Edited by Azizi Powell
(Revised February 18, 2020)
This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series that excerpts a 1799 paper that was written by George Washington, the first President of the United States. That paper lists enslaved Black people who were owned by or otherwise controlled by George Washington.
Part I of this series presents some of the names from a paper listing George Washington's slaves that he wrote in June 1799. [These lists are divided into Part I and Part II only because of blog space considerations.]
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/02/names-of-enslaved-black-people-on_18.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents additional names from a paper listing George Washington's slaves that he wrote in June 1799. which is said to have been written by George Washington around 1799. [These lists are divided into Part I and Part II only because of blog space considerations.]
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/02/africanarabic-names-other-non-standard.html for Part III of this series. Part III of this series highlights the names or nicknames from George Washington's 1799 of slaves that I believe are from some traditional West African languages and from the Arabic language.
Part III of this series highlights other names (or nicknames) from that entire George Washington's 1799 paper of enslaved people that might have been considered unusual in 18th century United States.
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The content of this post is presented for historical and onomastic purposes.
I'm most interested in documenting the types of names and nicknames that were used by these Black enslaved people, i.e. names that would be considered "standard" in the United States at that time, and names/nicknames that would be considered unusual during that time, including names that can be traced to West African languages or Arabic.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the government archives for sharing this information online.
RIP all those who are named in these lists.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/02/list-of-usa-presidents-who-owned-slaves.htmlfor this closely related pancocojams post entitled "List Of USA Presidents Who Owned Slaves & Names I Was Surprised To Find In A 1799 Paper Listing The Names Of George Washington's Slaves."
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR’S NOTES:
The information from this paper is reformatted to only include the people’s name, age [when given], marital status (when given for adults), and gender/mother’s name [when given].
In addition to that information, these paper includes notation about the people’s occupation [given as “Labour”], their disabilities, whether people [such as older people] were able to work, and where their spouse lived if they weren’t on the same farm/had the same owner. Some of that information is given under the heading of “Remarks” which I’ve left out of this reformatted list. This excerpt also doesn't include the notes at the end of this government archived paper.
George Washington used the word “Ditto” instead of written the same words that were used in that list before that name. For instance, “His wife” is given as “Ditto” if the words “His wife” were given before that name. Sometimes GW didn’t write either “His wife” or Ditto, but merely wrote the name of the wife.] For both of these entries, I’m writing “His wife” in brackets [Example: “George [His wife] Lydia”].
George Washington included the notation ""passed labr" which probably means "no longer able to work"
This pancocojams excerpt also doesn't include the information that was given about where the marital partners lived (when they lived away from the particular farm that is being enumerated on that list).
I added a hyphen to separate the name from the marital information/name or the mother's name.
When there wasn’t a space, I also added a space between the words “His wife” and the wife’s name.
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Note that the name "Betty D[avis] (listed in Part I of this series) is written this way in that list. It's a coincidence that a White woman who is known as "Bette Davis" became a famous actress in the United States and that same White woman is also known because of the Kim Carnes song "Betty Davis Eyes". Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Davis for information about the actress "Bette Davis".
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It’s interesting to note how many of George Washington’s enslaved people were married (since the USA history that I remembering learning in school/college indicated that enslaved Black people in the USA couldn’t be married). It’s also interesting to read how many of the married couples that are listed in this paper had to live apart from each other on another farm and/or with another owner.
It's also interesting to note that most of the names of enslaved Black people in this 1799 paper were considered to be "standard" American names in the late 18th century, and most of those names are still standard American names now (in 2020).
These names could have been given to these enslaved people by their mothers or by other Black people, or by White people. These names could also have been self-selected by the people themselves.
I was interested to note that a few of these enslaved Black people in this 1799 paper had surnames (family names). For instance: "Alce- 26-[Husband] Lears John" and "Betty- 20- [Husband] Lears Reuben."
Most of these surnames appear to be tied to what labor the person did- for example "Sall Twine- 38- [husband] Gardr George" and "Grace- 35- [Husband] Cartr Jack". ("Sall Twine" may indicate that Sall was a twin). Notice that these last names appear most often [only?) for the men on that list.
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[PART I OF THIS PANCOCOJAMS BLOG SERIES]
WASHINGTON'S SLAVE LIST, JUNE 1799
[extracted from] “Washington’s Slave List, June 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, accessed September 29, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0405. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series, vol. 4, 20 April 1799 – 13 December 1799, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999, pp. 527–542.]
