Names & Things

  • Southern Indiana Names & Things.
  • Where are names from?
    • Names of Southern Indiana Settlers.
    • Some names change completely.
  • Articles from History & Things

Names; where are names from?

Parts of the following list have been taken form Perry County, IN; St. Augustine’s Church Baptismal Records 1837-1896. Book by Kris Manley and other sources. Priest’s Notes from Baptismal Records

  • Pierre (Belgiun French) = Peter or Peters
  • This name as also James were translated by Father
    • Augustus Bessonies from Jacques (Belgium French) = James
  • “The name ‘Louisa’ sometimes stands for Eliza=Elisabeth’. Lizie Jane was a very popular name in early years.”
  • “Worth was born in Switzerland and his name was Werth Americans called him Worth and wrote it so. The families, his children, now write their name Ward (Mr. John George saw his name written in letters from Switzerland which he read for him because Werth could not read and his wife was Eng. American. Werth had a smith shop in Leopold.” Graves they write their name now, and is same family which before were recorded “Gravet”
    • Armand (Herman)
    • BEL – Belva – Belvard (Belgium)
    • Biddie - Brigit
    • Boolen – Bowlin - Bowling
    • Cisel - Kisel
    • Dardennes - Darden
    • Dogs – Doggs - Doogs
    • Duparquier - Ponsart
    • Dvparqve - Pauport
    • Easter (Esther)
    • Emma in Latin he calls Emmanuel
    • Ephiseline is known as Euphemia, Effie and Celina
    • Ethie - Ethen - Editha
    • ETTER - Aders (Switzerland)
    • Faye - (Feith?)
    • Felley – Feeley
    • Ferre? (Fevre, Feriz)
    • filium - Latin 1) First Born 2)Blood line 3) main part of a tree
    • Foukle - Vogel
    • Fourier- Foury
    • Gaspard – Casper – Kasper
    • Girardin - Gilardin - Gelarden
    • Gramespar - The correct name is Gramelspacher
    • Graves they write their name now, and is same family which before were recorded “Gravet”
    • Hanouille – Harbaville
    • Henrietta - Henry for woman
    • Hewhee - Hawhee- Haughee
    • Hippolilus – Hypolite
    • Houlmont – Holman
    • Itta – Ida (German)
    • Jacke - (Yaggi)
    • Jacque - James
    • Jeneta - Jane
    • John - Jean (French)
    • Julienne - Julia
    • Kline (German)means Little
    • Lamquin - Lamkin (Belgium)
    • Lanotte - Lanatte
    • Lavaux - Naviaux
    • Leclaire formerly Leclerc
    • Linch – Lynch
    • Lopp (Lupp), Loupe, Lope, Lupe, Loup
    • Louis Jinkins (Jenkins)
    • Lucia - Lucy
    • Main - Maine - Mayne
    • Manae “Mandy” is Amanda a very prevalent early Yankee name.
    • Meginee – McGinnis
    • Megloking (McLaughlin)
    • Mirry - Murry
    • Mogain - Mogan
    • Pieral – Pierrard - Pierard
    • Rhoades - Rhoads
    • Roggier or Rogier (Belgians)
    • Sala (Sallie - Sarah)
    • Schooler (Schuler)
    • Schroeder, Shrader, Schrieber
    • Sheineyder - Snyder - Shnyder
    • Shireliffe - Churchcliff
    • Solbrick, Solbridge, Solbrige, originally Zollbrueck.
    • Sozelman - Zogelmann
    • Sprinkle – Sprinkley -Sprinkler, Oringal Spirlet (Belgium)
    • Strael – Strahl – Streilh – “Strehl” is original name, now (1904) Strahl
    • Swet – Sweat – Sweet – Sweit - Sowet
    • Teruk - Joerg, from Nassau Germany, now called George.
    • Thornberry “originally Thornberger or Dornberger either would Americanize into Thornberry.”
    • Tibessard – Tipsaw
    • Tribby/Fibby (Phoebie)
    • VanHoosier - VanHooser - VanHoozer - VanHoesen - VanHoozier or VanHusum
    • Wainwright - “Wing-Right”
    • Weruntin (Valentin) and Ann Gergues (Juergin?)
    • Wilbur – Wilber - Wilbert
    • Yaggi – Yaeger

Places you may not know.

