A History of the Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania

Book excerpt: No state in the entire Nation is richer in Indian names, or in fact, in Indian history than Pennsylvania. These Indian names of Pennsylvania are full of music, but, of far greater importance, they are full of history. A History of the Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania, which was first published in 1928, is the only major book of the 20th century that traces Pennsylvania’s Indian place and names for their correct form, origin and history. Its pages are filled with the most incredible collection of information ever assembled on the Indian villages of Pennsylvania and their Indian place names and is an Indian history scholar’s delight. In preparing his book, Dr. Donehoo researched every available source of printed material about Indian place names in Pennsylvania. He also walked nearly every Indian trail, from the Delaware to the Ohio, using early trader’s journals and maps as his guide, to seek out the places the Indians lived. Each Indian name comes complete with historical notes by the author. The book includes a list of all the sources used to authenticate each Indian place name. An excellent bibliography follows at the conclusion of the work along with appendixes listing: the Indian villages of New York destroyed by General Sullivan’s army in 1779, prehistoric works in Pennsylvania by county, and an alphabetical listing of all Indian named places in each county.