I love how you have documented the history of your own surname. Perhaps this caused some Slaves to ask: Am I my new name or am I still my old name? It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name Lottie, as already explained. 1412 S. Spoede Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131-2557. please contact the History and Genealogy Department. 25 Haitian Last Names That Reflect The Country's Unique Culture And I belonged to him until emancipation. This is due in part to officials imposing surnames on them based on their last owners. Hello PDF Lists of Slave owners with names of slaves 781 I mean, really retro. CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT! Dear Robyn, I have been unable to trace several of his siblings and now wonder if it might be because others did not take that name. Explore the most common surnames in England. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as Lincoln, Grant, and Washington was very popular. Whereas names withAfrican, classical, or other unique origins were popular during enslavement, --- often continuingfrom one generation to the next and creating a distinctive nomenclature unlike that of southern whites -- free black peopleoften used more traditionally Anglicized versions of their first names. The naming of slaves has not been treated in dedicated monographs, but it often figures in general accounts of plantation culture and the practices of enslavement. Pinckney, Randolph, and Rutledgeappear only incidentally among any list of modern Black peoples names. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. They called me OCK. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. Please share, in the comments below, examplesyou have come across of the surnames of enslaved people, especially if it was different from their last slaveholder. Burton, Richard D.E. Names and Naming in Afro-Caribbean Culture. New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 73 (1999): 3558. is for you. Gerald, however, is a Germanic name meaning ruler) 2. The difficulties include using records that provide no surnames, the constant sale and breakup of families, and the lack of identification of fathers. Archambeau. In fact, it's not even past. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that person's name. slave rebellions, in the history of the Americas, periodic acts of violent resistance by Black slaves during nearly three centuries of chattel slavery. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. Got.the name.Auber.. Hi Roxana, By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change. Its knowledge that I think most Americans (not even just white Americans) dont have and it is endlessly fascinating and sobering both at the same time. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Spanish areas had male Slave names as Francisco, Pedro, and Antonio; and for females: Maria, Isabella, and Juana. Enslaved people often transferred such names to later generations in modified form or relied on African naming traditions, such as "day names" or names reflecting the order of birth among siblings. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. I found in the Civil War registry, an enslaved man who enrolled in the infantry under the name of Wash Ellis. .When I got home after the war, I was wearing the name of Lewis Smith, but I found that the negroes after freedom, were taking the names of their father like the white folks. Location the owner of ones ancestor is crucial for an African American genealogist to trace his family before 1870. 12 Lost American Slangisms From The 1800s : NPR History Dept. : NPR How did you ever come by the name of "Mollie"? Florence, Fiorella, Fleur, and Flower are translations, but we like Flora best of all. In these cases, unless the name change had been passed down in the family by oral history, it would be impossible to trace the family back any further. Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the. Some of these individuals probably lived through the Civil War to become named citizens in Ashley County, Arkansas and may have taken the last name of Hollaway/Holaway or Terry/Tery. They were all sold to different owners: Connell, Rose, Johnson, and Hughes respectively. Most Common English Surnames & Meanings - Forebears In doing slave research in Barbados, I have found one group of enslaved Chase ancestors who were manumitted (freed) and given the last name of the former slave owner. ", "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)", "Where does the family start? In the late 1830s, Nathaniel Terry of Todd County, Kentucky died leaving a plantation of fifty slaves. And you get to tell the story of Jean-Louiss life in slavery and also in freedom. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. The names they gave their children provide a valuable, if limited, index of that process over time. Extensive records of slaveholding over several generations exist for a number of North Carolina plantations, most notably the Skinner and Hayes plantations in Chowan County; Pettigrew plantations in Tyrrell, Washington, and Wake Counties; Bennehan-Cameron plantation in Orange County; Hargrove plantation in Granville County; Arrington plantations in Nash and Edgecombe Counties; Avery plantation in Burke County; and Lenoir plantation in Caldwell County. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration They ran away, fought back, feigned illness, destroyed tools, and clung to their families. Both are excellent researchers and historians. I am not able to find any slaveholders in the Versailes area by the name of Ellis. By country & year of birth. There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. In Greek mythology, Daphne was the nymph daughter of Peneus, a river god. Even many given names of ancestors eventually became a surname, such as Todd or William. Washington: The 'blackest name' in America | The Seattle Times It means 'raven'. