I don't know if we were right or wrong, growing up along the banks of the Monongahela, but we always said: Mah-non-ga-HEY-la. Liked the description, Thanks. Ruth ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Donaldson" <mdonald4@bentcom.net> To: <PAMONVAL-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 11:03 PM Subject: [PAMONVAL] Re: Specific Question... > Mike Landers wrote: > > > Hello Mike, > > > > Could you tell me what the proper origin, pronunciation, and meaning of the > > word Monongahela is? > > > > Thanks, > > > > Mike Landers > > Hi Mike > The pronounciation of Monongahela is, I guess, pretty much the way it is > spelled. > Mo·non·ga·he·la > > Folks who live nearby usually take the easier way out - The river is known as > simply "The Mon", The town is Mon City. and the area is the Mon Valley. > > Although I've seen slightly different meanings, they are all basically the > same. Monongahela, is derived from a Native American word meaning "high banks > or bluffs, breaking off and falling down at places". (Much of the Monongahela > Valley still fits that discription. > > As far back as I've seen history written about the area, dating back to the mid > 1700's, the river was always known as the Monongahela. > > Hope this helps! > -- > Thanks > Mike Donaldson, Bentleyville, PA (mdonald4@bentcom.net) > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Mon Valley History and Genealogy Website: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pamonval/ > > Mon Valley: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: > http://www.geocities.com/mdonald318/ > > My family gedcom: > http://www.my-ged.com/donldson > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Listowner of: > Monongahela River Valley of Penna Rootsweb mailing list: > PAMONVAL-L@rootsweb.com - Mail mode > PAMONVAL-D@rootsweb.com - Digest mode > > Bieneman / Bienemann Rootsweb Mailing list > Bienemann-L@rootsweb.com - Mail Mode > Bienemann-D@rootsweb.com - Digest mode > > ______________________________

RJW wrote: > I don't know if we were right or wrong, growing up along the banks of the > Monongahela, but we always said: > > Mah-non-ga-HEY-la. > > Liked the description, Thanks. > > Ruth Maybe I've lived in the area too long, but when I see -hela, I think -heyla, not heela! Sorry if my phonetics were unclear! Ruth's attempt above is correct! -- Thanks Mike Donaldson, Bentleyville, PA (mdonald4@bentcom.net) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mon Valley History and Genealogy Website: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pamonval/ Mon Valley: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: http://www.geocities.com/mdonald318/ My family gedcom: http://www.my-ged.com/donldson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Listowner of: Monongahela River Valley of Penna Rootsweb mailing list: PAMONVAL-L@rootsweb.com - Mail mode PAMONVAL-D@rootsweb.com - Digest mode Bieneman / Bienemann Rootsweb Mailing list Bienemann-L@rootsweb.com - Mail Mode Bienemann-D@rootsweb.com - Digest mode

I live in Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV, where county organizers goofed in spelling Monongahela. We pronounce it here like Mike's version, he, instead of hey. It also frequently gets shortened to the Mon. Vickie ----- Original Message ----- From: "RJW" <whillp@kih.net> To: <PAMONVAL-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2001 11:45 PM Subject: [PAMONVAL] Pronouncing Monongahela I don't know if we were right or wrong, growing up along the banks of the Monongahela, but we always said: Mah-non-ga-HEY-la. Liked the description, Thanks. Ruth ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Donaldson" <mdonald4@bentcom.net> To: <PAMONVAL-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 11:03 PM Subject: [PAMONVAL] Re: Specific Question... > Hi Mike > The pronounciation of Monongahela is, I guess, pretty much the way it is > spelled. > Mo·non·ga·he·la