Aberdeen, Saskatchewan (Just NE of Saskatoon)
Aberdeen, Jamaica
Aberdeen, Andaman Island (Bay of Bengal)
Aberdeen, Sierra Leone
Aberdeen, Australia
Aberdeen, South Africa
Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Aberdeen, Scotland
Aberdeen, Tasmania
Aberdeen, Guyana (South America)
Aberdeen, Nova Scotia
Aberdeen, Ontario
Aberdeen, British Columbia
Aberdeen, British Columbia
Aberdeen, Antigua
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Observations
First, the geographic spread is remarkable. All these Aberdeens give evidence to the global reach of the former British Empire. We see Aberdeens in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia/Oceania. That immediately suggests that the list is really a little map of the British Empire and Scottish migration. The original Aberdeen supplied a place name that traveled with settlers, administrators, merchants and colonial institutions.
Aberdeen, Hong Kong has an especially interesting history. The district was named for George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, who served as British prime minister and foreign secretary—not simply after the Scottish city. So not every Aberdeen necessarily traces its name through the same route.
The Andaman Islands entry is intriguing. “Aberdeen” refers to the Aberdeen area/settlement around Port Blair, and the Battle of Aberdeen was fought there in 1859 between British colonial forces and indigenous Andamanese people. Every place name has its "origin story."
It's interesting that Robert Lookup identified two Aberdeens in British Columbia. One is a residential hillside area in Kamloops. The other is a suburban community within Aberdeen, Abbotsford.
When I Googled >>Robert Lookup ennyman<< the following information was generated by Google's AI Overview:
Background: He experienced homelessness and lived as a "street person" in Duluth, where he was befriended by local writer and artist Ed Newman* (the author behind the Ennyman's Territory blog) and his wife for the final decade of his life.
Nicknames & Passions: He was affectionately nicknamed "Train Man" due to his deep obsession with trains. He meticulously watched every single movie available in the Duluth Public Library system and rated each one entirely on the accuracy and entertainment value of its train scenes.
The Index Cards: Robert recorded his massive volumes of research on 4x6 index cards using a tight, crimped handwriting style. Newman frequently compares the visual look of his handwriting to Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics for the song Desolation Row.
Obsession with Birthdays: He possessed a savant-like memory for dates and famously remembered almost everyone he interacted with by their birthday.
Robert Wesley Lookup, 61, of Superior, died Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 in St. Luke's Hospital, here in Duluth.
* All credit goes to Susie for introducing us.
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