The Word Hoosier; John Finley Part 1

The Word Hoosier; John Finley.

by Jacob Piatt Dunn and Sarah A. Wrigley.

THE WORD "HOOSIER."

During the period of about three-quarters of a century in which the State of Indiana and its people have been designated by the word "Hoosier," there has been a large amount of discussion of the origin and meaning of the term, but with a notable lack of any satisfactory result.

Some of these discussions have been almost wholly conjectural in character, but others have been more methodical, and of the latter the latest and most exhaustive--that of Mr. Meredith Nicholson[1]--sums up the results in the statement "The origin of the term 'Hoosier' is not known with certainty." Indeed the statement might properly have been made much broader, for a consideration of the various theories offered leaves the unprejudiced investigator with the feeling that the real solution of the problem has not even been suggested. This lack of satisfactory conclusions, however, may be of some value, for it strongly suggests the probability that the various theorists have made some false a.s.sumption of fact, and have thus been thrown on a false scent, at the very beginning of their investigations.

As is natural in such a case, there has been much of a.s.sertion of what was merely conjectural, often accompanied by the pioneer's effort to make evidence of his theory by the statement that he was "in Indiana at the time and knows the facts." The acceptance of all such testimony would necessarily lead to the adoption of several conflicting conclusions. In addition to this cause of error, there have crept into the discussion several misstatements of fact that have been commonly adopted, and it is evident that in order to reach any reliable conclusion now, it will be necessary to examine the facts critically and ascertain what are tenable.

The traditional belief in Indiana is that the word was first put in print by John Finley, in his poem "The Hoosiers Nest," and this is noted by Berry Sulgrove, who was certainly as well acquainted with Indiana tradition as any man of his time.[2] 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 inquiry.

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,[3]

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 issued its addresses on separate 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 ma.n.u.script copy, 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 unknown to the present generation, although it has been reproduced in several forms, and in two of them by direct authority of the author.[4] 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 ma.n.u.script copy is presumably a literal transcript of the original publication, with possibly the exception that the t.i.tle may have been added at a later date, I reproduce 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 pa.s.s 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.

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 const.i.tuted by adoption The "heir apparent" of corruption-- No matter if the facts will show That such a.s.sertions 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" loons, Hunt offices or hunt racc.o.o.ns.

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 pa.s.s 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.

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 st.u.r.dy 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 ma.n.u.script the word is spelled "Hoosher" and is always put in quotation marks. Mrs. Wrigley informs me that her father had no knowledge of the origin of the word, but found it in verbal use when he wrote. She is confident, 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 ma.n.u.script. In later editions of the poem he used the form "Hoosier." His original spelling shows that the word was not common in print, and several years pa.s.sed 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 immediately 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 Indianapolis, John W. Davis gave the toast, "The Hooshier State of Indiana."[5] 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 HOOSIER 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 contribute their full share, in enriching its columns.

The arts and sciences, and agriculture and commerce, and literature shall all receive a due portion of our care.

Left to our choice we might refrain from remark on presidential matters; but supposing, that you may require an intimation, suffice it to say, that our past preference has been for General Jackson and his administration; and we deem it premature to decide 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 principles and the conduct of functionaries, we would rather encourage _union_ than excite _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 months delay of payment, per annum, on a good sheet of paper of superroyal size, to be enlarged to an imperial as the subscription will justify it.

This paper shall do honor to the people of Putnam county; and we expect to see them patronize us. The press is now at Greencastle. Let subscription papers be returned 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. Hoffman, a traveler who pa.s.sed through the northern part of the state, says, under date of Dec. 29, 1833:

I am now in the land of the _Hooshiers_, and find that long-haired race much more civilized than some of their Western neighbors are willing to represent them. The term "Hooshier,"

like that of Yankee, or Buckeye, first applied contemptuously, has now become a _soubriquet_ that bears nothing invidious with it to the ear of an Indianian.[6]

On Jan. 4, 1834, the Indiana Democrat 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 ent.i.tled 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 a.s.sure the Editor that we made the remark as a mere matter of news, without any intention to rejoice at the suspension of the paper. Several weeks had pa.s.sed over without any paper being received, and it was currently reported that it had "blowed out" and therefore, as a mere pa.s.sing 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 continued the publication, 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 _laureat_ 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 unceremoniously robbed, by the Cincinnati Chronicle, 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 Pumpkins," 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, republished 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 Indianapolis 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 ma.n.u.script, except that the first two times the word occurs it is spelled "hoosier" and once afterward "hoosheer," the latter evidently a typograpical error. At the other points it is spelled "hoosher." This original form of the word also indicates that there has been some change in the p.r.o.nunciation, and this is confirmed from another source. For many years there have been perodical discussions of the origin of the word in the newspapers of 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 ca.n.a.l was being made. I first heard it at a corn-husking. It was used in the sense of "rip-roaring," "half horse" and "half alligator," and such like backwoods coinages. It was then, and for some years afterwards, spoken as if spelled "husher," the "u" having the sound it has in "bush," "push," etc. In 1829, 1830 and 1831 its sound glided into "hoosher," till finally Mr. Finley's "Hoosier's Nest" made the present orthography and p.r.o.nunciation cla.s.sical, and it has remained so since.[7]

Of course, this is not conclusive evidence that there was a change in p.r.o.nunciation, for Mr. Smith's observation may have extended to one neighborhood only, and it may have taken on a variant p.r.o.nunciation at the start, but his testimony, in connection with the changed spelling, is certainly very plausible.

There have been offered a number of explanations of the origin of the word, and naturally those most commonly heard are those that have been most extensively presented in print. Of the "authorities" on the subject perhaps the best known is Bartlett "Dictionary of Americanism's" 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 following account of the origin of this term: Throughout all the early Western settlements were men who rejoiced in their physical 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 opponents. It was a common term for a bully throughout the West. The boatmen of Indiana were formerly as rude and primitive a set as could well belong to a civilized country, and they were often in the habit of displaying their pugilistic accomplishments upon the levee at New Orleans. Upon a certain occasion there one of these rustic professors of the "n.o.ble art" very adroitly and successfully practiced the "fancy" upon several individuals at one time. Being himself 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 afterwards 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?"