I have a rather interesting note for county collectors far and wide resulting from yesterday's election.
Shannon County, South Dakota, had a referendum to change its name to Oglala Lakota County. It passed with 80%. The name change is official.
According to some articles I dredged up from Google, the name change will only be official when the state Legislature approves it. It is expected to bring a bill doing so forward in the upcoming 2015 session. I don't know the political situation in SD but I can't imagine the legislature refusing to do something 80% of the population supports.
Why is this happening?
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2014, 01:52:33 PM
According to some articles I dredged up from Google, the name change will only be official when the state Legislature approves it. It is expected to bring a bill doing so forward in the upcoming 2015 session. I don't know the political situation in SD but I can't imagine the legislature refusing to do something 80% of the population supports.
80% of the population of the county, which happens to be 94% Indian and about 90% Democrat. The legislature is 77% Repub.
sup politics
Quote from: hbelkins on November 05, 2014, 01:59:59 PM
Why is this happening?
Because it was named after Peter Shannon, who was involved in swindling the Lakota people out of their land.
As far as I'm concerned, the legislature doesn't have to approve it for me to recognize it.
It's the people's county. It's not the legislature's county.
Sure, but this is hardly more significant than the bills that pass through the US Congress to rename the post office in Slartibartfast, Alabama to the James B. "Farty" McFlostersham Memorial Post Office. Those type of bills tend to pass Congress unopposed. Renaming a county is fairly cheap, is overwhelmingly supported by the population affected, and barely affects the rest of the state outside Shannon/Oglala Lakota County.
H.B.: Shannon County entirely lies within the Pine Ridge reservation, which is home to the Oglala Lakota tribe. Shannon County was named after a Peter C. Shannon, who was on the Supreme Court of the Dakota Territory. Presumably the Oglala Lakotas of the time period had little involvement with the territorial government that wasn't confrontational, so they feel like their county would be better off named after their tribe than a judge from what is likely viewed as a foreign government.
bandit: A county is, in most instances, a mere political construct by the state government to devolve certain powers to more localized control. Unlike the United States, where states existed before the federal government and came together to form one country, a state or territory starts as a blank slate with no counties and is only divided up into them afterward at the pleasure of the state government. The process of forming a county varies from state to state but that process is set by state law or state constitution. Some New England states have entirely abolished their counties as political (rather than geographic) entities.
Quote from: bandit957 on November 05, 2014, 02:30:27 PM
As far as I'm concerned, the legislature doesn't have to approve it for me to recognize it.
It's the people's county. It's not the legislature's county.
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2014, 02:39:20 PM
bandit: A county is, in most instances, a mere political construct by the state government to devolve certain powers to more localized control. Unlike the United States, where states existed before the federal government and came together to form one country, a state or territory starts as a blank slate with no counties and is only divided up into them afterward at the pleasure of the state government. The process of forming a county varies from state to state but that process is set by state law or state constitution. Some New England states have entirely abolished their counties as political (rather than geographic) entities.
But it's the people's county. Not mine. Not the legislature's.
The people of Oglala Lakota County want it to be called Oglala Lakota County. I go by what the county says. Not by what the legislature says.
Besides that, the entire county is on the Pine Ridge reservation - which itself is its own sovereign territory.
County-counting sites, like mob-rule.com, will likely wait for the Census Bureau to recognize the change on its Substantial Changes to Counties, etc. page (http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/county-changes.html). That includes county name changes or corrections like for the renaming of Florida's Dade County to Miami-Dade, or fixing a typo in entries for Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
The Census Bureau will figure out if and when the name change takes effect, including who (if anyone) else must sign off on it. That recognition sometimes takes awhile, as it did for the disputed creation of Alaska's Petersburg Borough (but it helps if no boundary change is involved, as with the new Petersburg Borough).
Quote from: oscar on November 05, 2014, 03:25:41 PM
The Census Bureau will figure out if and when the name change takes effect, including who (if anyone) else must sign off on it. That recognition sometimes takes awhile, as it did for the disputed creation of Alaska's Petersburg Borough (but it helps if no boundary change is involved, as with the new Petersburg Borough).
