Robyn. Index by slave owner's name | Surname unknown or illegible. See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. Allard. The majority of these slaves used the surname Lewis instead of Washington. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178199. Explore the most common surnames in England. Both comments and pings are currently closed. The different spellings are due to the non-consistent spelling rules in Norway in the 1700s and 1800s. Have you visited the Whitney Plantation yet? 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. Enslaved people remained legally nameless from the time of their capture until their purchase by American enslavers. 1. Spanish areas had male Slave names as Francisco, Pedro, and Antonio; and for females: Maria, Isabella, and Juana. 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. I have been unable to trace several of his siblings and now wonder if it might be because others did not take that name. Because I like to let formerly enslaved people speak for themselves, here are several examples of freedmen and women discussing their surnames. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. 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). One thing for sure, historians are always expanding our knowledge on this topic.BTW, I am a big fan of your website and your work in the field! This event is $25. Ref. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? Thank you for posing your question. In freedom, Jean-Louis was known as Louis SEM or Louis FUSELIER until finally using SAM. Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. -Unknown, "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)" However, many African Americans faced a problem when they applied for their pensions. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. I presume no death certificate for her survives? Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years. 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. 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. But the Slaves generally had two namesthe one given by the slave owner (e.g. 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. My great great grandfather in Mississippi took the surname of the previous SC enslaver, whose widow sold him away. Q. There are 15 tables, blank and editable for you to populate, as well as samples of using each. 44. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Students learn about President Andrew Johnson and the Congressional Republican's conflicting visions of how to rebuild the nation after the Civil War. My fathers name was John Crosby and he lived in the town of Geneva, Alabama, I had two brothers and one sister. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Baby Name Generator. 1. Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. 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. Louis (M) (English origin) means "famous warrior". In 1870, all of them were listed with the surnames of their last owner; however, each one of them named their sons for one of their brothers. In 1870, he is listed as John Washington. Location the owner of ones ancestor is crucial for an African American genealogist to trace his family before 1870. by John C. Inscoe, 2006; Revised May 2022 by NC Government & Heritage Library. Brutus) and a private name (e.g. The given name Athena was derived from the city name Athens, which is of uncertain origins. 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. "Albumen print of enslaved women and their children near Alexandria, Virginia." Going back a decade to the 1850 Slave Schedule, both William Wood and Samuel O. Alfred "Teen" Blackburn (1842-1951), one of the last living survivors of slavery in the United States who had a clear recollection of it. An accessible introduction to the field. This topic interests me greatly and Id like to do more research. 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]. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. 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. Benson, Susan. Lastly,emancipation itself often provoked many to choose new surnames, one of the few actual freedoms freedmen had. 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. Thank you for your comment, Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. There are also a few problems with the original dataset in name transcription such that a small number of first names were transposed with last names. But once freed most immediately chose surnames, with or without keeping their accustomed name. If the slaveholder or another free white man was their father, many Creoles did use either is first or last name as a surname. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Slavery in America was the legal institution of enslaving human beings, mainly Africans and African Americans. Most Popular Names. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. Osprey Publishing 2008. And even though slave marriages were not legal, many enslaved people followed the practice of the wife taking her husbands surname: My mother was named Mary Bradley and my father was named Hilliard Bradley. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. This lifelong quest has helped me to better know my familys past. Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople. 3. Slaveholders often renamed newly acquired slaves; but self-naming by slaves, which also occurred, is likely to be underreported in the records, which were mainly created by and for slaveholders. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. State of residence is Missouri unless otherwise noted. 7. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. 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. A. Lottie Smith was my name and what they called me before I met Phillip and was married to him. Danish West Indies, Denmark, Records of Enslaved People, 1672-1917 I am researching the surname Culbert worldwide, and the data can be found at: culbert.one-name.net There are a growing number of African Americans with this surname, which I believe originates in Scotland. The first published African-American poet & author Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa. It means 'bought land'. They called me OCK. 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. Isaiah derives from the Hebrew Yeshayahu, containing the elements. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Gerald, however, is a Germanic name meaning ruler) 2. Enslaved women were raped, creating children with white fathers who in most cases did not claim them and even sold them away. My Louisiana Creole ancestors who were free persons of color and former slaves practiced a unique naming tradition I think comes from Latin cultures. Miracle, (Old English and Latin Origin) Derived from the first name Mauritius meaning "dark". Many of these were names of heroesbut not Lincoln. Please share, in the comments below, examplesyou have come across of the surnames of enslaved people, especially if it was different from their last slaveholder. The link was not copied. