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Archiver > CARIBBEAN > 2003-03 > 1047838208


From: "Edward Crawford" <>
Subject: Re: "Surnames" - When did this start???
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 18:10:08 -0000
References: <20030305190357.09304.00000034@mb-mj.aol.com> <005901c2e3bd$7c1bb570$038720d9@StudyRoom> <000001c2ebba$27902e00$da7a4e51@tinykncwubxl> <002101c2ebd3$0d59a200$e8040150@johnweiss1>


John,
The Trinidad practice of always registering the slave with a surname was
certainly NOT followed in Jamaica. Many slaves, I would think at least over
half, are not given surnames in the first three registers, 1817, 1820 and
1823.
Edward Crawford

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Weiss" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2003 3:44 PM
Subject: Re: "Surnames" - When did this start???


> There is a partial answer to this question in relation to slaves in
> Trinidad.
>
> When slave registration was contemplated as a means of curbing the illicit
> importation of slaves into British colonies, it was introduced first into
> Trinidad. The Order instituting the register was drafted by James
Stephen,
> abolitionist and advisor to the Colonial Office, and promulgated on 26
March
> 1812, and included a regulation that slaves not registered would be freed.
>
> I believe it is CO 295/28 that gives details, on p251, of what was to go
> into the register. Slaves were to be treated in three groups: those who
> lived with their families, males who did not live with their families, and
> females who did not live with their families.
>
> All slaves were to registered with a surname, and the regulations included
> the following provisions: if a slave had no surname, then the surname of
the
> head of the household was to be used; if there was more than one household
> with the same name on the same plantation, then all households except one
> were to be given new surnames. [The term 'household' here clearly refers
to
> a slave household.] I'm not sure if this is complete, as I am quoting
from
> an article "The smuggled slaves of Trinidad 1813" by A Meredith John in
The
> Historical Journal, 31,2 (1988) 365-375. I have not checked it in the
> original CO 295 document, and perhaps Guy would have an opportunity to do
> this before I am next able to visit the PRO.
>
> The implication is that in Trinidad all slaves would have had surnames
once
> the register was complet. I understand that the regulations for the
Trinidad
> Register were intended to be the model for the registers of other
colonies,
> instituted later, but it's likely that one would have to go to the
Colonial
> Office files for each colony in turn to see what instructions were given -
> or rather, the Orders introducting these later registers. From what I have
> heard of Jamaican slaves deciding on surnames after emancipation, it would
> appear that the surname part of the Trinidad regulations was not repeated
> for other islands; or else, simply, that it was there but not acted upon;
or
> even, that on emancipation, ex-slaves rejected imposed surnames for ones
of
> their own choosing.
>
> John Weiss
> Independent Scholar, London
> See the history links at
> http://homepage.virgin.net/john.weiss/mcnish-weiss.html
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Guy Grannum" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2003 11:33 PM
> Subject: Re: "Surnames" - When did this start???
>
>
> : I have been trying to resolve this question for a number of years and I
> : haven't come across any studies on surname practices for slaves and
> : ex-slaves. There seem to be many routes for the taking of surnames - the
> : usual assumption is that slaves took the name of their owner and I
notice
> : that Dorothy's examples all took their owner's surname but I'm not sure
> that
> : this is the usual practice.
> :
> : I know that not all ex-slaves took surnames after emancipation - I have
> two
> : examples of Grannum marriages where the wives did not have surnames at
> : marriage. One is dated 1837 and the other 1840.
> :
> : Later this year I intend to start an interim study into slave surname
> : practices using sources in the Public Record Office - this will
obviously
> : be fairly limited because I don't have access to baptismal or marriage
> : records, deeds registers or local wills and genealogies will be
difficult
> : (if not impossible) to map. I am still working on the methodology and
will
> : seek advice from the experts nearer the time but the outcomes I hope to
> show
> : will be:
> : - likelihood of a slave taking the name of their owner (last owner,
> interim
> : owner or first owner)
> : - the likelihood of slaves in the same family having the same surname -
> was
> : this a maternal or paternal name?
> : - is there a difference in practices between the Protestant islands (eg
> : Jamaica because the registers include relationships and baptismal
entries)
> : and the Catholic countries (eg St Lucia and Trinidad where slaves are
> : arranged in family groups and most seem to have last names which are
> common
> : to the group - I assume therefore that these are surnames)
> : - was there a difference in practice between the USA and the Caribbean -
I
> : hope that there are comparable studies for the USA via the records of
the
> : Freedman's Bureau
> :
> : Does anyone know if there have been any studies on slave or Caribbean
> : surnaming practices? There are lots on first name practices but I have
not
> : found anything on surnames.
> :
> : Has anyone come across any instructions issued to the authorities or the
> : church on what to do when recording a slave or freeman who did not have
a
> : surname for official purposes eg opening a savings bank account, being
> : baptised or married, renting property, or signing contracts etc - most
of
> : these instances would be after 1823 when restrictions were relaxed in
the
> : amelioration process?
> :
> : Guy
>
>
>
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