THE TRUTH ABOUT SURNAMES OF

FORMERLY ENSLAVED PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT

BY RUTH RANDALL, CG

Commonly Held Beliefs:

Enslaved people of African descent did not have surnames.
Following their emancipation, freed men and women adopted the
surnames of their former owners.
It was common practice for a freed person to adopt the surname of a
historically prominent person.
A CASE STUDY
(Based on Military and Probate Records)

Thomas Goode, Martha Goode, Theodore Stanley

and
The Graham Family
THE RAGLAND FAMILY
Kelly, William and John
(Information Discovered in Military Records)

NAMES OF HISTORICALLY PROMINENT INDIVIDUALS

Hush, Hush, Somebodys Calling My Name (A Negro Spiritual)

LECTURE NOTES
COMMONLY HELD BELIEFS:

A CASE STUDY:
Military Records

Probate Records

THE RAGLAND FAMILY

THE NAMES OF HISTORICALLY PROMINENT INDIVIDUALS

Like The Pine Trees Lining the road, Ive Got A Name
NWritten by Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox
Recorded by Jim Croce