The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. On another branch, members of the Griffin family from around Campbell County VA all stuck together and are believed to have kept family bonds & name of their father after Emancipation. Rank. It means 'clerk' or 'secretary'. 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. The names they gave their children provide a valuable, if limited, index of that process over time. Thank you for your comment, Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? And now that it's been chosen by Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, it could take off as their first son's nameKingstonhas. Benson, Susan. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. Thank you for commenting, and continued luck to you in your research. 42. I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that person's name. Chapter 4 gives a brief and introductory outline of naming in the United States during slavery and its consequences in African American culture. You can find many more examples of the above in my post, The Mind of the Slaveowner. Maria Aparecida Schumaher, Erico teixeira Vital Brazil. 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. 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.) 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]. Herbert G. Gutman, The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925 (1976). His slaveholder was named David Humphries. My fathers name was John Crosby and he lived in the town of Geneva, Alabama, I had two brothers and one sister. Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. Thank you as always, your posts are so helpful. This potential brother had been sold to a local and remained there in SC. . Evie (F) (English origin) means "life" or "lively". However, many African Americans faced a problem when they applied for their pensions. I did not even check the 1850 slave schedule. Please subscribe or login. Burton, Richard D.E. Names and Naming in Afro-Caribbean Culture. New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 73 (1999): 3558. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. Numerous historical sources confirm that enslaved people had surnames that they used among themselves and in many cases were known by their slaveholder. You should give a TED talk! Famous name bearers: many King Louis of France, Sandra Bullock's son and actor Louis Partridge. Ebba: One of the more unique girl names from the 1800s. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. Nat Turner's Rebellion One of the most famous slave revolts in American history came in 1831 when Nat Turner led a bloody uprising in Southampton County, Virginia. Another interesting fact is that Creole surname use also evolved over time and varied from record to record with the same person. . Slavery in America was the legal institution of enslaving human beings, mainly Africans and African Americans. John Lewis was born in 1831; in 1844 he and several family members were given to George A. Washington of Wessyngton. One former slave Bill Scott from Wessyngton reported in his pension application for military service that when he enlisted in the Union Army officials put down his surname as Washington. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as Lincoln, Grant, and Washington was very popular. Lori Wilson Picks Up Baton to Remove Slavery Language From Californias Constitution, New Assembly Bill Would Ban Use of Police Canines for Arrests, Crowd Control, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Mining the Census: Are You Finding Every Clue? 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. . 2. 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 . This is another instance of oral history being a key component in tracing African American ancestry. There are many factors to consider in determining what surnames African Americans used. 5. My full name is Dick Lewis Barnett. While Smith remains the most common U.S. surname, for the first time, two Hispanic namesGarcia and Rodriguezmade the top 10. 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. Abebe: The genesis of this Ethiopian name is Amharic, and it means 'flower' or 'blossom'. Q. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178199. They called me OCK. The following is a list of historical people who were enslaved at some point during their lives, in alphabetical order by first name. Even many given names of ancestors eventually became a surname, such as Todd or William. How did you ever come by the name of "Mollie"? Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? 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! African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries African-American slaves retained Africanisms in their naming practices. Robinson: A patronymic of the name Robin. Proving their identity as former soldiers often revealed some of the most detailed explanations for former slaves choice of surnames. I want.to.know.where we (who are.descendants.of.freed.people.who.got sent.back.to Sierra Leone.from.maybe Nova Scotia.) I did a post sometime ago about Slavery Studies, where I named some of the top books on the subject. There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. The majority of these slaves used the surname Lewis instead of Washington. Robyn. Whereas names withAfrican, classical, or other unique origins were popular during enslavement, --- often continuingfrom one generation to the next and creating a distinctive nomenclature unlike that of southern whites -- free black peopleoften used more traditionally Anglicized versions of their first names. Free black slave holders could be found at one time or . The Missouri Compromisealso referred to as the Compromise of 1820was an agreement between the pro- and anti-slavery factions regulating slavery in the western territories. The surname Williams occurs roughly 550 times per 100,000 people in the U.S. You can find explanations for each of the table columns below, or use the following links to view more last names for different ancestries. Of course my mother wasnt a Bradley fore she married. 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. Genealogy becomes so much more than just names and dates, it really feels like a true passion indeed. He was sold to my master William Orr and he always went by the name Edward Orr after that.. The different spellings are due to the non-consistent spelling rules in Norway in the 1700s and 1800s. After the war ended and slavery was abolished, they exercised their freedom by changing their names. 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. Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. Places; Login. Plus, Jonah comes with a ready-made nursery-decorating motif. There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Other common surnames included Jones, Matthews, Sinclair, and Bennett, Price, and Gray.. Enslaved women were raped, creating children with white fathers who in most cases did not claim them and even sold them away. Many of the graves are unmarked or the markers have been damaged, but many descendents still live around here, so we hope to identify as many of the possible graves as we can. A great and timely article. 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. 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. Names. 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). Best of luck to you, She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. If you can identify your ancestor's master, this source will prove of tremendous value to your research. This reading contains quoted text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. 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 3. Even tiny steps are huge in someones life. 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. Introduction. "While African-American genealogical research in many ways is like all genealogical research, the era of slavery makes the task especially challenging. Who called you by that name and where was it done? Once the slaves were freed they found they did need another name besides a given name. 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. 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. They ran away, fought back, feigned illness, destroyed tools, and clung to their families. 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. 