Editor's Corner-The Word is Gettysburg
Editor's Corner

The Word is Gettysburg


It’s a good time to take a closer look at Gettysburg – the name, that is.

Most who have studied even a little bit about the famous borough know that it is named for its founder, James Gettys, a veteran of the American Revolution. James’s father, Samuel, an Irish immigrant, had owned large tracts of the Marsh Creek settlement, where James was born in 1759. Sam owned a tavern in the vicinity, where many of the militia met for refreshment, meetings, and to enlist when the war came. Samuel, too old to fight by 1776, gave instead with his pocketbook. He donated heavily to the revolution, and after the war he was desperately short of funds. James sold parcels of his father’s land to help clear the family debts, and in 1786 the Borough of Gettysburg was established.

The word “burg” comes from the German word for “castle”. The word evolved in the Middle Ages to denote a walled town or village, usually with a castle in the center for protection. The word used for the same situation in England was a “borough”. In time, a borough was any incorporated town in the British Isles that sent representatives to Parliament. 
 
When James Gettys formally founded the town of Gettysburg, he too named it a “borough”. Since the German word “burg” is synonymous with the English “borough”, the name “Gettysburg” became the official name. There are many towns in Pennsylvania that share with our town the “burg” in the final appellant syllable: Chambersburg, Harrisburg, Dillsburg, Mechanicsburg, Mercersburg, McConnellsburg, and even Pittsburgh (with its slightly more “borough-like” spelling).

An early marriage record in the Adams County Historical Society, completed by the Reverend Alexander Dobbin in 1786, gives the early name of the borough as “Gettistown”.

Since James Gettys pronounced his surname “Gettis”, most of the early settlers of the town pronounced Gettysburg with the short “i” vowel sound. Over the years, the name is more popularly pronounced “Gettysburg” – utilizing instead the long “e” vowel sound on the second syllable. There may be some historical purists who insist upon the older pronunciation, but a careful and thorough study seems to conclude that both pronunciations may be considered correct.

The Civil War battle in 1863 made Gettysburg world famous – and the town is still recognized, in practically every corner of the planet, for the terrible conflict that took place in James Gettys’s crossroads borough. Its history, however, nearly a century earlier is recalled: a small settlement grew, a war came, and money was needed so land was sold.

Whichever way one wishes to pronounce it, Gettysburg and its beginnings are well worth knowing.

Pass the word!

Princess Publications
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