USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 22
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The traditional belief in Indiana is that the word was first put in print by John Finley, in his poem "The Hoosier's Nest," and this is noted by Berry Sulgrove, who was certainly as well acquainted with In- diana tradition as any man of his time." This belief is at least probably well founded. for up to the present time no prior use of the word in print has been discovered. This poem attracted much attention at the time, and was unquestionably the chief cause of the widespread adoption of the word in its application to Indiana, for which reasons it becomes a natural starting-point in the in- (miry.
It is stated by Oliver H. Smith that this poem originally appeared as a New Year's "carriers' address" of the Indianapolis Journal in 1830, and this statement has commonly been followed by other writers, but this is clearly erroneous, as any one may see by inspection of the files of the Journal, for it printed its address in the body of the paper in 1830. and it is a totally different production. After that year it discontinued this practice and issned its addresses on sep- arate sheets, as is commonly done at present. No printed copy of the original publication is in existence, so far as known, but Mr. Finley's daughter-Mrs. Sarah Wrigley, former librarian of the Morrison Library. at Richmond, Indiana-has a manuscript copy,
a. History of Indianapolis and Marion County, p. 72.
b. "Early Indiana Trials and Sketches," p. 211.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
in the author's handwriting, which fixes the date of publication as Jan. 1, 1833. There is no reason to question this date, although Mr. Finley states in his little volume of poems printed in 1860, that this poem was written in 1830. The poem as it originally appeared was never reprinted in full, so far as is known, and in that form it is entirely un- known to the present generation, although it has been reproduced in several forms, and in two of them by direct authority of the author." The author used his privilege of revising his work, and while he may have improved his poetry, he seriously marred its historical value.
As the manuscript copy is presumably a literal transcript of the original publication, with possibly the exception that the title may have been added at a later date, I repro- duce it here in full :
ADDRESS
OF THE CARRIER OF THE INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL,
January 1, 1833. THE HOOSIER'S NEST.
Compelled to seek the Muse's aid,
Your carrier feels almost dismay'd When he attempts in nothing less Than verse his patrons to address, Aware how very few excel In the fair art he loves so well, And that the wight who would pursue it
Must give his whole attention to it; But, ever as his mind delights To follow fancy's airy flights Some object of terrestrial mien Uncourteously obtrudes between And rudely scatters to the winds The tangled threads of thought he spins;
His wayward, wild imagination Seeks objects of its own creation Where Joy and Pleasure, hand in hand, Escort him over "Fairyland," Till some imperious earth-born care Will give the order, "As you were!" From this the captious may infer That I am but a groveling cur Who would essay to pass for more Than other people take me for, So, lest my friends be led to doubt it, I think I'll say no more about it, But hope that on this noted day My annual tribute of a lay In dogg'rel numbers will suffice For such as are not over nice.
a. Coggeshall's "The Poets and Poetry of the West," and Finley's "The Hoosier's Nest and Other Poems" published in 1860.
The great events which have occur'd (And all have seen, or read or heard) Within a year, are quite too many For me to tarry long on any- Then let not retrospection roam But be confined to things at home. A four years' wordy war just o'er Has left us where we were before Old Hick'ry triumphs,-we submit (Although we thought another fit) For all of Jeffersonian school Wish the majority to rule- Elected for another term We hope his measures will be firm But peaceful, as the case requires To nullify the nullifiers- And if executive constructions By inf'rence prove the sage deductions That Uncle Sam's "old Mother Bank" Is managed by a foreign crank And constituted by adoption The "heir apparent" of corruption- No matter if the facts will show That such assertions are not so, His Veto vengeance must pursue her And all that are appended to her- But tho' hard times may sorely press us, And want, and debts, and duns distress us, We'll share a part of Mammon's manna By chart'ring Banks in Indiana.
Blest Indiana! In whose soil Men seek the sure rewards of toil, And honest poverty and worth Find here the best retreat on earth, While hosts of Preachers, Doctors, Lawyers, All independent as wood-sawyers, With men of every hue and fashion, Flock to this rising "Hoosher" nation. Men who can legislate or plow, Wage politics or milk a cow- So plastic are their various parts, Within the circle of their arts, With equal tact the "Hoosher" looms, Hunt offices or hunt raccoons. A captain, colonel, or a 'squire, Who would ascend a little higher, Must court the people, honest souls, He bows, caresses and cajoles, Till they conceive he has more merit Than nature willed he should inherit, And, running counter to his nature, He runs into the Legislature; Where if he pass for wise and mute, Or chance to steer the proper chute, In half a dozen years or more He's qualified for Congress floor.
