On another branch, members of the Griffin family from around Campbell County VA all stuck together and are believed to have kept family bonds & name of their father after Emancipation. 2. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. Brutus) and a private name (e.g. Pinckney, Randolph, and Rutledgeappear only incidentally among any list of modern Black peoples names. Political Participation in the Nineteenth Century Atlantic Portugal and Brazile in the Age of Revolutions, Poverty in the Early Modern English Atlantic, Reconstruction, Democracy, and United States Imperialism, Settlement and Region in British America, 1607-1763, Slavery in British and American Literature, Slavery in Dutch America and the West Indies, Slavery in North America, The Growth and Decline of. Q. . Testimony of Dick Lewis Barnett, May 17, 1911: I am 65 years of age; my post office address is Okmulgee Okla. -Unknown, "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance!" Copyright 2023 Facing History & Ourselves. So far Ive found no one who can give me any information about how these people assumed the Culbert surname. . Wheatley was traded into slavery at the age of 7 or 8 and imported to North America. One thing I envy about the Catholic church is the baptisms available for even the enslaved people there. Newly emancipated slaves also frequently chose new first names, discarding those associated with slavery. Robyn. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". John Lewis was born in 1831; in 1844 he and several family members were given to George A. Washington of Wessyngton. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. After I had returned to Louisville from Danville, My sister, Lizzie White, got to calling me Mollie, and it was with her that the name started. 1. Corbin Corbin has an Old English origin. After emancipation, he moved back with his mother, brothers and sisters and used the Cobbs surname. Thanks for writing this post! how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? Theres always more to learn! Students learn about President Andrew Johnson and the Congressional Republican's conflicting visions of how to rebuild the nation after the Civil War. On Anglican (Church of England) baptisms records the child legally and officially is documented with the surname of the mother if she and the father were not married. ", "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. The name.Auber.is also.in.Haiti and.is of.French orign. The Genealogy Source Table Collection includes 10 blank, editable source tables for death certificates, city directories, obituaries and funeral programs. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Lastly,emancipation itself often provoked many to choose new surnames, one of the few actual freedoms freedmen had. Forenames. The brothers were sold when they were very young and remained with their last owners nearly thirty years. Slavery is a social-economic system under which people are enslaved: deprived of personal freedom and forced to perform labor or services without compensation. No, I don't know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. Email:genealogy@slcl.org Several names have been added under the letter representing the person's last name. Thats high on my to do list. 40. Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. The last U.S.census slave schedules were enumerated by County in 1860 and included 393,975 named persons holding 3,950,546 unnamed slaves, or an average of about ten slaves per holder. Analyzing Creole names, especially those of African origin, demands a combination of historical and linguistic expertise that has not yet been systematically applied to slave names. There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. This event is $12. Names and Naming, African Africans arriving in the American colonies and later the United States continued to give their children African names well into the nineteenth century. 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. I liked the name better than Octavia, and so I took it with me to Danville, and was never called anything else there than that name. 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 small communities where census takers and county officials knew African Americans personally and their previous owners, they often recorded the former slaves with the surnames of their last owners. By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change. Best of luck to you, Is this the work of the evil spirits or from my bad karma? Is this my fate!To worsen matters, a given new European label applied only to one aspect of the nature (whereas his/her original name referred to a total identity) of the enslaved and this was an effective way to try to fragment a victims mindset. Index by slave owner's name | Surname unknown or illegible. You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. Entre la construccin de la memoria y la ficcin histrica", "From Africa to India: Music of the Sidis and the Indian Ocean Diaspora (review)", "Mark and Phillis Executions, Burned at the Stake and Gibbeted in Puritan Massachusetts", "Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798", "Re: Nancy Titsworth-1800-Livin - Genealogy.com", Association of Muslim Social Scientists & International Institute of Islamic Thought 2008, "Creolizing Natural Liberty: Transnational Obligation in the Thought of Ottobah Cugoano", "Madison and the White House, Through the Memoir of a Slave", "Black Slaves, Indian Masters: Slavery, Emancipation, and Citizenship in the Native American South, by Barbara Krauthamer (2013) Not Even Past", "Timeline of Missouri's African American History", "So Tom e Prncipe recorda o Rei Amador", "Black Christian Republicans: Delegates to the 1847 Liberian Constitutional Convention", "A Slave's Service in the Confederate Army", "Slavery and French Cuisine in Jefferson's Working White House", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_slaves&oldid=1140857860, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:19. It means 'clerk' or 'secretary'. And please do share posts that interest you. 42. I dont know what became of his parents. Harris: A patronymic meaning son of Harry. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople. Most did not want to use their former owners surname, even through about 20% did use the slave owners name. Lori Wilson Picks Up Baton to Remove Slavery Language From Californias Constitution, New Assembly Bill Would Ban Use of Police Canines for Arrests, Crowd Control, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. In many cases this is ignored and children use their fathers name! This event is $20. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. Garcia is the Spanish variation of the word Gerald that means a pointed weapon, like a spear. Surnames like Chantimel have disappeared, while names like Horsford and Ackie, coming from Antigua (where they are common), or Quarless, Dowden, Chandler, and Dottin from Barbados, have enriched Grenada's family history and cultural identity. Some of them developed a long-term relationship with one of the female slaves. Private names used in the quarters included Abah, Bilah, Comba, Dibb, Juba, Kauchee, Mima, and Sena. Thomas mother, younger brothers and sisters remained with the Black family. Hi Jim, If the name is spelled Rodrigues, the name is Portuguese but has the same meaning) 3. And again, as a white Southerner whose ancesters were NOT slaveowners, your blog is helping me to understand the real and horrible legacy of the peculiar institution. One of the less well known aspects of the history of slavery is how many and how often non-whites owned and traded slaves in early America. Caps statement implies that choosing his own surname was a part of exercising his newfound freedom. . Enslaved people resisted in ways large and small. Well, I got to thinking about all us slaves that was going to take the name Fitzpatrick. I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. This reading contains quoted text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. Even tiny steps are huge in someones life. Fernsby, (Old English Origin) Derived from the old English words meaning "fern farmstead". The battle was long and hard-fought, with pro-slavery campaigners arguing that the slave trade was important for the British economy and claiming that enslaved Africans were happy and well-treated. 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. A 2nd great grandmother for example was baptised Sarah Charlotte Chase; her mother is recorded as being Ann Lewis Chase. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. 3. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. 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. 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. I belonged to him until emancipation. In Greek mythology, Daphne was the nymph daughter of Peneus, a river god. I have gotten so many requests over the years from those who couldn't make the live webinars so I hope you enjoy this new feature. 1. Data from the 2010 Census tells a different story. Wide-ranging survey of naming practices in the (mainly Anglophone) Atlantic world both during and after slavery. This blog is where I share family history methods, resources, tips and advice, with an emphasis on slave research, slavery and its aftermath. The following documents are excerpts from government records in which Dick Barnett and Mollie (Smith) Russell explain when and why they changed their names. I hope youll sign up to receive my postsif you do, youll get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! Q. The most common origin for surnames is that enslaved people initially used the surname of either their mother or their father, if they knew what those names were. Perhaps this caused some Slaves to ask: Am I my new name or am I still my old name? Love you, You can find many more examples of the above in my post, The Mind of the Slaveowner. Slavery was coexistent with the founding in 1670 of the first permanent colony in South Carolina, and early official records occasionally contain the names of slaves.3 An inventory of the estate of Francis Jones in 1693 lists 'a negro man Jack' and 'a negro Woman name Jugg.'4 An inventory of the Brief, but stimulating and thoughtful for students coming new to the subject. Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names Return to Slave Manifests main page Click on each Slave name to view information on that voyage. . I have done quite a bit of genealogy for my own family, and it was difficult enough, but what you are doing, is incredible work. Recently, I was looking for more information on Wesley Thompson, who was born about 1835 and who was living in Morgan County, Alabama with his wife, Nellie, and five children in 1880. Other common surnames included Jones, Matthews, Sinclair, and Bennett, Price, and Gray.. Slaves were generally listed with just one name and thus with little to none of the genealogical information recorded for free whites. Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. Baptiste Meaning: derived from the name Bautista; the Spanish form of Baptist Origin: Spanish 3. . One former slave Bill Scott from Wessyngton reported in his pension application for military service that when he enlisted in the Union Army officials put down his surname as Washington. Another interesting fact is that Creole surname use also evolved over time and varied from record to record with the same person. He took his last enslaver surname. 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. My maternal grandmother was an Auber. 44. E. Togo Salmon Conference, E. Togo Salmon Conference 1993 Mcmaster University: Goodyear III, Frank H. "Photography changes the way we record and respond to social issues". Delva See more details in the flier here and they are available for purchase for $10 . Who called you by that name and where was it done? Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names. How did you ever come by the name of "Mollie"? CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT! Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. One of my grandfathers in Africa was called Jeaceo, and so I decided to be Jackson. There are issues, too, about how to interpret the recorded names, which have been classified in different ways depending on researchers interests. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 41. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. Also included here are common names among slaves, many of which were classical and had ties to the Bible or mythology, such as Keziah and Venus. Slavery in America was the legal institution of enslaving human beings, mainly Africans and African Americans. Please subscribe or login. Rank. This lively Old Testament nature name (belonging to one of the three beautiful daughters of Job) may be missing from the current US Top 1000 list, but it ranks highly here on Nameberry making it one to watch! Jonah, the name of the Old Testament prophet who was swallowed by the whale, only to emerge unharmed three days later, is increasingly appreciated by parents looking for a biblical name less common than Jacob or Joshua, yet not too obscure. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as Lincoln, Grant, and Washington was very popular. Emphasizes the giving and repeated use of names as a performative act of domination. If searching for a slave owner with the same surname of your ancestor fails, check marriage records for the slave owners. ", "No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished? Most Popular Names. . I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. Now, that parents surname could very well be the surname of the most recent slaveholder or an earlier slaveholder. In Greek mythology, Athena is the name of the daughter of Zeus who was the goddess of wisdom, warfare, handicrafts, mathematics, and courage, among others. Leo (M) (Russian origin) means "lion". Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin. Robyn. After Emancipation, many former slaves adopted new names and surnames. His slaveholder was named David Humphries. In the early years, especially between the 1860 and 1880s, families even changed a surname several times until they settled on a certain one. It had always been passed down in the family that Thomas has been owned by the Blacks. African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. Can you steer me in the right direction? LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same 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. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough about African and Caribbean research in the areas you name. See footnotes for source information. Chapter 4 gives a brief and introductory outline of naming in the United States during slavery and its consequences in African American culture. European, Javanese and African and Indentured Servitude in First Contact and Early Colonization of Brazil, France and its Empire in the Indian Ocean, France and the British Isles from 1640 to 1789, George Montagu Dunk, Second Earl of Halifax, Green Atlantic: the Irish in the Atlantic World, Histories and Historiographies of the Atlantic World, Impact of the French Revolution on the Caribbean, The, Indentured Servitude in the Atlantic World, Indian, Internal Slave Migrations in the Americas, Interracial Marriage in the Atlantic World, Liverpool in The Atlantic World 1500-1833, Maritime Atlantic in the Age of Revolutions, The, Marriage and Family in the Atlantic World, Material Culture of Slavery in the British Atlantic, Money and Banking in the Atlantic Economy, Napolon Bonaparte and the Atlantic World, Nation and Empire in Northern Atlantic History, Native American Histories in North America, Native Americans and the American Revolution, People of African Descent in Early Modern Europe, Pets and Domesticated Animals in the Atlantic World. In order to receive their pensions decades later, these former soldiers and their family members had to demonstrate to the government that they were who they claimed to be. After emancipation, he became William Smith. Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. Evie (F) (English origin) means "life" or "lively". And even though slave marriages were not legal, many enslaved people followed the practice of the wife taking her husbands surname: My mother was named Mary Bradley and my father was named Hilliard Bradley. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. However, the enslaved occasionally had surnames, which became normal leading up to and after emancipation as a mark of assimilation into free society. Abebe: The genesis of this Ethiopian name is Amharic, and it means 'flower' or 'blossom'. Abara: Originating from the Igbo group of West Africa, Abara means 'spirit'. Letter to James Edward Calhoun, August 27, 1831. Thanks for all you to do keeps us all so enlightened! 1754 Excerpts from the Courant for June 22 to 29, 1754 at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library - contain the names of some "runaway slaves" or indentured servants, and information about them. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. 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. Such resistance signified continual deep-rooted discontent with the condition of bondage and, in some places, such as the United States, resulted in ever-more-stringent mechanisms for social control and repression in slaveholding areas. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Jackson: This name is a patronymic of Jack. Q. Louisiana, U.S., Slave Manumission Records, 1719-1820. Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, who enjoyed eternal youth, is one of the gently old-fashioned girls' flower names we think is due for a comebackalongside cousins Cora and Dora. Percy is an adorable old name that is finally shedding its pampered Little Lord Fauntleroy image in this new era of boys with soft yet traditionally, Titus, once seen as a slightly forbidding Roman, New Testament, and Shakespearean name, was brought back to contemporary life in the USA by the TV series, French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge, Latin, meaning unknown, possibly "title of honour". I was called mostly Lewis Smith till after the war, although I was named Dick Lewis SmithDick was the brother of John Barnett whom I learned was my father . Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 163,036 people with the surname Washington. Register now! 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. Q. I think mostly about family separationas a mother now myself, the very idea that my dear child could be sold to who knows where, never to be seen again..just reduces me to tears anytime. Even worse, during this period, many African Americanssome using surnames for the very first timechanged their surnames once or even several times. One name you find frequently used was Freeman or Freedmen to declare their new freedom. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178199. My father would be 105 if he were alive. Others were more promiscuous. I was born in Montgomery County, Ala. the child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. 18. However, the common practice by slaveholders was to only use the given names of enslaved people in documents such as estate papers, court and deed records. After the war ended and slavery was abolished, they exercised their freedom by changing their names. All of them are alive in this moment. Allard. Robyn. This mini-lesson helps students define the term, learn what forms reparations can take, and consider what reparations should be offered for slavery and other racist policies. St. Louis County Library. Herbert G. Gutman, The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925 (1976). Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. Your insight is always welcome and I am glad you shared these posts for other readers to see. is for you. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries African-American slaves retained Africanisms in their naming practices. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178-199. In his pension file, my great great grandmother his widow expressed that he chose his former enslaver surname because his father had been enslaved by them, too. Index to "Descriptive Recruitment Lists of Volunteers for the United States Colored Troops for the State of Missouri, 1863-1865" (NARA Microfilm Publication M1894 - 6 rolls) For more information about the records covered in this index, please contact the History and Genealogy Department. Turner was deeply religious,. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. Hi Susan, According to the latest search data available, Italian last names and their meanings are searched for nearly, 40,500 times per month. But the Slaves generally had two namesthe one given by the slave owner (e.g. When slave owners married, they often received slaves as wedding gifts and inheritances from their wifes family. Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, H. A. Shapiro. Robyn, youve done it again! At your request I have finally made available for viewing past popular webinars! I was bornthe child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? Each is present in your body. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. The most common origin for surnames is that enslaved people initially used the surname of either their mother or their father, if they knew what those names were. Florence, Fiorella, Fleur, and Flower are translations, but we like Flora best of all. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here.