“Also two brothers named Newse came there to make a plantation. Once before, in Ireland, they had founded a town, naming it Newcetown, where it still stands. So now to their new settlement they gave the name New, and since it had an anchorage they called it Port, and it became New Port Newse. The brothers were unfortunate, and men forgot them soon; but men remembered Captain Newport, who had done much to found Virginia. So they began to think and write Newport’s Newce, perhaps even to confuse the second part with Neuse River. Then in trying to make sense they wrote Newport News, and so it remained. Thus with men and names, as with fishes in the sea, the greater often swallow up the smaller.”
-Names on the Land, George R. Stewart
Comments (6)
Me too. Thanks! i assumed it was named for a newspaper.
Well, now, at last we know! Crossing one of life’s most perplexing questions right off my list.
completely unrelated to the post, but likely to be of interest to you:
this news from NASA – my boyfriend pointed it out today, super excited about the idea of seeing restored original footage.
I don’t feel so bad if even the natives didn’t know that.
Frédérique: Cool.
Sisiggy: Same here. I think you’d really like this book, by the way.
This question came up just the other day. We also discussed Hohokus, NJ, and Walla Walla, WA, to which I trust you’ll be turning your attention shortly.