I love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). 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. The majority of these slaves used the surname Lewis instead of Washington. 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 5. Garcia (The Spanish form of Gerald, Garcia would be the son of Gerald. They ran away, fought back, feigned illness, destroyed tools, and clung to their families. Caps statement implies that choosing his own surname was a part of exercising his newfound freedom. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Another common way of distinguishing people would be 'son of', for example Johnson (son of John), Richardson, Wilson, Harrison etc. They are part of Records of the U.S. Customs Service . These cookies do not store any personal information. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Davis: This name is a patronymic of David. She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. My father would be 105 if he were alive. -Thich Nhat Hanh, evolve theme by Theme4PressPowered by WordPress, Maryland Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon, December 2017-2, Washington FHC Annual Conference, May 2011, Baltimore Family History Conference, October 2017-2, International Black Genealogy Summit, September 2016-2, Carroll County Genealogical Society Dinner, June 2018, Baltimore Family History Conference, October 2017, Reginald Lewis Museum, September 2011-2.jpg, Maryland State Archives Family History Festival, October 2014-2, Central Maryland AAHGS Meeting, March 2013, Robyn, Vonda, Andrea and Glenn, NGS Conf., May 2014, Maryland Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon, December 2017-1, Howard Comm. Daniel Odgen, Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts In The Greek and Roman Worlds, p. 119, Laurence Vidal, Los Amantes de Granada, Ed. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. Now, that parent's surname could very well be the surname of the most recent slaveholder or an earlier slaveholder. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? Women tended to have two names, and slaves often just had one. If a surname was needed, the slave owners family name might be used. No, I don't know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. 2. One frequently occurring name is Rolle. After emancipation, he became William Smith. 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. Born in Union County, South Carolina, he was sold to his last enslaver in 1858 and then brought to Mississippi. Bernard Meaning: brave warrior Origin: French 4. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Thus, the patronymic surname can be effectively regarded as "keeper of the peace." This phenomenon is not unheard of with African American surnames. Register now! However, research byLisa D. Cook and colleagueshas revealed evidence of racialized names from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. He identified father, mother and siblings in a Freedmans bank deposit in 1873, when he was already in New York City. Three formerly enslaved people discuss their names and the changes they underwent after Emancipation. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This happened mostly on large plantations where several individuals had the same first names and a surname was used to distinguish them from one another. Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. Therefore, a few of the most common first names of the time such as Mary (rank 815) and Sarah (1010) will appear in the list and surnames which correspond to personal names (e.g. One name you find frequently used was Freeman or Freedmen to declare their new freedom. And this example from another pension file shows how even the given name of this enslaved woman was held under little regard: Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. I first wrote about this in this 2009 post: http://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2009/09/calvin-r-yarborough-where-it-all-began.html, And,then, more recently in 2013, here: http://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2013/11/many-rivers-to-cross-my-priscilla.html. 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 Search 30 million given names. I belonged to him until emancipation. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? George Duncan Ludlow (1734-1808), colonial lawyer. 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. This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am and is filed under Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews. By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change. The given name Athena was derived from the city name Athens, which is of uncertain origins. Q. It is these single names that have been most often studied. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. The Genealogy Source Table Collection includes 10 blank, editable source tables for death certificates, city directories, obituaries and funeral programs. My mothers name was Octavia Smith and it was from her that I got it but where the name came from to her I never knew. Hi Jim, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803), a former slave, he enslaved a dozen people himself before becoming a general and a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Alfred "Teen" Blackburn (1842-1951), one of the last living survivors of slavery in the United States who had a clear recollection of it. In ancient history, Lysander was the name of an esteemed Spartan naval commander and his literary cred comes from one of the two star-struck young men in Shakespeare's. They called me OCK. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178199. In my own family history, on my Yarborough side, I believe I have uncovered a pattern that my formerly-enslaved great-grandparents, Calvin and Precilla YARBOROUGH may have used in naming their children. This phenomena makes research very complicated when you dont know the mothers surname. Former slaves often used surnames names of historical figures such as Washington, Jefferson or Jackson. 