142 FACTS RELATING TO GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS. 



of Shirley, now Shirley reservoir. The name is also given to a stream, 

 which rises in the western or central part of Lunenburg and flows 

 through the pond, and through Shirley into the Nashua. It is proba- 

 bly from Kehche or K'che-quon-amaug, " the great long fishing 

 place." As the stream, from the river to the pond, is a series of 

 small ponds, this is the natural signification of the name, and proba- 

 bly was first applied to the pond, and stream between the pond and 

 river. Kehti, " greatest, " " principal " ; quinni, variation quon, 

 "long," amaug, "fishing place." 



Chicopee, a district in the northern part of Groton. This name is 

 used in several places in Massachusetts and has various spellings : 

 Chequapee, Chickopee, Chicabee, Chicopee. It is probably from 

 Chickee or Chekeyeu, " it rages " or " is violent," and Pe, the root 

 of names of water in nearly all Algonkin dialects, " raging or rushing 

 water." Originally this name in Groton was probably applied to 

 some stream. Chikkup also was the name for cedar tree, and 

 Chikkuppee an adjective meaning, " of cedar." Possibly the name is 

 a corruption of Chikkuppee-auke, and was first applied to cedar 

 land. 



HuMHAW, a brook in Westford, This name must be much cor- 

 rupted, and probably is only a part of a long word, and is un- 

 translatable. 



KissACOOK, a hill in Westford. Kissenaug is the name of a pond 

 in Middlebury, Connecticut, and Kisnop, the name of a brook in 

 Salisbury, in the same State. Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull does not 

 attempt to translate either of these names and therefore I certainly 

 shall not attempt to translate Kissacook. 



Massapoag, a pond lying partly in Groton and partly in Dunstable, 

 also a pond in the southern part of Lunenburg. The name is from 

 Massa, " large," variations (Missi, Mashhi) and paug, " standing 

 water." This same name occurs with some variations throughout 

 Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and was applied to 

 the large pond in the locality. Massapaug, Mashipaug, Shepaug, 

 were probably the same. Dr. Trumbull says Sebago, lake in Maine, 

 was the equivalent, the initial " M " having been lost. 



MuLPUS, name of a brook in Shirley. This is not an Indian name. 

 The Rev. Seth Chandler, in his History of the Town of Shirley, writes 

 " Tradition saith that it derived its name from a Frenchman by the 

 name of Multipus, who lived in Lunenburg, near its source." 



Nagog, name of a pond in Littleton. This certainly is not a water 

 name but has been transferred from some near locality to the pond. 



