Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. After emancipation, he became William Smith. Thomas Black Cobbs was owned by a small slave owner Catherine Black. 1412 S. Spoede Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131-2557. please contact the History and Genealogy Department. Through a video-based activity, students explore how Radical Reconstruction changed the nature of voting rights and democracy in the South. 6. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 163,036 people with the surname Washington. In 1850, Ward. 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. 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. 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 . Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. All of them are alive in this moment. This meant that army records documented their service with their old names instead of their new ones. Both are excellent researchers and historians. There are issues, too, about how to interpret the recorded names, which have been classified in different ways depending on researchers interests. By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? In small communities when slaves were sold, they were often bought by someone in the area. Enslaved people suffered constant sale, where children were frequently torn away from parents at young ages and spouses were often separated. Garcia is the Spanish variation of the word Gerald that means a pointed weapon, like a spear. No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. 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'. 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. Kindest regards, Numerous historical sources confirm that enslaved people had surnames that they used among themselves and in many cases were known by their slaveholder. 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. Table 7. 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 . I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. 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". After Emancipation, many former slaves adopted new names and surnames. You can use the links below to view more common surnames. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. 2. He was sold to my master William Orr and he always went by the name Edward Orr after that.. I did not even check the 1850 slave schedule. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. My maiden surname is Williams. 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. Sabe, Anque, Bumbo, Jobah, Quamana, Taynay, and Yearie) used in the Slave quarters. I was bornthe child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. No superior alternative has yet been found. My great great grandfather in Mississippi took the surname of the previous SC enslaver, whose widow sold him away. 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. Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. Middle Tennessee, where tobacco, cattle, and grain became the favored crops, held the . Im very familiar with the work of Gwendolyn Hall and Elizabeth Shown Mills. Examples include: Francois, Jean, Pierre, and Leon for men; and Manon, Delphine, Marie Louise, Celeste, and Eugenie for women. 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". Picked by several celebrities (a couple of times even for a girl), adding up to an enthusiastically recommended choice. 43. Your insight is always welcome and I am glad you shared these posts for other readers to see. Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. I love to hear from my readers. It is not uncommon to see an African American family listed with one surname in 1870 and another in 1880. Forenames. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. -Kendall Hailey, "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. In doing slave research in Barbados, I have found one group of enslaved Chase ancestors who were manumitted (freed) and given the last name of the former slave owner. 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. 1. 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. I have been unable to trace several of his siblings and now wonder if it might be because others did not take that name. 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. Thank you for your kind comment and I am glad my post helped some with the complicated reasons behind the surnames enslaved people had. -Unknown, "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance!" 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. Phone: 314-994-3300, Hours & Locations Comments/Suggestions314-994-3300, Copyright 2023. It means 'clerk' or 'secretary'. Thank you so much for your kind words. For descendants, I would add the substantial emotional impact of seeing an ancestor's name attached to a dollar value, or being valued in a list with silverware and cattle. Lastly,emancipation itself often provoked many to choose new surnames, one of the few actual freedoms freedmen had. In fact, it's not even past. Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the. One of my grandfathers in Africa was called Jeaceo, and so I decided to be Jackson. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. 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. Hi Jann, 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 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. . So far Ive found no one who can give me any information about how these people assumed the Culbert surname. There are 15 tables, blank and editable for you to populate, as well as samples of using each. 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. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. By the late 19th century, England was home to about 300 surnames with traceable genealogy. 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. Facing History & Ourselves, "Changing Names," last updated May 12, 2020. 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. Robyn. Davis: This name is a patronymic of David. 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. 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. Spanish areas had male Slave names as Francisco, Pedro, and Antonio; and for females: Maria, Isabella, and Juana. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. You can read the introductory maps for a high-level guided explanation, view the timeline and chronology of . Most did not want to use their former owners surname, even through about 20% did use the slave owners name. Enslaved people remained legally nameless from the time of their capture until their purchase by American enslavers. Abel, et al. They called me "OCK". The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Familys Journey to Freedom is proudly powered by WordPress Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). Free black slave holders could be found at one time or . The names they gave their children provide a valuable, if limited, index of that process over time. He was a planter with 20,000 acres of land in East Florida and was at the forefront of slavery in The . Introduction. 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. Practices undoubtedly varied, and different archival sources may yield different conclusions. My mothers name was Octavia Smith and it was from her that I got it but where the name came from to her I never knew. Here, our list of notable early African American names. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". . Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. Spencer is a name that has everything: it's both distinguished sounding and accessible, dignified but Spencer Tracy-like friendly. Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. The fifty most common Victorian surnames in England and Wales for 1853 are listed in alphabetical order below. In fact, it's not even past." 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. However, a small change to searching on C?lbert, which accounts for the variations in spelling expands that initial list to 877 enslaved people owned by people with those names. Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. In the context of The Bahamas, the surname appears to originate with Denys Rolle, an American Loyalist who re-settled on Exuma, one of the so-called Out Islands of The Bahamas, sometime in the mid-1780s. 