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. You are the continuation of each of these people." I love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. Each name was a clue to her origins. However, the enslaved occasionally had surnames, which became normal leading up to and after emancipation as a mark of assimilation into free society. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. Im very familiar with the work of Gwendolyn Hall and Elizabeth Shown Mills. ", "Case Overview: Ann Williams, Ann Maria Williams, Tobias Williams, & John Williams v. George Miller & George Miller Jr", "Augustine Tolton: From slavery to being the first black priest", "Cornish (and Other) Personal Names from the 10th Century Bodmin Manumissions", "Gospel-book with added Cornish records of manumissions ('The Bodmin Gospels' or 'St Petroc Gospels')", "Following Brigid's Way The Irish Catholic", Charity Folks, Lost Royalty, and the Bishop Family of Maryland and New York, "The Untold Story of How an Escaped Slave Helped Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigate the Globe", "Slave's 400-year-old grave in Dutch Jewish cemetery now a Black pilgrimage site" by Cnaan Lipshiz, Times of Israel, 6 February 2021, Roman Theater and Society: E. Togo Salmon Papers I, "Professor Says He Has Solved a Mystery Over a Slave's Novel", "Day of history to unfold in Muthill museum", "Cornelius Tacitus, The History, Book I, chapter 13", "An Old Actor's Memories; What Mt. After emancipation, he moved back with his mother, brothers and sisters and used the Cobbs surname. Robyn, Unraveling the origins of FPOC and slaves in Francophone Louisiana takes some thinking outside the fact, meticulous research ,familiarity with the local culture, history and a bit of serendipity on your side. Five of the slaves were sold to the Washingtons and brought to Wessyngton. Testimony of Dick Lewis Barnett, May 17, 1911: I am 65 years of age; my post office address is Okmulgee Okla. Use the form below to get in touch with me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. Davis: This name is a patronymic of David. I am researching the surname Culbert worldwide, and the data can be found at: culbert.one-name.net There are a growing number of African Americans with this surname, which I believe originates in Scotland. Accueil > > Avr > 18 > Uncategorized > common last names for slaves in the 1800s. 9 'Facts' About Slavery They Don't Want You to Know | Snopes.com 687+ African-American Last Names [All Categories] - Tag Vault We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. . Harris: A patronymic meaning son of Harry. Q. For descendants, I would add the substantial emotional impact of seeing an ancestor's name attached to a dollar value, or being valued in a list with silverware and cattle. Garcia is the Spanish variation of the word Gerald that means a pointed weapon, like a spear. . Thanks for commenting and continued luck in your research, The three databases below provide details of 36,000 trans-Atlantic slave voyages, 10,000 intra-American ventures, names and personal information. He was a slave owner and, in 1800 as Chief Justice of New Brunswick, he supported slavery in defiance of British practice at the time. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The Language of Names. See flier for more details. What are the most popular last names in the UK? Finding the Slave Who Bore Philomene Daurat. There is also another historian, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall who did work on African ethnicities in Louisiana, you can read more of that here if you havent seen that yet: http://whitneyplantation.com/the-louisiana-slave-database.html, Again, I applaud you for doing the research on the history of the areas where your ancestors livedmany researchers dont realize how crucial that understanding is. This event is $25. Slave Names | NCpedia For example, Roll, Jordan,Roll has an entire chapter called The Naming of Cats, discussing slave names and The Slave Community has a very good chapter called The Slave Family. Two other books I like are Been In The Storm So Long by Leon Litwick (pgs 247-248)and Joining PLaces: Slave Neighborhoods in the Old South by Anthony Kaye. 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? If we consider the diverse circumstances that the tragedy of slavery created, we can understand the reasons why. Edmon S. Conner Recalls About His Career", "Law and the Cultural Production of Race and Racialized Systems of Oppression", "Runaway Slaves and Servants in Colonial Virginia", Slavery in the Courtroom: An Annotated Bibliography of American Cases, "Soldier of Furtune: John Smith before Jamestown", "YSTUMLLYN, JOHN ('Jack Black') (d. 1786), gardener and land steward | Dictionary of Welsh Biography", "Strong, Jonathan (c. 17471773), de facto freed slave", "Juan Francisco Manzano | Slave Narratives | The MoAD Salon | MoAD - Museum of the African Diaspora", "Relatos sobre la India Juliana. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. . Slavery | Tennessee Encyclopedia Who called you by that name and where was it done? Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. 7. They were Nelson Nunn and George Nunn and they may have changed their names to Crosby too because they were my fathers children.. African Americans in the U.S. Federal Census, 1870-1890 (National Slave Names In The Americas - Black Voice News In the 1930s, ex-slave Martin Jackson explained why he chose his last name after Emancipation: The master's name was usually adopted by a slave after he was set free. No superior alternative has yet been found." Cora: We first fell in love with this short baby girl's name from Downton Abbey, but Cora was already popular in the 1800s, meaning 'maiden' or 'good'. On the 30 rolls of NARA Microfilm Publication M1895, Slave Manifests of Coastwise Vessels Filed at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1807-1860 (30 rolls), are reproduced manifests filed with the collector of customs at New Orleans, Louisiana, of slaves transported in coastwise trade to or from New Orleans during the period 1807-1860. Alfred "Teen" Blackburn (1842-1951), one of the last living survivors of slavery in the United States who had a clear recollection of it. Data from the 2010 Census tells a different story. For him, this meant claiming his new identity as a freedman and a citizen. i did a simple search of the 1860 slave schedule using the name Culbert and came up with slaveholders in MS,VA,NC,AL,GA and SC holding 17 enslaved people. