Butch Says His Town is the Champion of Nicknames!

   A few years ago, I mentioned that several people in my hometown had nicknames. In fact, when I was growing up, I knew very few by their given name. Some of the nicknames were common … others just plain crazy. Edythe Cain and Marian Holladay, with the help of Don Weliever and Marirovene Thompson, compiled a list in 2002, and I have added many more. How many do you know?

…Shorty Anderson, Tubby Yount, Kacky Yount, Jiggs Holt, Snooky Morrison, Oke Morrison, Windy Maxwell, Railhead Maxwell, Runt Maxwell, Fat Maxwell, Hoodie Delano, Bogataw Lang, Lop Ear Riley, Pooch Holt, Roach Royer, Ropey Blanton, Pickie Blanton, Moonie Endicott, Deacon Larrick, Skinny Stewart, Fleet Hankins, Suds Stewart, Blear Stewart, Doozie Dain, Joker Conrad, Hawker Davis, Buss Hutchens, PeeWee Harmon, Slick Harmon, Blackie Hiatt, Inky Endicott, Skip Crull, Doc Cain, Cookie Cooke, Big John Thompson, Fowd Holladay, Shoney Peterson, Hooky Vannice.

…Skeeter Cox, Singer Cox, Sheeney LePage, Beanie Brandenburg, Barney Caldwell, Friday Mote, Curley Fletcher, Hog Haw Endicott, High Pockets Morrison, Dutch Thompson, Moose Delano, Sod Binford, Chick Binford, Dum Binford, Sookie Biddle, Skeet Wray, Nub Wray, Tuck Seybold, Red Hiatt, Punk Peebles, Till Hutchens, Touch Lough, Mutt Warren, Dubber Vermillion, Beaner Hampton, Bullet Remington, Fannie Warren, Smoke Linn, Duroc Cox, Chops Cain, Big Chef Cohee, Butterball Butler, Ropey Ryker, Ropey Hall, Carp Crowder, Billy Bonebreak Burk, Buzz Eden, Apie Bennett, Sparky Maxwell, Maxie Maxwell, Slim Bush, Slim Greve, Boob Vannice, Doob Doubet.

…Brownie Brown, Rabbit Abbott, Buck Shirar, Westie West, Med Mullen, Duck Darrough, Smoky Krout, Doc Holladay, Oat Holladay, Aggie Dale, Ab Dale, Boone Wall, Mert Conley, Shike Vaughn, Coastie Caldwell, Hank Hankins, Red LaFollette, Paulie Beauchamp, Alec Cox, Oss Horn, Worm Weliever, Bub Carson, Nick Nichols, Stubby Weliever, Weenie Carpenter, Buck Royer, Lock Hankins, Crazy Cox, Indian Ed Miller, Doc Holt, Brownie Auman, Kitty Linn, Hab Weliever, Barkie Hampton, Dutchie Painter, Zap Apple, Mister Softie Spears, Bidgie Weliever, and my Dad and brothers…Buck (Bill), Fuzzy (Gary), and Bernard (Mike) Dale.

  I’m certain I left out a few, but I would wager a bet that no other town this size had as many people with nicknames. When I started school, my first grade teacher called me “Johnny,” but during the remainder of my school years the teachers called me “Butch” after being in class a short time. There were several times when I got in trouble at home as a youngster. My Dad used a few other choice nicknames for me, many of which cannot be repeated here, during those ill-conceived and regrettable occasions. After shooting out the kitchen window, the lightning rod glass bulbs, and my brother with my Daisy B-B gun…knocking my sister unconscious with an errant golf ball…and accidentally setting the kitchen curtains on fire…I was fairly certain my new nickname of “Knucklehead” was going to stick around for awhile.

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 36 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.