. 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. Chery Meaning: derived from the Latin Cariacus, which means "land belonging to Cariu"; darling Origin: French 5. On Anglican (Church of England) baptisms records the child legally and officially is documented with the surname of the mother if she and the father were not married. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. 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. They are recorded with the Ashby surname on subsequent documents. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, H. A. Shapiro. His slaveholder was named David Humphries. 6. 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! 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 . Phillis Wheatley (May 8, 1753 - December 5, 1784) Source = Wikimedia. 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. The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Familys Journey to Freedom is proudly powered by WordPress Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). Surnames. One given name the childs family selected and kept secret and one the child was known by given by the slave owner. Fortunately, the French and Latin were excellent record keepers and the Catholics were obsessed with knowing the kinship of everyone. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! My father would be 105 if he were alive. In 1911, Barnett and Frys widow, Mollie, both applied for pensions from the government. 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. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Corbin Corbin has an Old English origin. . 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. African Americans were known by these surnames in the slave community and often recorded by slave owners on plantation documents. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on 1412 S. Spoede Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131-2557. please contact the History and Genealogy Department. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! 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. The table below shows the most common last names with statistics on the heritage and ancestry of those with the surname. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. While enslaved almost all had just one Christian name. 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. i have no way to confirm this. So far Ive found no one who can give me any information about how these people assumed the Culbert surname. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. 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. Q. Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. 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. In the. Karen Halttunen, Murder Most Foul, p. 175. Over time, East Tennessee, hilly and dominated by small farms, retained the fewest number of slaves. The population was more than 16 million and the industrial revolution was under way, which debunks any perception of a broadly colonial society. I would still recommend all of these books, except the first one listed for obvious reasons. Who called you by that name and where was it done? Most common last names names: 1-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001-3000 | 3001-4000 | 4001-5000 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. In 1850, Ward. Slavery. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Finding Aids for the National Archives at Atlanta, National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). Currently, the most popular Black last name in America is Williams, with a total count of 774,920 people who have the surname. So just a few things to be aware of when researching any African-American ancestors. They called me OCK. 6. Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. It means 'clerk' or 'secretary'. The top 5 most common Hispanic last names from the 1920s are: 1. I am the applicant for pension on account of having served in Co. B. 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. 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). It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name "Lottie," as already explained. Robyn. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Robyn. Some last names recognize certain histories or describe important events or narratives that mean a lot to the family. Daniel Odgen, Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts In The Greek and Roman Worlds, p. 119, Laurence Vidal, Los Amantes de Granada, Ed. Robyn. 42. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Q. Harriet Tubman and some of the slaves she helped free. 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. Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. Augustin Meaning: a descendant of Augustine Origin: English 2. 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 . 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. The name.Auber.is also.in.Haiti and.is of.French orign. 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. Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. ", "Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. Testimony of Dick Lewis Barnett, May 17, 1911: I am 65 years of age; my post office address is Okmulgee Okla. It comes from the same Greek root as 'ambrosia', the food of the gods, said to confer immortality. Some of them developed a long-term relationship with one of the female slaves. 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. Thanks for writing this post! 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 love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. 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.". They cut it off from OCTAVIA. 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. 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. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Anouilh. 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. FamilySearch Centers. Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno might inspire some parents. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? Three formerly enslaved people discuss their names and the changes they underwent after Emancipation. 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. -Elbert Hubbard, "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts." In freedom, Jean-Louis was known as Louis SEM or Louis FUSELIER until finally using SAM. Louisiana, U.S., Slave Manumission Records, 1719-1820. