Delva The Genealogy Source Table Collection includes 10 blank, editable source tables for death certificates, city directories, obituaries and funeral programs. With your explanations in mind, I will go back over a couple of family groups and re-assess the surname ambiguousness I have in my notes. The, 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. The link was not copied. This event is $20. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. Data from the 2010 Census tells a different story. They were all sold to different owners: Connell, Rose, Johnson, and Hughes respectively. European, Javanese and African and Indentured Servitude in First Contact and Early Colonization of Brazil, France and its Empire in the Indian Ocean, France and the British Isles from 1640 to 1789, George Montagu Dunk, Second Earl of Halifax, Green Atlantic: the Irish in the Atlantic World, Histories and Historiographies of the Atlantic World, Impact of the French Revolution on the Caribbean, The, Indentured Servitude in the Atlantic World, Indian, Internal Slave Migrations in the Americas, Interracial Marriage in the Atlantic World, Liverpool in The Atlantic World 1500-1833, Maritime Atlantic in the Age of Revolutions, The, Marriage and Family in the Atlantic World, Material Culture of Slavery in the British Atlantic, Money and Banking in the Atlantic Economy, Napolon Bonaparte and the Atlantic World, Nation and Empire in Northern Atlantic History, Native American Histories in North America, Native Americans and the American Revolution, People of African Descent in Early Modern Europe, Pets and Domesticated Animals in the Atlantic World. While Smith remains the most common U.S. surname, for the first time, two Hispanic namesGarcia and Rodriguezmade the top 10. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. Garcia is the Spanish variation of the word Gerald that means a pointed weapon, like a spear. 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. 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. I also see that in 1900 she is listed as widow with 1 child living, so you may have luck trying to find out who her child was. Hello In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries African-American slaves retained Africanisms in their naming practices. 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. Rather than being derived from the supernatural world, European given names were a mere handle or tag. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. 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. . Theres always more to learn! Q. Sabe, Anque, Bumbo, Jobah, Quamana, Taynay, and Yearie) used in the Slave quarters. I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. Enslaved people remained legally nameless from the time of their capture until their purchase by American enslavers. African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. Samuel had only two slaves: the man that could be Wilson and a 42-year-old woman. Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. Brutus) and a private name (e.g. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. . Spencer is a name that has everything: it's both distinguished sounding and accessible, dignified but Spencer Tracy-like friendly. 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 . A. slave rebellions, in the history of the Americas, periodic acts of violent resistance by Black slaves during nearly three centuries of chattel slavery. 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. Perhaps Wash Ellis registered under the name of one of his parents. 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. See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. Dorothy, Doris or Dora: Meaning 'gift of God', this Victorian girl's name was popular in the 19th century. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Who called you by that name and where was it done? You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. The quote below, from a Southern Claims Commission file, is one of the most powerful and one of my favorites to use in lectures: I enlisted under Ross because that was my fathers name. That alone can make if difficult to research an African- American family during those years. 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! 42. 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. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. Hi Susan, Emphasizes the giving and repeated use of names as a performative act of domination. Phillis Wheatley (May 8, 1753 - December 5, 1784) Source = Wikimedia. Even that feels like something. They are part of Records of the U.S. Customs Service . 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. 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. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? In the late 1830s, Nathaniel Terry of Todd County, Kentucky died leaving a plantation of fifty 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. I presume no death certificate for her survives? But the Slaves generally had two namesthe one given by the slave owner (e.g. Names. A great and timely article. 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. Index by slave owner's name | Surname unknown or illegible. Although enslavers often assigned names to newly acquired enslaved peoplethat were whimsical, satirical, or condescending in intent, the frequent appearance of classical names-Venus, Cato, Hercules, Bacchus, Pompey-reflect enslavers' own educations and libraries. It helps me to understand the complexity of surname variation I have found in researching the ancestral patterns of an African-American cemetery in my local area. By country & year of birth. 6. . 1. Some of them developed a long-term relationship with one of the female slaves. Q. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. 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. No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. 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. This blog is where I share family history methods, resources, tips and advice, with an emphasis on slave research, slavery and its aftermath. Fortunately, the French and Latin were excellent record keepers and the Catholics were obsessed with knowing the kinship of everyone. 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 am a farmer. It means 'bought land'. Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts South Atlantic Creole Archipelagos Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin. Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. A 2nd great grandmother for example was baptised Sarah Charlotte Chase; her mother is recorded as being Ann Lewis Chase. Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. 1. Ref. 3. Letter to Armistead Burt of September 1, 1831, sfn error: no target: CITEREFCalhoun1837 (. Dear Robyn, . I hope you dont mind my sharing those posts. 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. 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. If the name is spelled Rodrigues, the name is Portuguese but has the same meaning) 3. Testimony of Dick Lewis Barnett, May 17, 1911: I am 65 years of age; my post office address is Okmulgee Okla. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on Enslaved people resisted in ways large and small. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. 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'. 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. 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. They called me "OCK". Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the. No superior alternative has yet been found." Thank you so much for your kind words. "Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation." In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. Slavery's reach is still with us, and part of the gift of doing African-American genealogy, "The past is not dead. 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.. 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. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Q. -Unknown, "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)" I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. Robyn. American slave owners or slaveholders were owners of slaves in the United States which typically worked either as agriculture laborers or house servants. Drawing on extensive archival records, this digital memorial allows analysis of the ships, traders, and captives in the Atlantic slave trade. I also meant to email you and tell you how I enjoyed your article in the last NGSQ. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. 2019 (cited under the Anglophone Caribbean) includes a good general introduction to slave naming. 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.