common last names for slaves in the 1800s
Hi Pat, African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. It is not uncommon to see an African American family listed with one surname in 1870 and another in 1880. Thomas mother, younger brothers and sisters remained with the Black family. It had always been passed down in the family that Thomas has been owned by the Blacks. Choose the best name for your child. Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno might inspire some parents. . Louisiana, U.S., Slave Manumission Records, 1719-1820. You can read the introductory maps for a high-level guided explanation, view the timeline and chronology of . We had to register as someone, so we could be citizens. 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. Miracle, (Old English and Latin Origin) Derived from the first name Mauritius meaning "dark". Last updated: November 1, 2003 "Dwelling No." I am a farmer. 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. Almost every major tome on slavery discusses slave naming practices in some form or fashion. Wheatley was traded into slavery at the age of 7 or 8 and imported to North America. Here, our list of notable early African American names. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? 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. Robyn. I did not even check the 1850 slave schedule. Use the form below to get in touch with me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. 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. European, Javanese and African and Indentured Servitude in First Contact and Early Colonization of Brazil, France and its Empire in the Indian Ocean, France and the British Isles from 1640 to 1789, George Montagu Dunk, Second Earl of Halifax, Green Atlantic: the Irish in the Atlantic World, Histories and Historiographies of the Atlantic World, Impact of the French Revolution on the Caribbean, The, Indentured Servitude in the Atlantic World, Indian, Internal Slave Migrations in the Americas, Interracial Marriage in the Atlantic World, Liverpool in The Atlantic World 1500-1833, Maritime Atlantic in the Age of Revolutions, The, Marriage and Family in the Atlantic World, Material Culture of Slavery in the British Atlantic, Money and Banking in the Atlantic Economy, Napolon Bonaparte and the Atlantic World, Nation and Empire in Northern Atlantic History, Native American Histories in North America, Native Americans and the American Revolution, People of African Descent in Early Modern Europe, Pets and Domesticated Animals in the Atlantic World. 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. . 1. 17. "Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation." In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. 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. Students consider what it means to be free by learning about the choices and aspirations of freedpeople immediately after Emancipation. College, Advanced AA Gen Class, September 2011, AAHGS Annual Genealogy Conference, November 2008, Howard Comm. -George Burns, "Where does the family start? . 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". 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. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantations blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. 41. Facing History & Ourselves, "Changing Names," last updated May 12, 2020. Popular English baby names by decade - 1840s - 1990s 1840s 5 Robert - 53 Margaret - 47 The 1860s first saw the Rimmers' use of 1870s Boys Girls Total registered births - 1,944 1 John - 160 Mary - 151 The 1870s first saw the Rimmers' use of What was the first girl's name in the 1900s? Hi Rodney, Harriet Tubman and some of the slaves she helped free. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. But the meanings of names certainly evolved over time, and some have argued that the principles according to which an individual name was given (e.g., after a relative or ancestor) are at least as important as its apparent meaning and type. 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. So just a few things to be aware of when researching any African-American ancestors. 6. Relish, (Old French Origin) Derived from relaisse meaning "flavor or taste". Forenames. My Vimeo ON Demand video page lists six videos you can choose from to watch for 3 months ($15 each): -Finding the Last Slaveowner: Guidance and Case Studies, -Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People, -Using Deed Records to Uncover Your Family, -Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You've Done and, -More Than Just a Name: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research. This is another instance of oral history being a key component in tracing African American ancestry. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Burton, Richard D.E. Names and Naming in Afro-Caribbean Culture. New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 73 (1999): 3558. Theres always more to learn! 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. I was bornthe child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. 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. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. Wood were recorded as slave. Thats a goal that I am working towards. It gives the age and sex of the slave and the number of slaves of each age and sex. A krio from.Freetown Sierra Leone. Bailey, Word Stories Surrounding African American Slavery. Another common way of distinguishing people would be 'son of', for example Johnson (son of John), Richardson, Wilson, Harrison etc. 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. After Emancipation, many former slaves adopted new names and surnames. Here, three different former slaves discuss their names and the changes they underwent after Emancipation. 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. . Derived from the word anull that is the Catalan language dominantly used in southern France, Anouilh means 'slow worm'. In 1911, Barnett and Frys widow, Mollie, both applied for pensions from the government. Even worse, during this period, many African Americanssome using surnames for the very first timechanged their surnames once or even several times. CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT! According to the latest search data available, Italian last names and their meanings are searched for nearly, 40,500 times per month. 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. I presume no death certificate for her survives? 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". I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. 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. They were Nelson Nunn and George Nunn and they may have changed their names to Crosby too because they were my fathers children.. is for you. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Gradually, to show contempt for Slaves, the captors used Buck and Wench for naming the genders till they became trade terms, like Filly and Shoat.Contempt for the male was removing his honorific attachment to fatherhood and manhood by being addressed as Boy. Once the vigorous years of his prime were passed, he was allowed to assume the title of Uncle. Females were called Gal, girl, or the name of some animal. You already know the rich historical terrain of FPOC in Louisiana, what terrific grounds for family research. Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. 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.