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From: "Dorothy Kew" <>
Subject: Re: "Surnames" - Christian names in 1817
Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2003 12:41:18 -0500
References: <20030305190357.09304.00000034@mb-mj.aol.com> <005901c2e3bd$7c1bb570$038720d9@StudyRoom> <003501c2e581$6d191f20$204c76d5@pandora.be>


I'd like to comment on Jan's post re Surnames. I htink I've sent this to
the List before but it may bear repeating. While researching my
great-grandfather, John Owen Wood, in Port Royal, Jamaica, I came across
several baptisms for slaves belonging to him, along with the baptism of my
grandmother, his illegitimate daughter, Ann Wood. Here are the notes I made
at the time:

John Owen Wood, the father of Ann Wood by Mary Holms, appears to have been a
slave owner in Port Royal. There are several references in the Port Royal
Copy Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, Vol. 1 to baptisms of
slaves owned by John Owen Wood. The following references to John Owen Wood
are found in the baptisms in the Copy Register and range from about 1813 to
1821:

12 February 1813
Ann Wood, daughter of John Owen Wood & Mary Holms of Colour (born) Feby. 2
1811.

18 January 1818
Sarah Wood, formerly Sarah black slave of John O. Wood; James Wood,
formerly James black slave of John O. Wood; Margaret Wood, formerly
Margaret black slave of John O. Wood.

25 January 1818
Cassandra Wood, formerly Cassandra black slave of John O. Wood; Jane Wood,
daughter of Cassandra black slave of John O. Wood; Trusty Wood, formerly
Trusty black slave of John O. Wood.

8 February 1818
Patience Wood, formerly Patience black slave of John O. Wood; Daniel Wood,
son of Patience black slave of John O. Wood; Christy Wood, son of Patience
black slave of John O. Wood; Elizh Wood, daughter of Patience black slave of
John O. Wood; Thomas Wood, son of Patience black slave of John O.Wood;
Henry Wood, son of Patience black slave of John O. Wood; Sarah Wood,
daughter of Patience black slave of John O. Wood; Ann Wood, formerly Nancy
black slave of John O. Wood; Mary Wood, daughter of Ann Wood black slave of
John O. Wood.

30 August 1818
Sarah Wood, free mustee daughter of John O. Wood and Mary Tracey (born)
June 24 1818.

25 March 1821
Richard Wood, black slave of John Owen Wood 45 years.

19 August 1821
John Wood, negro slave of J. Owen Wood 35 years.

I would say that those slaveowners who had their slaves baptized in the
Church of England usually gave them their own surname as well. You will
note in the baptisms for 8 February 1818 the wholesale baptism of an entire
family, the slave, Patience, and her children.

Dorothy

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jan Bousse" <>
To: <>
Sent: March 8, 2003 9:45 AM
Subject: Re: "Surnames" - Christian names in 1817


> As Edward indicated, I spent some time with him last Wednesday and I went
on
> checking out some data in the slave registers at the PRO. That and the
fact
> that the day before I had been researching ancestors at the FHC in
> Exhibition Road, makes that I have a series of questions that I would like
> to ask my fellow list members. But first only a remark about "surnames" in
> Jamaica.
>
> In T71/33 Jamaica : St. Mary, I was looking for slave owners with the name
> Campbell. The one that seems to be more interesting is Harriet CAMPBELL.
In
> the slave register the name of her property is not mentioned, but in the
> 1821 Almanack she is listed as the owner of Bishop's Mount, St. Mary. In
> 1817 she provides a full and detailed list of her 47 slaves. The first
> column gives the original names, the second states "Christian Names". The
> first original name for instance is Mandy, a Negro, 40 yrs, African, and
his
> Christian Name is given as Joseph CAMPBELL.
>
> Therefore my remark. In 1817 this slave owner gave already names, that she
> called "Christian names", but that one can as well term as surnames. I
have
> a query about this as well. Would the fact that this African man, Mandy,
was
> at some time given the "Christian name" Joseph Campbell, indicate that he
> had been baptized? And if so, would any record of such baptism have
> survived?
>
> To give you a bit more information. The following men in the list are
young
> negroes, termed as Creole, meaning they were born in Jamaica, and the
names
> of their mothers are given. These women are themselves "African". Lucius,
22
> yrs, has the Christian name Robert Campbell, Windsor became Duncan
Campbell
> and Ballantyne was Henry Campbell. Lucius' mother, Princess, did not seem
to
> have received a Christian name, Windsor's mother was Lettice and she
became
> Gabella Gordon, Ballantyne's mother Prudence has the Christian name
> Elizabeth Shaw. I am sure various facts can be deduced from these names,
> ages, etc., although I am not quite sure which ones. Any ideas out there?
>
> And last not least another question. Can anyone determine where the
property
> Bishop's Mount in St. Mary was located exactly. My reference points are
> Pimento Hill, Friendship and Friendship Mountain, Carlton, Islington. I
> would hope that Bishop's Mount was in that general area.
>
> Enough for now. I hope you could help me. I am of course quite willing to
> give you more of the data that I collected during that search.
>
> Jan BOUSSE
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Edward Crawford" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 9:46 AM
> Subject: Re: "Surnames" - When did this start???
>
>
> (snip)
>
> In Jamaica for instance many if not most slaves did not have
> > surnames in the 1820s. (It may be different on other islands.) I
> understand,
> > though I have not researched the period, that with emancipation in
1834-38
> > all ex-slaves took surnames. If you are seeking that link between pre
and
> > post emancipation period, it is often very, very difficult as I was
> > discussing with Jan Bousse at the PRO yesterday.
> > Edward Crawford
>
>
>
>
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