Thanks for your comment, Louis (M) (English origin) means "famous warrior". Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved. 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. Q. Allard. Brutus) and a private name (e.g. Slaves were generally listed with just one name and thus with little to none of the genealogical information recorded for free whites. Edmon S. Conner Recalls About His Career", "Law and the Cultural Production of Race and Racialized Systems of Oppression", "Runaway Slaves and Servants in Colonial Virginia", Slavery in the Courtroom: An Annotated Bibliography of American Cases, "Soldier of Furtune: John Smith before Jamestown", "YSTUMLLYN, JOHN ('Jack Black') (d. 1786), gardener and land steward | Dictionary of Welsh Biography", "Strong, Jonathan (c. 17471773), de facto freed slave", "Juan Francisco Manzano | Slave Narratives | The MoAD Salon | MoAD - Museum of the African Diaspora", "Relatos sobre la India Juliana. 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. Louisiana, U.S., Slave Manumission Records, 1719-1820. This is another instance of oral history being a key component in tracing African American ancestry. Slaves are identified by given name under their masters. See more details in the flier here and they are available for purchase for $10 . However, research byLisa D. Cook and colleagueshas revealed evidence of racialized names from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. Please share, in the comments below, examplesyou have come across of the surnames of enslaved people, especially if it was different from their last slaveholder. In 1850, Ward. 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. 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. You can also look up Charleston Manifests by Slave Owner These records are also available through the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). No superior alternative has yet been found. For personal use and not for further distribution. Archambeau. I am the applicant for pension on account of having served in Co. B. Nonetheless, this is a situation where two brothers selected different surnames. Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, H. A. Shapiro. This phenomena makes research very complicated when you dont know the mothers surname. Smithsonian Institution. Following the emancipation of approximately 360,000 enslaved people in North Carolina, changes in African American names became indicative of a new value system and sense of self-identity among freedpeople. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Thanks LaBrenda! 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]. Search 30 million given names. I belonged to him until emancipation. But the Slaves generally had two namesthe one given by the slave owner (e.g. -Elbert Hubbard, "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts." Ebba: One of the more unique girl names from the 1800s. Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. After Emancipation, many former slaves adopted new names and surnames. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. We had to register as someone, so we could be citizens. 2023 Nameberry.com.Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. 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. . One name you find frequently used was Freeman or Freedmen to declare their new freedom. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? Best of luck to you in your research, It is certainly possible that Wilsons siblings could have been sold away or owned by others. My father once told me his grandfather ran away from the Carrington place and changed his name to Williams. Herbert G. Gutman, The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925 (1976). In my research so far, I have found very little evidence of white Culbert slaveholders only three cases so far. 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. Join me as I present this NEW webinar that covers why we miss our ancestors in these records and presents numerous strategies to assist in finding every clue in census records. My Louisiana Creole ancestors who were free persons of color and former slaves practiced a unique naming tradition I think comes from Latin cultures. Kindest regards, How did you ever come by the name of "Mollie"? Each name was a clue to her origins. Hi Donna, Here, our list of notable early African American names. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. 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. 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. Thank you so much for your kind words. I also meant to email you and tell you how I enjoyed your article in the last NGSQ. Of course my mother wasnt a Bradley fore she married. Davis: This name is a patronymic of David. Thats high on my to do list. Farley, (English Origin) Victorian-era last names meaning "fern woodland". If the slaveholder or another free white man was their father, many Creoles did use either is first or last name as a surname. Slavery. . 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. Robinson: A patronymic of the name Robin. It is not uncommon to see an African American family listed with one surname in 1870 and another in 1880. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. 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. Q. David Nicolle, Graham Turner: Poitiers AD 732: Charles Martel Turns the Islamic Tide. Former slaves also interchanged surnames on census records. The result was the birth of mulatto, quadroon, or mustee (mestee) children. 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. Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. 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. Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin. 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. Through a video-based activity, students examine Americas struggle for a stronger democracy during Reconstruction and today. The population was more than 16 million and the industrial revolution was under way, which debunks any perception of a broadly colonial society. 2019 (cited under the Anglophone Caribbean) includes a good general introduction to slave naming. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. Along with records from churches,manumission societies, enslavers, and estate settlements, these documents provide a vast pool of data from which to trace patterns and trends from the colonial period through emancipation. They called me OCK. Former slaves often used surnames names of historical figures such as Washington, Jefferson or Jackson. 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. In the early years, especially between the 1860 and 1880s, families even changed a surname several times until they settled on a certain one. Delva A. According to the latest search data available, Italian last names and their meanings are searched for nearly, 40,500 times per month. Robyn. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. There are many factors to consider in determining what surnames African Americans used. You are the continuation of each of these people." . 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. He identified father, mother and siblings in a Freedmans bank deposit in 1873, when he was already in New York City. Rather than being derived from the supernatural world, European given names were a mere handle or tag. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno might inspire some parents. Alfred "Teen" Blackburn (1842-1951), one of the last living survivors of slavery in the United States who had a clear recollection of it. Also largely unrecorded are the alternative names the enslaved used among themselves, sometimes called country names or basket names; they may also, according to African practice, have had multiple names over a lifetime. .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. 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. John C. Inscoe, "Carolina Slave Names: An Index to Acculturation," Journal of Southern History 59 (November 1983). The Voice of the Black Community in California, Last Updated on October 14, 2010 by Paulette Brown-Hinds. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. Surnames (not always those of former owners) would then be adopted as family names by former slaves and their descendants. A valuable and incisive discussion, both theoretically and historically informed, of slave naming in two African societies, the Caribbean, and the American South. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, more biblical names were given to enslavedchildren, a reflection of the widespread attempts to Christianize enslaved communities. . Drawing on extensive archival records, this digital memorial allows analysis of the ships, traders, and captives in the Atlantic slave trade. