Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

84 GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF BARNSTABLE FAMILIES.
in his sale of land to the English in 1648, and the place of his
residence. It was afterwards known as the Indian fields. This
name is almost identical with kok-a-cho-ise and was the name of
his Sachemdom, and the name of the small island and narrows, a
little distance to the southeast.
Se-paw-neS'is-set, Se-pau-is-set^ or Sip-nes-et. This- is the
same word that Williams says is the superlative of se-^j? river, and
defines as "a little rivulet." The name is now obsolete. It was
the little brook that flows into the bay at Oyster Island Landing.
Skun-ko-mug* or Chun-ko-muek, This name is derived from
Clvim-koo^ the Oyster, and ko or ka-much^ home, or place of residence.
In this connection the meaning of the name is '^a bed of
oysters," or reversed, "-'an oyster bed," or '*'a place where oysters
abound." This was the name of the river or inlet on the east and
southeast of Oyster Island village, and which is yet known as
Oyster Island river. The inlet or bay on the southwest was
sometimes called Oyster Island bay and sometimes Oyster
river.
Ma-nan or mo-nan was the Indian for island ;
but in the In-
*Williams pves the Indian word ao-cup, a little cotc or creek, au-cup-waw-ese, a very
little one. Cnttou has not this word. He could have written it aw-qut—the broad pound of
a he represented by aw- Williams, as I have be/ore stated, represents the whistling- sound
of the Indian by C. Cotton generally by qu, never by cm— ^B, P and T, are interchangeable,
sometimes the one is used and sometimes the other in the same word. Au-qut frequently
occurs in the names of places on the coast, because it refers to inlets into which the
tide flows. When a creek was intended, tuck in some of its forms was added, indicatingthat
it was narrow, that there was land on each side ; yet that there was suflScient water to
paddle a canoe. Mug or muck in this case may be the same as qut, because the cove and
not the land was the home or bed of the oyster-
However, it is a well establised fact; that, though like Sancho's island, it was on the
main land, the Indians called it an island, and for nearly two centuries the whites called it
so, and even to this day many call it an island. Geoffraphically it is not surrounded by
water; that howeTci has noticing to do with the fact that for two centuries Oyster Island
was the name of place or village. If we laugh at the absurdity of the name, that does not
mend the matter or change the facts. It is not a particle more absurd than the present
name. Oster-VILLE. "ville" is French, meaning, as the dictionaries informs us,
"town" or "city." Vill is an English word, from villa, Latin, and is applied to the divisioDs
of a town, and is usually written village. Osterville is uniformly spelled with the "E"
final, and is French and is to be defined as French. Is Osterville a town? If so, who are
its Selectmen? If a city, where are its municipal officers? Where is its city hall? Who
is its Mayor? Ash-u-woo-ham-itt was its last Mayor, while under Indian rale. Oster is
still more absurd. It is neither Indian, Frenph nor English. If it be Latin, it is like Mam.
brino's helmet, some rogue has cut off the front. I am aware that this is mighty small
criticism ; my answer is, it is in reply to much smaller—to that pseudo delicacy which turns
up its wise nose at Oyster Island because it was a name derived fi*om the Indian; but can
with imperturbable gravity say Osterville ! Suppose some wise-acre should undertake to
criticise the name Barnstable, and say it is not a stable, therefore it is absurd to say Barnstable.
If the baptismal name of a termagant be "Love," is she a lovely scold?
NOTE.—Since writing the above I have had an interview with Hon, Charles Marston,
many years overseer of the Massapee Indians- He pronounced several of the Indian
names of places at Oyster Island and vicinity, in the manner they were pronounced by Indians
who could speak their native language. From the information received of Mr,
Marston I am satisfied that the various or apparently various names applied to Oyster Island
are from the same root, namely, Churr-koo, the Oyster. As he pronounced the name,
there are no letters in English to represent the sound. The peculiar whistling sound I have
named and a strong aspirate occurs in this name, thus, Skon-ko-net, Skun-ka-mug or jnuck,
and Skunk-net, are all the same word, the third syllable being a separate word—thus,
Sko-unk-koo or Chu-unk-koo—the terminal et or muck was used only when the land was
intended, not when the river. He al^o informs me that the name of the tribe of which
Paup-mun-nuke was Sachem, including the Mpssapees, was Cot-a-chese—the people, Cot-a-
-che-set, the place, which in pronouncmg he gave to the first syllables the sound of Chuukoo,
the oyster, as above given.