In one of his Just a Few Acres Farm videos, Pete was repairing a plow and mentioned the coulter. Being a Wendell Berry nerd, I recognized that as one of the surnames in Port William. That led me down a rabbit hole. Let’s be clear: the following is pure speculation based on internet research and could be wrong.
Coulter A blade or disc set ahead of the plowshare that cuts into the soil, resulting in a neater furrrow.
Feltner Appears to be an Americanized version of a surname with roots in the German word feld, meaning “field.” Could have agricultural connections?
Beechum Beech-Nut tobacco was a popular, early chewing tobacco brand. I have my doubts about this connection, though: 1. It’s admittedly a stretch, and 2. Beech-Nut was acquired by the James B. Duke tobacco empire and we all know how uncle Wendell feels about Duke.
Wheeler The draft horse in the position nearest the front wheels of the wagon.
Pettit Possibly derived from an Old French word meaning “small.” This was the last name of the money-obsessed man who married Old Jack’s daughter Clara, who rejected her father’s way of life and cared nothing about what he loved.
Burley Coulter This is a particular character’s full name, not a family name. Burley is the type of tobacco grown in Kentucky and surrounding regions. Burley Coulter is in some ways the heart of the Port William membership. Sometimes wayward, not a traditional family man, he comes to feel the value of the membership keenly. “The difference ain’t in who is a member and who is not, but in who knows it and who don’t.”