I would not have the world suppose Our public men are all like those, For even in this infant State Some may be wise, and good, and great. But, having gone so far, 'twould seem (Since "Hoosher" manners is the theme) That I, lest strangers take exception, Should give a more minute description, And if my strains be not seraphic I trust you'll find them somewhat graphic.
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IHISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
Suppose in riding somewhere West A stranger found a "Hoosher's" nest, In other words, a buckeye cabin Just big enough to hold Queen Mab in, Its situation low but airy Was on the borders of a prairie, And fearing he might be benighted He hailed the house and then alighted. The "Hoosher" met him at the door, Their salutations soon were o'er; He took the stranger's horse aside And to a sturdy sapling tied; Then, having stripped the saddle off, He fed him in a sugar trough. The stranger stooped to enter in, The entrance closing with a pin, And manifested strong desire To seat him by the log heap fire, Where half a dozen Hoosheroons, With mush and milk, tincups and spoons, White heads, bare feet and dirty faces, Seemed much inclined to keep their places, But Madam, anxious to display Her rough and undisputed sway, Her offspring to the ladder led And cuffed the youngsters up to bed. Invited shortly to partake Of venison, milk and johnny-cake The stranger made a hearty meal And glances round the room would steal; One side was lined with skins of "varments" The other spread with divers garments, Dried pumpkins overhead were strung Where venison hams in plenty hung, Two rifles placed above the door, Three dogs lay stretched upon the floor, In short, the domicile was rife, With specimens of "Hoosher" life.
The host who centered his affections On game and range, and quarter sections Discoursed his weary guest for hours, Till Somnus' ever potent powers Of sublunary cares bereft them And then I came away and left them. No matter how the story ended The application I intended Is from the famous Scottish poet Who seemed to feel as well as know it "That buirdly chiels and clever hizzies Are bred in sic a way as this is." One more subject I'll barely mention To which I ask your kind attention My pockets are so shrunk of late I can not nibble "Hoosher bait."
It will be noted that throughout the manu- script the word is spelled "Hoosher" and is always put in quotation marks. Mrs. Wrig- ley informs me that her father had no knowl- edge of the origin of the word, but found it in verbal use when he wrote. She is confi- dent. however, that he coined the word "hoosheroon," and the probability of this is increased by the fact that he did not quote it in his manuscript. In later editions of the poem he used the form "Hoosier." IIis 8
original spelling shows that the word was not common in print, and several years passed before the spelling became fixed in its present form.
Although the word "Hoosier" has not been found in print earlier than January 1. 1833, it became common enough immedi- ately afterwards." In fact the term seems to have met general approval, and to have been accepted by everybody. On January 8, 1833, at the Jackson dinner at Indian- apolis, John W. Davis gave the toast, "The Hooshier State of Indiana."> On August 3, 1833, the Indiana Democrat published the following prospectus of a new paper to be established by ex-Gov. Ray and partner :
Prospectus for Publishing THE IIOOSIER At Greencastle, Indiana BY J. B. RAY & W. M. TANNEHILL.
" We intend publishing a real Newspaper. To this promise (though comprehensive enough) we would add, that it is intended to make the moral and political world con- tribute their full share, in enriching its columns.
"The arts and sciences, and agriculture and commerce, and literature shall all re- ceive a dne portion of our eare.
"Left to our choice we might refrain from remark on presidential matters; but suppos- ing, that you may require an intimation. suffice it to say, that onr past preference has been for General Jackson and his ad- ministration : and we deem it premature to deeide as to the future without knowing who are to be the candidates. Those men who shall sustain Western measures, shall be our men. Believing that there is but one interest in the West, and but little occasion for partyism beyond the investigation of princi- ples and the conduet of functionaries. we would rather encourage union than exeite division. We shall constantly keep in view the happiness. interest and prosperity of all. To the good, this paper will be as a shield : to the bad, a terror.
"The Hoosier will be published weekly, at $2 in advance and 25 cents for every three
a. For modification of this statement see ex- tract from the N. W. Pioneer of April 4, 1832, printed, supra. in this subdivision. b. Indiana Democrat, Jan. 12, 1833.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
months delay of payment, per annum, on a good sheet of paper of superroyal size, to be enlarged to an imperial as the subscrip- tion will justify it.
"This paper shall do honor to the people of Putnam county; and we expect to see them patronize ns. The press is now at Greencastle. Let subscription papers be re- turned by the 1st of Sept. when the first number will appear."'