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. I hope you dont mind my sharing those posts. The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Familys Journey to Freedom, A Thank You Letter from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Plantation Records Key Link to African American Past . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. that lists the slaves along with their surnames. 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. Start your year off with tips and strategies that can help you in the new year & beyond. 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. One thing we should keep in mind is that the practice of referring to enslaved people by a given name only was a part of the attempt of the system of slavery to dehumanize them..to other them. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Some of them developed a long-term relationship with one of the female slaves. Q. Another common practice was to select a surname that fit the personality of an individual, such as Hardy or Rambler. -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." Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178199. Each is present in your body. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. Several of the other slaves were sold to various slave owners. In order to receive their pensions decades later, these former soldiers and their family members had to demonstrate to the government that they were who they claimed to be. . Both comments and pings are currently closed. I did a post sometime ago about Slavery Studies, where I named some of the top books on the subject. For him, this meant claiming his new identity as a freedman and a citizen. In 1870, he is listed as John Washington. George Duncan Ludlow (1734-1808), colonial lawyer. Genealogy becomes so much more than just names and dates, it really feels like a true passion indeed. Spencer is a name that has everything: it's both distinguished sounding and accessible, dignified but Spencer Tracy-like friendly. -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. this page. Here, our list of notable early African American names. I have gotten so many requests over the years from those who couldn't make the live webinars so I hope you enjoy this new feature. I love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. I am the identical person who served in the said companies under the name of Lewis Smith. 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. What are the most popular last names in the UK? 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. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. Chapter 4 gives a brief and introductory outline of naming in the United States during slavery and its consequences in African American culture. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on This database is a compilation of information on over four thousand slaves from Louisiana who were involved in manumission (the formal emancipation from slavery) between 1719 and 1820. Gerald, however, is a Germanic name meaning ruler) 2. My full name is Dick Lewis Barnett. The idea was for the children to enter the inhumane system of slavery protected by a sense of Selfhood and history. While Smith remains the most common U.S. surname, for the first time, two Hispanic namesGarcia and Rodriguezmade the top 10. But the meanings of names certainly evolved over time, and some have argued that the principles according to which an individual name was given (e.g., after a relative or ancestor) are at least as important as its apparent meaning and type. 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. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. My mother then told me my fathers name was John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name Barnett., My mothers name was Jane and she was called Jane Nunn because she belonged to the Nunns. 17. Q. Theres always more to learn! Thanks for commenting and continued luck in your research, 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. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. An accessible introduction to the field. 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. Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names Return to Slave Manifests main page Click on each Slave name to view information on that voyage. One of the less well known aspects of the history of slavery is how many and how often non-whites owned and traded slaves in early America. Picked by several celebrities (a couple of times even for a girl), adding up to an enthusiastically recommended choice. 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. I want.to.know.where we (who are.descendants.of.freed.people.who.got sent.back.to Sierra Leone.from.maybe Nova Scotia.) It means 'raven'. After the war ended and slavery was abolished, they exercised their freedom by changing their names. In many cases this is ignored and children use their fathers name! Slavery's reach is still with us, and part of the gift of doing African-American genealogy is recovering the stories of those caught in its grasp who could not in their own time leave their own witness.". Both are excellent researchers and historians. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. And again, as a white Southerner whose ancesters were NOT slaveowners, your blog is helping me to understand the real and horrible legacy of the peculiar institution. Facing History & Ourselves, "Changing Names," last updated May 12, 2020. 6. 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. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. 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. When Wessyngtons owner George A. Washington married Margaret Lewis in 1849 her father gave the couple twenty-nine slaves. 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. Danish West Indies, Denmark, Records of Enslaved People, 1672-1917 Wood were recorded as slave. 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. Bernacki: Teatr; Mamontowicz-ojek: Szkoa Tyzenhauza s. 53, 54, 70, 86-89, 92; Wierzbicka: Sze studiw; Muzyka 1969 nr 2 (J. Prosnak). Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation. In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. 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. The following documents are excerpts from government records in which Dick Barnett and Mollie (Smith) Russell explain when and why they changed their names. Practices undoubtedly varied, and different archival sources may yield different conclusions. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantation's blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. Free black slave holders could be found at one time or . 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! The top 5 most common Hispanic last names from the 1920s are: 1. 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. Q. Anthropologist Meyer Fortes's observation that the naming practices of any society "epitomize personal experiences, historical happenings, attitudes to life, and cultural ideas and values" holds particularly true for African American enslaved people. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 3. Robyn. 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! Plus, Jonah comes with a ready-made nursery-decorating motif. Renate, When they were sold away they remembered their loved ones and they created extended kinship networks. Many Welsh surnames follow this pattern, with Jones (from 'John's son) being the most common. So just a few things to be aware of when researching any African-American ancestors. A favorite of British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose has an air of blooming well-being and upper-class erudition. Kaplan, Justin, and Anne Bernays. Letter to James Edward Calhoun, August 27, 1831. Hi Jann, By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change. Were there any famous slaves? Others were more promiscuous. State of residence is Missouri unless otherwise noted. See flier for more details. Baptiste Meaning: derived from the name Bautista; the Spanish form of Baptist Origin: Spanish 3. 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! It is from this myth that the plant genus, Phoebe is the Latin variation of the Greek name Phoibe, which derived from. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name Lottie, as already explained. 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. So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett . Societies. 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).