The Census Bureau decides if a place's name changes? That can't be right.
I didn't think the Census Bureau could change it, either.
There was a small push some time ago to rename Forrest County, MS. It's named for Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder of the KKK.
Quote from: bandit957 on November 05, 2014, 02:30:27 PM
As far as I'm concerned, the legislature doesn't have to approve it for me to recognize it.
It's the people's county. It's not the legislature's county.
That may be the people's opinion. It is not the legislature's opinion.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on November 05, 2014, 03:44:24 PM
The Census Bureau decides if a place's name changes? That can't be right.
No, it only decides whether a place name change is official enough to be recognized for census purposes. It doesn't have veto power, but if there is a dispute about whether the name change is legally valid, it will wait for the dispute to be resolved.
County name changes don't necessarily require state legislative approval, though I don't know if they do in South Dakota. In Alaska, even the creation of new boroughs usually doesn't involve the state legislature -- it requires only state agency approval, followed by approval by the new borough's residents, which takes effect (if the borough proposal wins, which sometimes doesn't happen) immediately upon certification of the election results 15 days after the election is held.
Quote from: kkt on November 05, 2014, 04:20:28 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on November 05, 2014, 02:30:27 PM
As far as I'm concerned, the legislature doesn't have to approve it for me to recognize it.
It's the people's county. It's not the legislature's county.
That may be the people's opinion. It is not the legislature's opinion.
Unless it's a dictatorship, the people's opinion is the one that counts.
Quote from: bandit957 on November 05, 2014, 05:17:14 PM
Quote from: kkt on November 05, 2014, 04:20:28 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on November 05, 2014, 02:30:27 PM
As far as I'm concerned, the legislature doesn't have to approve it for me to recognize it.
It's the people's county. It's not the legislature's county.
That may be the people's opinion. It is not the legislature's opinion.
Unless it's a dictatorship, the people's opinion is the one that counts.
And that is why the state legislature of elected representatives from across the state (including the county in question) exists. Odds are, it'll be passed unanimously.
Quote from: bandit957 on November 05, 2014, 05:17:14 PM
Quote from: kkt on November 05, 2014, 04:20:28 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on November 05, 2014, 02:30:27 PM
As far as I'm concerned, the legislature doesn't have to approve it for me to recognize it.
It's the people's county. It's not the legislature's county.
That may be the people's opinion. It is not the legislature's opinion.
Unless it's a dictatorship, the people's opinion is the one that counts.
You can call your residence "New America" but that doesn't mean it's really "New America" and not Highland Heights (or Dayton or Newport or Independence or Kenton Vale or whatever municipality you live in.)
The people can call it anything they want, but the county was created by the state and the state is (probably) the only one that can officially change its name.
I tend to be hostile to name changes because around here they are usually stupid and the result of political arrogance. In this case at least, it's not like that. Nobody is renaming the county after some slimeball that was governor 30 years ago or something.
Still, stories like this make me think... do these people really have nothing more important to spend their finite existence worrying about?
Although this is South Dakota, so maybe the answer is "no".
Quote from: Duke87 on November 06, 2014, 12:32:43 AMStill, stories like this make me think... do these people really have nothing more important to spend their finite existence worrying about?
Removing an honor given to someone best known locally for being oppressive to the indigenous population that still lives there? This is an unimportant use of time? I would instead focus on the fact that there are more important names to put on a finite number of counties than the one they're removing.
People lead entire lives of never righting wrongs. These people are righting one, however small. Good use of finite time.
Quote from: Duke87 on November 06, 2014, 12:32:43 AM
I tend to be hostile to name changes because around here they are usually stupid and the result of political arrogance. In this case at least, it's not like that. Nobody is renaming the county after some slimeball that was governor 30 years ago or something.
Still, stories like this make me think... do these people really have nothing more important to spend their finite existence worrying about?
Although this is South Dakota, so maybe the answer is "no".
Thanks for that... As a resident, I expect that if it does have to go to the state legislature, it'll pass. Pierre has bigger fish to fry that they need to get to.
And here's what exactly has to happen, from the Argus Leader...
QuoteVoter approval of the new name isn't the end of the process. Under state law, the governor is required to "communicate the result" of the name change election to the presiding officer of each house of the Legislature at next year's session. After that, South Dakota law says the Legislature "shall" pass a joint resolution designating the new name.
Once that happens, the governor "shall" publicly proclaim the new name, which takes effect on the first day of the first month following that proclamation
This is really awesome. I was just in South Dakota this summer, but was unable to make it down to the reservation due to time constraints. There's something to be said about having your tribal name also being the official name of the county - it will definitely be a morale booster there.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on November 06, 2014, 07:44:19 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on November 06, 2014, 12:32:43 AMStill, stories like this make me think... do these people really have nothing more important to spend their finite existence worrying about?
Removing an honor given to someone best known locally for being oppressive to the indigenous population that still lives there? This is an unimportant use of time? I would instead focus on the fact that there are more important names to put on a finite number of counties than the one they're removing.
People lead entire lives of never righting wrongs. These people are righting one, however small. Good use of finite time.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Quote from: Laura on November 07, 2014, 09:57:15 AM
This is really awesome. I was just in South Dakota this summer, but was unable to make it down to the reservation due to time constraints. There's something to be said about having your tribal name also being the official name of the county - it will definitely be a morale booster there.
Yeah, I've heard conditions aren't good down there. This'll be neat for them.
OT, where did you go this summer?
Quote from: Pete from Boston on November 06, 2014, 07:44:19 AM
Removing an honor given to someone best known locally for being oppressive to the indigenous population that still lives there? This is an unimportant use of time?
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from? The vast majority of Americans will not know the answer to this question. Even I only know vaguely that Queens County was created at the same time as Kings County, Dutchess County, and Dukes County and thus fits in a logical set. I couldn't tell you without looking it up which particular English monarch did this or what specifically motivated them.
Just because something is named after someone doesn't mean it "honors" them. It only honors them if it's common knowledge who they are. After all, being forgotten to history is hardly an honor. Ironically, Mr. Shannon is a lot more honored now that a stink has been raised about this than he was back when everyone just ignored the name.
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on November 06, 2014, 07:44:19 AM
Removing an honor given to someone best known locally for being oppressive to the indigenous population that still lives there? This is an unimportant use of time?
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from? The vast majority of Americans will not know the answer to this question. Even I only know vaguely that Queens County was created at the same time as Kings County, Dutchess County, and Dukes County and thus fits in a logical set. I couldn't tell you without looking it up which particular English monarch did this or what specifically motivated them.
Just because something is named after someone doesn't mean it "honors" them. It only honors them if it's common knowledge who they are. After all, being forgotten to history is hardly an honor. Ironically, Mr. Shannon is a lot more honored now that a stink has been raised about this than he was back when everyone just ignored the name.
Except Shannon County was named in 1982, and the history out here is a lot shorter than the history out there. Mr. Shannon committed his atrocities in the 1880s. There are people alive today whose grandparents if not parents would have been alive during his time.
You're coming at this from a Connecticut perspective, not a Lakota perspective. I don't know that I can come to grips with it from a Lakota perspective either, but the ballot showing is a pretty good approximation. The Lakota hold very proud and true to their own history- despite being the poorest people in the entire country, they won't take $1 billion (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/north_america-july-dec11-blackhills_08-23/) from the federal government (and haven't for 30 years, since the money became available) for taking the Black Hills from them because they still view the USA as a foreign occupation. It's absolutely not out of the question that people in that area still know who Mr. Shannon is and look at him with disdain. If it spreads awareness of his and general US behavior towards the Lakota to white people and helps white people understand where the Lakota are coming from, that's not honor, that's a good thing.
In Montana, we just didn't pass a constitutional amendment to rename our Office of the State Auditor to the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance that had the backing of all the major newspapers and all the important people, just because we thought it was pointless. Montana political views aren't too different from South Dakota political views, so it's not like we just run around changing names all willy-nilly, there has to be a good reason for it, and clearly the folks affected thought there was in this case.
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from? The vast majority of Americans will not know the answer to this question.