“Washington’s Slave List, June 1799
[June 1799]
Editorial Note
The list of Mount Vernon slaves which GW drew up, probably some time in June 1799, included those slaves owned by him outright, those who were controlled by him as part of Martha Washington’s dowry, and a number who were rented by him in 1786 by contract with Mrs. Penelope French at the time he acquired her life rights to land that she owned on Dogue Run.
The slaves Washington owned in his own right came from several sources. He was left eleven slaves by his father’s will; a portion of his half brother Lawrence Washington’s slaves, about a dozen in all, were willed to him after the death of Lawrence’s infant daughter and his widow; and Washington purchased from time to time slaves for himself, mostly before the Revolution.
Washington also hired for varying periods of time individual slaves, usually skilled artisans, from neighbors and acquaintances. These do not appear on this slave list.
Only one other complete roll of the slaves at Mount Vernon has been found. In February 1786 Washington recorded in his diary all the Mount Vernon slaves, dower and personal, the farms on which they lived, and their jobs. The total at that time came to 216; it did not include Mrs. French’s slaves, the use of whom Washington acquired later in the year.
There are also in the Washington Papers at the Library of Congress Washington’s lists of his tithables in Truro and Fairfax parishes (where Mount Vernon lies) for every year from 1760 through 1774. These have been printed in the Papers, Colonial Series. These lists name slaves living at Mount Vernon but do not include children under the age of sixteen and a few elderly slaves who were not tithed. The lists of tithables also include the names of indentured white servants and other whites living on the farms, including GW’s overseers and managers. For further information on GW’s slaves, see Charles Lee to GW, 13 Sept. 1786, and especially note 4 to that document, GW to William Triplett, 25 Sept. 1786, and notes 3 and 5 (Papers, Confederation Series, 4:247–49, 268–74), Memorandum: Division of Slaves [1762] and note to that document (Papers, Colonial Series, 7:172–74), Division of Slaves, 10 Dec. 1754 (ibid., 1:227–31), and Diaries, 4:277–83.
Negros Belonging to George Washington in his own right and by Marriage
GW TRADESMEN &CA
Names ages
Nat - His Wife Lucy
George- [His wife] Lydia
Isaac- [His wife] Kitty
James- 40 -[His wife] Darcus
Sambo - [His wife] Agnes
Davy- [His wife] Edy
Joe - [His wife] Dolshy
Tom- [His wife] Nanny
Moses- No Wife
Jacob- No Wife
George- His wife Sall
Harry- No wife
Boatswain- His wife Myrtilla
Dundee- His wife [no name, a location given]
Charles- [His wife] Fanny
Ben- [His wife] Penny
Ben- [His wife] Sinah
Forrester- No Wife
Nathan - Wife Peg
W. Muclus
Juba - No wife
Matilda
Frank- Wife Lucy
Will- no wife
amount 24
MANSION HOUSE
Passed Labour
Frank- 80 -No Wife
Gunner - 90 -Wife Judy
Sam - 40 -[Wife] Alce
amount 3
Trades &ca not engagd in Cropping 24
Total 2[7] not cultivators of the Soil3
DOWER TRADESMEN &CA
Names ages
Tom Davis -Wife [no name given]
Simms - [Wife] Daphne
Cyrus- [Wife] Lucy
Wilson- 15 -no wife
Godfrey -Wife- Mima
James - [Wife] Alla
Hanson - No wife
Peter - [No wife]
Nat - [no wife]
Daniel- [no wife]
Timothy- [no wife]
Sla[min] Joe -Wife Sylla
Chriss-[Wife, no name given]
Marcus- no Wife
Lucy- Husband Ho[use] Frank
Molly- No Husband
Charlotte -No husband
Sall- [no husband]
Caroline- Husb[an]d Peter Hardman
Kitty- [husband] Isaa.
