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. Other common surnames included Jones, Matthews, Sinclair, and Bennett, Price, and Gray.. Table 7. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people. No superior alternative has yet been found." I was only three years old when she died. Runaway ads illustrate how many slaveholders knew the surnames of their slaves. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. I love to hear from my readers. Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. The following documents are excerpts from government records in which Dick Barnett and Mollie (Smith) Russell explain when and why they changed their names. To date there are no book-length studies covering the naming of slaves across the Anglophone Atlantic, but Burton 1999 and Kaplan and Bernays 1997 provide useful entry-level discussions for the Caribbean and mainland United States, respectively. 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. My surname of SAM originated from Sem or Sam FUSELIER, a free man of color who freed my ancestor,Jean-Louis, out of slavery in 1811. Slaves are identified by given name under their masters. Born in Union County, South Carolina, he was sold to his last enslaver in 1858 and then brought to Mississippi. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? 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. But, my mtdna also said I share ancestry with the Kru people of Liberia and the Mende from Sierra Leonne! [15] Alice Clifton (c. 1772-unknown), as an enslaved teenager, she was a defendant in an infanticide trial in 1787. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178199. . The name.Auber.is also.in.Haiti and.is of.French orign. Smith.). Students consider what it means to be free by learning about the choices and aspirations of freedpeople immediately after Emancipation. . 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. Thanks for adding your very experienced voice to the conversation. When slave owners married, they often received slaves as wedding gifts and inheritances from their wifes family. 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 Slave Names Below are some best cute and catchy slave names: Infirm Mite Lunn Amanda Walter Garner Hannah Delia Bastard Inferior Weevil George O'Hanlon Jordan John Owen Rachel Fetid Spider Betty Nathan York John Wright Wicked Whelp Thornton Dick Field Robert Dick William Hunter William Sam Kiner Augustus Dick a/k/a Richard Ferguson Foul Beast Others were more promiscuous. Most common last names names: 1-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001-3000 | 3001-4000 | 4001-5000 One given name the childs family selected and kept secret and one the child was known by given by the slave owner. Slaves were generally listed with just one name and thus with little to none of the genealogical information recorded for free whites. No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. I also meant to email you and tell you how I enjoyed your article in the last NGSQ. 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. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one" It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? John C. Inscoe, "Carolina Slave Names: An Index to Acculturation," Journal of Southern History 59 (November 1983). And please do share posts that interest you. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantations blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. Special slave censuses were kept in the early 1800s. Dorothy, Doris or Dora: Meaning 'gift of God', this Victorian girl's name was popular in the 19th century. 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. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, more biblical names were given to enslavedchildren, a reflection of the widespread attempts to Christianize enslaved communities. Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! There are also a few problems with the original dataset in name transcription such that a small number of first names were transposed with last names. This is common. 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. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Slavery existed in the United States from its founding in 1776 and became the main . David Nicolle, Graham Turner: Poitiers AD 732: Charles Martel Turns the Islamic Tide. FamilySearch Centers. Several of the other slaves were sold to various slave owners. 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. Caps statement implies that choosing his own surname was a part of exercising his newfound freedom. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name "Lottie," as already explained. Former slaves often used surnames names of historical figures such as Washington, Jefferson or Jackson. As a result, many slaves used the surnames of their owners wifes family. Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. Thanks LaBrenda! 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. Sabe, Anque, Bumbo, Jobah, Quamana, Taynay, and Yearie) used in the Slave quarters. ", "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. Label vector designed by Ibrandify - Freepik.com, 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. She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. Just go to my Vimeo page and make your selection. -Kendall Hailey, "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. 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. .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. Fernsby, (Old English Origin) Derived from the old English words meaning "fern farmstead". My father once told me his grandfather ran away from the Carrington place and changed his name to Williams. 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. Because I like to let formerly enslaved people speak for themselves, here are several examples of freedmen and women discussing their surnames. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher. 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. 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". . Some last names recognize certain histories or describe important events or narratives that mean a lot to the family. Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names. College Advanced AA Gen. Class, November 2012, Robyn, Aaron, Karen, Katherine and Michael, October 2014, African-American Family History Conference, February 2015, African-American Genealogy Group Conference, October 2016, Central Maryland AAHGS, with Alice Harris, September 2015, Howard Comm. 77th U.S. Col Inf and Co. D. U.S. Col H Art under the name Lewis Smith which was the name I wore before the days of slavery were over. ", "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)", "Where does the family start? Thanks for all you to do keeps us all so enlightened! Ebba: One of the more unique girl names from the 1800s. Here are an even dozen, pretty much forgotten slanglike words or sayings from the 19th century, rediscovered while delving in the archives and with added guidance from James Maitman's 1891 . While enslaved almost all had just one Christian name. After emancipation, he became William Smith. He stated that he had always been known by his fathers surname Scott, even before he was freed. 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. Picked by several celebrities (a couple of times even for a girl), adding up to an enthusiastically recommended choice. Thank you, my dear friend, for adding this about enslaved people owned in the Caribbean is really important, as some of the customs were certainly different. . Abebe: The genesis of this Ethiopian name is Amharic, and it means 'flower' or 'blossom'. Daniel Odgen, Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts In The Greek and Roman Worlds, p. 119, Laurence Vidal, Los Amantes de Granada, Ed. 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'. I also have a Slavery and Freedom Collection available for $20. i have no way to confirm this. Mining the Census: Are You Finding Every Clue? What remains utterly amazing to me is that in the worst of circumstances, and in spite of every attempt to crush any idea that slaves were anything other than commodities, slaveholders did not succeed. Robyn. In the early years, especially between the 1860 and 1880s, families even changed a surname several times until they settled on a certain one. 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. Enslaved peoplethemselves sometimes chose names denoting weather conditions at the time of their child's birth or some distinctive feature of his or her appearance. I love how you have documented the history of your own surname. I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. . I belonged to him until emancipation. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Thanks for writing this post! This suggests most of those African-Americans probably did come about that name from prior slaveholders (since we know they likely werent from Scotland;):) I think you just have to include all the variations of Culbert to see how that could be the case. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. -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. He decided that he didnt want to be known as Cap Sherrod and that he would vote and marry under his choice of names. For more information about the records covered in this index,please contact the History and Genealogy Department. 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. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as Lincoln, Grant, and Washington was very popular. Harriet Tubman and some of the slaves she helped free. Societies. Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. Ho Joanne, A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Geographic names were common, as were the names of ships or distant ports for enslaved peopleborn in places such as Wilmington or New Bern. Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. This topic interests me greatly and Id like to do more research. This is true in some cases but not all. Surely the hundreds of black Culbert people living today cannot all be connected to those three cases. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! 6. These cookies do not store any personal information. Robyn. I worked for him as nurse for his children, and my full and correct name was OCTAVIA, but the family could not catch on to that long name and called me LOTTIE for short. 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 . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Q. If the slaveholder or another free white man was their father, many Creoles did use either is first or last name as a surname. The table below shows the most common last names with statistics on the heritage and ancestry of those with the surname. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. > | Index main page>| Index by slave owner's name, 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). Well, I got to thinking about all us slaves that was going to take the name Fitzpatrick. Hello Thank you. They reflect an acculturation process by which generations of enslaved people, increasingly removed from the direct influence of their first enslaved African ancestors, adopted the conventions of their enslavers, eventually creating a culture and value system all their own. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Finding Aids for the National Archives at Atlanta, National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). Miracle, (Old English and Latin Origin) Derived from the first name Mauritius meaning "dark". Cheryll Cody, "'There Was No Absalom on the Ball Plantation': Slave-Naming Practices in the South Carolina Low Country, 1720-1865," American Historical Review 92 (June 1987). 43. Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. 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. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. My fathers name was Gilbert Jackson, and after I was set free I took the name of my father, and have been known by the name Smith Jackson. Brutus) and a private name (e.g. On all subsequent census records, he is listed as John Lewis. Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, H. A. Shapiro. 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. Maria Aparecida Schumaher, Erico teixeira Vital Brazil. When retained, a given name was generally changed to its full form: Thomas, not Tom; Elizabeth, not Bet. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This is another instance of oral history being a key component in tracing African American ancestry. Anouilh. But if Romeo and Venus are now deemed baby-appropriate, why not Apollo? 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. Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names Return to Slave Manifests main page Click on each Slave name to view information on that voyage. . Robyn. . By country & year of birth. The origins of this last name date back to the pre-medieval period. Interestingly, the five most common American surnames as of 2010 haven't changed that much over time and are Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, and Jones. Robinson: A patronymic of the name Robin. I presume no death certificate for her survives? Best of luck to you in your research, See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. 