On Oct. 26, 1833, the Indiana Democrat republished from the Cincinnati Republican a discussion of the origin and making of the word "Hoosier." which will be quoted in full hereafter, which shows that the term had then obtained general adoption. C. F. Hoff- man, a traveler who passed through the northern part of the state, says, under date of Dec. 29, 1833 :
"I am now ir the land of the Hooshiers, and find that long-haired race much more civilized than some of their Western neigh- bors are willing to represent them. The term 'Hooshier.' like that of Yankee, or Buck- eye. first applied contemptuously, has now be- come a soubriquet that bears nothing in- vidious with it to the ear of an Indianian. "'a
On Jan. 4, 1834, the Indiana Demoerat quoted from the Maysville, Ky .. Monitor, "The Hoosier State like true democrats have taken the lead in appointing delegates to a National Convention, etc." On May 10. 1834, the Indianapolis Journal printed the following editorial paragraph :
"The Hooshier, started some time ago by Messrs. Ray and Tannehill, at Greencastle. has sunk into repose; and a new paper en- titled the 'Greencastle Advertiser,' published by James M. Grooms, has taken its place."
It is quite possible that this statement was made with the mischievous intent of stirring up Gov. Ray, for he was rather sensitive. and the Whigs seemed to delight in starting stories that called forth indignant denials from him. If this was the purpose it was successful, for on May 31 the Journal said : "We understand that another No. of the Hooshier has been recently received in town. and that it contains quite a bitter complaint about our remark a week or two ago, that it had 'sunk into repose.' We assure the Editor that we made the remark as a mere matter of news, without any intention to re- joice at the suspension of the paper. Several weeks had passed over without any paper a. "A Winter in the West," p. 226.
being received. and it was currently reported that it had 'blowed out' and therefore, as a mere passing remark, we stated that it had 'sunk into repose.' We have no objection that it should live a thousand years."
The new paper, however, did not last as long as that. It was sold in the fall of 1834 to .J. W. Osborn who continned the publica- tion, but changed the name, in the following spring, to the "Western Plough Boy." On Sept. 19, 1834, the Indiana Democrat had the following reference to Mr. Finley :
"The poet laureate of Hoosierland and editor of the Richmond Palladium has threatened to 'cut acquaintance with B. of the Democrat !! ' The gentleman alluded to is the same individual that was unceremon- iously robbed, by the Cincinnati Chronick. of the credit of immortalizing our State in verse. by that justly celebrated epic of the 'Hoosier's Nest.' "'
On Nov. 29. 1834, the Vincennes Sun used the caption. "Hoosier and Mammoth Pump- kins." over an article reprinted from the Cincinnati Mirror concerning a load of big pumpkins from Indiana.
These extracts sufficiently demonstrate the general acceptation of the name in the two years following the publication of Finley's poem. The diversified spelling of the word at this period shows that it was new in print, and indeed some years elapsed before the now accepted spelling became universal. On Jan. 6, 1838, the Ft. Wayne Sentinel re- published the portion of the poem beginning with the words. "Blest Indiana. in her soil." It was very probable that this publication was made directly from an original copy of the carrier's address. for Thomas Tigar, one of the founders and editors of the Ft. Wayne Sentinel, had been connected with the In- dianapolis Press in January. 1833, and the old-fashioned newspaperman was accustomed to preserve articles that struck his fancy, and reproduce them. In this publication the poem is given as in the Finley manuscript, except that the first two times the word oceurs it is spelled "hoosier" and once after- ward "hoosheer." the latter evidently a typo- graphical error. At the other points it is spelled "hoosher." This original form of the word also indicates that there had been some change in the pronnneiation. and this is confirmed from another source. For many years there had been periodical disenssions of the origin of the word in the newspapers of
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
the State, and in one of these, which occurred in the Indianapolis Journal, in 1860, when numerous contemporaries of Finley were still living, Hon. Jere Smith, a prominent citizen of Winchester, made this statement:
"My recollection is that the word began to be used in this country in the fall of 1824, but it might have been as late as 1826 or 1827, when the Louisville & Portland carał was being made. I first heard it at a corn-husking. It was used in the sense of 'rip-roaring,' 'half horse' and 'half alli- gator.' and such like backwoods coinages. It was then, and for some years afterwards, spoken as if spelled 'husher,' the 'u' hav- ing the sound it has in 'bush,' 'push,' ete. In 1829, 1830 and 1831 its sound glided into 'hoosher,' till finally Mr. Finley's . Hoosier's Nest' made the present orthography and pronunciation elassical, and it has remained so since. "a
Of course, this is not conclusive evidence that there was a change in pronunciation, for Mr. Smith's observation may have ex- tended to one neighborhood only, and it may have taken on a variant pronunciation at the start, but his testimony, in connection with the changed spelling, is certainly very plausible.
