[Ads-l] Origins of "Bojangles"

Fri Aug 22 23:59:32 UTC 2025

Apparently there were two Bel-Air race tracks, and Bojangles ran in the Montreal Bel-Air.

Fred Shapiro

________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Stephen Goranson <00001dd3d6fc15d3-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2025 7:18 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Origins of "Bojangles"

Benning Race Track, on the east side of DC was not very far from Bel Air
Race Track in Maryland, where Bojangles,
the horse, raced, according to several newspapers reporting on July 14,
1900.

On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 6:46 PM Jonathan Lighter <
00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> Kudos to Fred for bringing this to our attention.
>
> FWIW:
>
> 1907 _The Freeman_ (Indianapolis) (Jan. 26) 5: Bo Jangles Robinson is a
> constant visitor.
>
> 1910 _Fitchburg [Mass.] Sentinel_ (Sept. 9) 6 [Vaudeville ad]: "Bo Jangles"
> Singing, talking, and dancing comedian.
>
> 1910 _Valparaiso [Neb.] Visitor_ (Nov. 10) 1:  Mr. J. W. Beecher, the "Bo
> Jangles" versatile comedian, is especially entertaining to children.
> His...dancing...brings down the house.
>
> 1911_Montana Record-Herald_ (Helena, Mon.) (Sept. 9) 3 : Mr. George Vogt,
> better known as "Beau Jangles," [is] one of the most famous riders of the
> day.
>
> 1912 _Cinicinnati Enquirer_ (May 10) 9: Leroy Alexander, better known as
> Beau Jangles, a colored exercise boy and groom.  [The Lexington [Ky.]
> Herald, same day, gives his name as  "Leroy Anderson."]
>
> 1914 _New York Age_ (Jun. 11) 6: "Bo Jangles," sometimes known as William
> Robinson.
>
> Three early exx. are from the racing fraternity.   Wikipedia: "In 1890, at
> the age of 12, Robinson ran away to Washington, D.C.,  where he did odd
> jobs at Benning Race Track and worked briefly as a jockey."
>
> On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 5:03 PM Rich Lowenthal <
> 000018596069864c-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > FWIW, here's the explanation of the "Bojangles" name from James
> > Haskins's "Mr. Bojangles: the biography of Bill Robinson." (The Lemmeul
> > cited was a friend of Robinson's.) Of course, other explanations have
> > been offered for the name as well.
> >
> > 'But it was one "mis-cheeviously misappropriated" item, a beaver hat,
> > that led to Bill Robinson being given the nickname "Bojangles." A man
> > named Lion J. Boujasson owned a hatmaking and hat-repair shop in the 800
> > block of Broad Street. The neighborhood youngsters, confronted with such
> > an unfamiliar name, called the man "Bojangles." Lemmeul recalled, "One
> > day a beaver disappeared. A beaver was a tall hat, you see. Now that
> > beaver disappeared and we, between the two of us, we couldn't sell it.
> > So, I saddled the thing on Bill Robinson." The episode became a joke on
> > the street. "Who took Bojangles's hat." someone asked. "Why, Bojangles
> > took it," another would reply, parodying the hatmaker's name and
> > pointing at Bill. The name stuck.
> >
> > 'Others tried to claim credit for having given Robinson his famous
> > nickname, but Bill himself stated he had gotten it back in Richmond.
> > There is a ring of authenticity to this story of children mispronouncing
> > an unfamiliar name and jokingly parodying that name.'
> >
> >
> > ------ Original Message ------
> > From "Shapiro, Fred" <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Date 8/22/2025 16:50:07
> > Subject Origins of "Bojangles"
> >
> > >Instead of my usual historical lexicography, here's some historical
> > onomastics.  The name "Bojangles" is well-known as the nickname of the
> most
> > prominent African American entertainer of the first half of the 20th
> > century (Bill Robinson), and as the title of Jerry Jeff Walker's 1968
> song
> > "Mr. Bojangles."  I have often wondered about the etymology of this name,
> > and decided to look into it.
> > >
> > >There has been mention on this list of the so-called "Shapiro's Law": A
> > surprising number of words and phrases are found earliest in the names of
> > racehorses.  The earliest trace of "Bojangles" I have found is as the
> name
> > of a horse in racing reports in Montreal and Buffalo newspapers on
> > Newspapers.com.  For example, the horse Bojangles in discussed in the
> > Montreal Daily Star, July 14, 1900, p. 16.  The Star spells the name
> > several times as "Bojangles" but in one instance spells it "Bowjangles."
> > Unfortunately there is no explanation of the etymology.
> > >
> > >Fred Shapiro (who, with his wife, owns a horse named Tiger — his full
> > name is Tigerote Juno, given by a previous owner who clearly took the
> "ote"
> > part from Don Quixote, we don't know why "Tiger" is in the name, he
> doesn't
> > have stripes)
> > >
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C96cb71866786445be4c708dde1d23ab2%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638915015253169435%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=IoRiJGP%2FUUzbGJhvSzqx03%2FgNtJQaNeWQmnW9pxnxB0%3D&reserved=0<http://www.americandialect.org/>
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C96cb71866786445be4c708dde1d23ab2%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638915015253205149%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nKWsKpvHDjx2ADTrsggp%2Fjun2VdeV3NFsJYjdLyMoRE%3D&reserved=0<http://www.americandialect.org/>
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C96cb71866786445be4c708dde1d23ab2%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638915015253216719%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MvMmzYycTkv6z8fclLp%2FVYOV079QEY0XT%2BJbjTqvf%2B0%3D&reserved=0<http://www.americandialect.org/>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org