common last names for slaves in the 1800s

I truly believe they used surnames of each of their former owners for some of their childrens middle names. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. Slavery. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". 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. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. For example, Roll, Jordan,Roll has an entire chapter called The Naming of Cats, discussing slave names and The Slave Community has a very good chapter called The Slave Family. Two other books I like are Been In The Storm So Long by Leon Litwick (pgs 247-248)and Joining PLaces: Slave Neighborhoods in the Old South by Anthony Kaye. In another case Sukey Ann and he 4 children were manumitted by their Ashby owner with only their first names. . They cut it off from OCTAVIA. 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 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 . Dorothy, Doris or Dora: Meaning 'gift of God', this Victorian girl's name was popular in the 19th century. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that person's name. A. 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. Robyn. The following is a list of historical people who were enslaved at some point during their lives, in alphabetical order by first name. I was born in Montgomery County, Ala. the child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. 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. 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. All children of a female slave were automatically slaves, considered as belonging to the owner of the mother. Table 7. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. -Kendall Hailey, "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. 17. Enslaved women were raped, creating children with white fathers who in most cases did not claim them and even sold them away. It is these single names that have been most often studied. > | Index main page>| Index by slave owner's name, 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). . Because I like to let formerly enslaved people speak for themselves, here are several examples of freedmen and women discussing their surnames. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. 1. Harris: A patronymic meaning son of Harry. I was only three years old when she died. "Slave revolts in Puerto Rico: conspiracies and uprisings, 17951873"; by: Guillermo A. Baralt; Markus Wiener Publishers; harvnb error: no target: CITEREFAssociation_of_Muslim_Social_ScientistsInternational_Institute_of_Islamic_Thought2008 (, sfnm error: no target: CITEREFSmith2001 (, sfnm error: no target: CITEREFWhite2016 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFBrands2012 (, sfnm error: no target: CITEREFMcFeely1981 (, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:19, sued her master for her freedom on that ground, United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, Diego Pacheco Tllez-Girn Gmez de Sandoval, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, South Carolina's 5th congressional district, List of the last surviving American slaves, Timeline of abolition of slavery and serfdom, Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, National Museum of African American History and Culture, "What is the divine purpose for sending prophets? Turner was deeply religious,. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. The origins of this last name date back to the pre-medieval period. This is true in some cases but not all. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. 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. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one" As enslavement continued through the 1800s, African American culture included naming practices that were national in scope by the time of emancipation, and intimately related to the slave trade. Most did not want to use their former owners surname, even through about 20% did use the slave owners name. Hi Rodney, 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. Peneus saved Daphne from Apollos romantic obsessions by transforming her into a laurel tree. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. I hope this post also helps us to think about how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. Fortunately, the French and Latin were excellent record keepers and the Catholics were obsessed with knowing the kinship of everyone. Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin. And you get to tell the story of Jean-Louiss life in slavery and also in freedom. If we consider the diverse circumstances that the tragedy of slavery created, we can understand the reasons why. is for you. Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era. 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. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. Surnames like Chantimel have disappeared, while names like Horsford and Ackie, coming from Antigua (where they are common), or Quarless, Dowden, Chandler, and Dottin from Barbados, have enriched Grenada's family history and cultural identity. This is due in part to officials imposing surnames on them based on their last owners. However, many African Americans faced a problem when they applied for their pensions. 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. Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. . Chapter 4 gives a brief and introductory outline of naming in the United States during slavery and its consequences in African American culture. By the late 19th century, England was home to about 300 surnames with traceable genealogy. 77th U.S. Col Inf and Co. D. U.S. Col H Art under the name Lewis Smith which was the name I wore before the days of slavery were over. In fact, it's not even past." Private names used in the quarters included Abah, Bilah, Comba, Dibb, Juba, Kauchee, Mima, and Sena. 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. Mining the Census: Are You Finding Every Clue? One ancestor was known as Baber Masse, Elizabeth SENET and Elisabeth Leveille in different documents. Just makes me sad for the human spirit that anyone, let alone hundreds of thousands of people could participate in it. (Media Note: If you quote a post, please credit me by name, Robyn N. -Hugh Kingsmill, "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?" 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. The, 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. Aruba Congo Bob D'Sean Latoya Dilsy Lopez Lunah African Emmaline Ebo Mema Milla Kyser Ibo Medwin Oilsay Cupad Viney Centere Minta Zoruba Tyzer Nefar Phiba LaVaughn Congo Bob Ladia Ikbo Abah Medger Bossy Shand Cufee Uri Zulu jenee Sorce Tomm Dedib Slave Names Of The 1800's Cena Billah Quarker Lamoney Minba Geto Tonesia Zulu Jana Brutis Thats high on my to do list. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Harriet Tubman and some of the slaves she helped free. EDHASA, 2006, 359 pages, (. No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. The difficulties include using records that provide no surnames, the constant sale and breakup of families, and the lack of identification of fathers. Geographic names were common, as were the names of ships or distant ports for enslaved peopleborn in places such as Wilmington or New Bern. All of them are alive in this moment. CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT! Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! Here, our list of notable early African American names. Drawing on extensive archival records, this digital memorial allows analysis of the ships, traders, and captives in the Atlantic slave trade. A. 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. Who called you by that name and where was it done? Forenames. 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. They reflect an acculturation process by which generations of enslaved people, increasingly removed from the direct influence of their first enslaved African ancestors, adopted the conventions of their enslavers, eventually creating a culture and value system all their own. See flier here. 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. Like most of the architecture and towns in Italy, they can also tell a story. A. Data from the 2010 Census tells a different story. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. Through a video-based activity, students examine Americas struggle for a stronger democracy during Reconstruction and today. 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. va disability rating for groin pain, how much is half a roll of xanax,