Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 8.djvu/101

 Names and Nicknavies.

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��made in it in consequence of its forgot- ten derivation, has recently occurred in the record of the death of an old lady who was baptized "Tabitha," called in her youth " Bitha," and now in her obituary styled Mrs. "Bertha," proba- bly i-om the similarity of sound to her youthful nickname. Her relatives of the present generation had forgotten her real name and knew her only under that of an imitation of her diminu- tive. The transition from "Bitha "to "Bertha "is easy, but how is the per- plexed genealogist to ascertain the orig- inal when he has only the records for his guide ?

Such illustrations might be multiplied almost indefinitely, but those already given are enough to show what an in- finite amount of trouble has come and must still come from their continued usage. They also serve well to show with how much care and watchfulness the historian must pursue his work ; how constantly he must be upon his guard, and how closely and critically he must scrutinize the names that pass under his eye.

Nor was this custom of nicknames confined to the daughters of the family, but the boys, also, were among its sub- jects, perhaps in not so great a variety, yet very general. Among the more common we only need mention such as Bill, Ned, Jack, and Frank, to illustrate this. Nor were there wanting among the masculine nicknames those whose derivations seem very remote and far- fetched, as " El " for " Alphus ; " " Hal" for " Henry ; " " Jot " for " Jonathan ; " "Seph" for "Josephus ; " " Nol " for « Oliver ; " " Dick " for " Richard," and a multitude of others equally well known.

The instances named are old and have been in general use so long that those who are called upon to deal with them are upon their guard and not

��likely to be led astray by them, but the class of pet names, now, for a few years in use, will necessarily be more misleading because they are new, and in many cases very blind ; in many instances the same nickname being used to rep- resent perhaps a dozen different proper names, so that it is impossible to tell, from the nickname, what the real name is. Among the most annoying of this class are those that not only represent several names each, but are masculine or feminine, as occasion calls.

Of the latter class are '• Allie " for Alice, Albert or Alexander, and " Bertie," used in place of so many that it is need- less to specify, the latter being the worst of its species, since it is wholly indefi- nite, applying equally to boy or girl, and for a multitude of either sex, some of which aie so far-fetched that all pos- sible connection is lost in the journey of transmission. Most of the old fash- ioned nicknames indicate the sex quite distinctly, and in this they have much the advantage of some of their modern competitors. They were also much more expressive if not so euphonious. A person need but glance at any of our town records for the past few years to see how the use of these pet names has increased, and it requires no prophet to foresee what confusion must natu- rally arise from the continuance of the custom, and how difficult it will be in the near future to follow the record accurately.

Another and very different class of nicknames are those derived from acci- dent or local circumstance, and have no other connection with the real name of the person to whom they are at- tached, and to whom they cling as a foul excrescence long after the circum- stances that called them forth is forgot- ten. These sometimes originate at home in childhood, at school among

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