Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names
Nepeneck, a boundmark so called in the Swartwout-Coddebeck Patent of 1697 -- Napenock, Napenack, Napenough, later forms -- given as the name of the western or southwestern bound of the Maghaghkamick tract, is described: "Beginning at the western bounds of the lands called Nepeneck." The place is presumed to have been at or near Carpenter's Point, on the Delaware, which at times is overflowed by water. It disappears here after 1697, but reappears in a similar situation some twenty miles north at the junction of the Sandberg and Rondout kills. It is probably a generic as in Nepeak, L. I., meaning, "Water land," or land overflowed by water, "Ncpenit 'In a place of water.' " (Trumbull.) Carpenter's Point or ancient Nepeneck, is the site of the famous Tri- States Rock, the boundmark of three states. Assawaghkemek, the name entered as that of the northeast boundmark of tlie Swartwout-'Coddebeck Patent, and described there-
^ Kamik, Del., Komuk, Mass., in varying orthographies, means "Place" in the sense of a limited enclosed, or occupied space; "Generally," wrote Dr. Trumbull, "An enclosure, natural or artificial, such as a house or other buildly,ing,a place a village, or planted having definitefield, a thicket or boundaries. place surrounded Maghkaghk by trees"; is an intense briefexpression of quality -- perfection.
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in, "To a small run of water called Assawaghkemek ■" * and so along the same and the lands of Mansjoor, the Indian," is known by settlement, to have been at and belozv the junction of Basha's Kill and the Neversink, from which the inference seems to be well sustained that "the lands of Mansjoor, the Indian" were the lands or valley of Basha's Kill, which the name describes as an enclosed or occupied place "beyond," or "on the other side" of the small run of water.