Last week we celebrated mine and Lemmy’s Gotcha Day anniversaries. This week we are counting down to what would have been Angel Chuck Billy’s 13th birthday! What better way to begin than by answering a question I heard a lot in recent weeks, “What is the story behind Chuck Billy’s name?” Chuck Billy, Lemmy and I are all named after Mom’s ancestors who lived in the 1800s at the Isles of Shoals, off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Chuck Billy and Lemmy also have the added bonus of being named after musicians, and ironically despite being the rock star in the family, I’m not!
Lemmy was named after Lemuel Caswell, a jack of all trades who worked as a fisherman, an innkeeper, a grocer, and found other more creative ways to earn money while living on those small islands. Alright, truth be told, Lemuel was a bit of a character, and was frequently mentioned in nineteenth accounts by visitors and residents of the islands, as well as in the occasional newspaper article. Hence why Mom was able to learn so much about her ancestor. Chuck Billy often wondered if our Lemmy’s quirkiness, came from his namesake. Lemuel’s inn still stands on Star Island and comprises the right side of the current hotel, as a lasting monument to this Shoaler.
Chuck Billy’s namesake, however, did not leave a lasting legacy. Life at the Isles of Shoals wasn’t easy in the 1800s. After the collapse of the fishing industry, many of the residents lived in poverty. Chuck Billy was named after Lemuel’s brother, Charles William, who sadly died in infancy. Our Mom was always struck by the many descriptions of the hospitality Charles William’s mother, Sally, showed visitors to the island, despite her impoverished circumstances. In one glowing description, missionaries thanked Sally for bestowing “every kindness and attention” while staying in her humble home during their visit to Star Island. At the time Sally was mourning the death of her three year old daughter who died just weeks earlier, and about to give birth to Charles William, not knowing his life too would be cut short due to illness. In some small way Mom hoped by naming Chuck Billy after this infant it would be paying tribute to this strong woman. Although to be honest, Chuck Billy only heard his formal name of Charles William when he was acting up!
Speaking of acting up, I’m so glad Dad spoke up on my behalf! Originally Mom wanted to name me after Lemuel’s other brother, Origen! But luckily Dad vetoed that choice. Although Origen was described as a quiet and gentle man, who was “loved by all,” which would be a good match for my personality, Dad didn’t want to get weird looks at the beach when he called my name. So Mom compromised and named me after Lemuel’s uncle, Asa, who was a bit of curmudgeon, but had a dry wit. Chuck Billy was always quick to remind me of one piece of advice from Asa recorded in a letter from the time period. Once when reprimanding someone he said, “Look here, young feller, when I was of your age I kept my mouth shut. Then nobody knew I was a cussed fool!” I really don’t know why Chuck Billy thought this applied to me? Anyways, in addition to being a fisherman, my namesake served in many capacities in this small island community, and earned the unofficial title of respect, “Esq.” Sadly though there’s no mention in the references to Asa if he ever liked to sing like me.
Which brings me to the rock star elements of Lemmy and Chuck Billy’s names. Lemmy’s name also paid tribute to Lemmy Kilmister, singer of the band Motorhead. Our Lemmy preferred to be homebody, and even during his worst tantrums, definitely did not reflect the wild ways of that namesake. But Dad still remembers the thrill of sitting in an arena and hearing the audience chant his dog’s name! Our Lemmy would have loved an audience chanting his name. So would have Chuck Billy, who is also named after Chuck Billy of the thrash metal band, Testament. Our Chuck Billy didn’t know this, but he also almost ended up with Origen as his name! But fate intervened, when prior to his arrival, Mom and Dad were at a concert and while waiting for the band to take the stage the audience amused themselves by having one said shout “Chuck!” and the other responded with “Billy!” Dad turned to Mom, with the biggest smile on his face, and said, “that’s the name of our next dog!”
So there you have it folks, the origins of our names! Please join me all week as I celebrate the life of my bother, Chuck Billy, who was always bigger than life, and in his mind had folks all over the world chanting his name!
Editor Update: This morning there was a 4.1 magnitude in Maine, approximately 8 miles off the coast of York. The Isles of Shoals mentioned in today’s post are 10 miles. I wonder if Angel Chuck Billy read that he was almost named Origen, hence the earthquake! Or maybe he and Lemmy were trying to recreate the rumble of a concert!