John Campbell, a Revolutionary War soldier.
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from?
The fruit that used to grow all over here. To the north and south are counties named for an Indian tribe and an Indian chief.
But I see your point - many counties are named after random crackers.
After an English county, like most counties here (it's a new England, after all).
Quote from: SD Mapman on November 07, 2014, 02:51:38 PM
Quote from: Laura on November 07, 2014, 09:57:15 AM
This is really awesome. I was just in South Dakota this summer, but was unable to make it down to the reservation due to time constraints. There's something to be said about having your tribal name also being the official name of the county - it will definitely be a morale booster there.
Yeah, I've heard conditions aren't good down there. This'll be neat for them.
OT, where did you go this summer?
My family took a road trip from Baltimore to South Dakota. In South Dakota, we visited Mount Rushmore, Keystone, Custer State Park, Belle Fourche, Deadwood, Wall, Badlands National Park, Crazy Horse Monument. We also dipped into Wyoming to visit Devil's Tower.
We visited Crazy Horse in the evening because we wanted to see the laser show on the monument (which was so awesome). On that particular night, they had a band there playing, and inbetween each set, he was telling stories about life on the Rez, and it was hard living. We all loved Crazy Horse and learning about the history of the Oglala Lakota. It's important to acknowledge the original people and their heritage before European Americans stole their land.
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from? The vast majority of Americans will not know the answer to this question.
The county where I grew up is named for Henry Harford, the illegitimate son of the second Lord Baltimore. Only county in the US named after a bastard! Lol
Baltimore County and Baltimore City were named for Lord Baltimore, who had the original charter from King Charles I.
Lynchburg City was named for the Quaker John Lynch, who set up the first ferry there in 1757. There was a huge 250th celebration when I lived there back in 2007.
iPhone
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from?
King County, Washington -- originally, William Rufus King, who was vice president of the U.S. when Washington became a territory. Since then, changed to honor Martin Luther King.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on November 08, 2014, 07:08:21 AMAfter an English county
That's funny, so's mine!
OK, mine is named after a town I've been to once, which is named after an Anglo-Saxon invader-settler "Bucca" (Buckingham - Bucca's people's farm).
I don't know if every other Lee County in the country is named after Robert E. Lee, but mine is. Or more precisely, it's said to have been named after Lee County, Va., which was named after him.
My county is named after President Grover Cleveland. Cleveland had no ties to Oklahoma, as far as I know, and was only chosen as a county name because he was a recent president at the time the county was established (much like if someone were setting up a county today and named it Reagan).
Oklahoma seems to waffle between county names that have some sort of cultural significance (like the many Native-derived names, and counties like Haskell and Murray, both of which were named after important governors) and those which are extremely suspect. I grew up in McClain County, which was named after a Charles McClain whose main claim to fame was to be present at the constitutional convention that established McClain County. He never held any sort of office before or since, and wasn't known for anything else. It gets worse–Marshall County is named not for a constitutional convention attendee, but for their mother. Specifically, her maiden name. If either of these counties were to rename themselves for something more relevant to the counties themselves, I wouldn't blame them in the slightest.
Quote from: kkt on November 08, 2014, 01:21:41 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from?
King County, Washington -- originally, William Rufus King, who was vice president of the U.S. when Washington became a territory. Since then, changed to honor Martin Luther King.
That's a county name change that strikes me as being relatively pointless. Dr. King has nothing directly to do with Washington State's history. Beyond being a slave owner William Rufus King wasn't a particularly atrocious figure, and certainly most people in King County had no idea who he was. He just wasn't very notable, and attempt to make controversy around him isn't quite something I agree with. Maybe there is something to be said about naming the county after somebody more notable, but choosing Dr. King seemed to only be the choice because it fit in with the existing county name (as far as I know no other names were in the hat), which is a good-hearted attempt at whitewashing at best and downright offensive at worst.
That really does wreak of an attempt to just be politically correct, and from what I know of that issue (somebody correct me if I'm wrong), it came from the top-down as opposed to the bottom-up as it did in Shannon County's case. The county council presented the vote to the people, as opposed to it being a citizen-driven ballot initiative.