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on Got.the name.Auber.. Hi Roxana, USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Smithsonian Institution. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. But, my mtdna also said I share ancestry with the Kru people of Liberia and the Mende from Sierra Leonne! My fathers name was Gilbert Jackson, and after I was set free I took the name of my father, and have been known by the name Smith Jackson. You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. .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. 42. I was only three years old when she died. 5. 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. They established and held on to their own cultural traditions in the small spaces that slavery afforded them. You should give a TED talk! She was a Murphy.. Introduction. Former slaves also interchanged surnames on census records. In another case Sukey Ann and he 4 children were manumitted by their Ashby owner with only their first names. 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. This causes many researchers to wrongly conclude that enslaved people did not have surnames until after emancipation, which was not the case. Claudia Bautista,Santa Monica, Calif. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. I am a farmer. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. 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 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. 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. Forenames. Last updated: November 1, 2003 "Dwelling No." 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 highest percentage of African names was found among male slaves in the eighteenth century, when . Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? 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. Emphasizes the giving and repeated use of names as a performative act of domination. Mining the Census: Are You Finding Every Clue? 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. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as Lincoln, Grant, and Washington was very popular. The box for father states unknown in law. Her marriage record states her name is Sarah Charlotte Gale, her father being John Sinclair Gale! Most common last names names: 1-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001-3000 | 3001-4000 | 4001-5000 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. I am the applicant for pension on account of having served in Co. B. It means 'raven'. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. My maiden surname is Williams. Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. 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.. 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 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. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that person's name. Q. Seating is limited. 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. And please do share posts that interest you. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. 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! Melvin, Perhaps this caused some Slaves to ask: Am I my new name or am I still my old name? Thats a goal that I am working towards. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. Hi Rodney, Harriet Tubman and some of the slaves she helped free. St. Louis County Library. Robinson: A patronymic of the name Robin. Your insight is always welcome and I am glad you shared these posts for other readers to see. This event is $12. 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. 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. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. -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. Edmon S. Conner Recalls About His Career", "Law and the Cultural Production of Race and Racialized Systems of Oppression", "Runaway Slaves and Servants in Colonial Virginia", Slavery in the Courtroom: An Annotated Bibliography of American Cases, "Soldier of Furtune: John Smith before Jamestown", "YSTUMLLYN, JOHN ('Jack Black') (d. 1786), gardener and land steward | Dictionary of Welsh Biography", "Strong, Jonathan (c. 17471773), de facto freed slave", "Juan Francisco Manzano | Slave Narratives | The MoAD Salon | MoAD - Museum of the African Diaspora", "Relatos sobre la India Juliana. 6. Thank you, my dear friend, for adding this about enslaved people owned in the Caribbean is really important, as some of the customs were certainly different. Special slave censuses were kept in the early 1800s. Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. 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. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people. 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. In 1801, the British government took the first census for Great Britain and Ireland. Choose the best name for your child. Herbert G. Gutman, The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925 (1976). Of course my mother wasnt a Bradley fore she married. An 's' at the end of a personal name also meant 'son of', for example Richards, Stevens, Williams and so on. . I belonged to him until emancipation. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. Post Author: Post published: 18 avril 2022; Post Category: . 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. Harris: A patronymic meaning son of Harry. Renate, A. After emancipation, they all used the Terry surname because their families had been with the white Terry family for generations. Currently, the most popular Black last name in America is Williams, with a total count of 774,920 people who have the surname. Archambeau. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher. 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. 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. Q. The result was the birth of mulatto, quadroon, or mustee (mestee) children. In 1800, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman were able to escape their terrible life of enslavement and were able to help other slaves trapped in a world of forced labour and grant them freedom once again due to the Underground Railroads that helped him, his partner Anna Murray Douglas and many other fugitives sneak away from the horrible 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. Phone: 314-994-3300, Hours & Locations Comments/Suggestions314-994-3300, Copyright 2023. 2023 The Voice of the Black Community in California. This reading contains quoted text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. Join my mailing list below to learn about upcoming webinars. Political Participation in the Nineteenth Century Atlantic Portugal and Brazile in the Age of Revolutions, Poverty in the Early Modern English Atlantic, Reconstruction, Democracy, and United States Imperialism, Settlement and Region in British America, 1607-1763, Slavery in British and American Literature, Slavery in Dutch America and the West Indies, Slavery in North America, The Growth and Decline of.
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