17. by John C. Inscoe, 2006; Revised May 2022 by NC Government & Heritage Library. Slavery is a social-economic system under which people are enslaved: deprived of personal freedom and forced to perform labor or services without compensation. Register now! Isaiah derives from the Hebrew Yeshayahu, containing the elements. Almost every major tome on slavery discusses slave naming practices in some form or fashion. Robyn. 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. Even worse, during this period, many African Americanssome using surnames for the very first timechanged their surnames once or even several times. 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. Many of these were names of heroesbut not Lincoln. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. Delva Thanks for your comment, I mean, really retro. Robyn. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. ", "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. Corbin Corbin has an Old English origin. Rodriguez (Rodriguez is Spanish for the son of Rodrigo. By the late 19th century, England was home to about 300 surnames with traceable genealogy. Thanks for this very thoughtful article. David Nicolle, Graham Turner: Poitiers AD 732: Charles Martel Turns the Islamic Tide. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. This mini-lesson helps students define the term, learn what forms reparations can take, and consider what reparations should be offered for slavery and other racist policies. 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. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". Former slaves often used surnames names of historical figures such as Washington, Jefferson or Jackson. The Voice of the Black Community in California, Last Updated on October 14, 2010 by Paulette Brown-Hinds. Start your year off with tips and strategies that can help you in the new year & beyond. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. Caps statement implies that choosing his own surname was a part of exercising his newfound freedom. He identified father, mother and siblings in a Freedmans bank deposit in 1873, when he was already in New York City. My father would be 105 if he were alive. 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. 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. In my research so far, I have found very little evidence of white Culbert slaveholders only three cases so far. The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one", "Friends are God's apologies for relations. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. But if Romeo and Venus are now deemed baby-appropriate, why not Apollo? After Emancipation, many former slaves adopted new names and surnames. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. In another case Sukey Ann and he 4 children were manumitted by their Ashby owner with only their first names. Here, our list of notable early African American names. I focused on surnames but many of these books also discuss first names. An accessible introduction to the field. Spanish areas had male Slave names as Francisco, Pedro, and Antonio; and for females: Maria, Isabella, and Juana. When they were sold away they remembered their loved ones and they created extended kinship networks. Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. No, I don't know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. Former slaves also interchanged surnames on census records. Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. The population was more than 16 million and the industrial revolution was under way, which debunks any perception of a broadly colonial society. 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. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. Q. Bernacki: Teatr; Mamontowicz-ojek: Szkoa Tyzenhauza s. 53, 54, 70, 86-89, 92; Wierzbicka: Sze studiw; Muzyka 1969 nr 2 (J. Prosnak). Just go to my Vimeo page and make your selection. Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. 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. Middle Tennessee, where tobacco, cattle, and grain became the favored crops, held the . For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! Cheryll Cody, "'There Was No Absalom on the Ball Plantation': Slave-Naming Practices in the South Carolina Low Country, 1720-1865," American Historical Review 92 (June 1987). BRATHWAITE - This name was derived from a geographic location in the north of England. Claudia Bautista,Santa Monica, Calif. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. He stated that he had always been known by his fathers surname Scott, even before he was freed. I am the applicant for pension on account of having served in Co. B. Q. Eugene D. Genovese, Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made (1974). African Americans were known by these surnames in the slave community and often recorded by slave owners on plantation documents. Most Popular African Last Names Or Surnames. Got.the name.Auber.. Hi Roxana, Questions about slave naming intersect with some of the major debates in slavery studies (especially regarding Creolization and the formation of Atlantic Creoles) and can illuminate issues about the ethnicity of African slaves, the personhood and agency of those enslaved, the nature of kinship structures among the enslaved, and the survival of African cultural practices in the diaspora. Students consider what it means to be free by learning about the choices and aspirations of freedpeople immediately after Emancipation. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. "Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation." In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. Remember me. Letter to Armistead Burt of September 1, 1831, sfn error: no target: CITEREFCalhoun1837 (. I think mostly about family separationas a mother now myself, the very idea that my dear child could be sold to who knows where, never to be seen again..just reduces me to tears anytime. 44. Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884), 10th President of Liberia. . This old French surname has Germanic origin, and means 'noble'. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. Hi Rodney, 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. For personal use and not for further distribution. I love to hear from my readers. ", "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)", "Where does the family start? With your explanations in mind, I will go back over a couple of family groups and re-assess the surname ambiguousness I have in my notes. . The first published African-American poet & author Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa. 6. 18. By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change. Analyzing Creole names, especially those of African origin, demands a combination of historical and linguistic expertise that has not yet been systematically applied to slave names. Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am and is filed under Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews. 42. According to the latest search data available, Italian last names and their meanings are searched for nearly, 40,500 times per month. I made up my mind I'd find me a different one. I am generally called Cap Sherrod but I was married under Cap Ross and have voted under the name Ross, A good many people call me Cap Sherrod because I belonged to Sherrod but I calls myself Cap Ross.. 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. this page. You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. You can read about this in the following two posts on my blog. As a result, many slaves used the surnames of their owners wifes family. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. 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. Trinidad and Tobago. 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. But, my mtdna also said I share ancestry with the Kru people of Liberia and the Mende from Sierra Leonne! Perhaps this caused some Slaves to ask: Am I my new name or am I still my old name? Karen Halttunen, Murder Most Foul, p. 175. 2023 Nameberry.com.Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. In the late 1830s, Nathaniel Terry of Todd County, Kentucky died leaving a plantation of fifty slaves. No superior alternative has yet been found." Label vector designed by Ibrandify - Freepik.com, 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. 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.
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