  • Newton in Orange Co. 3 miles from W. line and 1/2 mile from S. line of Orange Co. Newton steward, a village situated 2/3 part of Sec 27 and 1/3 on sec. 28, R2, T1S on west bank of Patoka Creek”
  • “Taylorsville, Warrick Co - village situated in SW corner of Sec 32, R6W, T3S.” (Father Bessonies memoirs) Present day Selvin, Indiana.

Do you Remember?

  • Emil RAVENAND and wife Adela Petit, At Saint Croix or head of Oil Creek” An attempt was made to start a town by name of Plaque Mine, never got over one house and one near by farm house. That house was a store for some time, about one mile south of new St. Croix John DUPAQUIER, was the storekeeper in Plaque Mine (old Saint Croix) also called Sodom by the Yanks. Dupaquier now called Dupark.
  • Joseph and Mary Meunier “Storekeeper” had a store on SE corner of Leopold public square
  • “William Drumb was a M.D. bought a lot and built a house in the new town of Leopold”
  • “John Goffinet entered his address as 40A west of stone church (Leopold, In.) and his house stood on NE corner about 30-40 yards from the church.”
  • “Joseph Greenberry LYNCH lived between Mt Pleasant and Chestnut City”
  • John Thomas POWERS baptized “Sept 22, 1850 Mass was for the first time celebrated in St. Patrick’s Church (Cannelton, In.)”
  • “Nov 17, 1850 St. Mary’s Church (Derby) was blessed by Rev. Kundek”
  • Laura Ann EVANS, born April 13, 1825, nee Edey, wife of Nathaniel, baptized Sept 25, 1851, Sister of Mr. Adye (called Ady) founder of Adieville Perry Co.
  • John Lahnstein lived on old Sweat Place, house over the bridge of Oil Creek on Mt Pleasant Hill.
  • John Jacque is the old settler of 1832, all along named John James.
  • Jacob TIBESSARD owner of water mill on Snake branch about 4 miles W of Leopold, called Tipsaw.
  • “Fire, Jan 19,1856, St. Joseph’s Church, Crawford co. was maliciously burnt down. John Sennenth was the man.”
  • Charles and Ann M. Petitemash Lived 1/2 mile N of Leopold, ran a small distillery, also continued it after tax imposed, because poor, the revenue officers only destroyed the “Machine” and told him to quite.
  • John Fran Allard long year’s notary public and early days a wool carding machine driven by 2 horse power, north end of town.
  • John Joseph Meunier was a schoolteacher in Belgium, had good education. Had a small store 1/4 mile W of Leopold, thrifty and prosperous.
  • John ZIEGLER and Mary F. Hollinger said to have come from PA, intend to reform farming methods here, make cheese, etc. live a few years (south) near Chestnut City.
  • 1886 - Lawrence and Anne (Cassidy) Shireliffe, owner of store in Mt. Pleasant, now a farm in that vicinity. Father Brassart.
  • 1881 - Martin Sweat was “Districts Index” justice of the peace
  • Purchases of John B. Lamkin.
    • 1858 - 2 lots in Leopold #21( from Mr Bessonies from Indianapolis
    • 1858 - 4 acres [sec. 1 twp 2 range 2] from Joe James
    • 1859 - 2 lots In Leopold #22' from Mat George
    • 1864 - 40 acres[sec. 3,twp 5, range 2]
    • 1867 - south E. qt and south W. qt of [sec. 34,twp 4 Range 2]
    • 1876 - sec 29-32 /twp 4m range 2—204 acres from Adam Lawrence

