It had always been passed down in the family that Thomas has been owned by the Blacks. 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. Claudia Bautista,Santa Monica, Calif. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. 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. 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).
Victorian Surnames in England and Wales - Geri Walton A 2nd great grandmother for example was baptised Sarah Charlotte Chase; her mother is recorded as being Ann Lewis Chase. I'll illustrate transcribing deeds, show you how to find your county deed records on FamilySearch, and you will receive my PDF Beginner's Guide to Using Deed Records, a $12 value! Some of them developed a long-term relationship with one of the female slaves. Thomas: Thomas is a common surname of biblical origin meaning twin. American slave owners or slaveholders were owners of slaves in the United States which typically worked either as agriculture laborers or house servants. 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.
Names and Naming, African | Encyclopedia.com Popular last names in the 1800's? - Answers I especially recommend Mother, Thy Name is Mystery! . Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. The existence of those surnames in the area would help to verify, but also, you are fortunate to have the important oral history of that name change in the first place, since so many of us dont. Others were more promiscuous. Here, our list of notable early African American names. Q.
Slave name index - next1000.com 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. My hat goes off to you and your passionate efforts. Five of the slaves were sold to the Washingtons and brought to Wessyngton. Theres always more to learn! She was a Murphy.. 19. I dont know what became of his parents. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries African-American slaves retained Africanisms in their naming practices. This potential brother had been sold to a local and remained there in SC. Middle Tennessee, where tobacco, cattle, and grain became the favored crops, held the . Many of these were names of heroesbut not Lincoln. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Forenames. This phenomena makes research very complicated when you dont know the mothers surname. 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. Register now! 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. 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". Genealogy becomes so much more than just names and dates, it really feels like a true passion indeed. 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. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. I am a farmer. 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. -Kendall Hailey, "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. Hello 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. It comes from the same Greek root as 'ambrosia', the food of the gods, said to confer immortality. Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved.
Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names | National Archives ", "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. If you can identify your ancestor's master, this source will prove of tremendous value to your research. The first published African-American poet & author Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa. 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. Fortunately, the French and Latin were excellent record keepers and the Catholics were obsessed with knowing the kinship of everyone. 7. All rights reserved. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. Through a video-based activity, students examine Americas struggle for a stronger democracy during Reconstruction and today.
Washington: The 'blackest name' in America | The Seattle Times But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. I love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. My maiden surname is Williams. Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin.
Louisiana, U.S., Records of Enslaved People, 1719-1820 - Ancestry.com Part of what drives me in this research, I think, is the feeling that I am reclaiming their stories, their names, and their very being, even if what I uncover is just a tiny bit. Abel, et al. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Robyn.
Most Common African-American Surnames: Origin & Meanings Testimony of Dick Lewis Barnett, May 17, 1911: I am 65 years of age; my post office address is Okmulgee Okla. 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. Q. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. Hi Jann, Another common way of distinguishing people would be 'son of', for example Johnson (son of John), Richardson, Wilson, Harrison etc. Allard.
Surnames Used by African American Slaves - Wessyngton Hi Pat, 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.
Top 130 French Last Names or Surnames With Meanings - FirstCry Parenting -Unknown, "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)" 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 . Ref. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. Letter to Armistead Burt of September 1, 1831, sfn error: no target: CITEREFCalhoun1837 (. In 1911, Barnett and Frys widow, Mollie, both applied for pensions from the government. Samuel had only two slaves: the man that could be Wilson and a 42-year-old woman.
1850 US Census Name Frequencies - buckbd.com Examples include: Francois, Jean, Pierre, and Leon for men; and Manon, Delphine, Marie Louise, Celeste, and Eugenie for women. Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. Many enslaved people were allowed to keep their original African names or names assigned them elsewhere (as reflected by the frequency of Spanish and Portuguese names among the first generation of enslaved people in the Carolinas.) Who called you by that name and where was it done? Practices undoubtedly varied, and different archival sources may yield different conclusions. 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. When slave owners married, they often received slaves as wedding gifts and inheritances from their wifes family. Through DNA matches, I believe I have recently found a brother of my mothers great grandfather. 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. Each is present in your body. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! 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. In small communities when slaves were sold, they were often bought by someone in the area. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. Just makes me sad for the human spirit that anyone, let alone hundreds of thousands of people could participate in it. 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. Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! 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. Abebe: The genesis of this Ethiopian name is Amharic, and it means 'flower' or 'blossom'. Hi Rodney, There are a wide array of sources that provide us with slave surnames, from the slave narratives and interviews, to freedmans bank cards, runaway ads and Southern Claims Commission records. I took the name of Jackson for the reason that I preferred to go by my fathers name, rather than the name of my last owner.. In 1801, the British government took the first census for Great Britain and Ireland. 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. Slavery in America was the legal institution of enslaving human beings, mainly Africans and African Americans. Both are excellent researchers and historians. 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. Have you visited the Whitney Plantation yet? We had to register as someone, so we could be citizens. "Albumen print of enslaved women and their children near Alexandria, Virginia." Some last names recognize certain histories or describe important events or narratives that mean a lot to the family. 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. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? They are recorded with the Ashby surname on subsequent documents.
