Tag: african american
Sharp Bargainers
Several years ago, I started composing an essay titled “They Were Sharp Bargainers: John Eaton, Jr.’s 63rd United States Colored Troops.” I have not completed the article about the Civil War Superintendent of Freedmen and his black guard regiment because I have not felt satisfied that I had enough evidence … Continue Reading Sharp Bargainers
Jamelle Bouie Has Asked the Right Questions
What will be the relationship between Digital Humanities and research on slavery going forward?
The Nature of the Work of Transcribing Slave Names
The title of this post is ironic as I’m not sure there is anything natural about one person “owning” another. However, as I transcribe contraband camp registers, noting next to each freedperson the name of their “former owner,” I am lending regularity to something that would otherwise feel very strange. … Continue Reading The Nature of the Work of Transcribing Slave Names
Hennig Cohen on S.C. Slave Names*
Hennig Cohen, formerly of the University of Pennsylvania, referred to a “dual naming system among slaves in the eighteenth century” (103). Enslaved persons might have an English name but also have a nickname (“country name”) that might be African or African-influenced. Hennig’s study was based on names found in the … Continue Reading Hennig Cohen on S.C. Slave Names*
Hardtimes, cont.
Testing Inscoe’s Thesis with Contraband Camp Registers
Revisiting Carolina Slave Names
I tend to think that a month name might not have indicated the actual month of birth. Rather, the month could stand for something like “first,” winter, cold, Janus, etc. I think there are all sorts of possibilities and what was most important was what the word symbolized.
Last Road to Freedom 