common last names for slaves in the 1800s

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. Chery Meaning: derived from the Latin Cariacus, which means "land belonging to Cariu"; darling Origin: French 5. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. 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. Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. 782 Lists of Slave owners with names of slaves Tamme, 766 Tom, 766 West, 766 Will, 766 Barker, Nathaniel Harry, 591, 700, 746, 767 Barkley, Barbary Grace, 651 Bernacki: Teatr; Mamontowicz-ojek: Szkoa Tyzenhauza s. 53, 54, 70, 86-89, 92; Wierzbicka: Sze studiw; Muzyka 1969 nr 2 (J. Prosnak). 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. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people. 2. While enslaved almost all had just one Christian name. Victorian Surnames in England and Wales - Geri Walton Can you steer me in the right direction? 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. She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. List of slaves - Wikipedia Wesley is one of a group of W-starting surname names reminiscent of the Old West that are making a comeback -- though it's not as well used as it was in the 1970s, when he ranked as high as Number 66. 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. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name "Lottie," as already explained. Rather than being derived from the supernatural world, European given names were a mere handle or tag. The Complexity of Slave Surnames > Reclaiming Kin 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. Q. 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. This is true in some cases but not all. 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. 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 Slavery. In fact, it's not even past. I was bornthe child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. Baby Name Generator. Slave Names | NCpedia 3. Slavery is a social-economic system under which people are enslaved: deprived of personal freedom and forced to perform labor or services without compensation. Feel free to contact me directly if you have more questions or need some assistance. Relish, (Old French Origin) Derived from relaisse meaning "flavor or taste". In many cases this is ignored and children use their fathers name! 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. . Almost every major tome on slavery discusses slave naming practices in some form or fashion. I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years. Robinson: A patronymic of the name Robin. 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? My full name is Dick Lewis Barnett. . . 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. For personal use and not for further distribution. 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. Melvin, An 's' at the end of a personal name also meant 'son of', for example Richards, Stevens, Williams and so on. I love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. 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. Who called you by that name and where was it done? 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. 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. They are held at The National Archives (Kew, England). I am a farmer. 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. Benson 2006 is one of the few general discussions of slave names. Some of them developed a long-term relationship with one of the female slaves. By country & year of birth. Cook Cook has an Old English origin, and it means 'one who cooks' or 'one who sold cooked meat'. Youll often see the word degraded used in the academic references; these were all attempts at degradation. I have found only one very rare example of a slaveholders inventory, that lists the slaves along with their surnames. On the 30 rolls of NARA Microfilm Publication M1895, Slave Manifests of Coastwise Vessels Filed at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1807-1860 (30 rolls), are reproduced manifests filed with the collector of customs at New Orleans, Louisiana, of slaves transported in coastwise trade to or from New Orleans during the period 1807-1860. Five of the slaves were sold to the Washingtons and brought to Wessyngton. . Karen Halttunen, Murder Most Foul, p. 175. It had always been passed down in the family that Thomas has been owned by the Blacks. At your request I have finally made available for viewing past popular webinars! 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. So far Ive found no one who can give me any information about how these people assumed the Culbert surname. Robyn. Common African American Last Names | GenealogyBank Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. All rights reserved. When Wessyngtons owner George A. Washington married Margaret Lewis in 1849 her father gave the couple twenty-nine slaves. The Genealogy Source Table Collection includes 10 blank, editable source tables for death certificates, city directories, obituaries and funeral programs. But, my mtdna also said I share ancestry with the Kru people of Liberia and the Mende from Sierra Leonne! 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. 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. 40. Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. 2023 The Voice of the Black Community in California. ", "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)", "Where does the family start? A great and timely article. Surnames - Historic UK My maternal grandmother was an Auber. State of residence is Missouri unless otherwise noted. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. 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. 42. 19. James: (M) (Latin origin) means "heel" or "supplanter". . Are you thinking this woman Eliza Ellis was married to Wash Ellis? Caps statement implies that choosing his own surname was a part of exercising his newfound freedom. Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople. Picked by several celebrities (a couple of times even for a girl), adding up to an enthusiastically recommended choice. 6. Garcia is the Spanish variation of the word Gerald that means a pointed weapon, like a spear. 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. Who called you by that name and where was it done? The poster on each page *provides the link to the handout* for that lecture, so be sure to copy it. 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. 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. It is these single names that have been most often studied. Have you visited the Whitney Plantation yet? Nonetheless, this is a situation where two brothers selected different surnames. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Runaway ads illustrate how many slaveholders knew the surnames of their slaves. Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. 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. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one" LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. Join my mailing list below to learn about upcoming webinars. Both are excellent researchers and historians. Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. But the Slaves generally had two namesthe one given by the slave owner (e.g. 400 Catchy Slave Names That You Will Like - Worth Start Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one", "Friends are God's apologies for relations. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, more biblical names were given to enslavedchildren, a reflection of the widespread attempts to Christianize enslaved communities. 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. The difficulties include using records that provide no surnames, the constant sale and breakup of families, and the lack of identification of fathers. African Americans in the U.S. Federal Census, 1870-1890 (National These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. 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. 2023 Nameberry.com.Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). Robyn. A. Search 30 million given names. 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. Slaves were generally listed with just one name and thus with little to none of the genealogical information recorded for free whites. 2019 (cited under the Anglophone Caribbean) includes a good general introduction to slave naming. Hi Jann, Slave Names and Naming in the Anglophone Atlantic In the late 1830s, Nathaniel Terry of Todd County, Kentucky died leaving a plantation of fifty slaves. This event is $12. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! 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! Practices undoubtedly varied, and different archival sources may yield different conclusions. Eliza Moore (1843 - January 21, 1948) Source = Pinimg. Another common practice was to select a surname that fit the personality of an individual, such as Hardy or Rambler. What were common names for slaves in the 1800s? - Kyoto2.org Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. "While African-American genealogical research in many ways is like all genealogical research, the era of slavery makes the task especially challenging. Thanks for all you to do keeps us all so enlightened! 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. 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. As a result, many slaves used the surnames of their owners wifes family. It prohibited. There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. Names and Naming, African | Encyclopedia.com Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. Thomas: Thomas is a common surname of biblical origin meaning twin. "Slave revolts in Puerto Rico: conspiracies and uprisings, 17951873"; by: Guillermo A. Baralt; Markus Wiener Publishers; harvnb error: no target: CITEREFAssociation_of_Muslim_Social_ScientistsInternational_Institute_of_Islamic_Thought2008 (, sfnm error: no target: CITEREFSmith2001 (, sfnm error: no target: CITEREFWhite2016 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFBrands2012 (, sfnm error: no target: CITEREFMcFeely1981 (, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:19, sued her master for her freedom on that ground, United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, Diego Pacheco Tllez-Girn Gmez de Sandoval, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, South Carolina's 5th congressional district, List of the last surviving American slaves, Timeline of abolition of slavery and serfdom, Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, National Museum of African American History and Culture, "What is the divine purpose for sending prophets? Slaveholders often renamed newly acquired slaves; but self-naming by slaves, which also occurred, is likely to be underreported in the records, which were mainly created by and for slaveholders. 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. 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. In Greek mythology, Athena is the name of the daughter of Zeus who was the goddess of wisdom, warfare, handicrafts, mathematics, and courage, among others. Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. 12 Lost American Slangisms From The 1800s : NPR History Dept. : NPR Dear Robyn, Both comments and pings are currently closed. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. Other common surnames included Jones, Matthews, Sinclair, and Bennett, Price, and Gray.. Copyright 2023 Facing History & Ourselves. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. African Americans were known by these surnames in the slave community and often recorded by slave owners on plantation documents. I made up my mind I'd find me a different one. 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. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? This lifelong quest has helped me to better know my familys past. A 2nd great grandmother for example was baptised Sarah Charlotte Chase; her mother is recorded as being Ann Lewis Chase. He took his last enslaver surname. You can also look up Charleston Manifests by Slave Owner These records are also available through the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). 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. By the late 19th century, England was home to about 300 surnames with traceable genealogy. One frequently occurring name is Rolle. Most Common Black Last Names in the United States - Name Census For more information about the records covered in this index,please contact the History and Genealogy Department. 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. Middle Tennessee, where tobacco, cattle, and grain became the favored crops, held the . 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. We had to register as someone, so we could be citizens. 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. 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. Slave Ship Manifests filed at New Orleans, 1807-1860 | National Archives 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 found in the Civil War registry, an enslaved man who enrolled in the infantry under the name of Wash Ellis. All of them are alive in this moment. Please subscribe or login. Q. For him, this meant claiming his new identity as a freedman and a citizen. 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.) Unique Surnames to Grenada. "The past is not dead. 9 of the Biggest Slave Owners in American History - Atlanta Black Star Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803), a former slave, he enslaved a dozen people himself before becoming a general and a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Surnames like Chantimel have disappeared, while names like Horsford and Ackie, coming from Antigua (where they are common), or Quarless, Dowden, Chandler, and Dottin from Barbados, have enriched Grenada's family history and cultural identity. 120 Most Popular African Last Names Or Surnames - MomJunction 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.

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common last names for slaves in the 1800s