History of Westchester County, New York, Volume 1. Frederic Shonnard

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СКАЧАТЬ Meghkaekassin. From an original Siogke-ompsk-it, "at the hard rock."

      Sacunyte Napucke. — A locality in Pelham. Sakunk-Napi-ock, " at the outlet of a pond or water-place." Probably used in some conveyance to indicate the line running to this place, hence a boundary designation

      Saperwack. — A hook or bend in a stream at West Farms. " Laud on a river," or " extended land;" the name will bear both interpretations.

      Sepackena. — A creek at Tarrytown.

      Sachkerah. — A locality at West Farms.

      Saproughah. — A Creek at West Farms.

      Sepparak. — A locality in Cortlandt. The foregoing names are seemingly variations of the same word, denoting " extended or spread-out land." A search for early forms might change this opinion.

      Senas(pia. — Croton Point on Hudson, Wanasque, " a point or ending." This name, as well as Ranachque, has lost its suffix. On Long Island it occurs in Wanasquattan, " a point of hills," Wanasquetuck, " the ending creek."

      Sint Sinck. — Sing Sing. Ossin-sing, "stone upon stones," belongs to the Chippeway dialect and was suggested by Schoolcraft (see Proc. N. Y. Hist. Soc, 1844, p. 101). He is also responsible for a number of other interpretations frequently quoted. The Delaware form, Asin-es-ing, " a stony place," is much better. The same name occurs on Long Island in Queens County. But on the Delaware River is a place called Maetsingsing (see Col. Hist. N. Y., Vol. 1, pp. 590, 596), which seems to be a fuller form of our name and warranting another interpretation: " Place where stones are gathered together," a heap of stones, probably.

      Snakapins. — Cornell's Neck. If not a personal name, as I suspect, it may represent an earlier Sagapin, "a ground-nut."

      Suckehonk. — " A black (or dark colored) place," a marsh or meadow. The Hartford meadows, Connecticut, were called Suck'iang.

      Soakatuck. — A locality in Pelham. "The mouth of a stream." The same as Saugatuck in Connecticut.

      Suwanoes. — -A tribe located from Norwalk, Conn., to Hellgate. They were the Shawon-anoes, " the Southerners," to tribes farther north.

      Tammoesis. — Creek near Verplanck's Point. Delaware, Tummeu-esis, "little wolf," a personal name.

      Tanracken.— -A locality in Cortlandt. Tarackan, " the crane." The name was derived from the loud and piercing cry peculiar to the genus, especially to the Grus americana or Whooping Crane, which, says Nuttall, has been "not unaptly compared to the whoop or yell of the savages when rushing to battle." (Trumbull.)

      Tankitekes. — Name of tribe living back of Sing. This is probably a term of derision applied to them by other tribes: " Those of little worth."

      Tatomuck. — This name has probably lost a syllable or more. The suffix indicates a " fishing-place." On Long Island Arhata-amuck denotes "a crab fishing-place." Corrupted in some records to Katawamac.

      Toquams Var., Toquamske. This was a boundary mark in some conveyance, or else a well-known landmark; p'tukqu-ompsk, " at the round-rock."

      Titicus. — A brook flowing north and west across the State line into the Croton River; also a village and post-office in Connecticut. An abbreviation of Mutighticoos or Matteticos.

      Tuckahoe. — Hill in Yonkers. This appears in Southampton, L. I., and elsewhere, and seems to have been applied to a species of truffle or subterranean fungus (Pachyma cocos — Fries) sometimes called Indian loaf. The tuckaho of Virginia (tockwhogh, as Captain John Smith wrote the name) was the root of the Golden Club or Floating Arum (Orantium Aquaticum). " It groweth like a flag in low, marshy places. In one day a salvage will gather sufficient for a week. These roots are much the bigness and taste of potatoes." (Strachey. )

      Waumainuck. — Delancy's Neck. Var., Waimanuck, " land round about." Some other place understood.

      Wampus. — " The Opossum." A personal name.

      Weckquaskeek. — Var., Wechquoesqueeck; Wiequoeshook, Weecquoesguck, etc. Schoolcraft's suggestion, " the place of the bark-kettle," and as repeated in various histories, is absolutely worthless. The name is simply a descriptive appellation of the locality where the Indians lived at the date of settlement. Delaware, Wiquie-askeek, Massachusetts, Wehque-askeet, Chippewa, Waiekwa-ashkiki, " end of the marsh or bog."

      Weghqueghe. — Var., Wyoquaqua. A variant of the foregoing.

      Wenneebees.— -A locality in Cortlandt. Probably a personal name from the finals, although early forms, if found, might indicate with a locative an original Winne-pe-es-et, " at the good-tasted water-place," i.e., " a spring."

      Wishqua.—" The end."

      Wissayek. — Dover. " Yellow-place."

      Waccabuck. — A lake or pond in Lewisboro. Wequa-baug, "end or head of the pond."

      CHAPTER III. DISCOVERY AND PRELIMINARY VIEW

      THE alluring hypothesis of the discovery and settlement of portions of this continent by the Northmen far back in the Middle Ages, formerly received with quite general consideration, finds few supporters at this day among the loading authorities on the early history of America. That the Norse colonized Greenland at a very early period is unhesitatingly admitted, abundant proofs of their occupancy of that country being afforded by authentic ruins, especially of churches and baptistries, and collateral testimony to the fact being furnished by old ecclesiastical annals, which seem to indicate that as early as the eleventh century Greenland belonged to the jurisdiction of the Catholic bishops of Iceland. It is also conceded to be not impossible that accidental Norse descents from Greenland upon the continent were made in the centuries that followed. But this is merely an amiable concession to academic conjecture. It is insisted that no reliable Norse remains have ever been found south of Davis Straits: and one by one the various relics thought to be of Norse origin that have been brought forward, including certain supposed Runic inscriptions, have been pronounced incapable of acceptation as such.

      Several years ago there was found at Inwood, just below the limits of Westchester County, by Mr. Alexander C. Chenoweth (whose Indian excavations in the same locality are noticed in the preceding chapter), a stone curiously marked, which was the subject of some archaeological discussion at the time. The markings were claimed to be rude Runic characters constituting an inscription, out of which one writer, by ingeniously interpolating missing letters, formed the words Kirkjussynir akta, which translated are " Sons of the Church tax (or rake a census)." " I suppose it to mean," added this writer, " that representatives of the Church of Rome had been there to tax, or number the people, and that this stone was inscribed to commemorate the event." Thus it is seen that the general region of which our county forms a part has been connected with the fabled ages of Norse habitation of America— whatever may be thought of the specific ground for the connection. The Inwood stone is possibly as plausible a specimen of "Runic" lettering as other so-called inscribed stones which have been scrutinized and repudiated by archaeologists from time to time. The all-sufficient argument against the Norse theory is that no satisfactory traces of Norse residence, aside from the doubtful inscriptions, have ever been discovered — no ruins of dwellings or works of any kind, no personal relics, and no indisputable graves, — whereas such a people could not conceivably have dwelt here without transmitting to us some more visible tokens of their presence than laboriously carved memorials.

      The authentic history СКАЧАТЬ