The box for father states unknown in law. Her marriage record states her name is Sarah Charlotte Gale, her father being John Sinclair Gale! Each is present in your body. Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given 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) I communicate with them on Facebook. Can you steer me in the right direction? Enslaved people suffered constant sale, where children were frequently torn away from parents at young ages and spouses were often separated. 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. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. Because I like to let formerly enslaved people speak for themselves, here are several examples of freedmen and women discussing their surnames. Louis (M) (English origin) means "famous warrior". The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). Examples include: Francois, Jean, Pierre, and Leon for men; and Manon, Delphine, Marie Louise, Celeste, and Eugenie for women. After emancipation, he moved back with his mother, brothers and sisters and used the Cobbs surname. A favorite of British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose has an air of blooming well-being and upper-class erudition. 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. You can read the introductory maps for a high-level guided explanation, view the timeline and chronology of . 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. Former slaves also interchanged surnames on census records. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. In 1911, Barnett and Frys widow, Mollie, both applied for pensions from the government. However the frequent rebellions by . After emancipation, they all used the Terry surname because their families had been with the white Terry family for generations. Baptiste Meaning: derived from the name Bautista; the Spanish form of Baptist Origin: Spanish 3. 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. Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era. Slavery's reach is still with us, and part of the gift of doing African-American genealogy, "The past is not dead. And you get to tell the story of Jean-Louiss life in slavery and also in freedom. Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. Thank you for commenting, and continued luck to you in your research. 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 poster on each page *provides the link to the handout* for that lecture, so be sure to copy it. Genealogy becomes so much more than just names and dates, it really feels like a true passion indeed. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! When they were sold away they remembered their loved ones and they created extended kinship networks. This was the case with several others from Wessyngton. 42. American slave owners or slaveholders were owners of slaves in the United States which typically worked either as agriculture laborers or house servants. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation. In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. A. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. 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. Search 31 million family names. The battle was long and hard-fought, with pro-slavery campaigners arguing that the slave trade was important for the British economy and claiming that enslaved Africans were happy and well-treated. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantations blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. I have done quite a bit of genealogy for my own family, and it was difficult enough, but what you are doing, is incredible work. They called me "OCK". John C. Inscoe, "Carolina Slave Names: An Index to Acculturation," Journal of Southern History 59 (November 1983). Robyn. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. There are so many examples of every kind of scenario, and I think it just speaks to the variety of experiences our ancestors had. After the war ended and slavery was abolished, they exercised their freedom by changing their names. How did you ever come by the name of "Mollie"? 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 If the slaveholder or another free white man was their father, many Creoles did use either is first or last name as a surname. Mining the Census: Are You Finding Every Clue? Even that feels like something. 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 . Slaves are identified by given name under their masters. I am the identical person who served in the said companies under the name of Lewis Smith. Miracle, (Old English and Latin Origin) Derived from the first name Mauritius meaning "dark". Numerous historical sources confirm that enslaved people had surnames that they used among themselves and in many cases were known by their slaveholder. My great grandfather Wilson Percival was born in South Carolina and I believe he took his surname from last slave owners family. 2023 Nameberry.com.Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. 26 September 2021 [PAST EVENT]: Acclaimed genealogist Melvin Collier and I will be presenting an all-new 2-hour lecture titled More Than Just Names: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research from 1:00-3:30 EST (please note it is Eastern Standard Time). There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. Eliza Moore (1843 - January 21, 1948) Source = Pinimg. They are held at The National Archives (Kew, England). Several of the other slaves were sold to various slave owners. Hi Rodney, They called me OCK. Proving their identity as former soldiers often revealed some of the most detailed explanations for former slaves choice of surnames. Kindest regards, Gerald, however, is a Germanic name meaning ruler) 2. Major types on which most would agree are European place and literary names, European personal names in hypocoristic (pet or diminutive) form, biblical and classical names, and names of African origin. Samuel had only two slaves: the man that could be Wilson and a 42-year-old woman. 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. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. 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.) A krio from.Freetown Sierra Leone. That alone can make if difficult to research an African- American family during those years. Just go to my Vimeo page and make your selection. ", "The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never ever introduce yourself to had life not done it for you. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. . Wonderful to have first hand account that help shine light on the attitudes of our ancestors. If searching for a slave owner with the same surname of your ancestor fails, check marriage records for the slave owners. slave rebellions, in the history of the Americas, periodic acts of violent resistance by Black slaves during nearly three centuries of chattel slavery. 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. Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. After emancipation, he became William Smith. For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett . I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. Florence, Fiorella, Fleur, and Flower are translations, but we like Flora best of all. They established and held on to their own cultural traditions in the small spaces that slavery afforded them. 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. This event is $12. On the 30 rolls of NARA Microfilm Publication M1895, Slave Manifests of Coastwise Vessels Filed at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1807-1860 (30 rolls), are reproduced manifests filed with the collector of customs at New Orleans, Louisiana, of slaves transported in coastwise trade to or from New Orleans during the period 1807-1860. Thank you for your comment, Best of luck to you in your research, This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am and is filed under Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews. by John C. Inscoe, 2006; Revised May 2022 by NC Government & Heritage Library. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. Robyn, youve done it again! The Language of Names. how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. The three databases below provide details of 36,000 trans-Atlantic slave voyages, 10,000 intra-American ventures, names and personal information. The link was not copied. I dont know what became of his parents. 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.