Have you ever wondered how our town was named?  Why “Easton”?  

Here’s a little history. 

The first settler of the community was Clement Briggs, who in 1694 built his home near what is now the intersection of Rte. 138/Washington-Rte. 123/Depot Street.  In 1725, the area of land which would become Easton, about 30 square miles in size, was separated from the east end of a tract of property called the Taunton North Purchase, and incorporated as the town of Easton. 

Easton, the name, is a marriage of the “east” in east end and the “on” in Taunton.

Easton is also a proper name that has roots in the British Isles. In fact, Easton is the name of a council ward and area within the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

There are several communities named Easton across the U.S., including Easton, CT, Easton, PA, and Easton, MD. 

Easton-Bell Sports, headquartered in Van Nuys, CA, is amongs the world’s biggest and most successful sporting goods manufacturers. 

There is the singer Sheena Easton, and the writer Brett Easton Ellis.

Soup’s On Center, located on, appropriately enough, Center Street in Easton, offers a trove of delicious and wonderful food, including a “Mr. Easton 2011 Sandwich,” named for town resident, Ralph Peterson, and which is made of chicken breast, American cheese, lettuce, yellow mustard, on a focaccia square (and served with a cookie). 

Easton is a cool name – which brings me to the next section of today’s column.

My sister and her husband and their three kids live in a close-knit residential neighborhood in Evanston, a suburb of Chicago. On Monday, the family brought home a new pet, a boy puppy, a Sheltie (short for Shetland Sheepdog)/German Shepherd mix. 

The puppy, which was adopted from a gentleman who operates a dog foster home, joins four cats at the residence. 

Thus far, the cats – animals which dislike change – have not been stressed or been overly concerned with the puppy; they are venturing near his crate and acting merely curious – doing some sniffing and examining. 

My sister believes that the reason the cats are not out of sorts is because the little guy is, well, so little (see attached photo). He isn’t a threat.  Yet. 

On Sunday night, as my sister, Suzy, and her hubby, Mark, were finalizing their decision on whether they were going to become dog owners, my sister emailed me and asked for my thoughts on male puppy names that had in them something of the British Isles or U.S. East Coast, but were not pretentious and obnoxious sounding. 

I wrote back with my suggestions, with the first three being “Frothingham,” “Lothrop,” and “Emerson.”   The first two names, for sure, reside deep in the culture, identity, and DNA of our community, Easton. 

Wouldn’t you know it, following the email I sent with my name suggestions, my sister emailed me back, saying that those three names were among those that she and Mark were considering.

My sister is, of course, an Easton native and Oliver Ames High School grad.

Anyway, it had definitely been resolved that the grownups would be choosing the name.   As well, Sunday had not closed and the decision had been made to bring in the puppy. 

It was noon on Monday and the name for the pup had not been decided on.  

Then, at 4:35 pm (CST), my sis made a post on Facebook, which read, in part, “And so it has come to pass. The bittersweet benefit of raising your family half way across the country from where you grew up is that you get to name your little rescue puppy, Easton. DONE.”

Sweet. 

Easton, that adorable love bug, has become a mild Facebook sensation.

So, Easton, I am giving you a call out from 1000 miles away – and telling you to go forth confidently and live your dog life honorably, and to conduct yourself in a way that will only reflect positively on the great and glorious name you carry.