Indian Names of Places in Plymouth, Middleborough, Lakeville and Carver Plymouth County Massachusetts

Sawcomst.
     Mentioned as a boundary in Henry Wood's Purchase from Tuspaquin, Aug. 9,1667, --"to that part of ye brook that is stony like to a fall called Sawcomst." The present name is Fall Brook. In Twelve Men's Purchase "Fall Brook" is mentioned as a boundary. Possibly the root of this name is sauk--"a stream flowing out of a pond."

Seipican, Sepaconnet.
     The Indian "name of a brook in Rochester, having its source in Middleborough. From this little stream the Plantation (Rochester) took its name." (M. H. S. Coll., s. 2, v. 4, p. 253.)
     Name of harbor, river, and town in Marion.
     Various translations have been given of this name but I think them doubtful. "Seip means river but only used as a base word with adjectival prefix-as Missi-sipi " (J. H. T.). Seip--"river." (R.W.)

Sniptuet, Snipatuit, Senepetuit.
     A large pond in the northern part of Rochester near the Middleborough line. Mentioned as a boundary of South Purchase in Indian deed of 1673.

Swanhold, Swan Holt.
     Mentioned as a boundary in deed of South Purchase from Tuspaquin, July 23, 1673. The place is described as "a little southeast of Wellborn Pond." (M. H. S., s. 2, v. 4, p. 274.)
     Swanholt. A place in the town of Wellborn, so called by the first planters in 1642. "Holt was the Saxon name of a wood." It is a curious fact that swohan-ohke, in the Indian language means "the south land" or "south place," and Swanhold certainly was in the neighborhood of the present South Brook and South Meadow. Swanhold may have been a corruption of Sowhanohke.

Sucktequesite.
     A river mentioned as a boundary in "Sixteen Shilling Purchase" May 14, 1675. "Till it meets with a river called Suckitucquisite" Running into Great Quittacas Pond. This without doubt is a corruption of Suckituckeset. Sucki--"black," tuck--"river," with the diminutive es and the locative suffix, meaning "at or near the small black river." This interpretation is probably correct, as the present name of this stream is Black Brook.
     Several other Indian names have been given to Black Brook but with the exception of the above I believe all to have been land names of certain localities in the neighborhood of the brook and then gradually given to the brook by the early settlers. This occurs to a great extent throughout New England.

Tamett.
Small brook flowing into the southern extreme of Assawompsett Pond.

Tepikamicut, Tippecunnicut.
     An old Indian village mentioned in Indian deed of "Twentysix Men's Purchase" and also an Indian deed of Tispequin to James Coee. "On the old Namasket path." The first spelling was in the deed of 1661. This may also be a corrupted abbreviation of Kehti paquon-oc-et, as Tippecanoe is supposed to be.
     Kehtipoquonunk--"at the great clearing."
 

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Access Genealogy Library: Indian Names of Places in Plymouth, Middleborough, Lakeville and Carver Plymouth County Massachusetts, by Lincoln Newton Kinnicutt ~ 1909

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