After All, What’s in a Name?
Many towns in Korth Carolina have had as
many as two or llirt't* different names, and
some of them have had as
|||ц*Н
as half a
dozen before final settlement.
YOU and I as well as other mem¬
bers of the present generation
of North Carolinians have be¬
come so accustomed to the names
of towns throughout the state that
we forget that Edenton. Wilming¬
ton. and other places were known
by the early settlers by some other
names than the ones they now bear.
For example the first settlers of
the colony knew nothing about
Raleigh. Wilmington. Weldon.
Asheville. Beaufort. Enfield, or
Wadesboro. They did, however,
have a Queen Ann’s Creek, Fish
Town. Campellton. New Liverpool.
Fort Johnson. Huntington, Huckle¬
berry Swamp, and Little Ordinary.
As these towns began to grow
in population and influence, certain
leaders began to favor re-naming
them with the result that the name
was either changed or the spelling
modified.
How They Changed Their Names
Morristown became Asheville;
Bath Town, Bath; Campellton.
Cross Creek, and after some years
Cross Creek became Fayetteville.
н»
g. c. in:i)Gi:pmi
in honor of General Lafayette, of
France, an admirer of America,
a lover of liberty, and a personal
friend of Washington.
Crawford was ne-named Dan¬
bury. Fort Johnston Smithville.
and Smithville, Southport. Fish
Town became Beaufort; Hunting-
ton, Murphy; and Huckleberry
Swamp, the seat of government for
Edgecombe County ( which at the
time included the present counties
of Nash. Halifax. Wilson. Edge¬
combe. and a part of Johnston»,
had its name changed to Enfield.
With the shipping interest grow¬
ing in the little village on the
Саре
Fear River it was decided to name
the place New Liverpool. After
some years, however, the name was
changed to New Town, then to
Newton, and finally to Wilmington.
It was about this time that the
founders of one of the towns fur¬
ther west named their villcgc New
Town, then Newton, and finally
Wadesborough. Generations later
the name, Wadesborough. was
shortened to Wadesboro.
Washington. N. C.. prides itself
upon being the first town in the
country to be named in honor of
the illustrious George, but before
it adopted that name it was known
as Peatown, and later as Archdale.
For the most part, our leading
cities in North Carolina have had
their names changed from designa¬
tions which they originally bore.
As a general rule, some one' family
predominated in the establishment
of new settlements, and these set¬
tlements generally bore the names
of those families. As the communi¬
ties grew it was found that the
names sometimes became inappro¬
priate and it was because of this
fact that changs were made.
Then, too, it was a custom to give
such original names as "Jones'
Cross-roads." or "Smith’s Store."
As the settlements grew, it was
felt that these names were out of
place, so citizens would get to¬
gether and select some name
which, they felt, would be more
dignified and in keeping with the
progress which their communities
were making.
Most Towns Named for Individuals
Most of the towns in North Caro¬
lina are named for people of either
national or local prominence, al¬
though there are many exceptions
to that rule, such as Pinehurst,
Fair Bluff. Highlands, and others.
As a general rule. too. there is a
well-established record relative to
why a certain town was given a
certain name. For instance. Wilson
was named for General Wilson,
Raleigh was named for Sir Walter
Raleigh. Graham was named for
the Graham family, and so on.
However, up to the present time
I never have been able to find out
how Ahoskic received its name. It
is an established fact, however,
that it is the only Ahoskie in the
entire world.
The Indian trading post west of
the Blue Ridge was named Hunt¬
ington but this was later changed
to Murphy. In the northeastern
THE STATE. June 5. 1048
JOHN FLANAGAN
BUGGY CO.
CONGRATULATES
THE STATp MAGAZINE
ON ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY
GREENVILLE. NORTH CAROLINA
