Question of the Week: Has something been named after someone in your family? [closed]

Question

Is there a place or thing that has been named for someone in your family? Tell us about it with an answer below. You can also answer on Facebook or share the question image to with friends and family on social media to get them talking.

Comments

Bowmansville, NY, a town just east of Buffalo, was named after Benjamin Bowman, who was an officer in the Revolutionary War, a Company Commandant.  His granddaughter, Elizabeth, married a Moulton and my maternal grandmother, Ada (Moulton) Theisen was a descendant.

Answer 1

There is a lake in Alberta named Dabbs Lake, it was named after Howard Earl Dabbs, who died in World War II, my son's Great Uncle:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Dabbs-203

Luckily Canada has made the records available and prioritized digitation for those who were lost in the war.

Answer 2

Some land in New York was purchased in 1736 by Alexander Kidd (my 6th great grandfather). It was the first settlement west of the Wallkill River, known as Kidd's Town. It's called Walden now. 

There is a street named Eggleston in Corinth, NY.  Joseph Eggleston (4th great grandfather) was one of the first settlers.

Answer 3

Asteroid 30558 jamesoconnor was named after my father in honour of his life long work for the Irish astronomical society, and for writing a history of the society! The asteroid was discovered in 2001 by Lowell observatory.

Comments

yes it is special!

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Now that's what I call very special and awe inspired! Well done Lowell Observ.

Answer 4

My 4th great grandfather John Campbell and wife Mary Wintersteen purchased a parcel of land in Sullivan county Pa. Grandpa John built a grist mill and general store 1850-51 then incorporated a post office to serve the local farmers. The story of Campbellville Sullivan county Pennsylvania.

Answer 5

One of the perks of living in a small community, where my immigrant ancestors were among the first settlers in the area, means that most of the original roads (and features) are named after family homesteads/farms.

• Adlong Johnson and Adlong School Roads; Adlong Ditch
• Euell Road (misspelled family name of Ewell)
• Franta Street
• Janacek Road
• Krampota Lane
• Krenek Road
• Lindstrom Road
• Lord Road
• Ramsey Road (and Ramsey loop)
• Wolcek (misspelled family name of Wolcik)

There is also the unincorporated community of Huffman (and the Huffman Heritage Oak) named after family.

Comments

My grandmother once commented to me that she was old enough to remember when our town's streets were all actual people.

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In what town?

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My grandmother, parents and I all grew up in the San Gabriel and Valley of Los Angeles: Pasadena, Arcadia, Temple City, and other local communities.

Answer 6

Dawson, Nebraska.  Founded by William Fountain Draper!

Noraville, Nebraska is still the legal name of Dawson, Nebraska.  Bizarre? Very bizarre!  One of the strangest stories in the history of Nebraska cities and towns.

What happened?  When William Draper laid out the new town streets and lots on his homestead, he did not have a post office figured out or scheduled to be built.  As a last minute thought on the train to Falls City to get the town legally registered, he named it Noraville, after his wife Lenora Draper.

The community hated this name! Bitter fighting and feuding ensued!  There was already a Post Office a mile to the south called Dawson Mills, at a grist and saw mill run by Joshua Dawson, who was the official Post Master.  He was a very popular man in the community.  

Joshua Dawson moved the Post Office into Noraville and convinced the US Postmaster to keep the name the same, as it would confuse every one trying to send mail in or out of the area.  The US Postmaster agreed, but dropped the "Mills" off of the title,

The fight over the name of the town continued with bitter feelings between the Draper family members and those in the community.  Finally, and agreement was reached to call the community, in legal terms: The Town of Noraville now called the Village of Dawson.

If you were to buy property in Dawson, Nebraska, the title legally has to say Noraville, Nebraska!

After Willaim sold all the lots, he moved out of the area and laid out the streets of Sundance, Wyoming!  The acting governor appointed William to a committee to make Sundance the County Seat!  

Remember the story about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?  The Sundance Kid was already serving time in jail while William was involved working with this community!

"Now you know the rest of the story!".......Paul Harvey (American Radio Newsman)

Comments

Is it still a Town?

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The town name Noraville is still the legal name. .It was the community that came up with the name "The Town of Noraville now called The Village of Dawson.  The State of Nebraska never changed the name. But ask any resident why Norvaville is listed on their property title and they don't have a clue!

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Wow, very interesting. Thanks for sharing :)

Answer 7

Marks Mountain, near Warren, MA, was named for a distant ancestor, Joseph Marks, who settled nearby around 1700. It's not really a mountain - more of a prominence - but it's fun to look at maps of the area and see the name.

Answer 8

The "Red Rocker" once named one of his early bands The Justice Brothers after my wife's uncles' company, one of the three Justice brothers.

Keeping in the music genre, the Eagles named an album after some cousins, Doolin Daltons, although I am not related to Bob Doolin, I am related to Emitt, Bob and Grat

Answer 9

Kitty is Ashbel's third great grand niece.

Ashbel Smith was very famous in the 1800s, in Texas.  He has many things named after him, including this beautiful building.  The building was destroyed in the Galveston Hurricane, but fortunately, was returned to its former glory.

Comments

Hey Kitty, Thanks for bringing cousin Ashbel into the light.

(copied from his profile) Born a Connecticut Yankee, treaty-maker, a Confederate Officer, politician, diplomat, doctor, farmer, educator, . . . anything else? What a man of conflicting cultures and vast experiences!?!

Answer 10

Coffmantown, Virginia, located about 4.5 miles east of Woodstock,VA.  https://virginia.hometownlocator.com/va/shenandoah/coffmantown.cfm

Answer 11

Carswell Air Force Base near Fort Worth Texas, named for Horace Seaver Carswell, Jr. who is more than likely a cousin several times removed since I seem to be related to every person in the state of GA with the Carswell surname.