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. 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. The Genealogy Source Table Collection includes 10 blank, editable source tables for death certificates, city directories, obituaries and funeral programs. 3. Register now! . However, the enslaved occasionally had surnames, which became normal leading up to and after emancipation as a mark of assimilation into free society. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. . Hi Jim, Chapter 4 gives a brief and introductory outline of naming in the United States during slavery and its consequences in African American culture. Wonderful to have first hand account that help shine light on the attitudes of our ancestors. This lively Old Testament nature name (belonging to one of the three beautiful daughters of Job) may be missing from the current US Top 1000 list, but it ranks highly here on Nameberry making it one to watch! Q. 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. I truly believe they used surnames of each of their former owners for some of their childrens middle names. 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) Most Popular Names. You should give a TED talk! Students learn about President Andrew Johnson and the Congressional Republican's conflicting visions of how to rebuild the nation after the Civil War. BRATHWAITE - This name was derived from a geographic location in the north of England. Robyn. See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. In his pension file, my great great grandmother his widow expressed that he chose his former enslaver surname because his father had been enslaved by them, too. If the name is spelled Rodrigues, the name is Portuguese but has the same meaning) 3. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. St. Louis County Library. Going back a decade to the 1850 Slave Schedule, both William Wood and Samuel O. I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years. 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. 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. Leo (M) (Russian origin) means "lion". i did a simple search of the 1860 slave schedule using the name Culbert and came up with slaveholders in MS,VA,NC,AL,GA and SC holding 17 enslaved people. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. Miracle, (Old English and Latin Origin) Derived from the first name Mauritius meaning "dark". Surnames. Over time, East Tennessee, hilly and dominated by small farms, retained the fewest number of slaves. This unique-sounding French last name means 'bold' or 'daring'. 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. The slave schedules of 1860 Arkansas do not give the names of the slaves. The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. 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. Some of them developed a long-term relationship with one of the female slaves. Smith.). 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. Thanks for commenting and continued luck in your research, Harris: A patronymic meaning son of Harry. 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. Drawing on extensive archival records, this digital memorial allows analysis of the ships, traders, and captives in the Atlantic slave trade. Because I like to let formerly enslaved people speak for themselves, here are several examples of freedmen and women discussing their surnames. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! Isaiah derives from the Hebrew Yeshayahu, containing the elements. The poster on each page *provides the link to the handout* for that lecture, so be sure to copy it. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178-199. 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. Letter to Armistead Burt of September 1, 1831, sfn error: no target: CITEREFCalhoun1837 (. What remains utterly amazing to me is that in the worst of circumstances, and in spite of every attempt to crush any idea that slaves were anything other than commodities, slaveholders did not succeed. 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. Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era. . (Media Note: If you quote a post, please credit me by name, Robyn N. In the. If we consider the diverse circumstances that the tragedy of slavery created, we can understand the reasons why. 2019 (cited under the Anglophone Caribbean) includes a good general introduction to slave naming. His slaveholder was named David Humphries. Most Popular African Last Names Or Surnames. Burton, Richard D.E. Names and Naming in Afro-Caribbean Culture. New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 73 (1999): 3558. Brown: A common last name derived from an ancestor's complexion or the color of their hair. Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. i have no way to confirm this. 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. 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. Famous name bearers: many King Louis of France, Sandra Bullock's son and actor Louis Partridge. ", "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? You can find many more examples of the above in my post, The Mind of the Slaveowner. And you get to tell the story of Jean-Louiss life in slavery and also in freedom. Q. Robyn, youve done it again! State of residence is Missouri unless otherwise noted. . However the frequent rebellions by . 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). Runaway ads illustrate how many slaveholders knew the surnames of their slaves. They did so either to take on a surname for the first time, or to replace a name or surname given to them by a former master. Thomas: Thomas is a common surname of biblical origin meaning twin. 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 . 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 resources Im getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable. "Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation." In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. Another interesting fact is that Creole surname use also evolved over time and varied from record to record with the same person. In French-speaking Louisiana, Slave names reflected the dominant language and thus were generally different from those in the English colonies. I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. Data from the 2010 Census tells a different story. I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. No superior alternative has yet been found." how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. It is these single names that have been most often studied. As a result, many slaves used the surnames of their owners wifes family. They established and held on to their own cultural traditions in the small spaces that slavery afforded them. These cookies do not store any personal information. Brief, but stimulating and thoughtful for students coming new to the subject. I hope youll sign up to receive my postsif you do, youll get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one", "Friends are God's apologies for relations. 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. . -Elbert Hubbard, "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts." I also have a Slavery and Freedom Collection available for $20. In Greek mythology, Daphne was the nymph daughter of Peneus, a river god. The result was the birth of mulatto, quadroon, or mustee (mestee) children. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. This database is a compilation of information on over four thousand slaves from Louisiana who were involved in manumission (the formal emancipation from slavery) between 1719 and 1820. Bernard Meaning: brave warrior Origin: French 4. 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 This old French surname has Germanic origin, and means 'noble'. You are the continuation of each of these people." 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 dont know what became of his parents. All rights reserved. .When I got home after the war, I was wearing the name of Lewis Smith, but I found that the negroes after freedom, were taking the names of their father like the white folks. Well, I got to thinking about all us slaves that was going to take the name Fitzpatrick. Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman.