PRINCETON — Resuming our look at the history of Mercer County, courtesy of Kyle McCormick’s “The Story of Mercer County,” (Charleston Publishing Co. 1957) and the signers of the Declaration of Independence, courtesy of Benson J. Lossing’s book “Lives of the Signers of   the Declaration of Independence,” which is a reprint kindly provided on loan by Dr. O.J. Bailes, we now look at from where the names of local cities, towns and communities come.

Bluefield, initially named Bluefields, had three stories of where its name came from, one being from the blue iron weed which grew there, a second from the local bluegrass which grew there and a third from a Norfolk and Western engineer who reportedly said, “My, how cold it is. Even the fields are blue.”

Athens, initially Concord Church, was suggested as the new town name by Dr. Whitman Barbe, from WVU, after the educational center of Greece.

Matoaka came from Captain D.H. Barger, the conductor of the first passenger train into the place, later first president of the Bank of Matoaka. It is an alternate name for Pocahontas.

Dott was named after his daughter, Dorothy Barger, while Giatto was named for the Italian painter Giotto, but the name was garbled in the transition.

Lerona was named for the heroine of the Confederate war song Lorena, but the “e” and the “o” were transposed.

Elgood was named after merchant E.L. Goodwin.

Ingleside was named after a civil engineer for the N & W named Ingle, who decided where the railroad station for the N & W should be constructed on East River. He wanted the west side.

Bramwell was named for mining engineer J.H. Bramwell. Freeman, Simmons, Goodwill and Duhring were named after mine operators. Willowton was named for the abdunance of willow trees there. Kegley, Beeston, McComas and Lovern were named after prominent local families.

Going to the Lossing book, we come to Thomas Stone, one of the more obscure Founding Fathers. Stone, according to the information available, was born at Pointoin

Manor in Maryland in 1743. After recieving an English education and some study of the classics, he started the studyof law and, at the age of 21, began its practice.

In 1774, he was elected one of five Maryland delegates to the First Continental Congress after an active period of participation in preliminary movements. He again retited to private life after the 52-day session, only to be elected to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. While there, he and his fellow delegates, were constrained initially from voting on the issue of independence due to strong ties at home with Great Britain, but, when the stricture was lifted, he voted enthusiastically for the Declaration of Indenpendence and signed it.

Stone later served on the committee which created the Articles of Confederation in 1777 before he retired finally from Congress in 1778 and was elected to the Maryland Legislature where he led a three-year fight to get the articles ratified by the legislature ending in ratification in 1781.

In 1783, he was again elected to Congress, serving when Gen. Washington resigned his military commission before Congress. In 1784, he was elected President of Congress, Pro Tempore.

Once Congress adjourned, he returned to Maryland to practice his profession at Port Tobacco, Md., where he died October 5, 1787, age 44.

See you next time. To share input on this column, contact me c/o Mercer County Memories at jharvey1@frontiernet.net or delimartman@yahoo.com.