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In these cases, unless the name change had been passed down in the family by oral history, it would be impossible to trace the family back any further. All children of a female slave were automatically slaves, considered as belonging to the owner of the mother. 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. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. 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.. 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 . 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. Slavery existed in the United States from its founding in 1776 and became the main . Start your year off with tips and strategies that can help you in the new year & beyond. 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. Hi Jim, Rather than being derived from the supernatural world, European given names were a mere handle or tag. I am sure your father would also be very proud of your interest in family history. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. Through DNA matches, I believe I have recently found a brother of my mothers great grandfather. However, research byLisa D. Cook and colleagueshas revealed evidence of racialized names from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Introduction. I dont know what became of his parents. This is due in part to officials imposing surnames on them based on their last owners. There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. 41. 2019 (cited under the Anglophone Caribbean) includes a good general introduction to slave naming. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. 6. Finding State Laws About Slaves and Free Blacks, More Suggestions for White Slaveholder Descendants, http://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2009/09/calvin-r-yarborough-where-it-all-began.html, http://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2013/11/many-rivers-to-cross-my-priscilla.html, https://www.historicpathways.com/articles.html, http://whitneyplantation.com/the-louisiana-slave-database.html. I belonged to him until emancipation. 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. Fernsby, (Old English Origin) Derived from the old English words meaning "fern farmstead". 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. 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. It had always been passed down in the family that Thomas has been owned by the Blacks. 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. All of them are alive in this moment. 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 . 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. Samuel had only two slaves: the man that could be Wilson and a 42-year-old woman. Surely the hundreds of black Culbert people living today cannot all be connected to those three cases. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. Many Welsh surnames follow this pattern, with Jones (from 'John's son) being the most common. Thank you for your comment, I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. This meant that army records documented their service with their old names instead of their new ones. David Nicolle, Graham Turner: Poitiers AD 732: Charles Martel Turns the Islamic Tide. This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. Derived from the word anull that is the Catalan language dominantly used in southern France, Anouilh means 'slow worm'. College Advanced AA Gen. Class, November 2012, Robyn, Aaron, Karen, Katherine and Michael, October 2014, African-American Family History Conference, February 2015, African-American Genealogy Group Conference, October 2016, Central Maryland AAHGS, with Alice Harris, September 2015, Howard Comm. 3. A. Q. Robyn. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Each name was a clue to her origins. ", "Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. Thats a goal that I am working towards. This may reveal your family used the surname of the slave owners wifes family. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. 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. My hat goes off to you and your passionate efforts. Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. . Slavery is a social-economic system under which people are enslaved: deprived of personal freedom and forced to perform labor or services without compensation. 17. . Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names Return to Slave Manifests main page Click on each Slave name to view information on that voyage. This suggests most of those African-Americans probably did come about that name from prior slaveholders (since we know they likely werent from Scotland;):) I think you just have to include all the variations of Culbert to see how that could be the case. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one", "Friends are God's apologies for relations. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name Lottie, as already explained. Jonah, the name of the Old Testament prophet who was swallowed by the whale, only to emerge unharmed three days later, is increasingly appreciated by parents looking for a biblical name less common than Jacob or Joshua, yet not too obscure. After emancipation, he became William Smith. Lastly,emancipation itself often provoked many to choose new surnames, one of the few actual freedoms freedmen had. I mean, really retro. Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. 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'. . Eliza Moore (1843 - January 21, 1948) Source = Pinimg. 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. My Louisiana Creole ancestors who were free persons of color and former slaves practiced a unique naming tradition I think comes from Latin cultures. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. . Elaine Fantham, Helene Peet Foley, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Sarah B. Pomeroy, H. A. Shapiro. My father would be 105 if he were alive. 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.) Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? The following is a list of historical people who were enslaved at some point during their lives, in alphabetical order by first name. Even worse, during this period, many African Americanssome using surnames for the very first timechanged their surnames once or even several times. 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. 