Where There’s A Jasper, There’s A Newton

As we look forward to the traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute which will be in Monticello soon, maybe the exhibit will clear up some historical facts.

Researching the name of our county, Jasper, is very interesting. Just who was this Sgt. Jasper and why did our county name change from Randolph to Jasper?

One, Parson Weems, may be the source of our county name. Weems was a noted book dealer and author from the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, who, shall we say, embellished history. Today, no doubt, he would have founded the Enquirer or similar. He was the first to tell the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree and not lying to his farther about it. Fortunately for Weems, he wrote the story after Washington’s death, otherwise, call 1-800-Lawyers.

Weems also wrote of two heroes of the Revolutionary War, one named Jasper and the other Newton who were both in the Battle of Savannah and both died during the battle. Weems writes of how the two rescued prisoners from the British, especially a mother and child. From that story, the two were linked although their story was again, embellished.

To this day, where there’s a Jasper, there’s a Newton, such as our sister county or one or another, confusing. This link also occurs in Texas, Indiana, and Mississippi. Arkansas has a Newton County and the county seat is Jasper. Iowa has a Jasper County and a county seat of Newton. Jasper, Georgia and here is a good one, Jasper County Texas has a county seat of City of Jasper, and Newton County Texas has a county seat of City of Newton. Jasper County Tennessee has a county seat of Marion, named for the famous Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, from the Revolutionary War who just happened to have Jasper and Newton in his regiment. Let’s admit it, we all have history, some more colorful than others.

Speaking of colorful history, this past week we acknowledged Christopher Columbus. Can’t we just leave the man alone? He did his best to find the shortest route to India, just missing it by say 10,000 miles or so. His GPS was a little off kilter.