I enjoyed your article about the pronunciation of Dutch place names in our area ("You say renseler, I say renselar," Dec. 28.)
Since you mentioned my town, Schaghticoke, I thought I'd let you and your readers know that it is a Mahican Indian word, probably meaning "mingling of the waters."
In our town, the Tomhannock Creek joins the Hoosic River, and the Hoosic enters the Hudson River. In 1676, there was also a mingling of Native American peoples, as the refugees form several tribes, displaced and defeated during King Philip's War, were invited by the governor of the colony of New York to settle at Schaghticoke. An oak tree of welfare, planted to seal the bargain, stood until 1949. The Native Americans moved out by 1755, mostly to Canada, where they joined relatives on reservations there.
Schaghticoke has been spelled in almost innumerable ways over the centuries. In my experience it is pronounced both "skat-ee-cook" and "skat-ee-coke," with the emphasis on the last syllable in both cases.
Believe it or not, there is another Schaghticoke, near Kent, Conn., an Indian reservation. Despite diligent search, I have found no connection between the Native Americans in the two Schaghticokes, except the name.
You can find more on Schaghticoke history on my blog, http://www.schaghticokehistory.wordpress.com.
CHRISTINA KELLY
Melrose
The writer is Schaghticoke town historian.