common last names for slaves in the 1800s common last names for slaves in the 1800s

It is from this myth that the plant genus, Phoebe is the Latin variation of the Greek name Phoibe, which derived from. 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. Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. . 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. Ref. She was a Murphy.. Clark is a common surname of Anglo-Scottish origin. He took his last enslaver surname. In 1911, Barnett and Fry's widow, Mollie, both applied for pensions from the government. My maternal grandmother was an Auber. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. slave rebellions, in the history of the Americas, periodic acts of violent resistance by Black slaves during nearly three centuries of chattel slavery. Wood were recorded as slave. Pinckney, Randolph, and Rutledgeappear only incidentally among any list of modern Black peoples names. Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. 1. -George Burns, "Where does the family start? Robyn. The difficulties include using records that provide no surnames, the constant sale and breakup of families, and the lack of identification of fathers. 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'. Forenames. Melvin, All of them are alive in this moment. Herbert G. Gutman, The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925 (1976). They cut it off from OCTAVIA. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. The given name Athena was derived from the city name Athens, which is of uncertain origins. An 's' at the end of a personal name also meant 'son of', for example Richards, Stevens, Williams and so on. They established and held on to their own cultural traditions in the small spaces that slavery afforded them. Burton, Richard D.E. Names and Naming in Afro-Caribbean Culture. New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 73 (1999): 3558. Early African-American Names | Nameberry It gives the age and sex of the slave and the number of slaves of each age and sex. 5. . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! Here, our list of notable early African American names. Slaves were generally listed with just one name and thus with little to none of the genealogical information recorded for free whites. . I took the name of Jackson for the reason that I preferred to go by my fathers name, rather than the name of my last owner.. If you can identify your ancestor's master, this source will prove of tremendous value to your research. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. . 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. Thomas: Thomas is a common surname of biblical origin meaning twin. Perhaps this caused some Slaves to ask: Am I my new name or am I still my old name? Of course my mother wasnt a Bradley fore she married. 1412 S. Spoede Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131-2557. please contact the History and Genealogy Department. It is these single names that have been most often studied. Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. 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) For more information about the records covered in this index, please contact the History and Genealogy Department. Hi Donna, List of slave owners - Wikipedia . Who called you by that name and where was it done? Bernard Meaning: brave warrior Origin: French 4. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, more biblical names were given to enslavedchildren, a reflection of the widespread attempts to Christianize enslaved communities. There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. Phillis Wheatley (May 8, 1753 - December 5, 1784) Source = Wikimedia. common last names in the 1800s - stmatthewsbc.org -Kendall Hailey, "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. 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 Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. 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. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett . Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. Brief, but stimulating and thoughtful for students coming new to the subject. Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? Lastly,emancipation itself often provoked many to choose new surnames, one of the few actual freedoms freedmen had. Thank you for your comment, ", "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. Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. Plus, Jonah comes with a ready-made nursery-decorating motif. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. 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. In 1801, the British government took the first census for Great Britain and Ireland. Copyright 2006 by the University of North Carolina Press. She served that family for a long time, perhaps more clues to her past lie in his family roots. Three formerly enslaved people discuss their names and the changes they underwent after Emancipation. 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. Were there any famous slaves? See footnotes for source information. Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. 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). Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. I presume no death certificate for her survives? Middle Tennessee, where tobacco, cattle, and grain became the favored crops, held the . -Unknown, "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance!" 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. 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. African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. They were Nelson Nunn and George Nunn and they may have changed their names to Crosby too because they were my fathers children.. Since those are the countries from which many of America's original settlers came, it's hardly surprising. Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803), a former slave, he enslaved a dozen people himself before becoming a general and a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Private names used in the quarters included Abah, Bilah, Comba, Dibb, Juba, Kauchee, Mima, and Sena. Choose the best name for your child. Augustin Meaning: a descendant of Augustine Origin: English 2. There are many factors to consider in determining what surnames African Americans used. However, research byLisa D. Cook and colleagueshas revealed evidence of racialized names from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Letter to James Edward Calhoun, August 27, 1831. 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. Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names. Distinctively Black names were thought to have risen from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, which promoted the use of names with connections to Africa. 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. Thomas mother, younger brothers and sisters remained with the Black family. Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. Peneus saved Daphne from Apollos romantic obsessions by transforming her into a laurel tree. Most common last names names: 1-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001-3000 | 3001-4000 | 4001-5000 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. 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. 1. See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. I would also recommend Elizabeth Shown Mills various case studies on enslaved people in Louisiana, which you can find at her website at https://www.historicpathways.com/articles.html. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Q. Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. For more information about the records covered in this index,please contact the History and Genealogy Department. 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. 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. Thanks for all you to do keeps us all so enlightened! Extensive records of slaveholding over several generations exist for a number of North Carolina plantations, most notably the Skinner and Hayes plantations in Chowan County; Pettigrew plantations in Tyrrell, Washington, and Wake Counties; Bennehan-Cameron plantation in Orange County; Hargrove plantation in Granville County; Arrington plantations in Nash and Edgecombe Counties; Avery plantation in Burke County; and Lenoir plantation in Caldwell County. Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. That alone can make if difficult to research an African- American family during those years. Rodriguez (Rodriguez is Spanish for the son of Rodrigo. It prohibited. Many of these were names of heroesbut not Lincoln. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. Relish, (Old French Origin) Derived from relaisse meaning "flavor or taste". 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. Through a video-based activity, students examine Americas struggle for a stronger democracy during Reconstruction and today. I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. 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. I truly believe they used surnames of each of their former owners for some of their childrens middle names. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. Hi Rodney, There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. Both are excellent researchers and historians. Jackson: This name is a patronymic of Jack. Bailey, Word Stories Surrounding African American Slavery. Another common way of distinguishing people would be 'son of', for example Johnson (son of John), Richardson, Wilson, Harrison etc. You can read about this in the following two posts on my blog. Victorian Surnames in England and Wales - Geri Walton Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. I would still recommend all of these books, except the first one listed for obvious reasons. No superior alternative has yet been found." All rights reserved. Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, who enjoyed eternal youth, is one of the gently old-fashioned girls' flower names we think is due for a comebackalongside cousins Cora and Dora. Ninety percent of them were African-American, a far higher black percentage than for any other common name. Q. Q. Instead a wide variety of surnames came about that would be the family name for future generations. Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! I focused on surnames but many of these books also discuss first names. PDF Lists of Slave owners with names of slaves 781 Runaway ads illustrate how many slaveholders knew the surnames of their slaves. Explore the most common surnames in England. American slave owners or slaveholders were owners of slaves in the United States which typically worked either as agriculture laborers or house servants. 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. . 16 Most Famous Female Slaves of African American Origin Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Some of these examples come from the wonderful book, Voices of Emancipation: I served [in the War] as Henry Lock, the Lock being my old Massas name but since the War I have taken name of Rollie., [Edward] was owned by Drury Stovall and went by the name of Edward Stovall. At your request I have finally made available for viewing past popular webinars! Like most of the architecture and towns in Italy, they can also tell a story. My great great grandfather in Mississippi took the surname of the previous SC enslaver, whose widow sold him away. Q. They called me OCK. 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? Popular last names in the 1800's? - Answers When retained, a given name was generally changed to its full form: Thomas, not Tom; Elizabeth, not Bet. 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. 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. Unique Surnames to Grenada. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Index by slave owner's name | Surname unknown or illegible Leo (M) (Russian origin) means "lion". Until recently, scholarly consensus was that early African American names did not differ significantly from those of white Americans. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. A. 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. A small number of creoles in Louisiana also acquired surnames derived from ethnic identities in Senegal. Along with Abraham and Prince, other early African American names currently in the US Top 1000 include Alonzo, Athena, Daphne, Elijah, Isaiah, Israel, King, Phoebe, and Titus. Accueil > > Avr > 18 > Uncategorized > common last names for slaves in the 1800s. Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884), 10th President of Liberia. . Some of these individuals probably lived through the Civil War to become named citizens in Ashley County, Arkansas and may have taken the last name of Hollaway/Holaway or Terry/Tery. 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. In many cases this is ignored and children use their fathers name! The box for father states unknown in law. Her marriage record states her name is Sarah Charlotte Gale, her father being John Sinclair Gale! You can find many more examples of the above in my post, The Mind of the Slaveowner. -Hugh Kingsmill, "No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?" British Surnames of the 1800s - Synonym A great and timely article. Q. Enslaved people often transferred such names to later generations in modified form or relied on African naming traditions, such as "day names" or names reflecting the order of birth among siblings. 25 Haitian Last Names That Reflect The Country's Unique Culture And Several names have been added under the letter representing the person's last name. Slave name index - next1000.com Kindest regards, 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. 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! 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. He was a planter with 20,000 acres of land in East Florida and was at the forefront of slavery in The . This phenomena makes research very complicated when you dont know the mothers surname. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantations blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names Return to Slave Manifests main page Click on each Slave name to view information on that voyage. CAs Push to Restore Voting Rights to System-Impacted Individuals Still in Custody, Eli Lilly to Cap Out-of-Pocket Insulin Costs, Asm. > | 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). Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. Who called you by that name and where was it done? 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 According to the latest search data available, Italian last names and their meanings are searched for nearly, 40,500 times per month. The slave schedules of 1860 Arkansas do not give the names of the slaves. Q. My Vimeo ON Demand video page lists six videos you can choose from to watch for 3 months ($15 each): -Finding the Last Slaveowner: Guidance and Case Studies, -Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People, -Using Deed Records to Uncover Your Family, -Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You've Done and, -More Than Just a Name: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! Each is present in your body. Table 7. I was only three years old when she died. And my goodness, how kind of you to suggest a TED talk, maybe one of these days;) Genealogys pull is what initially pulled me into studying slavery, and also introduced me to the new understanding that historians are uncovering. I would appreciate any constructive comments on this question, which can be posted to me via my website address above. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. Slavery existed in the United States from its founding in 1776 and became the main . . I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years. Turner was deeply religious,. I just cannot imagine (thankfully) the idea of my name being changed with every new owner, with not having any idea of what my parents surnames were, of having a white father but not being able to have a father/child relationship with himand all the other myriad of circumstances that enslaved people faced. Hello The Voice of the Black Community in California, Last Updated on October 14, 2010 by Paulette Brown-Hinds. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. State of residence is Missouri unless otherwise noted. 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. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. I was only three years old when she died. They ran away, fought back, feigned illness, destroyed tools, and clung to their families. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Davis: This name is a patronymic of David. "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?