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. I would appreciate any constructive comments on this question, which can be posted to me via my website address above. Percy is an adorable old name that is finally shedding its pampered Little Lord Fauntleroy image in this new era of boys with soft yet traditionally, Titus, once seen as a slightly forbidding Roman, New Testament, and Shakespearean name, was brought back to contemporary life in the USA by the TV series, French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge, Latin, meaning unknown, possibly "title of honour". This event is $12. 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. E. Togo Salmon Conference, E. Togo Salmon Conference 1993 Mcmaster University: Goodyear III, Frank H. "Photography changes the way we record and respond to social issues". 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. 20 August 2022, 1-3:30 pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Join me for a two-hour lecture and workshop on Using Deed Records. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. Robyn, youve done it again! When they were sold away they remembered their loved ones and they created extended kinship networks. that lists the slaves along with their surnames. Wheatley was traded into slavery at the age of 7 or 8 and imported to North America. Love you, Abebe: The genesis of this Ethiopian name is Amharic, and it means 'flower' or 'blossom'. African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. . 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. This is true in some cases but not all. An 's' at the end of a personal name also meant 'son of', for example Richards, Stevens, Williams and so on. Drawing on extensive archival records, this digital memorial allows analysis of the ships, traders, and captives in the Atlantic slave trade. Most did not want to use their former owners surname, even through about 20% did use the slave owners name. Another interesting fact is that Creole surname use also evolved over time and varied from record to record with the same person. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. Baby Name Generator. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". Women tended to have two names, and slaves often just had one. 1412 S. Spoede Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131-2557. please contact the History and Genealogy Department. But the bureau also compiled lists of the fastest-growing surnames in the United States and these include Zhang, Li, Ali, Liu, and Khan - a testament to the wonderful diversity of our nation. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. It is certainly possible that Wilsons siblings could have been sold away or owned by others. In fact, it's not even past. I love how you have documented the history of your own surname. Location the owner of ones ancestor is crucial for an African American genealogist to trace his family before 1870. The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Familys Journey to Freedom, A Thank You Letter from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Plantation Records Key Link to African American Past . Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. You can also look up Charleston Manifests by Slave Owner These records are also available through the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). 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). Feel free to contact me directly if you have more questions or need some assistance. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. My great grandfather Wilson Percival was born in South Carolina and I believe he took his surname from last slave owners family. And this example from another pension file shows how even the given name of this enslaved woman was held under little regard: Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. Im jealous;) The common names there (Marie, Louise, etc) would test anyones genealogical skills, so I take my hat off to you. -Thich Nhat Hanh, evolve theme by Theme4PressPowered by WordPress, Maryland Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon, December 2017-2, Washington FHC Annual Conference, May 2011, Baltimore Family History Conference, October 2017-2, International Black Genealogy Summit, September 2016-2, Carroll County Genealogical Society Dinner, June 2018, Baltimore Family History Conference, October 2017, Reginald Lewis Museum, September 2011-2.jpg, Maryland State Archives Family History Festival, October 2014-2, Central Maryland AAHGS Meeting, March 2013, Robyn, Vonda, Andrea and Glenn, NGS Conf., May 2014, Maryland Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon, December 2017-1, Howard Comm. The majority of these slaves used the surname Lewis instead of Washington. A. 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. . I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. 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. My mother's name was Octavia Smith and it was from her that I got it but where the name came from to her I never knew. Surnames (not always those of former owners) would then be adopted as family names by former slaves and their descendants. 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. George Duncan Ludlow (1734-1808), colonial lawyer. One frequently occurring name is Rolle. Theres always more to learn! A small number of creoles in Louisiana also acquired surnames derived from ethnic identities in Senegal. 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. 1. 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. This is common. Hi Pat, It means 'raven'. The following documents are excerpts from government records in which Dick Barnett and Mollie (Smith) Russell explain when and why they changed their names. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name "Lottie," as already explained. I am the identical person who served in the said companies under the name of Lewis Smith. 1. Brown: A common last name derived from an ancestor's complexion or the color of their hair. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. I focused on surnames but many of these books also discuss first names. Through a video-based activity, students examine Americas struggle for a stronger democracy during Reconstruction and today. Robyn. I truly believe they used surnames of each of their former owners for some of their childrens middle names. 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.