A Muddle of Elizabeths on Lansquinet

The 1817 slave register and later returns for John Tharp's Lansquinet estate include six individuals with a mother called Elizabeth or Eliza: 

- Caroline (1822-1823), described as Mulatto, whose mother's name was Eliza
- Charles Mosselman (b. 1823), described as Mulatto, whose mother's name was Eliza
- Patrick (b. and d. 1823), described as Mustee, whose mother's name was Elizabeth Cole
- Robert (b. 1825), described as Mustee, whose mother's name was Elizabeth Cole
- Bessy Smart (b. 1830), described as Sambo, whose mother's name was Elizabeth Smart
- William McBean (b. 1831), described as Sambo, whose mother's name was Eliza Smart

The records for Bessy Smart and William McBean suggest that Eliza and Elizabeth were interchangeable forms, but I'm assuming here that other pet-forms of Elizabeth (Bess, Bessy, Betsy, Betty, etc.) were kept distinct, i.e. that if a woman's name was Betty, it was always Betty, and never Elizabeth. 

There are nine records of women called Elizabeth or Eliza on the estate, referring to between five and seven individuals:

1. Eliza, who was included without any further information in a list dating from 1795/1803* [?= Elizabeth McWharrie (3)]
2. Elizabeth, who was included in the same list, and described as Quadroon [?= Elizabeth Coles (4)]
3. Elizabeth McWharrie (1796-1832), who was included in the 1817 register and 1832 return [? = Eliza (1)]
4. Elizabeth Coles (b. 1800), who was included in the 1817 register and described as Quadroon [?= Elizabeth (2)]
5. Elizabeth (b. 1818), daughter of Statira, whose birth was recorded in the 1820 return where she was described as Mulatto. Her family tree is discussed in 'Two women called Statira on Lansquinet'
6. Eliza (1818-1822), daughter of Bess, whose birth was recorded in the 1820 return and her death in 1823. She was described as Mulatto, and her family tree is discussed in 'Five women called Bess on Lansquinet'
7. Eliza Cook (b. 1818), daughter of Dolly, whose birth was recorded in the 1820 return. Her family tree is discussed in 'American Bess or Betty of Lansquinet'

Eliza (6) died young, and therefore could not have been the mother of any of these children.


Caroline (1822-1823) and Charles Mosselman (b. 1823) were both described as Mulatto. Only Eliza (1), Elizabeth McWharrie (3) and Elizabeth Coles were old enough to be their mother, and unless the colour terms were being used loosely, Elizabeth Coles' child could not have been described as Mulatto. This makes Eliza (1) or Elizabeth McWharrie (3) the only possible mothers for these two. Because they were recorded in two different lists, it's possible that they were the same person.

Patrick (b. and d. 1823) and Robert (b. 1825) were described as Mustee and their mother was named as Elizabeth Cole. Despite the minor difference in the form of her name, there's no question that Elizabeth Coles was their mother. Elizabeth Coles was probably the girl who is listed as Elizabeth (2) above.



Bessy Smart (b. 1830) and William McBean (b. 1831) were described as Sambo, indicating that one parent had some white ancestors and that the other was of entirely African heritage. They appear to have shared the same mother (Elizabeth or Eliza Smart), but the last name doesn't help us because any one of the Elizabeths could have used different last names at different points in their lives. 

The colour descriptions are much help either. If either Elizabeth Coles or Elizabeth (5) had been known as Elizabeth Smart, they could have had Bessy and William with a father of entirely African heritage. Eliza (1), Elizabeth McWharrie or Eliza Cook (7) could have been their mother, with a father of mixed African and European ancestry. 

Elizabeth (5) and Eliza Cook (7) would have been 12 when Bessy Smart was born and 13 when William McBean was. Although such early motherhood is unlikely, it cannot be discounted. Unfortunately, this means the identity of Elizabeth Smart remains undetermined.

The family trees in this post summarize the assumptions and conclusions I have drawn above, but they should be understood as tentative. If you have additional information to support or challenge these deductions, please add a comment below.


* This unofficial list is now held among the Tharp papers in Cambridgeshire County Archives. It includes a list of 58 children born between 1795 and the 1st of June 1803 when the list was compiled. Some names are annotated as 'Mo' (Mulatto) or 'Qua' (Quadroon), but no other information is given.



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