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Burton, Richard D.E. Names and Naming in Afro-Caribbean Culture. New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 73 (1999): 3558. 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 Baby Name Generator. James: (M) (Latin origin) means "heel" or "supplanter". The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. > | Index main page>| Index by slave owner's name, Index to "Descriptive Recruitment Lists of Volunteers for the United States Colored Troops for the State of Missouri, 1863-1865"(NARA Microfilm Publication M1894 - 6 rolls). So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett . For more information about the records covered in this index,please contact the History and Genealogy Department. 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. Both are excellent researchers and historians. Trinidad and Tobago. I mean, really retro. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), born into slavery in Maryland and escaped to the Northeast in 1838, where he became an internationally renowned abolitionist writer, speaker, and diplomat. ", "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. You can read the introductory maps for a high-level guided explanation, view the timeline and chronology of . What are the most popular last names in the UK? A favorite of British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose has an air of blooming well-being and upper-class erudition. Eugene D. Genovese, Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made (1974). 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. Here, three different former slaves discuss their names and the changes they underwent after Emancipation. . Unique Surnames to Grenada. In small communities where census takers and county officials knew African Americans personally and their previous owners, they often recorded the former slaves with the surnames of their last owners. Thank you. 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. Bernacki: Teatr; Mamontowicz-ojek: Szkoa Tyzenhauza s. 53, 54, 70, 86-89, 92; Wierzbicka: Sze studiw; Muzyka 1969 nr 2 (J. Prosnak). 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 website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. After I had returned to Louisville from Danville, My sister, Lizzie White, got to calling me Mollie, and it was with her that the name started. Even tiny steps are huge in someones life. No, I don't know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. Wonderful to have first hand account that help shine light on the attitudes of our ancestors. Hello 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 Popular English baby names by decade - 1840s - 1990s 1840s 5 Robert - 53 Margaret - 47 The 1860s first saw the Rimmers' use of 1870s Boys Girls Total registered births - 1,944 1 John - 160 Mary - 151 The 1870s first saw the Rimmers' use of What was the first girl's name in the 1900s? This is true in some cases but not all. Many of these were names of heroesbut not Lincoln. 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. Letter to James Edward Calhoun, August 27, 1831. I was only three years old when she died. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Most did not want to use their former owners surname, even through about 20% did use the slave owners name. 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. I was called mostly Lewis Smith till after the war, although I was named Dick Lewis Smith After the War, I was wearing the name Lewis Smith, but I found the negroes were taking the names of their fathers, like the white folks. Q. He was a planter with 20,000 acres of land in East Florida and was at the forefront of slavery in The . Last updated: November 1, 2003 "Dwelling No." A small number of creoles in Louisiana also acquired surnames derived from ethnic identities in Senegal. I made up my mind I'd find me a different one. Like most of the architecture and towns in Italy, they can also tell a story. 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. Nonetheless, this is a situation where two brothers selected different surnames. I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. Q. Most Popular African Last Names Or Surnames. 42. Enslaved people suffered constant sale, where children were frequently torn away from parents at young ages and spouses were often separated. Who called you by that name and where was it done? Aruba Congo Bob D'Sean Latoya Dilsy Lopez Lunah African Emmaline Ebo Mema Milla Kyser Ibo Medwin Oilsay Cupad Viney Centere Minta Zoruba Tyzer Nefar Phiba LaVaughn Congo Bob Ladia Ikbo Abah Medger Bossy Shand Cufee Uri Zulu jenee Sorce Tomm Dedib Slave Names Of The 1800's Cena Billah Quarker Lamoney Minba Geto Tonesia Zulu Jana Brutis "Albumen print of enslaved women and their children near Alexandria, Virginia." Thank you for your kind comment and I am glad my post helped some with the complicated reasons behind the surnames enslaved people had. Free black slave holders could be found at one time or . Wood were recorded as slave. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. Here are an even dozen, pretty much forgotten slanglike words or sayings from the 19th century, rediscovered while delving in the archives and with added guidance from James Maitman's 1891 . For personal use and not for further distribution. 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. 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. Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? An accessible introduction to the field. 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. Relish, (Old French Origin) Derived from relaisse meaning "flavor or taste". After emancipation, he became William Smith. Robyn. Abara: Originating from the Igbo group of West Africa, Abara means 'spirit'. Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 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. However, many African Americans faced a problem when they applied for their pensions. A krio from.Freetown Sierra Leone. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. Table 7. Q. I hope this post also helps us to think about how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. I communicate with them on Facebook. Q. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. (Media Note: If you quote a post, please credit me by name, Robyn N. 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. Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names.