Show Page 4— The Herald Journal Cache Sunday September 4 1988 Occupations provided surnames Our ancient families did not consciously choose family names Hereditary surnames came into being primarily because the eternal tax collectors needed a way to identify people Almost all of our English surnames were in existence before the beginning of the 15th century and most of our names were placidly accepted by our ancestors They simply went by the name they were known by in their village Tracing your family name back through the centuries — and its spelling will vary greatly — can take you to the early 1400s if you’re lucky That is through nearly 500 years of records (no small feat) but few of us unless we have noble or royal ancestors get beyond this date Some of our American surnames have roots in English occupations — one of those being the leather industry Man has been using skins for clothing and shelter as far back as prehistoric times One of the earliest occupations of our ancestors was that of treating raw skins into leather The Romans and Greeks produced leather and it was the Romans who are credited with teaching most of Western Europe the craft of tanning The soles of Roman sandals have been found in ruins in Great Britain Prior to the late 19th century hides had to be soaked in water for an entire year before the tanning of the leather could begin In medieval England tanmng was an early craft predating the Norman Conquest Most English villages had at least one leatherworker As from the Old French “fustier” These surnames Fewster Foister Foyster and Fuster Almost all of our English surnames became In the early Middle Ages glovemakers produced a were in existence before the glove to protect the left hand of gentlemen involved in a falconry — a popular sport of the time From this beginning of the 15th century and craft came the surnames of Gant Gaunt Glouer most of our names were placidly Glover Those who made leather bags were knownandas Bolgar Burser Purse and Purser accepted by our ancestors They Belger Shoemakers — of which there were many — simply went by the name they were provided us with many surnames Shoemaker Shoemake Schoemaker being the easily recognized known by in their village ones But the surnames of Bootman Coade Cordon Corwin Patten Sutter Specker and Le Sueur all have roots in the shoemaking occupation early as the 14th century men were involved in the If your ancestors made leather purses bags occupations of skinners and were makers of footwear or sacks you may still carry these ancient saddles bottles purses bags pouches gloves and pouches surnames: Bagder Baggs Pocheler Poghwebbe other articles Pocketts Sach Sack and SatchelL Some surnames today derive from ancestors whose Those who produced rawhide were called Skinner occupations were part of the medieval English leather industry A Codman simply meant a leatherworker Shinner Pelter Pelly Felmonger Feller and Fell Belter was a man who made belts — direct from the Leathermakers were also known as Baiter Berker Old English word ’’belt” A Bottler Bottell or Bottle Currier Tanner Tower Whittear and Whittier If you were those who made leather bottles Earlier descend from a worker in kidskin you may have variations of this surname from the Middle English inherited the surname of Cheverall or Chevrill were Bouch Buche and Budge Two good references usually available in public Saddlemakers spawned many surnames The earli- libraries to the origin and variant spelling of English est English recording of a family name deriving from surnames are: "A Dictionanr of English and welsh this occupation is Simon le Sadeler in 1288 The Old Surnames” by Charles Bardsley and “The Penguin English word was sadol which meant saddle Dictionary of Surnames” by Basil Cottle Those who made the saddletree gave us surnames C IMS Los Angeles Times Syndicate ‘Pogo’ and other Okefenokee Swamp residents return By Celia Hooper (UPI) — After more than a decade with a nary malapropism from the irreverent residents of Okefenokee Swamp the comic strip “Pogo” is returning to syndication A new team consisting of artist Neal Sternecky and writer Larnr Doyle both of Chicago will produce the strip which was discontinued two years after the death in 1973 of its creator Walt Kelly The first panels of the revived strip are expected to be released in January 1989 The announcement of Pogo’s return made last week by Los Angeles Times Syndicate President Lou Scbwarti followed two years of discussions with the Kelly family Kelly's widow Selby said the pact was concluded at a reception at Ohio State University commemorating what would have been Kelly’s 75th birthday from the famous quagmire will be some 200 critters of questionable linguistic heritage including Pogo an opossum Albert the Alligator Porky Pine Howland Owl turtle Churchy LaFemme and skunk Mam’selle Hepzibah Kelly’s strip chronicled the animals’ adventures for more than 25 years and was one of the first comic strips to comment onoolitical affairs and social issues One of Pogo’s most famous lines — uttered at the dawn of US environmental awareness — was “We have met the enemy and he is us” The panel was a poster for Earth Day in 1970 Doyle said A favorite MDec u Boston S?g0iCIdfti?tLc!p“e!n Charlie Walla Walla Wash and Kalamazoo” The strip’s animals speak in a droll drawl Doyle characterized it as “Florida Cracker malapropped out x little surreal at times” Schwarts said Doyle and Sternecky’s “mastery of the unique linguistic styling and wordplay of Kelly’s characters borders on the uncanny” Although Pogo has been “playing ’possum” since Kelly’s death Schwartz said the new strip “will take up where he and his friends left oft” tacklinc contemporary issues Kelly's no Pete a newsletter editor in Manassas Va said he ws sure Doyle and Sternecky will stamp the strip with their own personalities “ft’s inevitable there will be minor differences but the wlute flavor of it is going to be the same — not like CHICAGO i HdWPlte dMNFogtf is bdng revived — a continuation of what we’ve seen ‘New Coca-Colin the past” Schwartz discounted a recent report in US News and World Report that claimed Pogo would name Mam’selle Hepribah as his running mate should he a’ race again seek the presidency “I don’t know about Pogo’s presidential aspirations” Schwartz said “But since we already have a Quayle in the race why not a ’possum?” Sternecky 27 has most recently been art director at an advertising firm Doyle 29 worked for United Press International for five years before tearing to become managing editor at First Publications Inc a maior US comic book publisher Hie pair met at the University of Illinois where they worked on the college newpaper and collaborated on a comic strip “Escaped from Tim Zoo” that ran for four years The returning “Pogo” joins another classic strip “LIT Abner” which made a comeback this fan in a “Best of Li’l Abner” series from NEA comics The revived “Pogo” will feature new rather than recycled cartoons however Syndicate promotion manager Marguerite Vaudair said she has nigh hopes for the revived “Pogo” “Pogo was an absolute sensation loved and followed by millions in the United States and abroad in (Kelly’s) days Togo1 is hot stuff — it's like old an friend Vaudair said welcoming Doyle said he finds reviving the strip “a daunting challenge” as he and Sternecnr try to match Kelly's would be style of humor But he said Pogo more nonchalant about his return ain't been nowheres Ain’t no “Pogo would say 'counting for where they’s bra”' Doyle said Selby Kelly who drew the strip for a white after her husband's death will review all scripts for “Pogo “They want to keep the quality of the strip what it was before” he said Pete Kelly said the family may veto the contents of strips “but the bottom linets we believe in maximum artutic freedom Larry and Ned will put themselves in the strip It’s not our job to take them out” There are so many remarkable ami ludicrous things going on” he said "People used to ad my father ’Where do you get ideas for things to put in the comic strip?' He would say 'I don’t think up all those ideas I just read the paper ovary morning'” i |