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. Middle Tennessee, where tobacco, cattle, and grain became the favored crops, held the . 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. Of course my mother wasnt a Bradley fore she married. Copyright 2006 by the University of North Carolina Press. There are so many examples of every kind of scenario, and I think it just speaks to the variety of experiences our ancestors had. No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. 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. The names they gave their children provide a valuable, if limited, index of that process over time. It is these single names that have been most often studied. A 2nd great grandmother for example was baptised Sarah Charlotte Chase; her mother is recorded as being Ann Lewis Chase. Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation. In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. 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. I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years. Enslaved women were raped, creating children with white fathers who in most cases did not claim them and even sold them away. 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. The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). This lifelong quest has helped me to better know my familys past. 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. 2023 The Voice of the Black Community in California. 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 . Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. Since those are the countries from which many of America's original settlers came, it's hardly surprising. -William Faulkner, "Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. 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. Former slaves also interchanged surnames on census records. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178-199. I dont know what became of his parents. 1. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. 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. I hope this post also helps us to think about how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. 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. After Emancipation, many former slaves adopted new names and surnames. 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. ", "Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. 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. Post Author: Post published: 18 avril 2022; Post Category: . One ancestor was known as Baber Masse, Elizabeth SENET and Elisabeth Leveille in different documents. With mythological names rising, the handsome son of Zeus and god of medicine, music, and poetry among many other things might offer an interesting, if high-pressure, option. I hope you dont mind my sharing those posts. Practices undoubtedly varied, and different archival sources may yield different conclusions. 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. This page is currently showing names ranked from 1 to 1000. ", "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance! Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. I belonged to him until emancipation. A. 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! The link was not copied. Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved. It means 'bought land'. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? 5. Samuel had only two slaves: the man that could be Wilson and a 42-year-old woman. The highest percentage of African names was found among male slaves in the eighteenth century, when . Gradually, to show contempt for Slaves, the captors used Buck and Wench for naming the genders till they became trade terms, like Filly and Shoat.Contempt for the male was removing his honorific attachment to fatherhood and manhood by being addressed as Boy. Once the vigorous years of his prime were passed, he was allowed to assume the title of Uncle. Females were called Gal, girl, or the name of some animal. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. If searching for a slave owner with the same surname of your ancestor fails, check marriage records for the slave owners. 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. Students explore the legacies of the Reconstruction era today, reflect on the idea of democracy as a continuous process, and consider how they can best participate in the ongoing work of strengthening our democracy. He identified father, mother and siblings in a Freedmans bank deposit in 1873, when he was already in New York City. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. A krio from.Freetown Sierra Leone. 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. 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. 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. 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. My hat goes off to you and your passionate efforts. This had a profound impact on the Selfhood of each of the enslaveddisrupting ones presumed Mission in life, as indicated by ones name; shattering the sharing of personal and historical experiences, attitudes, and spirits towards life; and putting in disarray the philosophy of life framework and common sense values by which all Africans lived. In another case Sukey Ann and he 4 children were manumitted by their Ashby owner with only their first names. The name James has been a popular Victorian male names in the 1800s. Famous name bearers: many King Louis of France, Sandra Bullock's son and actor Louis Partridge. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 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. Baby Name Generator. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. Along with Abraham and Prince, other early African American names currently in the US Top 1000 include Alonzo, Athena, Daphne, Elijah, Isaiah, Israel, King, Phoebe, and Titus. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? At her death when Thomas was ten, he was sold to Solomon Cobbs who lived nearby. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. Unique Surnames to Grenada. It is certainly possible that Wilsons siblings could have been sold away or owned by others. Dear Robyn, Distinctively Black names were thought to have risen from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, which promoted the use of names with connections to Africa. 20 August 2022, 1-3:30 pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Join me for a two-hour lecture and workshop on Using Deed Records. In small communities when slaves were sold, they were often bought by someone in the area.