Quote from: corco on November 08, 2014, 04:22:25 PM
Quote from: kkt on November 08, 2014, 01:21:41 PM
King County, Washington -- originally, William Rufus King, who was vice president of the U.S. when Washington became a territory. Since then, changed to honor Martin Luther King.
That's a county name change that strikes me as being relatively pointless.
It's not really a change - is the namesake of the county even written in the law?
Quote from: NE2 on November 08, 2014, 04:32:25 PM
Quote from: corco on November 08, 2014, 04:22:25 PM
Quote from: kkt on November 08, 2014, 01:21:41 PM
King County, Washington -- originally, William Rufus King, who was vice president of the U.S. when Washington became a territory. Since then, changed to honor Martin Luther King.
That's a county name change that strikes me as being relatively pointless.
It's not really a change - is the namesake of the county even written in the law?
Technically no. It was a very visible change though- the King County logo is visible everywhere in the county (on all buses and bus stops) and the logo was changed from left to right:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-SFme2vKcz4w%2FTqRqt5kUqXI%2FAAAAAAAAiDk%2F0bqGvz1oFuo%2Fs1600%2Fking_county_logo.gif&hash=31d0b84f175ea865a9e00d2e9f5b6faf6a80ae43)
So Dr. King's face is plastered all over the county (you can't walk fifty feet in Seattle without seeing it), which sure, that's fine, as long as it was done for the right reasons and not just because they were looking for a convenient politically correct figure to rename the county after, or as a marketing scheme for the county to say "look how tolerant we are!"
It's a common misconception that Lincoln County, Ky., is named after Abraham Lincoln, the only president born in Kentucky. Nope. Actually, Lincoln County was one of the three original counties formed when Kentucky split off from Virginia to become its own state (Fayette and Jefferson are the other two). I'm not sure who the Lincoln that the county was named after was, but it's definitely not Honest Abe.
Benjamin Lincoln (1733—1810), Revolutionary War general (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Kentucky)
Quote from: Laura on November 08, 2014, 08:15:12 AM
Quote from: SD Mapman on November 07, 2014, 02:51:38 PM
Quote from: Laura on November 07, 2014, 09:57:15 AM
This is really awesome. I was just in South Dakota this summer, but was unable to make it down to the reservation due to time constraints. There's something to be said about having your tribal name also being the official name of the county - it will definitely be a morale booster there.
Yeah, I've heard conditions aren't good down there. This'll be neat for them.
OT, where did you go this summer?
My family took a road trip from Baltimore to South Dakota. In South Dakota, we visited Mount Rushmore, Keystone, Custer State Park, Belle Fourche, Deadwood, Wall, Badlands National Park, Crazy Horse Monument. We also dipped into Wyoming to visit Devil's Tower.
Well that makes for an intense trip (Belle Fourche is overrated, in my own personal opinion).
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from? The vast majority of Americans will not know the answer to this question.
After our first county treasurer, Col. John Lawrence (who wasn't really a colonel).
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 08, 2014, 02:43:14 PM
My county is named after President Grover Cleveland. Cleveland had no ties to Oklahoma, as far as I know, and was only chosen as a county name because he was a recent president at the time the county was established (much like if someone were setting up a county today and named it Reagan).
Something I learned in a Pennsylvania History course at Penn State: Cass Township in Schuylkill County was created in 1848 and named for Lewis Cass, a former governor and US Senator from Michigan with absolutely no connection to the area or Pennsylvania in general. But what's unbelievable is that the county was named for him in 1848, the year he was running for President (and lost). And neighboring Butler Township was named for his running mate the same year!
That would be like somewhere in rural North Dakota setting up Dukakis and Bentsen Townships...in the summer of 1988. Or McCain and Palin Townships in 2008.
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PM
In my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from? The vast majority of Americans will not know the answer to this question.
Dr. Conrad Will (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Will_(politician)).
My county was named after some old white dude. I think he invented a few things, and self-published his scientific findings. Oh yeah, Emmett Brown. Wait, no, I don't live in Brown County...
My county was presumably named for its abundance of oak trees.
