. 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. Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. 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. He was a planter with 20,000 acres of land in East Florida and was at the forefront of slavery in The . 44. . I am sure your father would also be very proud of your interest in family history. One of my grandfathers in Africa was called Jeaceo, and so I decided to be Jackson. 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. Proving their identity as former soldiers often revealed some of the most detailed explanations for former slaves choice of surnames. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Several names have been added under the letter representing the person's last name. Feel free to contact me directly if you have more questions or need some assistance. Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation. In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. However, research byLisa D. Cook and colleagueshas revealed evidence of racialized names from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 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. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno might inspire some parents. He was sold to my master William Orr and he always went by the name Edward Orr after that.. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. I found in the Civil War registry, an enslaved man who enrolled in the infantry under the name of Wash Ellis. 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. -Unknown, "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance!" The idea was for the children to enter the inhumane system of slavery protected by a sense of Selfhood and history. For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, H. A. Shapiro. (Media Note: If you quote a post, please credit me by name, Robyn N. He decided that he didnt want to be known as Cap Sherrod and that he would vote and marry under his choice of names. Register now! These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. 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. The first published African-American poet & author Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. -William Faulkner, "Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. Hi Rodney, I did not even check the 1850 slave schedule. Brutus) and a private name (e.g. By the late 19th century, England was home to about 300 surnames with traceable genealogy. I was only three years old when she died. is for you. Five of the slaves were sold to the Washingtons and brought to Wessyngton. It prohibited. If we consider the diverse circumstances that the tragedy of slavery created, we can understand the reasons why. Hi Jim, If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. This meant that army records documented their service with their old names instead of their new ones. Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. Search 30 million given names. Clark is a common surname of Anglo-Scottish origin. Tags: African American Names, African American Surnames, African Names, Black Surnames, Last Slave Owner, Plantation Owners, plantation slavery, Slave Family, Slave Naming Patterns, slave trade. This unique-sounding French last name means 'bold' or 'daring'. Rounding out the Top 40, here are the next 30 most common names among African-Americans and Caribbean people: Taylor (Jayceon Terrel Taylor "The Game") Wilson (Charlie Wilson) Moore (Shemar Moore) White (Barry White) Lewis (Carl Lewis) Walker (Jimmie J. J. Walker) Green (Al Green) Thompson (Kenan Thompson) Washington (Denzel Washington) CLARKE - The name comes from 'clerk, a clergyman, a scholar, one who can read and write' and is most prevalent in England, where some 89,337 people are recorded with this surname. 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. Bernacki: Teatr; Mamontowicz-ojek: Szkoa Tyzenhauza s. 53, 54, 70, 86-89, 92; Wierzbicka: Sze studiw; Muzyka 1969 nr 2 (J. Prosnak). . I love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. The link was not copied. Many names, whether African derived or English, refer to birth circumstances, including both the ubiquitous day-names, which derive from the West African Akan-Twi language group, and others such as birth order and time of birth (e.g., day of the week, month, or season). Societies. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that person's name. 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. Most common last names names: 1-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001-3000 | 3001-4000 | 4001-5000 I find it interesting that they often used the strange phrase he calls himself in the ads, as if having a given name and a surname was silly: Ran away from the subscriber on the 25th of October, a well set dark mulattoe man named Jem, but calls himself James Ferguson.. The slave schedules of 1860 Arkansas do not give the names of the slaves. The Language of Names. Students consider what it means to be free by learning about the choices and aspirations of freedpeople immediately after Emancipation. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! Smith.). Forenames. Some scholars of slavery have come to view the names and naming of enslaved people as agauge of many aspects oflife and culture during enslavement and of howcustoms changed over time. Enslaved women were raped, creating children with white fathers who in most cases did not claim them and even sold them away. That is why you will find a lot of families in Louisiana with surnames like Baptiste, Narcisse, Jean-Louis, Nanette-Louise, Rene, Jacques etc Ive come across very few former slaves and fpoc using the surnames of their former owner. Renate, ", "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. They called me OCK. I made up my mind I'd find me a different one. John C. Inscoe, "Carolina Slave Names: An Index to Acculturation," Journal of Southern History 59 (November 1983). 