What’s In A Name – Jelloway

Have you ever looked at a map and saw the name of something and thought to yourself, “Gee, they’ll name a town after just about anything, won’t they?” Well, if you look at a map of Ohio, about halfway between Columbus and Akron you just might find such a place: Jelloway. 

Did we really name a town after Jello? 

Well, not really. Lemme explain. 

Once upon a time, in Knox County, Ohio, there existed a town called Brownsville. The town was laid out in 1840 by a man named Freeman Phifer , whose father (Jacob) was a Revolutionary War veteran who had previously settled nearby. Freeman built himself a farm, then established an inn, which he ran for the next twenty or so years. Also during that time, a Post Office was established (conveniently located inside the inn). 

One of the more important features (at least by 1840 standards) was the creek that ran through the center of Phifer’s farm, which today might not seem like much, but at the time was used to help transport stuff from one place to another. Brownsville wasn’t a major trading hub, obviously, but it is said to have played a major role in more local developments. 

Meanwhile, Nearby 

One of the more interesting figures who lived in this area was a leader of the Delaware (Lenape) people who went by the name Tom Jelloway. At the time, he was known for a couple of things, mainly being super friendly toward the white settlers, and they called him a “bird charmer” as he could summon just about any bird by “calling” them.  

As Tom’s tribe was uprooted and sent farther west, Tom decided that he liked where he was at, and he seemed to like the incoming settlers, so he decided to stay. 

As the settlers began … well, settling in the area, they began to name things, as they seemed to like to do. Since the creek that ran through Brownsville didn’t have an established name, they decided it needed one, and felt that nobody was more deserving to have a creek named after than that wonderful Delaware named Tom. So, the creek was named Jelloway in his honor. 

Brownsville to Jelloway

Freeman Phifer really wanted to name his town after Major-General Jacob Brown, a friend of his father and something of a legendary fighter in the War of 1812, but there was one wee problem with that, as Freeman would come to learn once the post office was established. Ohio already had a Brownsville, a bit east of Columbus and apparently having two towns with the same name in any one state is just too confusing.  

Since the creek had just been named after Tom Jelloway, he (reluctantly) decided to change the name of the town (while secretly still referring to it as Brownsville). 

And the place has been known as Jelloway ever since. 

While it may not seem at first glance to be a major hub of historical happenings, it did see its fair share. For example, during prohibition, Uncle Zip lived there (and people say he had the best booze … period.)