Alce - [husband] Charles Freeman
Betty Davis- [husband] Mrs Washington’s—Dick
Dolshy - Husbd Joe
Anna- [husband, no name given]
Judy- 21- No Husband
Delphy -[no Husband]
Peter- No wife
Alla- Husbd James
amount 28
MANSION HOUSE
Will- Wife- Aggy
Joe -[Wife]- Sall
Mike No wife
Sinah- Husbd Ben
Mima- [Husband] Godfrey
Lucy- No Husband
Grace- Husbd Mr Lear’s Juba
Letty- No husband
Nancy- [No husband]
Viner- [No husband]
Eve- 17 [No husband]
Delia- 14
Children
Phil- Son to Lucy
Patty- daughter to [Lucy]
Rachel- 12 daughter to Caroline
Jemima- 9 [daughter to Caroline]
Leanthe- 8 [daughter to Caroline]
Polly- 6 [daughter to Caroline]
Peter—B. 4 [daughter to Caroline]
Emery- Son to Alce
Tom- Son to Alce
Charles - Son to Alce
Henriette- Daughr [to Alce]
Barbara- 10 [daughter] to Kitty
Levina- 6 [daughter to Kitty]
Elvey- [daughter] to Charlotte
Jenny- [daughter to Charlotte]
Eliza- [daughter to Charlotte]
Nancy- 9- [daughter] to Betty D[avis]
Oney- 6- [daughter to Betty D[avis]
Lucinda- 2- [daughter to Betty D[avis]
Daniel- 6- Son to Anna
Anna- 4- daugh. [to Anne]
Sandy- 1½ -Son [to Anne]
Sucky- 5- daughr to Dolshy
Dennis- 2 mo.- Son [to Dolshy]
John - [Son]- to Mima
Randolph- [Son to Mima]
Nancy- daughr to Sinah
Burwell- Son to Lucy
Passed labour
Doll- No husband
Jenny- [No husband]
Old 2
Workers 12
Children 28
Amount 42 Mansion House
House Serts Spinners &ca &ca 28
Total 70 Not employed in the Crops &ca
Geo: Washington 2[7]
Dower 70
In all 9[7] not employed in the Crops
GW MUDDY HOLE F[ARM]
Names age
Gabriel 30 Wife Judy
Uriah 24
Moses 19 Son to Darcus
Kate old Husbd Will
Nanny [old] [Husband] Tom
Sacky 40 No Husband
Darcus 36 Husbd James
Peg 34 [Husband] Nathan
Alce 38 [Husband] Sam
Amie 30 No Husband
Nancy 28 Husbd Abram
Molly 26 No Husband
Virgin- 24- Husbd Gabl
Letty- 19- No husband
Kate long -18- daughr of Kate
Kate sht- 18- [daughter of Alce]
Isbel 16 [daughter] Sarah—dead
Townshend 14 Son to Darcus
Children
Alce -8 -Daughr to Darcus
Nancy -2 -[daughter to Darcus]
Lucy -11- Daughr to Peg
Diana- 8- [Daughr to Peg]
Alexander 3 Son [to Peg]
Darcus- 1- Daughr [to Peg]
Oliver- 11- Son to Nancy
Siss -8- Daughr [to Nancy]
Martin- 1 -Son [to Nancy]
George- 8- [Son] to Alce
Adam- 7- [Son to Alce]
Cecelia- 2- Daughr [to Alce]
Sylvia- 10- [Daughter] to Molly
James -7 -Son [to Molly]
Rainey- 8 -Daughr to Amie
Urinah- 2- [Daughter to Arnie]
Billy- 2- Son to Letty
Henry- 1- Son to Letty
Workers 18
Children 18 together 36
DOWER MUDDY HOLE F[ARM]
Names age
Davy- 56- Wife Molly
Will—Mink -60 -[Wife] Kate
Molly -76- Husband Davy
Patience -14- Daughtr Dolly
Mary- 11- [daughter] Betty
Workers 3
Does nothing 1
Young 1 In all 5
Altogether at this Farm 41.
GW RIVER FARM
Names age
Robin- 80 nearly passed
Natt -55 -Wife Doll
Ned -56 -[Wife] Hanh
Ben -22
Peg 56 -Husbd old Ben
Judy- 55- [Husband] Gunna
Cloe- 55- No husband
Suckey- 50 =[No husband]
Suckey—Bay -46 husbd- [no name given]
Sall- 30- [husband] Postn Joe
Rose- 28- No husband
Penny- 20- Husbd Ben
Lucy- 18- [Husband] Cyrus
Hannah- 12- daughr [to?] Daphne dead
Daniel- 15- Son to Suckey
Henry- 11- Son to Sall
Nancy- 11- daugh. to Bay Suke
Children
Elijah- 7 -Son to Sall
Dennis- 5 -[Son to Sall]
Gutridge- 3 -[Son to Sall]
Polly- 1- daughr [to Sall]
Hagar- 6 -[Daughter] to Rose
Simon- 4- Son [to Rose]
Tom- 2 -[Son to Rose]
Joe- 1- {Son to Rose]
Nancy- 4 -Daughr to Bay Suke
Passed labour
Ruth 70 husbd Breechy
Workers 17
Children 9
Passed labr 1 together 27
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This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series.
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