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantations blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. 16 Most Famous Female Slaves of African American Origin Many of these were names of heroesbut not Lincoln. This event is $12. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. . Aruba Congo Bob D'Sean Latoya Dilsy Lopez Lunah African Emmaline Ebo Mema Milla Kyser Ibo Medwin Oilsay Cupad Viney Centere Minta Zoruba Tyzer Nefar Phiba LaVaughn Congo Bob Ladia Ikbo Abah Medger Bossy Shand Cufee Uri Zulu jenee Sorce Tomm Dedib Slave Names Of The 1800's Cena Billah Quarker Lamoney Minba Geto Tonesia Zulu Jana Brutis These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. Karen Halttunen, Murder Most Foul, p. 175. If the name is spelled Rodrigues, the name is Portuguese but has the same meaning) 3. It can be a difficult path, but just might be reachable. All children of a female slave were automatically slaves, considered as belonging to the owner of the mother. The table below shows the most common last names with statistics on the heritage and ancestry of those with the surname. These Are Some of the Rarest Last Names in the US: Do You Have One in Major types on which most would agree are European place and literary names, European personal names in hypocoristic (pet or diminutive) form, biblical and classical names, and names of African origin. The surname Williams occurs roughly 550 times per 100,000 people in the U.S. You can find explanations for each of the table columns below, or use the following links to view more last names for different ancestries. by John C. Inscoe, 2006; Revised May 2022 by NC Government & Heritage Library. Slave surnames | Vita Brevis Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. I was only three years old when she died. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. Turner was deeply religious,. Search 30 million given names. Rounding out the Top 40, here are the next 30 most common names among African-Americans and Caribbean people: Taylor (Jayceon Terrel Taylor "The Game") Wilson (Charlie Wilson) Moore (Shemar Moore) White (Barry White) Lewis (Carl Lewis) Walker (Jimmie J. J. Walker) Green (Al Green) Thompson (Kenan Thompson) Washington (Denzel Washington) You can also look up Charleston Manifests by Slave Owner These records are also available through the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). An 's' at the end of a personal name also meant 'son of', for example Richards, Stevens, Williams and so on. Most Common Black Last Names in the United States - Name Census A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Ho Joanne, Q. Most Common African-American Surnames: Origin & Meanings The new surnames, usually not taken from a former slave owner, included: Williams, Jones, Johnson, Smith, Jackson, Thomas, Brown, Walker, Davis, Green, Robinson, Scott, Harris, Turner, and Anderson. I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. One thing we should keep in mind is that the practice of referring to enslaved people by a given name only was a part of the attempt of the system of slavery to dehumanize them..to other them. In more than thirty years of researching my ancestors and hundreds of others enslaved on one of Americas largest plantations, slaves owned by mid-sized planters and small farmers, reviewing thousands of documents I have come across various situations that might give others clues on what to look for. Of the 972 names of male Slaves recorded between 1619 and 1799 the leading ones were Jack, Tom, Harry, Sam, Will, Caesar, Dick, John, Robin, Frank, Charles, Joe and Prince. 2023 The Voice of the Black Community in California. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Kaplan, Justin, and Anne Bernays. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. I just cannot imagine (thankfully) the idea of my name being changed with every new owner, with not having any idea of what my parents surnames were, of having a white father but not being able to have a father/child relationship with himand all the other myriad of circumstances that enslaved people faced. Abel, et al. Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. Enslaved people remained legally nameless from the time of their capture until their purchase by American enslavers. Picked by several celebrities (a couple of times even for a girl), adding up to an enthusiastically recommended choice. Login Forgot . They called me "OCK". If a surname was needed, the slave owners family name might be used. Thanks for this very thoughtful article. The private name served as a form of Selfhood Armor (you cant take all of me, White man!); gave them a sense of power over their captors; and provided their children with a sense of heritage and pride. I hope this post also helps us to think about how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. I also meant to email you and tell you how I enjoyed your article in the last NGSQ. 44. In the context of The Bahamas, the surname appears to originate with Denys Rolle, an American Loyalist who re-settled on Exuma, one of the so-called Out Islands of The Bahamas, sometime in the mid-1780s. Delva Hi Donna, 26 September 2021 [PAST EVENT]: Acclaimed genealogist Melvin Collier and I will be presenting an all-new 2-hour lecture titled More Than Just Names: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research from 1:00-3:30 EST (please note it is Eastern Standard Time). Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? Slavery - The National Archives Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. Col. Joshua John Ward of Georgetown, South Carolina: 1,130 Known as "King of the Rice Planters," Ward had 1,130 enslaved Blacks on the Brookgreen plantation in South Carolina. 40. I belonged to him until emancipation. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher. I also have a Slavery and Freedom Collection available for $20. The quote below, from a Southern Claims Commission file, is one of the most powerful and one of my favorites to use in lectures: I enlisted under Ross because that was my fathers name. A. I was first called by that name in the family of Col. Morrow in whose service I was in Louisville, Ky., just after the war. 2. See more details in the flier here and they are available for purchase for $10 . ", "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance! . Well, I got to thinking about all us slaves that was going to take the name Fitzpatrick. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. In 1800, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman were able to escape their terrible life of enslavement and were able to help other slaves trapped in a world of forced labour and grant them freedom once again due to the Underground Railroads that helped him, his partner Anna Murray Douglas and many other fugitives sneak away from the horrible Finding State Laws About Slaves and Free Blacks, More Suggestions for White Slaveholder Descendants, http://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2009/09/calvin-r-yarborough-where-it-all-began.html, http://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2013/11/many-rivers-to-cross-my-priscilla.html, https://www.historicpathways.com/articles.html, http://whitneyplantation.com/the-louisiana-slave-database.html. The same family may appear with different surnames in the 1870 and 1880 federal census records, and may appear in other records with either, both, or a third surname altogether. In 1801, the British government took the first census for Great Britain and Ireland. They did so either to take on a surname for the first time, or to replace a name or surname given to them by a former master. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. Bernacki: Teatr; Mamontowicz-ojek: Szkoa Tyzenhauza s. 53, 54, 70, 86-89, 92; Wierzbicka: Sze studiw; Muzyka 1969 nr 2 (J. Prosnak). These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. Throughout the colonial period, as many as one-fifth of the enslaved people in North Carolina retained African names; Quash, Cuffee, Mingo, Sambo, Mustapha, and Sukey were among the most common recorded. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. This database is a compilation of information on over four thousand slaves from Louisiana who were involved in manumission (the formal emancipation from slavery) between 1719 and 1820. African Americans were known by these surnames in the slave community and often recorded by slave owners on plantation documents. Early African-American Names | Nameberry Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. After emancipation, they all used the Terry surname because their families had been with the white Terry family for generations. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. There are many factors to consider in determining what surnames African Americans used. It means 'clerk' or 'secretary'. . I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. In addition to time and place, a likely variable is whether the birth rate, in a severely overworked and maltreated population, was sufficient to ensure a relatively stable population over several generations, or whether the high mortality associated with slavery led to declining numbers and hence to the frequent acquisition of new slaves. Following the emancipation of approximately 360,000 enslaved people in North Carolina, changes in African American names became indicative of a new value system and sense of self-identity among freedpeople. James) will have . Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one" My hat goes off to you and your passionate efforts. The Complexity of Slave Surnames > Reclaiming Kin U.S. Slavery: Timeline, Figures & Abolition - HISTORY South Atlantic Creole A Spanish America After Independence, 1825-1900, Tudor and Stuart Britain in the Wider World, 1485-1685, Warfare, Medicine, and Disease in the Atlantic World. Remember me. Until recently, scholarly consensus was that early African American names did not differ significantly from those of white Americans. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Some of these examples come from the wonderful book, Voices of Emancipation: I served [in the War] as Henry Lock, the Lock being my old Massas name but since the War I have taken name of Rollie., [Edward] was owned by Drury Stovall and went by the name of Edward Stovall. I would also recommend Elizabeth Shown Mills various case studies on enslaved people in Louisiana, which you can find at her website at https://www.historicpathways.com/articles.html. An enslaved child sold away from their parents at a young age to the Deep South would probably have a different sense of naming than enslaved children who were able to grow up in the presence of their parents and extended family. PDF Slave Names in Colonial South Carolina - Latin American Studies Join me as I present this NEW webinar that covers why we miss our ancestors in these records and presents numerous strategies to assist in finding every clue in census records. 100 Victorian Last Names With Meanings And History | Kidadl LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. One of the largest sources are the Civil War pension records of the almost 200,000 black men who served in the US Army and Navy. . Brief, but stimulating and thoughtful for students coming new to the subject.
St Michael Medical Center Silverdale Wa Npi,
Craigslist Marion, Nc Homes Rent,
Goma Creme Brulee,
Rupaul's Drag Race Aaron Marine,
Articles C