[Ads-l] Antedating of Jesus H. Christ

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

We can now push "Jesus H. Christ" back to 1855 and 1861 since the last
time (I think) that we looked at this (see Fred's and John's posts far
below). So, getting a little closer to Mark Twain's recollection of an
incident in 1847 in which the expression was featured.

-- Bonnie

His pet oath seemed to be "Jesus H. Christ!" His interpolation of the
"H" in the name of the Blessed Saviour was of course a burlesque of
the Roman Catholic mode of introducing into the holy name the sign of
the cross, to which the letter H bears some resemblance. [The
Louisville Weekly Journal, 26 December 1855, page 1, column 9,
https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A1186F83649867DE8%40GB3NEWS-17060DA2E0120D70%402398944-1704424A0984B0F8%400-1704424A0984B0F8?clipid=gidsazlfnpagmkcvjyqfayjgicimvyet_ip-10-166-46-187_1716682811053.]

"Tomorrow I start for South Carolina, to pick tobacco, the weed I have
always loved. We go there at the command of our glorious leaders,
Horace Greeley -- Abraham Lincoln -- and (a pause) Jesus H. Christ!"
["Letter from New York," Cincinnati Daily Commercial, 26 June 1861, p.
2, via newspaperarchive.com.]

On Sat, Jul 26, 2014 at 7:06 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating of Jesus H. Christ
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A quick search of Newspapers.com seems to show "Jesus H. Christ" occurring =
> in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Aug. 30, 1871, and Weekly Arizona Miner, July 3=
> 0, 1880.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Baker,=
>  John [JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 6:41 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Antedating of Jesus H. Christ
>
> HDAS has "Jesus H. Christ" to 1892, and Fred Shapiro has antedated it to 18=
> 87 - 1888.  Here is a further antedating, to 1885.  The item below was pick=
> ed up by a number of newspapers, of which the earliest I have is from the G=
> alveston Daily News, Jan. 5, 1885, p. 9.  It cites as its source the Brazos=
>  Pilot, which I do not have.  This is via Newspaper Archive.
>
> "The names of Jesus and Christ sound very sacred to English-speaking people=
> , but among the Spanish both are common names--given and surnames.  At Lare=
> do, the other day, Jesus H. Christ was registered at one of the hotels.  We=
>  remember noting a few years ago that a Mexican named Jesus Christ had been=
>  hung for horse-stealing.  Truly, there is nothing in a name."
>
> The writer was under the impression that this was just an example of Spanis=
> h names, but that seems unlikely to me, and of course the writer himself ha=
> d no direct knowledge of the matter.  Note that the item's use here and in =
> other newspapers implies that the phrase was not yet common even in oral us=
> e.
>
>
> John Baker

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