There have been offered a number of ex- planations of the origin of the word. and naturally those most commonly heard are those that have been most extensively pre- sented in print. Of the "authorities" on the subject perhaps the best known is Bart- lett's "Dictionary of Americanisms" which was originally published in 1838 and was widely circulated in that and the subsequent edition, besides being frequently quoted. Its statement is as follows:
"Hoosier. A nickname given at the West, to natives of Indiana.
"A correspondent of the Providence Journal, writing from Indiana, gives the fol- lowing account of the origin of this term : 'Throughout all the early Western settle- ments were men who rejoieed in their physi -. eal strength, and on numerous occasions, at log-rollings and house-raisings, demonstrated this to their entire satisfaction. They were styled by their fellow-citizens. hushers, from their primary capacity to still their op- ponents. It was a common term for a bully throughout the West. The boatmen of In- diana were formerly as rude and primitive
a. Indianapolis Journal, January 20, 1860.
a set as could well belong to a civilized country, and they were often in the habit of displaying their pugilistic accomplish- ments upon the levee at New Orleans. Upon a certain occasion there one of these rustic professors of the "noble art" very adroitly and successfully practiced the "fancy" upon several individuals at one time. Being hin- self not a native of the Western world, in the exuberance of his exultation he sprang up, exclaiming, in a foreign accent, "I'm a hoosier, I'm a hoosier." Some of the New Orleans papers reported the case, and after- wards transferred the corruption of the word "husher" (hoosier) to all the boatmen from Indiana, and from thence to all her citizens. The Kentuckians, on the contrary, maintained that the nickname expresses the gruff exclamation of their neighbors, when one knocks at a door, etc., "Who's yere ?" ''
Both of these theories have had adherents, and especially the latter, though nobody has ever found any basis for their historical fea- tures beyond the assertion of this newspaper correspondent. Nobody has ever produced any evidence of the use of the word "husher" as here indieated. It is not found in any dictionary of any kind-not even in Bartlett's. I have never found any indica- tion of its former use or its present survival. And there is no greater evidence of the use of the expression, "Who's vere?" when ap- proaching a house. As a matter of fact, the common custom when coming to a house and desiring communication with the residents was to call, "Hallo the house!" And this custom is referred to in Finley's line:
"He hailed the house, and then alighted."
Furthermore, if a person who came to a house called "Who's yere?" what cause would there be for calling the people who live in the house "who's yeres?" There is neither evidence nor reason to support it. But there is still a stronger reason for dis- carding these theories, and most others. To produce the change of a word or term by corruption. there must be practical identity of sound and accent. It was natural enough for the Indiana pioneers to convert "an poste" into "Opost." was natural enough for the New Mexican settlers to change "Jicarilla" to "Hickory." It was natural enough for the Colorado cowboys to transform "Purgatoire river" to "Picket- wire river." But there is seant possibility of changing "husher." or "who's yere"-
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
as it would probably be spoken-into "hoosh-er." This consideration has led to the suggestion that the expression from which the word came was "who is yer ?" but there is nothing to support this. The early settlers did not use "is" for "are" but usually pronounced the latter "air." And they did not say "yer" for "you," though they often used it for "your."
