Are you thinking this woman Eliza Ellis was married to Wash Ellis? 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. Login Forgot . Nonetheless, this is a situation where two brothers selected different surnames. Isaac evolved from the name Yitzchaq, derived from the Hebrew word, Lysander is a distinctive Greek name that could be thought of as a more creative cousin of Alexander. This causes many researchers to wrongly conclude that enslaved people did not have surnames until after emancipation, which was not the case. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". In 1801, the British government took the first census for Great Britain and Ireland. . We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Pinckney, Randolph, and Rutledgeappear only incidentally among any list of modern Black peoples names. If a surname was needed, the slave owners family name might be used. Robyn, Unraveling the origins of FPOC and slaves in Francophone Louisiana takes some thinking outside the fact, meticulous research ,familiarity with the local culture, history and a bit of serendipity on your side. Herbert G. Gutman, The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925 (1976). 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. Societies. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, more biblical names were given to enslavedchildren, a reflection of the widespread attempts to Christianize enslaved communities. 42. Join my mailing list below to learn about upcoming webinars. While enslaved almost all had just one Christian name. But once freed most immediately chose surnames, with or without keeping their accustomed name. Forenames. I am not able to find any slaveholders in the Versailes area by the name of Ellis. Thank you so much for your kind words. Please subscribe or login. Students learn about the period of violence in the South from 1873-1876 and examine its role in influencing elections and ending Republican control of Southern state governments. Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. I made up my mind I'd find me a different one. Delva Another common way of distinguishing people would be 'son of', for example Johnson (son of John), Richardson, Wilson, Harrison etc. Thank you for posing your question. "While African-American genealogical research in many ways is like all genealogical research, the era of slavery makes the task especially challenging. 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. This is such a well-written and informative post one that I know will open many eyes to the complexity of slave surnames, as well as many other aspects of the lives of the enslaved. I want.to.know.where we (who are.descendants.of.freed.people.who.got sent.back.to Sierra Leone.from.maybe Nova Scotia.) I hope you dont mind my sharing those posts. 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. -Elbert Hubbard, "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts." When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. 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. Robyn, youve done it again! One frequently occurring name is Rolle. 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. In addition to time and place, a likely variable is whether the birth rate, in a severely overworked and maltreated population, was sufficient to ensure a relatively stable population over several generations, or whether the high mortality associated with slavery led to declining numbers and hence to the frequent acquisition of new slaves. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Introduction. Emphasizes the giving and repeated use of names as a performative act of domination. Now, that parents surname could very well be the surname of the most recent slaveholder or an earlier slaveholder. The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). Robyn N. Smith, [insert post title], Reclaiming Kin (https://reclaimingkin.com: accessed [insert date you read the post]), [insert the date the post was written]. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. It means 'clerk' or 'secretary'. I find it interesting that they often used the strange phrase he calls himself in the ads, as if having a given name and a surname was silly: Ran away from the subscriber on the 25th of October, a well set dark mulattoe man named Jem, but calls himself James Ferguson.. That is why you will find a lot of families in Louisiana with surnames like Baptiste, Narcisse, Jean-Louis, Nanette-Louise, Rene, Jacques etc Ive come across very few former slaves and fpoc using the surnames of their former owner. 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. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. It prohibited. Q. 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). 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 . The given name Athena was derived from the city name Athens, which is of uncertain origins. Garcia (The Spanish form of Gerald, Garcia would be the son of Gerald. African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. Benson 2006 is one of the few general discussions of slave names. We had to register as someone, so we could be citizens. Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, Slave Names and Naming in the Anglophone Atlantic, Slave Names on Emancipation and after Slavery, Expand or collapse the "related articles" section, Expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section, African Retailers and Small Artisans in the Atlantic World, Alexander von Humboldt and Transatlantic Studies, Atlantic New Orleans: 18th and 19th Centuries, Black Atlantic in the Age of Revolutions, The, Chinese Indentured Servitude in the Atlantic World, Cities and Urbanization in Portuguese America, Colonial Governance in the Atlantic World, Comparative Indigenous History of the Americas, Criminal Transportation in the Atlantic World, Domestic Production and Consumption in the Atlantic World, Economy and Consumption in the Atlantic World. Miracle, (Old English and Latin Origin) Derived from the first name Mauritius meaning "dark". 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. Here are some common black last names: Jackson Davis Brown Wilson Harris Lewis Clark Walker Hall Thomas Young Allen King Wright Scott Baker Adams Nelson Carter Mitchell Perez Roberts Turner Phillips Campbell Parker Evans Edwards Green Hall Baker Bell Coleman Crawford James Reyes Most Common Black Last Names In freedom, Jean-Louis was known as Louis SEM or Louis FUSELIER until finally using SAM. Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era. Post Author: Post published: 18 avril 2022; Post Category: . 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. I am researching the surname Culbert worldwide, and the data can be found at: culbert.one-name.net There are a growing number of African Americans with this surname, which I believe originates in Scotland. Thats a goal that I am working towards. For personal use and not for further distribution. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantations blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. 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. 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. 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. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. Data from the 2010 Census tells a different story. Even tiny steps are huge in someones life. Kaplan, Justin, and Anne Bernays. I was only three years old when she died. 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 for your kind comment and I am glad my post helped some with the complicated reasons behind the surnames enslaved people had. The same family may appear with different surnames in the 1870 and 1880 federal census records, and may appear in other records with either, both, or a third surname altogether. this page. 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. Cook Cook has an Old English origin, and it means 'one who cooks' or 'one who sold cooked meat'. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. It gives the age and sex of the slave and the number of slaves of each age and sex. 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. 3. Free black slave holders could be found at one time or . Many of the graves are unmarked or the markers have been damaged, but many descendents still live around here, so we hope to identify as many of the possible graves as we can. I belonged to him until emancipation. Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884), 10th President of Liberia. In the early years, especially between the 1860 and 1880s, families even changed a surname several times until they settled on a certain one. Q. Of course my mother wasnt a Bradley fore she married. Recognizable patterns of change in names and naming practices are evident from the mid-eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century and on through the 1860s. -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." Sabe, Anque, Bumbo, Jobah, Quamana, Taynay, and Yearie) used in the Slave quarters. 41. Just go to my Vimeo page and make your selection. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people. He decided that he didnt want to be known as Cap Sherrod and that he would vote and marry under his choice of names. 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. Well, I got to thinking about all us slaves that was going to take the name Fitzpatrick. You should give a TED talk! Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. There are 15 tables, blank and editable for you to populate, as well as samples of using each. My fathers name was John Crosby and he lived in the town of Geneva, Alabama, I had two brothers and one sister. Start your year off with tips and strategies that can help you in the new year & beyond. Who called you by that name and where was it done? Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. Farley, (English Origin) Victorian-era last names meaning "fern woodland". At your request I have finally made available for viewing past popular webinars! I belonged to him until emancipation. BRATHWAITE - This name was derived from a geographic location in the north of England. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. I have been unable to trace several of his siblings and now wonder if it might be because others did not take 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! No, I don't know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. Baptiste Meaning: derived from the name Bautista; the Spanish form of Baptist Origin: Spanish 3. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. Robyn. Many of these were names of heroesbut not Lincoln. A valuable and incisive discussion, both theoretically and historically informed, of slave naming in two African societies, the Caribbean, and the American South. The origins of this last name date back to the pre-medieval period. You can find many more examples of the above in my post, The Mind of the Slaveowner. I also have a Slavery and Freedom Collection available for $20. 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. CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT! Newly emancipated slaves also frequently chose new first names, discarding those associated with slavery. In another case Sukey Ann and he 4 children were manumitted by their Ashby owner with only their first names. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? The population was more than 16 million and the industrial revolution was under way, which debunks any perception of a broadly colonial society. 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one", "Friends are God's apologies for relations. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. However, many African Americans faced a problem when they applied for their pensions. Some last names recognize certain histories or describe important events or narratives that mean a lot to the family. Florence, Fiorella, Fleur, and Flower are translations, but we like Flora best of all. ", "Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. Feel free to contact me directly if you have more questions or need some assistance. Choose the best name for your child. 3. 42. . Special slave censuses were kept in the early 1800s. The name James has been a popular Victorian male names in the 1800s. Letter to Armistead Burt of September 1, 1831, sfn error: no target: CITEREFCalhoun1837 (. ", "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. Q. 2. Gerald, however, is a Germanic name meaning ruler) 2. 3. In the late 1830s, Nathaniel Terry of Todd County, Kentucky died leaving a plantation of fifty slaves. Wonderful to have first hand account that help shine light on the attitudes of our ancestors. So far Ive found no one who can give me any information about how these people assumed the Culbert surname. When Wessyngtons owner George A. Washington married Margaret Lewis in 1849 her father gave the couple twenty-nine slaves. Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names. Genealogy becomes so much more than just names and dates, it really feels like a true passion indeed. 6. 19. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. 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. I hope youll sign up to receive my postsif you do, youll get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! In 1911, Barnett and Frys widow, Mollie, both applied for pensions from the government. 2019 (cited under the Anglophone Caribbean) includes a good general introduction to slave naming. After emancipation, he became William Smith. As a result, many slaves used the surnames of their owners wifes family. 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. 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. 1. So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett . . They called me "OCK". It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. Ebba: One of the more unique girl names from the 1800s. I belonged to him until emancipation. 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. I love to hear from my readers. If the slaveholder or another free white man was their father, many Creoles did use either is first or last name as a surname. This old French surname has Germanic origin, and means 'noble'. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. 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. Thomas: Thomas is a common surname of biblical origin meaning twin. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. . This event is $25. In 1911, Barnett and Fry's widow, Mollie, both applied for pensions from the government. 44. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. One name you find frequently used was Freeman or Freedmen to declare their new freedom. Robyn. . 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. State of residence is Missouri unless otherwise noted. Once the slaves were freed they found they did need another name besides a given name. So just a few things to be aware of when researching any African-American ancestors. 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. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. 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. It can be a difficult path, but just might be reachable. 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. As a newspaper that publishes in the spirit of the Black Press, the Black Voice News has given voice to the voiceless and shined a light on systemic inequities and disparities since 1972. Several of the other slaves were sold to various slave owners. Have you visited the Whitney Plantation yet? Names. Thank you as always, your posts are so helpful. Remember me. Isaiah derives from the Hebrew Yeshayahu, containing the elements. Wood were recorded as slave. 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. 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. Most Popular African Last Names Or Surnames. They called me OCK. In Greek mythology, Daphne was the nymph daughter of Peneus, a river god. It means 'bought land'. . Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. 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. Robyn. Thats high on my to do list. When retained, a given name was generally changed to its full form: Thomas, not Tom; Elizabeth, not Bet. I would appreciate any constructive comments on this question, which can be posted to me via my website address above. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. . Can you steer me in the right direction? It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name Lottie, as already explained. The name of the tragic mythological Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was condemned never to be believed, Cassandra has been used for striking characters in movies and soap operas. However, the enslaved occasionally had surnames, which became normal leading up to and after emancipation as a mark of assimilation into free society. Used by permission of the publisher. For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). I dont know what became of his parents. This is due in part to officials imposing surnames on them based on their last owners.