NILES Book of nicknames keeps on growing in close community

Those who already bought the book will be able to get an addendum sheet for a small fee.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- As the old friends sat around a table discussing "the good old days," it came up how many people in Niles are known by their nicknames. In some cases, the group couldn't even remember the given names of some people.
They talked of how there seemed to be a time when everyone in this close-knit community had a nickname. Even school yearbooks had people's nicknames written underneath their pictures. It was almost like a secret club, where Cubbys and Bubbas and Buds were the members.
It was that discussion, held by alumni from the Class of 1943 at their reunion last year, that led to the creation of a book by the Niles Historical Society.
Originally the group thought it might be interesting to mention some of the names in the monthly newsletter. But when word got out through the media, the list grew exponentially.
The book, which contains a laundry list of Niles natives and residents and their nicknames, was published earlier this year and sold for $5 in town.
Doing it again
Overwhelmed by the response, and by the additional nicknames that continued to come in, society members decided to do it again.
"There were close to 700 in the first book, and we are still getting new and updated listings," said Audrey John, a member of the historical society's executive board. "It's been a pretty major undertaking."
Almost 150 copies of the first edition were sold, John said. An updated version of the publication will be released later this year, John said. She said once information on the book was published in the monthly newsletter, submissions started coming in from across the country.
"It seems to have become a hit," John said. "Which is good, because it was a really fun thing to do."
Society members sometimes received the stories behind the nicknames, John said. Some were names passed down from generation to generation. Some were given because of physical or behavioral traits. Some were just a joke initially, but stuck with the person through the years.
All of the information was compiled in the first book, which sold for $5 at the Frame Depot on Youngstown-Warren Road and at the Ward-Thomas Museum, which is operated and maintained by the Niles Historical Society. All proceeds from the book are donated to the museum.
Updated versions of the nickname publication will be available for the same price at the same locations, John said. But those who purchased the first edition need not fret.
"We plan on producing some type of sheet with just the new information for people who already have the book," she said.
The sheets will be available for a nominal fee, just to cover the costs of printing the addendum, she said.
In addition to purchasing the books at the Frame Depot and the Ward-Thomas Museum, they can be ordered for $5 plus $2 shipping and handling from the Niles Historical Society, P.O. Box 368, Niles, 44446.