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. 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) My full name is Dick Lewis Barnett. Best of luck to you, . Slavery existed in the United States from its founding in 1776 and became the main . Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! 1412 S. Spoede Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131-2557. please contact the History and Genealogy Department. No superior alternative has yet been found. Thank you so much for your kind words. Wonderful to have first hand account that help shine light on the attitudes of our ancestors. 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. -George Burns, "Where does the family start? Wood were recorded as slave. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. This is common. . You can also look up Charleston Manifests by Slave Owner These records are also available through the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). -Unknown, "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance!" Thanks for writing this post! A favorite of British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose has an air of blooming well-being and upper-class erudition. You can read the introductory maps for a high-level guided explanation, view the timeline and chronology of . Were there any famous slaves? 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. See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved. College, Advanced AA Gen. Class, September 2009, Alice, Robyn and Lajoye, CM AAHGS, September 2017, Robyn and Andrea, NGS Conference, May 2014. In 1870, all of them were listed with the surnames of their last owner; however, each one of them named their sons for one of their brothers. By country & year of birth. Chapter 4 gives a brief and introductory outline of naming in the United States during slavery and its consequences in African American culture. There are certainly methods you can used to try to verify some of the storyyou can look for Carrington and Williams slaveholders in the area in which your ancestor lived in the 1870 census. BRATHWAITE - This name was derived from a geographic location in the north of England. Robyn. Love you, . See more details in the flier here and they are available for purchase for $10 . Many names, whether African derived or English, refer to birth circumstances, including both the ubiquitous day-names, which derive from the West African Akan-Twi language group, and others such as birth order and time of birth (e.g., day of the week, month, or season). This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. 2019 (cited under the Anglophone Caribbean) includes a good general introduction to slave naming. 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. I hope this post also helps us to think about how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. common last names in the 1800s Patronymic surnames such as Jansen/Janssen, Hansen, and Petersen are the most common names in the far north (Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein). I hope you dont mind my sharing those posts. Available from https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2014.174.8?destination=/explore/collection/search%3Fedan_q%3Denslaved%26edan_fq%255B0%255D%3Dobject_type%253A%2522Photographs%2522 (accessed May 6, 2022). This event is $20. Best of luck to you in your research, This is true in some cases but not all. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. You can read about this in the following two posts on my blog. Now, that parents surname could very well be the surname of the most recent slaveholder or an earlier slaveholder. Anouilh. Benson 2006 is one of the few general discussions of slave names. Each is present in your body. Evie (F) (English origin) means "life" or "lively". Clark is a common surname of Anglo-Scottish origin. Perhaps this caused some Slaves to ask: Am I my new name or am I still my old name? The name James has been a popular Victorian male names in the 1800s. I am sure your father would also be very proud of your interest in family history. All rights reserved. I am the identical person who was named called and known as Dick Lewis Smith before the Civil War and during the Civil War and until I returned home after my military service . Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin. There has been much debate among scholars, historians and genealogists whether enslaved African Americans used the surnames of their last owners, previous owners, or a surname that had no connection to slavery. Several names have been added under the letter representing the person's last name. The top 5 most common Hispanic last names from the 1920s are: 1. This reading contains quoted text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. College, Advanced AA Gen Class, September 2011, AAHGS Annual Genealogy Conference, November 2008, Howard Comm. If you can identify your ancestor's master, this source will prove of tremendous value to your research. Even worse, during this period, many African Americanssome using surnames for the very first timechanged their surnames once or even several times. Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, H. A. Shapiro. How did you ever come by the name of "Mollie"? The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. One given name the childs family selected and kept secret and one the child was known by given by the slave owner. Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. This topic interests me greatly and Id like to do more research. The brothers were sold when they were very young and remained with their last owners nearly thirty years. 2. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. 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. Login Forgot . I was only three years old when she died. . At your request I have finally made available for viewing past popular webinars! 