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. "Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation." In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. 1. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one", "Friends are God's apologies for relations. Robyn. It helps me to understand the complexity of surname variation I have found in researching the ancestral patterns of an African-American cemetery in my local area. I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. 2. 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. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, more biblical names were given to enslavedchildren, a reflection of the widespread attempts to Christianize enslaved communities. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? For him, this meant claiming his new identity as a freedman and a citizen. Currently, the most popular Black last name in America is Williams, with a total count of 774,920 people who have the surname. The following documents are excerpts from government records in which Dick Barnett and Mollie (Smith) Russell explain when and why they changed their names. My fathers name was John Crosby and he lived in the town of Geneva, Alabama, I had two brothers and one sister. how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. My great grandfather Wilson Percival was born in South Carolina and I believe he took his surname from last slave owners family. How did you ever come by the name of "Mollie"? "More than half of the surnames are derived from the Christian or fore-name of the father," [1] and based on a total of 3,253,800 people, nearly 18 in every 100 persons was known by one of these fifty surnames. . 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. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. 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]. By country & year of birth. 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. 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. This phenomena makes research very complicated when you dont know the mothers surname. This is another instance of oral history being a key component in tracing African American ancestry. Places; Login. Free black slave holders could be found at one time or . 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. Private names used in the quarters included Abah, Bilah, Comba, Dibb, Juba, Kauchee, Mima, and Sena. Use the form below to get in touch with me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. . So just a few things to be aware of when researching any African-American ancestors. College, Advanced AA Gen Class, September 2011, AAHGS Annual Genealogy Conference, November 2008, Howard Comm. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. 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). In fact, it's not even past." He identified father, mother and siblings in a Freedmans bank deposit in 1873, when he was already in New York City. 3. It is these single names that have been most often studied. James) will have . 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 small communities when slaves were sold, they were often bought by someone in the area. Evie (F) (English origin) means "life" or "lively". You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. A. Maria Aparecida Schumaher, Erico teixeira Vital Brazil. Thomas mother, younger brothers and sisters remained with the Black family. State of residence is Missouri unless otherwise noted. This reading contains quoted text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803), a former slave, he enslaved a dozen people himself before becoming a general and a leader of the Haitian Revolution. He took his last enslaver surname. Nonetheless, this is a situation where two brothers selected different surnames. . So far Ive found no one who can give me any information about how these people assumed the Culbert surname. Major types on which most would agree are European place and literary names, European personal names in hypocoristic (pet or diminutive) form, biblical and classical names, and names of African origin. - Jane Howard, "Friends are God's apologies for relations." . Relish, (Old French Origin) Derived from relaisse meaning "flavor or taste". My hat goes off to you and your passionate efforts. Fernsby, (Old English Origin) Derived from the old English words meaning "fern farmstead". Here, our list of notable early African American names. Hi Donna, Thanks LaBrenda! Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. I would appreciate any constructive comments on this question, which can be posted to me via my website address above. The naming of slaves has not been treated in dedicated monographs, but it often figures in general accounts of plantation culture and the practices of enslavement. The name James has been a popular Victorian male names in the 1800s. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. 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. I was called mostly Lewis Smith till after the war, although I was named Dick Lewis SmithDick was the brother of John Barnett whom I learned was my father . My maternal grandmother was an Auber. Its knowledge that I think most Americans (not even just white Americans) dont have and it is endlessly fascinating and sobering both at the same time. I am the identical person who was named called and known as Dick Lewis Smith before the Civil War and during the Civil War and until I returned home after my military service . Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. This is common. This causes many researchers to wrongly conclude that enslaved people did not have surnames until after emancipation, which was not the case. 3. 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. Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? Best of luck to you, Data from the 2010 Census tells a different story. BRATHWAITE - This name was derived from a geographic location in the north of England. All of them are alive in this moment. Thank you. Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names. I am the identical person who served in the said companies under the name of Lewis Smith. They are recorded with the Ashby surname on subsequent documents. Names. Copyright 2023 Facing History & Ourselves. Through a video-based activity, students explore how Radical Reconstruction changed the nature of voting rights and democracy in the South. So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett . Surely the hundreds of black Culbert people living today cannot all be connected to those three cases. This old French surname has Germanic origin, and means 'noble'. Eliza Moore (1843 - January 21, 1948) Source = Pinimg. Robyn. Rather than being derived from the supernatural world, European given names were a mere handle or tag. 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. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. 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.". Each is present in your body. Recently, I was looking for more information on Wesley Thompson, who was born about 1835 and who was living in Morgan County, Alabama with his wife, Nellie, and five children in 1880. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. Thanks for commenting and continued luck in your research, 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 . Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. My surname of SAM originated from Sem or Sam FUSELIER, a free man of color who freed my ancestor,Jean-Louis, out of slavery in 1811. Robyn, Unraveling the origins of FPOC and slaves in Francophone Louisiana takes some thinking outside the fact, meticulous research ,familiarity with the local culture, history and a bit of serendipity on your side. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Such resistance signified continual deep-rooted discontent with the condition of bondage and, in some places, such as the United States, resulted in ever-more-stringent mechanisms for social control and repression in slaveholding areas. Pinckney, Randolph, and Rutledgeappear only incidentally among any list of modern Black peoples names. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough about African and Caribbean research in the areas you name. The given name Athena was derived from the city name Athens, which is of uncertain origins. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. The second hour is hands-on, and I want you to bring the deeds you've found along with your questions. 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. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. Students learn about the period of violence in the South from 1873-1876 and examine its role in influencing elections and ending Republican control of Southern state governments. The names they gave their children provide a valuable, if limited, index of that process over time. EDHASA, 2006, 359 pages, (. Sabe, Anque, Bumbo, Jobah, Quamana, Taynay, and Yearie) used in the Slave quarters. 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. In instances where slaves were sold from their families and they did not retain their previous owners surnames, they named their children for parents, sisters and brothers to keep a connection with their families. 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. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. However, many African Americans faced a problem when they applied for their pensions. ", "Case Overview: Ann Williams, Ann Maria Williams, Tobias Williams, & John Williams v. George Miller & George Miller Jr", "Augustine Tolton: From slavery to being the first black priest", "Cornish (and Other) Personal Names from the 10th Century Bodmin Manumissions", "Gospel-book with added Cornish records of manumissions ('The Bodmin Gospels' or 'St Petroc Gospels')", "Following Brigid's Way The Irish Catholic", Charity Folks, Lost Royalty, and the Bishop Family of Maryland and New York, "The Untold Story of How an Escaped Slave Helped Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigate the Globe", "Slave's 400-year-old grave in Dutch Jewish cemetery now a Black pilgrimage site" by Cnaan Lipshiz, Times of Israel, 6 February 2021, Roman Theater and Society: E. Togo Salmon Papers I, "Professor Says He Has Solved a Mystery Over a Slave's Novel", "Day of history to unfold in Muthill museum", "Cornelius Tacitus, The History, Book I, chapter 13", "An Old Actor's Memories; What Mt. Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178-199. Theres always more to learn! . 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. The different spellings are due to the non-consistent spelling rules in Norway in the 1700s and 1800s. You can use the links below to view more common surnames. Interestingly, the five most common American surnames as of 2010 haven't changed that much over time and are Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, and Jones. 2023 Nameberry.com.Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. John Lewis was born in 1831; in 1844 he and several family members were given to George A. Washington of Wessyngton. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. 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. ", "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)", "Where does the family start? But once freed most immediately chose surnames, with or without keeping their accustomed name. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. 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. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. There are 15 tables, blank and editable for you to populate, as well as samples of using each. There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. George Duncan Ludlow (1734-1808), colonial lawyer. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. 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. Davis: This name is a patronymic of David. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work!
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