[Ads-l] Origins of "Bojangles"

Sat Aug 23 00:08:17 UTC 2025

Oops. My mistake1
Stephen

On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM Shapiro, Fred <
00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> 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)
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
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