63 Italian Last Names That Are *Chef's Kiss* Bellissimo! - Scary Mommy 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. 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 . 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. 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). Thanks for writing this post! This reading contains quoted text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. Q. slave rebellions, in the history of the Americas, periodic acts of violent resistance by Black slaves during nearly three centuries of chattel slavery. -Winston Churchill, "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." 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. Q. There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. 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. Got.the name.Auber.. Hi Roxana, Fernsby, (Old English Origin) Derived from the old English words meaning "fern farmstead". My Vimeo ON Demand video page lists six videos you can choose from to watch for 3 months ($15 each): -Finding the Last Slaveowner: Guidance and Case Studies, -Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People, -Using Deed Records to Uncover Your Family, -Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You've Done and, -More Than Just a Name: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one" 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. My father once told me his grandfather ran away from the Carrington place and changed his name to Williams. . 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. Another common practice was to select a surname that fit the personality of an individual, such as Hardy or Rambler. Until recently, scholarly consensus was that early African American names did not differ significantly from those of white Americans.
What were common last names in the 1800s? - TeachersCollegesj 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. 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. Thanks for your comment, Because I like to let formerly enslaved people speak for themselves, here are several examples of freedmen and women discussing their surnames. Evie (F) (English origin) means "life" or "lively". I was bornthe child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith.
Ninety percent of them were African-American, a far higher black percentage than for any other common name. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. i have no way to confirm this. Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. This event is $20. 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. You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. 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. Thank you as always, your posts are so helpful. Thank you so much for your kind words. See flier here. The given name Athena was derived from the city name Athens, which is of uncertain origins. Facing History & Ourselves, "Changing Names," last updated May 12, 2020. It means 'clerk' or 'secretary'. . Once the slaves were freed they found they did need another name besides a given name. I am generally called Cap Sherrod but I was married under Cap Ross and have voted under the name Ross, A good many people call me Cap Sherrod because I belonged to Sherrod but I calls myself Cap Ross.. After emancipation, he moved back with his mother, brothers and sisters and used the Cobbs surname. See flier for more details. Nat Turner's Rebellion One of the most famous slave revolts in American history came in 1831 when Nat Turner led a bloody uprising in Southampton County, Virginia. Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. 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). Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts South Atlantic Creole Archipelagos Q. Currently, the most popular Black last name in America is Williams, with a total count of 774,920 people who have the surname. How lucky you were to find that Freedmans Bank document! Private names used in the quarters included Abah, Bilah, Comba, Dibb, Juba, Kauchee, Mima, and Sena. 44. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name Lottie, as already explained. Slavery existed in the United States from its founding in 1776 and became the main . I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. Benson 2006 is one of the few general discussions of slave names. ", "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)", "Where does the family start? Wheatley was traded into slavery at the age of 7 or 8 and imported to North America. Most did not want to use their former owners surname, even through about 20% did use the slave owners name. This was done more because it was the logical thing to do and the easiest way to be identified than it was through affection for the master. A small number of creoles in Louisiana also acquired surnames derived from ethnic identities in Senegal. 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. The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). They cut it off from OCTAVIA. You can read the introductory maps for a high-level guided explanation, view the timeline and chronology of . EDHASA, 2006, 359 pages, (. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. James) will have . 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. Thanks for adding your very experienced voice to the conversation. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. A valuable and incisive discussion, both theoretically and historically informed, of slave naming in two African societies, the Caribbean, and the American South. Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. Students consider what it means to be free by learning about the choices and aspirations of freedpeople immediately after Emancipation. I did a post sometime ago about Slavery Studies, where I named some of the top books on the subject. Trinidad and Tobago. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people. 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! Q. Maria Aparecida Schumaher, Erico teixeira Vital Brazil. . Ive taken back reclaimed some of that lost memory, especially that of my enslaved ancestors. 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!
687+ African-American Last Names [All Categories] - Tag Vault Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. There are issues, too, about how to interpret the recorded names, which have been classified in different ways depending on researchers interests. 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 . They were all sold to different owners: Connell, Rose, Johnson, and Hughes respectively.
These Are Some of the Rarest Last Names in the US: Do You Have One in It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Ho Joanne, The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway.
American Slave Owners - geni family tree Slave Names and Naming in the Anglophone Atlantic The idea was for the children to enter the inhumane system of slavery protected by a sense of Selfhood and history. My father would be 105 if he were alive. Cook Cook has an Old English origin, and it means 'one who cooks' or 'one who sold cooked meat'. They called me "OCK". 3. Thank you for your kind comment and I am glad my post helped some with the complicated reasons behind the surnames enslaved people had. . The different spellings are due to the non-consistent spelling rules in Norway in the 1700s and 1800s. 2. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. Thats a goal that I am working towards. Newly emancipated slaves also frequently chose new first names, discarding those associated with slavery. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. An 's' at the end of a personal name also meant 'son of', for example Richards, Stevens, Williams and so on. 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. I love how you have documented the history of your own surname. In 1850, Ward.
common last names in the 1800s - conference.ase.ro Remember me. This is due in part to officials imposing surnames on them based on their last owners. 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. A krio from.Freetown Sierra Leone. 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. 1. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. However the frequent rebellions by . 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? The following is a list of historical people who were enslaved at some point during their lives, in alphabetical order by first name. Enslaved people suffered constant sale, where children were frequently torn away from parents at young ages and spouses were often separated. I am the identical person who served in the said companies under the name of Lewis Smith. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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.
It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. Surnames. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? 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. College, Advanced AA Gen. Class, September 2009, Alice, Robyn and Lajoye, CM AAHGS, September 2017, Robyn and Andrea, NGS Conference, May 2014.
Eileen Mariano San Francisco,
Who Scores The Most First Baskets Nba,
Gladfelter Funeral Home York, Pa,
Is Carrigan Chauvin Anorexic,
The Fox Poem By Faith Shearin Answer Key,
Articles C