#1. What's in a name? (Early Saugus edition)

A Saugus Story #1

A wise man once said, "All words are made up."  This is true when you think about it.  What do your names mean?  Richard means strong in rule.  Lavoie refers to the way one might travel along.  The meaning of our words give them value.  In today's blog, I wanted to explore the words surrounding Saugus and its history.  I hope you enjoy and learn from it.

The town of Saugus was first established in 1629.  Settlers from Salem moved to the Saugus River looking to build farms and eventually a community.  These early settlers established their homes near the river.  In the area, there were few Native Americans.  Many had unfortunately died due to disease.  The English settlers took a native word and began using it to describe where they lived.  The word Saugus, according to some sources, comes from the Algonquin (Al-Gone-Quinn) word meaning great or extended.  If you live in Saugus, California, however, they tell you that the word is actually from the Narraganset (Na-rah-ghan-sut) tribe.  They claim it means a "sandy spit of land."  Either way, the word Saugus seems to connect to the river or the land connected to the river.  

Back in 1629, the river looked a lot different than today.  It was most likely wider and deeper.  It flowed into the Atlantic Ocean and was well protected from enemy fleets. It became an important early trading port to get things to Boston or to bigger ships floating near the mouth of the Saugus river.  The English settlers encountered the Native peoples and had many interactions with them.  Some were friendly, but not all were so good.  On the Saugus town seal (pictured above), you can see a Native American man standing in front of the river.  Behind the man, in the distance, you can see a round hill.  That hill is actually named "Round Hill."  You can visit it today.  It is next to the Police station off of Hamilton St.  

This photo shows "Round Hill" long before the Police station.  Notice how there are very few trees in the photo.  Saugus, for most of its history, was the home of farmers.  You can see several cattle and even some people in this photograph.  I don't have a date for this picture.  I am not sure, but I think the photographer is probably standing over by Pearson or Jasper Sts...maybe near where the Hammersmith Restaurant is today.  The land, where Round Hill is located, was once owned by a man named Thomas Dexter.  He owned all of the land where the Iron Works, Saugus Center, and Round Hill are located.  He was a farmer in town, but he also got into a bit of trouble now and then.

I will write more about Dexter in the coming weeks, but I wanted to give you a sense of how different times were back then.  Dexter and other early Saugonians (people from Saugus) lived in a time where many people were deeply religious and some were not.  Dexter was not a Puritan, but many of his neighbors were.  These folks left England for North America searching for a place to call home and where they could practice their religion.  In England, many of the Settlers came from about 3 hours north of London (by today's car ride).  Their home was a city called "King's Lynn."  They would have just called it "Lynn" though.  The word "Linn" is from the Celtic language and it meas lake or pool.  Just like Saugus, Lynn is named after a water source and the land that surrounds it.  The Native Americans and the Celtic people named things the same way as each other...interesting.

The Native man pictured in the Town Seal above was named "Sagamore James"  by the English settlers.  His native name was Montowampate, but he was sometimes known as Winnipurket or Winnepurgit.  His story is fascinating too and I will tell you more later.  Montowampate was most likely the son of Nanephashmet and the Squaw Sachem (whose real name is lost to history).  He had at least two brothers.  Their names were Wonohaguamham and Wenepoykin.  While these names all sound funny to us now and may be hard to pronounce, we should use their names and not the names the English used back then...Sagamore John and Sagamore George.  What is a Sagamore though?  

The image above shows an Abenaki couple walking during the 18th Century or the 1700s.  While neither person is Montowampate, you should take note of their clothes.  They look much different than the image on the town seal, don't they?  These would be more accurate.  Montowampte and his brothers inherited land from their father and they each became chief of that land.  Sagamore is the Abenaki word for Chief...although it might have sounded more like "sogomo."  

Montowampte was the Sachem of Saugus in 1629 when English settlers first moved here.  His was married that same year to Wenunchus.  He unfortunately died in 1633 after catching smallpox.  He was roughly 23 years old.  People did not live as long back then and many Natives caught illnesses brought over from Europe.  The couple, as far as history can tell, did not have children.  Wenepoykin, however, had children.  The younger brother of Montowampte, he eventually became Sagamore of the whole area and earned the nicknames of "George No Nose" and "George Rumney Marsh."  His face was disfigured by the pox and he lived near the marsh in East Saugus.  In a source I read many years ago, but cannot find right now, I found that his daughter's name was Tontoguonian.  This is the same name used for the Saugus High School yearbook.     

Activities

1. Hop online.  Read a bit more about Montowampate, Wenunchus, and all of the others.  Write a short story about the time Wenunchus was kidnapped, the first time Thomas Dexter and Montowampte met, or the exploits of other early settlers from Linn, England.

2. Draw a picture of what you think early Saugus, early settlers, or Montowampate looked like.  Post those pictures in the comments below!

3. Write a poem or song trying to use a mix of the Native and English words.  Perform these for your parents, guardians, friends, and social media followers.

4. Use GoogleMaps, GoogleEarth, or a similar website to travel "digitally" to King's Lynn, England. Compare their buildings to those in Saugus today.  Their city turns 800 years old while ours is only about 400 years old, lol.