cm.
• 504 Bibliography p.xxxiv-xl.

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Arrangement

• The preface and acknowledgements are
• followed by a very lengthy Introduction reason
  for
• the introduction is to supply aid in the use of
  the
• dictionary. the headings of the divisions are
  imbedded within the introduction beginning with
• The Entry System
• Which explains that the dictionary consists of
  about 12,000 entries, alphabetically arranged.
  Each entry has its heading - a single word place
  name specific, two or more related words or by
  variant spelling.

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Arrangement (contd)

• General Background
• contains the following
• headings
• Specific-generic
• The article
• Languages
• Linguistic transfer
• Dual and multiple origin
• Abundance vs rarity
• Habitations, natural features
• Folk-names
• Linguistic play, humor

• Evolved names-bestowed names
• Official names
• Naming systems
• Literary influences
• Religious and mythological names
• Railroad stations, mines, brands
• Personal names
• Tribal and national names
• Names from nature and
• Exotic names

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Arrangement (contd)

• Usage
• explains
• Qualification
• Alphabetization and
• Abbreviations
• Bibliography
• The Names (the Alphabetic A-Z listing of the body
  of the work)

• Classification of place-names
• lists
• Descriptive names
• Association names
• Possessive names
• Incident names
• Commemorative names
• Commendatory names
• Coined (manufactured) names
• Transfer and shift names, name cluster
• Folk-etymology and
• Mistake names

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Scope

• The focus is upon the names, not the places. The
  names fall into one of three categories names
  of well-know places, repeated names and unusual
  names.
• The study of place name comprise several
  disciplines the linguist, the geographer, the
  historian and the folk-lorist. In the U.S.
  etymology consists of Indian names and a few
  dialectal or distorted forms. The American names
  used such processes as irony, negative
  description, humorous distortion, coinage,
  literary borrowing, punning or the motivation of
  the namer. The task of finding the proper
  historical record or the proper deduction from an
  imperfect record is often difficult.

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Scope (contd)

• An essential core of the material here presented
  derives from the authors own researches into
  original sources as presented in Names on the
  Land (the authors historical account of place
  naming in the U.S.), the authors other
  publications and his unpublished notes.
• The study of place names has been based upon
  political units, commonly states or counties. A
  number of states have been adequately studied on
  a national scale and compiled into a single
  study. With selection, co-ordination and
  condensation the author has used these studies as
  a basis.

8
Scope (contd)

• To gather the additional material, the bulk of
  the work, the author has systematically reviewed,
  collated and synthesized the still unsurpassed
  scholarship on the place-names of the U.S. The
  Sealock-Seely bibliography served as a
  indispensable checklist.

9
Currency

• The material is not current. There have been
  many name and land changes since the publication
  in 1970.

10
Intended/additional purpose

• It might be useful to linguists, geographers,
  historians or folk-lorists for historical
  research. Someone may want to search out a
  community that did exist back then but no longer
  exists at this time, someone might want to find
  an old Indian name spelling or there may be a
  need to search for old railroad sites that no
  longer exists.

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Physical format

• Book form only.

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Review opinion

• An instant classic
• The New Republic
• An irresistible bookpacked with wit and
  scholarshipit serves equally well for reading,
  reference, and the planning of imaginary
  journeys.
• The Boston Globe

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Review opinion (contd)

• A story to marvel at and rejoicethe dictionary
  offers a ready means of self-identification and
  pride of heritage and provides a vast literary
  tour as well.
• New York Times Book Review

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Personal impression

• I liked the cover, but when I started working
  with the book I thought the contents were
  arranged somewhat differently then the usual
  book, I got lost in it for awhile.
• As I started looking into the body of the book at
  the entries it became very interesting.
• I also read some about the author and I wish that
  I had more time to read more of the entries.

15
Reference uses

• A historian here in Washington state is
  researching child labor law in Rhode Island he is
  looking for evidence of any sort of acid
  factories in the Rhode Island area.
• Yes there is an entry under Acid Factory Brook
  R.I. From an acetic acid factory which operated
  ca 1865-83.

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References uses (contd)

• There is a novel by M.T. Yelverton (1872) The
  name Zanita is in the title. How can I find the
  name of that novel and the plot?
• Once again an entry that answers this question is
  found this time under Zanita Point the novel
  is titled Zanita Point the story takes place in
  CA the heroine Zanita hurled herself to death
  from this point into the river.

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Web search
Linux general site

• http//www.linuxquestions.org/questions/archive/10
  /2004/11/1/250578

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Web search (contd)

• Quiz on place names -
• http//www.funtrivia.com/playquiz.cfm?qid89340or
  iginhttp//www.google.com/search_QN_qamericanpl
  acenames_AND_hlen_AND_lr_AND_start60_AND_saN

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