All In A Name

1939 ... Predominant name in Hazard? You guessed it – Combs is right. Names and numbers are the stock in trade of telephone companies. Hazard names listed by the local exchange are fairly revealed by the directory of the Ashland Home Telephone Company. According to it the most predominant name in this territory is Combs, which is listed 19 times. The second most listed family name is Baker. The predominant names of many other American cities, such as Smith, Jones, Brown, and Johnson fall far behind in Hazard, all of these being exceeded by the Campbells at a total of 10. There are nine Johnsons, eight of each of Smiths and Browns and four Jones. Only the letter “X” has no names. The letter “Q” is represented by Richard Quillen. There are no names with less than three letters in the local directory - Cox, Day, Dix, Gay, Igo, and Ray. The longest name in Hazard is Whittinghill with twelve letters, but his name is closely followed by the 11-letter names of Wetherspoon and Crutchfield.

Among the interesting telephone numbers; Main 1 is assigned to Dr. A. Karl Tatum. O.K. Taxi has No. 10, the Perry County Jail - No. 20, the Major Store - Main 100. Main 13 is held by the Hazard Oil Corporation of Lothair. A unique number is that of the Dr. Pepper Bottling Company on East Main Street - 1024 which represents their slogan “10-2-4”. ‘ These well-known Dr. Pepper numbers represent the times of day - 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. when they suggest a little “pick-me-up” to avoid an energy slump. The highest published number in the local exchange is that of Pine Lodge Tavern, 9109. Those who have occasion to wonder what constitutes a “baker’s dozen” may find it interesting to look opposite the listing, “Gene Baker Motor Company.” The number is Main 12.

Do you remember your phone number when it contained the name of the street and three to four digits? Click on "comments." Check out these local Hazard numbers from 1936.