{"id":15732,"date":"2015-02-11T19:33:24","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T00:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=15732"},"modified":"2021-11-04T06:58:52","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T11:58:52","slug":"american-angola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/american-angola\/","title":{"rendered":"American Angola"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I discovered distant relatives during my ongoing family research who lived in Angola, New York about a century ago. That seemed like an odd location for a town to carry such a name. I wondered if it could have been a coincidence. Maybe early settlers corrupted a Native American word used by the Iroquois who inhabited the area. Certainly it couldn’t pertain to the Angola in Africa, I thought. What possible connection could it have to Africa?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That made me turn to the Geographic Names Information System<\/a> where I discovered several other places named Angola. Some fell within the southern United States and I suspected those traced back to slavery associations. However that seemed far-fetched for a town on the western extremity of New York just outside of Buffalo (map<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

New York<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Angola,<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The answer came to light soon enough courtesy of the Village of Angola<\/a> itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“‘ANGOLA’ \u2026everyone asks where did the ‘Name’ come from\u2026 Many years ago when the trains came through this area, it was called Evans Station. The people applied to the Federal Government to put a post office in this area. The Quakers had started a Colony this side of Gowanda in the Collins area and were known to help many in need. The same Quakers also helped people of Angola, Africa. In 1855, when the Angola Post Office located in Taylor Hollow (used by the Quakers) closed, the Federal Government offered it to this area and said ‘here is your post office’ and authorities thought it best to move the post office to this area\u2026 hence the name ‘Angola’.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That seemed plausible. The Religious Society of Friends — Quakers<\/a> — had indeed settled in western New York. This included the Gowanda area during the very earliest part of the 19th Century, specifically in Collins Township. Also, the Quakers were staunch abolitionists<\/a> by this time. So it seems plausible that they might select a name like Angola. This would establish solidarity with the plight of Africans and demonstrate an opposition to their slavery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Indiana<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n