Name Changes

  • Louis Albert FLAMION, born June 23, 1893, son of Louis and Mary Francois, baptized Aug 2, 1893; sponsors Ed Francois and Ellen Flamion
    • ** Priest’s Note: These Francois are called “Paul” before
    • ** Priest’s Note: Dankine, every letter clearly and nicely written, but the name is VanDyke
  • John Paul FRANCIS, born July 22, 1875, son of John Paul and Joseph Kergen, baptized Aug 22, 1875; sponsors Edward Francis and M. Esther Francis, bro and sis of infant
    • ** These Paul’s are the same families which before were entered under the name of Francois.
  • Will Ho Ao (Sic) PIERRARD, born July 8, 1889, son of Victor and Anna Dankine, baptized July 21, 1889; sponsors Adolph and Nora Meunier
  • Robert Kirvin Quinlin
    • ** Priest’s Note: Robert Kirvin Quinlin (the early entries are full of such additions to the alpabet as the above K.L. K/Luiran (sic) Quinlan
    • Kyram= Robert(formerly called Keren) Quinlin
  • Anything that ends in “ber” Dion or any, Frenchman is apt to ad a “t” Kloebert = Kloiber, as they called and wrote themselves, correctly perhaps Kluber. Kloiber is on gravestone.

Did you know

Perry county wasn’t formed until 1814 from parts of Gibson and Warrick counties; Spencer county wasn’t formed until Feb 1818 from part of Perry & Warrick counties and Dubois wasn’t formed until 1818.

1876; Theophile Dauby, store west end of town, deserted his family, went south with whope poles and other people’s money. “About 10 weeks before birth of the child, did not return till now 1904.” Priest’s Note

Leopold, Indiana about 1870 - Edward Hawkins Indian Doctor, long hair a la wild west, lived here about 12-15 years, made and sold Lineament, “oil of life,” got in trouble in Cannelton, sent to penitentiary and died there.

Leopold, Indiana about 1800’s D.C. PALMER whose name prior to his stay at Leopold is said to have been Snyder, practiced medicine here 4-5 years. Finally, drunk, childbirth, death, Lynch law, escaped some night, turned up in Kansas.

“St Mary’s Congregation Records (Derby) Baptisms, Marriages, Burials” (Father Bessonies at first prob resided at Derby, but later resided in Leopold) was started by Father Benoit (Julia –) and his last, baptized entry is No.71 (Silas Taylor). No.72 (John Cassidy) is the first by Father August Bessonies, recently (Feb. 22, 1840) ordained at Vincennes. Bessonies and all subsequent priests resided at Leopold and recorded Bapts of Perry, Crawford, and part of Harrison and Spencer counties in this record of St Mary’s.

“Buzzard’s Roost is named for the birds that historically perched on these cliffs. Buzzard is a common name for vultures. The most common buzzard in Indiana is the turkey vulture. Turkey vultures once had large colonies in this area, attracted by the smells of a smokehouse nearby.
The Job Hatfield family operated a smokehouse during the latter part of the nineteenth century in the town of Magnet, two or three miles south of here. Animals were brught to the Hatfields to be slaughtered and the meat smoked while the carcasses were piled up as waste. This attracted the large numbers of buzzards who could be found feeding on the carcasses and nesting in the ares. The smokehouse has long been closed, but buzzards still frequent the cliffs and can often be seen soaring above the valley. The cliffs offer a spectacular veiw of the Ohio River and Kentucky farmland across the river.

Buzzards are nature’s garbage disposals. Their digestive system has the unique ability to kill any virus or bacteria in the food they eat, so buzzards can eat rotting meat without adverse effects. They also have excellent sight and hearing and are one of the few birds that have a sense of smell.
The Cherokee Nation gave the turkey vultures the name “peace eagle” because, unlike the eagle, the turkey vulture it does not kill its prey.” REf; Forrestry sign on new viewing deck

History, Genealogy,Early Settlers and Historical Points of Perry County, Indiana