For the Truslow line, there's a city park in Fullerton, CA and a Truslow Rd. in Fredericksburg, VA (where the family settled upon arriving in the Colonies).

Answer 12

Colby College in Waterville, Maine was orgiinally established as The Maine Literary and Theological Institution, and renamed Waterville College in 1821. It was renamed to Colby College in 1899 in honor of Gordon Colby, my 3rd cousin 4 times removed. Gordon Colby was born in 1810 in Bowdoinham, Maine, and spent part of his childhood in Waterville, Maine. He moved on to Massachusetts where he became a successful business man.  When he heard the college was facing hardships he donated money several times and became a trustee in 1864 till his death in 1879. Many of his descendants also became involved in the school. My paternal grandmother was Martha Courtney Colby, born 1881 in Belfast, Maine. Their ancestry goes back to Anthony Colby of 1605 in Horbling, Lincolnshire, England, and died in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 1661.

Jeanine (Gross) Lawrence

Answer 13

Chase Bank. Named in honor of Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury under Abraham Lincoln and architect of the National Banking System, who was a friend of John Thompson, the bank's founder. Salmon and I are both descended from PGM immigrant Aquila Chase.

Comments

I too am an Aquilla Chase descendant. I had no idea we were connected to Chase Bank. I wonder if that will help me get my next loan!

Answer 14

I have only one which I have posted about before, so today I will report on roads named after my DH's ancestors.

All of them are in Alton, Ontario

Agnes Street named after a 2 x GGA, who died at age 10 from cholera, or for a GGA with the same name

Emeline Street named after a  3 x GGM, wife of the McClellan listed below

Dods Drive named after his 3 x GGF

McClellan Road named after another 3 x GGF

Davis Drive perhaps named after John Davis a husband of his 1st cousin 4x removed or many of the other Davis family members in the same village.

Answer 15

I have quite a few on Long Island, New York. However, the one that surprised me most was the state of Delaware. 

My 8th cousin x 9, Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. 

Comments

Hello Cousin Susan,

Do you think that Smith Point, Long Island, New York, USA could have been named after our mutual ancestor, Samuel Smith,

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-70405

or someone in his family?

A DAR chapter on Long Island is named after Josiah Smith.

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Hello Marion!

I checked on Smith Pt. No, it’s named after a William Smith.

Is Samuel also your ggf? I was shocked when I found out that my Smith name was Dutch!

The Smith family started in Huntington, LI.

I have 8 Josiah Smith in my Ancestry tree! Only 2 of them were around during the Revolution.

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Greetings Cousin Susan,

Yes, you are right. Now I remember, William Tangier Smith.

Samuel is also an ancestor of mine.

Josiah Smith, I believe, is an official DAR ancestor. I have a friend who belongs to the Josiah Smith chapter of the DAR, also on Long Island, New York. I belong to the Suffolk Chapter. I was amazed to learn that there are so many chapter in Suffolk County. You could say that the Josiah Smith DAR chapter is another example of something named after a member of our family.

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Cousin Marion,

Long Island has so much history! Everywhere you go, especially in Suffolk County you can find the most amazing places, known and unknown where important historic things took place.

My paternal great-grandmother was a Dayton. Her line of Dayton, Tuttle, Tuthill, Jones, Roe, Terry were from Brookhaven Township. Port Jefferson or Southold more precise locations.

Lots of history.

Thanks for sharing!

Cousin Susan, Phoenix, AZ

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Hello Cousin Susan,

Tuttle, Tuthill, Jones, and Terry are names familiar to me. For example, my classmate was a Tuttle and my niece lives on Tuttle Ave. in Eastport. Tuthill is a variation. My mother knew a Terry family from Westhampton. Our primary care Dr. was named Jones, which I have learned recently is a Welsh name.

Cheers,
Cousin Marion

Answer 16

Not one but two battles in the Revolutionary war were fought in places named after my ancestors. The battle of Lindley's Fort  in South Carolina in 1776, and the battle of Lindley's Mill in North Carolina in 1781. My 7th great-grandfather James Lindley was hanged for treason after the first, and my 6th great-grandfather Simon Hadley Lindley was shot for treason before the second, although it was my 8th great-grandfather Thomas Lindley who owned the mill... he died during the battle too, possibly of grief at the civil war that had broken out in his own family.

Answer 17

Judds Road, Scarsdale, Victoria, Australia. An obscure lane in a country town 140km west of Melbourne. My 2nd great-grandfather Daniel Judd took out a 100 year lease on the land from the Colony of Victoria in 1885 or so, and he was the first white settler in that property.

When the lease came up for renewal no-one in the family wanted to live there so it was handed back to the government. Houses on that road sell these days for AU$840,000

 

Answer 18

In Montgomery County, PA, there is a historic site and farm called the Peter Wentz Farmstead. Peter Wentz is my 7G grandfather (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wentz-323). There is a colonial house that was built in 1758. It is an historic site because in September 1777, after the Battle of Brandywine, George Washington and some of his troops stayed at the Wentz farm. After the Battle of Germantown, Washington and his troops returned to the farm from October 16 to 21, 1777. Afterwards, British troops came along and did serious damage to the farm.

In 1755, my 6G grandfather George Kutz Sr. (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kutz-11) purchased 130 acres of land from Peter Wentz. He laid out part of this area as a town in 1779 which he named “Cootstown” and is now currently known as Kutztown, PA.

Answer 19

Shubert Street in New Orleans is named after my husband's grandfather.  At the time he had a dairy farm on the land.

Answer 20

The Regina Saskatchewan airfield has been named after my uncle/father's brother - Roland John Groome.  [Groome-223]