Another theory, almost as popular as these, derives the word from "hussar," and this theory, in its various forms, harks back to a Col. John Jacob Lehmanowsky, who served under Napoleon, and afterwards settled in Indiana, where he became, widely known as a lecturer on the Napoleonic wars. The tradition preserved in his family is that onee while in Kentucky he became engaged in a dispute with some natives, and sought to settle the matter by announcing that he was a hussar. They understood him to say that he was a "hoosier," and thereafter ap- plied that name to everybody from Indiana. This theory has several shapes, one being presented by the Rev. Aaron Wood, the pio- neer preacher, thus :
"The name 'hoosier' originated as fol- lows: When the young men of the Indiana side of the Ohio river went to Louisville, the Kentucky men boasted over them, call- ing them 'New Purchase Greenies,' claiming to be a superior race, composed of half horse, half alligator, and tipped off with snapping turtle. These taunts produced fights in the market house and streets of Louisville. On one occasion a stout bully from Indiana was vietor in a fist fight, and having heard Colonel Lehmanowsky lecture on the 'Wars of Europe,' who always gave martial prowess to the German Hussars in a fight, pronouncing hussars 'hoosiers' the Indian- ian, when the Kentuckian eried 'enough,' jumped up and said: 'I am a Hoosier,' and hence the Indianians were called by that name. This was its true origin. I was in the State when it occurred."'a
Unfortunately, others are equally positive as to their "true origins." The chief ob- jection that has been urged to this theory is that Lehmanowsky was not in the State when the term began to be used, and the evidence on this point is not very satisfactory. His son, M. L. Lehmanowsky, of DePanw, Ind., informs me that his father came to this country in 1815, but he is unable to fix the
date of his removal to Indiana. Published sketches of his life" state that he was with Napoleon at Waterloo; that he was after- wards imprisoned at Paris; that he escaped and made his way to New York; that he remained for several years at New York and Philadelphia where he taught school; that he came to Rush county, Indiana, and there married and bought a farm; that after bear- ing him seven children his wife died; that he then removed to Harrison county, arriv- ing there in 1837. These data would indi- cate that he came to Indiana sometime before 1830. The date of the deed to his farm, as shown by the Rush county records, is April 30, 1835. Aside from the question of date, it is not credible that a Polish officer pronounced "hussar" "hoosier," or that from the use of that word by a known for- eigner a new term could spring into exist- ence, and so quickly be applied to the natives of the state where he chanced to live.
To these theories of the origin of the word may be added one communicated to me by James Whitcomb Riley, whose acquaintance with dialect makes him an authority on the subject. It is evidently of later origin than the others, and not so well known to the publie. A casual conversation happening to turn to this subject, he said: "These stories commonly told about the origin of the word 'Hoosier' are all nonsense. The real origin is found in the pugnacious habits of the early settlers. They were very vicious fighters, and not only gouged and scratched, but frequently bit off noses and ears. This was so ordinary an affair that a. settler com- ing into a bar room on a morning after a fight, and seeing an ear on the floor, would merely push it aside with his foot and care- lessly ask, 'Who's year?'" I feel safe in venturing the opinion that this theory is quite as plansible, and almost as well sus- tained by historical evidence, as any of the others.
In this connection it is of interest to note the earliest known discussion of the mean- ing of the word, which has been referred to as republished in the Indiana Democrat of Oct. 26, 1833. It is as follows :
"HOOSHIER.
"The appellation of Hooshier has been used in many of the Western States, for a. Salem Democrat, October 25, 1899; March 28, 1900.
a. Sketches, p. 45.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
several years, to designate, in a good-natured way, an inhabitant of our sister state of In- diana. Ex-Governor Ray has lately started a newspaper in Indiana, which he names 'The Hoshier' (sic). Many of our ingenious native philologists have attempted, though very unsatisfactorily, to explain this some- what singular term. Mordecai M. Noah, in the late number of his Evening Star, under- takes to account for it upon the faith of a rather apocryphal story of a recruiting of- ficer, who was engaged during the last war, in enlisting a company of HUSSARS, whom by mistake he unfortunately denominated Hooshiers. Another ctymologist tells us that when the state of Indiana was being sur- veyed, the surveyors, on finding the resi- dence of a squatter, would exclaim . Who's here,'-that this exclamation, abbreviated to Hooshier was, in process of time, applied as a distinctive appellation to the original set- tlers of that state, and, finally to its inhabi- tants generally. Neither of these hypotheses is deserving any attention. The word Hooshier is indebted for its existence to that once numerous and unique, but now extinct class of mortals called the Ohio Boatmen. -In its original acceptation it was equiva- lent to 'Ripstaver,' 'Serouger,' 'Screamer,' 'Bulger,' 'Ring-tailroarer,' and a hundred others, equally expressive, but which have never attained to such a respectable standing as itself. By some caprice which can never be explained, the appellation Hooshier be- came confined solely to such boatmen as had their homes upon the Indiana shore, and from them it was gradually applied to all the Indianians, who acknowledge it as good naturedly as the appellation of Yankee -- Whatever may have been the original accep- tation of Hooshier this we know, that the people to whom it is now applied, are amongst the bravest, most intelligent, most enterprising, most magnanimous, and most democratic of the Great West, and should we ever feel disposed to quit the state in which we are now sojourning, our own noble Ohio, it will be to enroll ourselves as adopted citi- zens in the land of the 'HOOSHIER.'-Cin- cinnati Republican. "
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