Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

GENEALOGICAli NOTES OF BARNSTABLE FAMILIES. 79
Offices established, designated by the new names. The Postmaster
G-eneral took no interest in the matter, and granted the pray-
ers of the petitioners. The people of these places never took action
respecting the change. They are objectionable. They introduce
confusion in the records and in legal conveyances. He that
proposes a change of name should show some sufficient season.
The only reason I have heard urged is this, "the old names are
Indian." In a critical point of view, nothing has been gained.
In selecting names euphony or sound, I admit, should be regarded.
Let any one who has a correct ear say whether Marston's Mills,
or Pondville, is a more euphoneous name than Mistic though it be
Indian ; Cotuit Port than San-tu-it ; Osterville than Cot-a-cJio-set,
Bkon-ko-net, or even Skon-ko-mudk ;
or Centreville than Wee-quaquet.
The Indian name of West Batnstable, if modified in form,
80 that it will apply to the village instead of the meadows, will be
Mos-ke-tuak-et, a very pretty name. Associated with those old
names, which have become household words, there are pleasant
reminisences which endear them to every son and to every daughrter
of old Barnstable. "Why ruthlessly sever them ? Even the
red man associated with the name the characteristics and the
memories of the place. In all primitive languages there is a correspondence
between the name, and the thing signified. Names
were not arbitrarily given. Hebrew names always have a meaning
that is significant. "And he named one Peleg." Why, because
on the year that Peleg was born the Hebrews did that which
was signified by Peleg—they "divided their lands." Indian
names of places were descriptive. The names of their children
were often records of events. When the child grew up, if he became
remarkable for any particular trait, he assumed another
which was more expressive, and better corresponded with his condition
and station. Indian names are compounded of primitive
words, occasionally extending to fifteen syllables, too long even
for an Indian to pronounce, and he therefore contracted them,
sometimes taking only a single syllable, and sometimes only a few
letters of a primitive word.
Mattakeese is compounded from matta, not—in this connection,
old or poor ohkee, ground or fields ; ese or ise the diminutive
term, meaning less or little. Mattakeset is the same with the
addition of the terminal ei, which means "place" or "here is the
place," which our Indians uniformly applied to places near the
water. Our fathers translated the name literally, and called the
Indian fields "Old Fields," a name that I have often heard the
aged apply to them. In 1647 these Old Fields were enclosed by
a common fence, and thereafter were called common fields because
so enclosed. The eastern part was called the new, and the
western the old common field,, because that requiring only a few
rods of fence, was enclosed the year the town was settled.