40. [15] Alice Clifton (c. 1772-unknown), as an enslaved teenager, she was a defendant in an infanticide trial in 1787. After emancipation, they all used the Terry surname because their families had been with the white Terry family for generations. In 1850, Ward. Ive taken back reclaimed some of that lost memory, especially that of my enslaved ancestors. Got.the name.Auber.. Hi Roxana, I belonged to him until emancipation. However, many African Americans faced a problem when they applied for their pensions. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. As enslavement continued through the 1800s, African American culture included naming practices that were national in scope by the time of emancipation, and intimately related to the slave trade. 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. Well, Ive gone off on a tangent again;) But thank you again for writing and thank you for the cemetery work (especially trying to include African-Americans you are doing that will be of benefit to others. Hi Jann, Harris: A patronymic meaning son of Harry. My great great grandfather in Mississippi took the surname of the previous SC enslaver, whose widow sold him away. 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. Robyn. Emphasizes the giving and repeated use of names as a performative act of domination. 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. Through a video-based activity, students explore how Radical Reconstruction changed the nature of voting rights and democracy in the South. Almost every major tome on slavery discusses slave naming practices in some form or fashion. 1. My great grandfather Wilson Percival was born in South Carolina and I believe he took his surname from last slave owners family. I would still recommend all of these books, except the first one listed for obvious reasons. In 2001, I began a process of transcribing names of some of the largest slaveholders and matching the surnames with numbers of African Americans on the 1870 . Spanish areas had male Slave names as Francisco, Pedro, and Antonio; and for females: Maria, Isabella, and Juana. 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. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. 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". However, a small change to searching on C?lbert, which accounts for the variations in spelling expands that initial list to 877 enslaved people owned by people with those names. Index by slave owner's name | Surname unknown or illegible. Just makes me sad for the human spirit that anyone, let alone hundreds of thousands of people could participate in it. Q. Kaplan, Justin, and Anne Bernays. On the U.S. Federal census that year, Wesley's birthplace was recorded as Alabama, the same as his father, and his mother's birthplace was South Carolina . Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as Lincoln, Grant, and Washington was very popular. 30 January 2022, [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Join special guest genealogist Taneya Y. Koonce and I as we present our joint Zoom webinar, Organize Your Genealogy! Wide-ranging survey of naming practices in the (mainly Anglophone) Atlantic world both during and after slavery. . ", "The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never ever introduce yourself to had life not done it for you. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! Others were more promiscuous. Have you visited the Whitney Plantation yet? Students learn about President Andrew Johnson and the Congressional Republican's conflicting visions of how to rebuild the nation after the Civil War. Join my mailing list below to learn about upcoming webinars. But the bureau also compiled lists of the fastest-growing surnames in the United States and these include Zhang, Li, Ali, Liu, and Khan - a testament to the wonderful diversity of our nation. And my goodness, how kind of you to suggest a TED talk, maybe one of these days;) Genealogys pull is what initially pulled me into studying slavery, and also introduced me to the new understanding that historians are uncovering. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! The name.Auber.is also.in.Haiti and.is of.French orign. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. 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. Karen Halttunen, Murder Most Foul, p. 175. My maiden surname is Williams. Pinckney, Randolph, and Rutledgeappear only incidentally among any list of modern Black peoples names. Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. 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. Many of the former slaves and some free people of color took the first name of their father, mother and sometimes former slaveowner as their last. 3. The resources Im getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable. Who called you by that name and where was it done? My fathers name was John Crosby and he lived in the town of Geneva, Alabama, I had two brothers and one sister. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Finding Aids for the National Archives at Atlanta, National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). 2023 Nameberry.com.Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. He was a planter with 20,000 acres of land in East Florida and was at the forefront of slavery in The . Just go to my Vimeo page and make your selection. Robyn. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. . The Language of Names. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? 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. One thing for sure, historians are always expanding our knowledge on this topic.BTW, I am a big fan of your website and your work in the field! A 2nd great grandmother for example was baptised Sarah Charlotte Chase; her mother is recorded as being Ann Lewis Chase. . is for you. Louis (M) (English origin) means "famous warrior". But if Romeo and Venus are now deemed baby-appropriate, why not Apollo? Benson, Susan. 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. how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. 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. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name Lottie, as already explained.

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