Other counties in the state have a more interesting story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_counties
My home county was named after Father Louis Hennepin, who was the first European to see (and later named them) St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
My current county, it is said, was named after the city of Orleans, France.
Of the other counties I've lived in:
- Two were named for rivers in or along side the county.
- One was named for a War of 1812 officer.
- One was named for Lord Fairfax, who was granted by the King of England all the land between the Rappahannock and the Potomac Rivers.
Quote from: corco on November 08, 2014, 04:34:20 PM
Quote from: NE2 on November 08, 2014, 04:32:25 PM
Quote from: corco on November 08, 2014, 04:22:25 PM
Quote from: kkt on November 08, 2014, 01:21:41 PM
King County, Washington -- originally, William Rufus King, who was vice president of the U.S. when Washington became a territory. Since then, changed to honor Martin Luther King.
That's a county name change that strikes me as being relatively pointless.
It's not really a change - is the namesake of the county even written in the law?
Technically no.
Technically yes, which is why technically, the change didn't take place until 2005, not 1986. http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=36.04.170
Time to split off the part of this thread going off topic about "Who is your county named after?"
Mine was named after a sitting state senator at the time. Seems he was majority leader or something.
Quote from: corco on November 08, 2014, 04:34:20 PM
Quote from: NE2 on November 08, 2014, 04:32:25 PM
Quote from: corco on November 08, 2014, 04:22:25 PM
Quote from: kkt on November 08, 2014, 01:21:41 PM
King County, Washington -- originally, William Rufus King, who was vice president of the U.S. when Washington became a territory. Since then, changed to honor Martin Luther King.
That's a county name change that strikes me as being relatively pointless.
It's not really a change - is the namesake of the county even written in the law?
Technically no.
Actually it is now, but it took the state legislature a while after the county council adopted it.
MLK is a lot more significant in most people's lives than a fairly insignificant vice president.
Boone County, Kentucky, where I live now, was named after Daniel Boone.
Hamilton County, Ohio, which is where I spent a part of my youth, was named for Alexander Hamilton.
Butler County, Ohio, which is where I was born, was named after General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 during St Clair's Defeat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Clair%27s_Defeat), a major military battle between the US and the Miami, Shawnee and Delaware tribes.
Quote from: vtk on November 09, 2014, 08:01:49 AM
My county was named after some old white dude. I think he invented a few things, and self-published his scientific findings. Oh yeah, Emmett Brown. Wait, no, I don't live in Brown County...
You did, but now it's Tannen County, and nobody remembers otherwise.
Quote from: Duke87 on November 07, 2014, 08:15:41 PMIn my mind at least, where a county's name comes from is usually just random trivia, not an "honor" to someone. Quick - where does the county you live in get its name from? The vast majority of Americans will not know the answer to this question.
This forum is not a representative sample of the US population at large, but I know without having to look it up exactly whom my county is named after: Major General John Sedgwick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sedgwick). It is one of only two counties named after him, the other being at the very northeastern corner of Colorado.
I don't get the impression the southern counties in New York were just named after degrees of nobility--Wikipedia says, for example, that Dutchess County was named after Mary of Modena, Duchess of York, wife of James, Duke of York, later King James II of England. New York in general has county names that recall key events contemporaneous with the Glorious Revolution, such as Ulster, Orange, etc.
Quote from: J N Winkler on November 12, 2014, 10:36:33 AM
This forum is not a representative sample of the US population at large
I get the impression that a significant number of members of this forum are also rail fans. I live in Fulton County, Georgia, which is named after Hamilton Fulton, a surveyor for the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Atlanta literally originated as a chosen terminus for a railroad from Atlanta to the Midwest. Hence, the common knock on Atlanta that, "there is no there, there."
I grew up in Hall County, Georgia, which is named after Lyman Hall, one of Georgia's three signatories to the Declaration of Independence.
Quote from: J N Winkler on November 12, 2014, 10:36:33 AMNew York in general has county names that recall key events contemporaneous with the Glorious Revolution, such as Ulster, Orange, etc.
But nothing honoring bad king Jimmy or family would be, dating Dutchess to a decade earlier.