The Mystery of the Mysterious Grandmother

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists two women with a mother called Kate: Psyche (b. 1783) and Leah (b. 1788). There were two women called Kate on the estate: Kate Spanish (b. 1763) and Kate (1777-1821). It's not clear in what sense the older woman was 'Spanish', since both were described as Negro and creole (born in Jamaica). The 1817 register also lists Leah's three daughters, who were estimated to be eight, four and two: Jessy (b. 1809), Eliza Green (b. 1813) and Mary Green (b. 1815). Later returns for the estate record the birth of Tom Green on the 14th of June 1819 and the birth and death of Amelia Green in the same year (4th June 1819-1st of December 1819).  Amelia and Tom may have been twins, but it's also possible that they resulted from two separate births within a single year or from imprecise age estimates. The 1826 return records the birth of John Hames (b. 1824) and the 1832 return adds Benjamin Young (b. 1829) . John Hames

  The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists twelve children whose mother's name is given as Luna: James Benton (b. 1781), who was described as Mulatto, Jobey (m) (1782-1832), John Young aka Jack (1789-1829), also described as Mulatto, Davy (b. 1793), Catalina (b. 1795), who was described as Sambo, Matlice (m) (b. 1796), Morant (m) (b. 1798), Leander (m) (1799-30th of June 1817) , Jane Brown aka Charlotte (b. 1802) ,* Natto (m) (b. 1803), Priscilla (b. 1807) and Bashee Brain (f) (b. 1813). There were two women called Luna on the estate, one born in 1763 (see ' Salinda of Covey ') and one born in 1771. You may have to download the family tree to see the details. Since the younger Luna was only 10 and 11 when they were born, James Benton and Jobey were probably the sons of the older Luna. By the time John Young aka Jack was born, the younger Luna was 18, and either woman could have given birth to any or all of the others, including Bashee Brain, by which

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists seven individuals whose mother's name was given as Moll: Ned (b. 1782), Alexander Williams (b. 1785), Careful (f)  (b. 1789), Chartena (b. 1791), William Grant aka Tommy (b. 1791), Zabrow (f) b. 1795) and Sandy (m) (b. 1799). There were two women called Moll on the estate, one born in 1767 and one in 1768 to Salinda (see ' Salinda of Covey '). Because they were close in age, it's impossible to determine which woman was the mother of which child.* Alexander Williams, Careful and William Grant aka Tommy were described as Sambo, suggesting that their father or fathers were of mixed African and European ancestry. Going down a generation, later returns from the estate record the birth of three girls to a mother called Chastina or Chastena: Jenny Doman (b. 1817), Milly Doman (b. 1820) and Sophia Doman (b. 1824).  Chastena could only have been Moll's daughter Chartena, but the extract from the 1817 register sh

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate includes two women whose mother was called Salinda: Luna, whose age was estimated as 54 (b. 1763) and Moll, who was estimated to be 49 (b. 1768). Salinda was also listed, with her birthplace given as Jamaica. Her age was estimated as 84 (b. 1733), which is compatible with giving birth to her daughters in her thirties, but it's also possible that the estimate is a rough gesture towards the category of 'very old' (and no longer economically valuable). The 1823 return for the estate records Salinda's death at the age of 88. For possible children for Salinda's daughters see ' Two women called Luna on Covey ' and ' Two women called Moll on Covey '. More about the Covey plantation More about sources What are the limitations of the evidence? Isn't this too neat to be convincing? A note about the identity of fathers A note about the ages of mothers A note about descriptions of colour A note on lan

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists five individuals with a mother called Pussy. They were Cudjoe (b. 1803), who was designated as Cudjoe 3rd, though this is unlikely to have been a stable epithet, Celia (b. 1806), Patience (b. 1797), Nat (b. 1808) and George Spencer (1811-1823).  The 1820 return for the estate added another daughter, Jemima Price (b. 15th of July 1817). Pussy was also listed in the 1817 register, with her age estimated as 40 (b. 1777). She would have been 26 when Cudjoe was born and 40 when Jemima Price was. For possible children for Celia, see ' Four women called Celia on Covey '. More about the Covey plantation More about sources What are the limitations of the evidence? Isn't this too neat to be convincing? A note about the identity of fathers A note about the ages of mothers A note about descriptions of colour A note on language and tone Why have I posted this family tree?          Want occasional email updates on John Tharp

Celia is given as the mother's name for seven children in the 1817 slave register and later returns for John Tharp's Covey estate. They are: Peggy Little (b. 1797), Violet (b. 1804), Mary Tonice (b. 1811), Belly Williams, Ned William (1822-1823), Ned Williams (1825-1826) and Becky Brown (b. and d. 1832).  There were four women called Celia on the estate at this time: Celia b. 1773, who would have been 24 when Peggy Little was born. She would have been 59 when Becky Brown was born but could theoretically have given birth to Belly and the two Neds in her late forties and early fifties. Celia b. 1777, who would have been 20 when Peggy Little was born, but was probably also too old to be Becky Brown's mother at 55. Celia Little b. 1799, whose family tree is discussed in a post called ' Claret of Covey '. The mother of Belly Williams was named as Celia (little), and the shared last name suggests that Ned William and Ned Williams also belonged to the same family. It's

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate includes two individuals for whom the mother's name is Bina. They are six-year-old Cere (f) (b. 1811) and four-year-old James Carr (b. 1813).  The 1823 return for the estate records the birth of another daughter, Juliet (b. 1823), to Binah [sic]. Binah was estimated to be  36 when the 1817 register was compiled (b. 1781). Her death was recorded in the 1832 return for the estate, when her age was estimated as 49 (d. 1830). Binah must have been the mother of Cere and James Carr, but she isn't the only possible mother for Juliet. When Juliet was born, a girl called Bina was 16 (see ' Claret of Covey '). Either of these two women could have been Juliet's mother. More about the Covey plantation More about sources What are the limitations of the evidence? Isn't this too neat to be convincing? A note about the identity of fathers A note about the ages of mothers A note about descriptions of colour A note on lang

  The 1817 slave register lists four individuals called Peggy: Peggy Big (b. 1768), Peggy Little (b. 1797),  who was the daughter of Celia (see ' Claret of Covey '), Peggy Forbes (b. 1800), who was described as Mulatto and Peggy (b. 1802), who was the daughter of Mimba. Peggy Big and Peggy Little are listed one after the other and 'big' and 'little' may be just ad hoc descriptions to distinguish between the two adults with the same name. However, ad hoc descriptions were the origin of many British last names too, and if the two Peggys were distinguished in this way in real life, it must have been since before the two younger (and presumably smaller) Peggys were born. This post focusses on the children of Peggy Big. Because of the age difference between Peggy Big and all the other Peggys, she must be the Peggy who was the mother of Tomboy (b. 1787), Andrew Macfarlane, aka Cudjoe (b. 1792), Jenny (b. 1797), Neptune (b. 1799), Billy Pautew (b. 1803) and Eleanor (b.

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate includes four individuals with a mother called Claret: Arabia (b. 1773), Colly (m)  (b. 1786), York (m) (b. 1789) and Shadrach (m) (b. 1796). Claret was also listed in the register. Her age was estimated as 60 (b. 1757), and she was described as creole (born in Jamaica).  Going down a generation, Arabia was named as the mother of six children: Celia Little (b. 1799), Cretia (b. 1801), Bina (b. 1806), Scipio (1810-1821), Cook (b. 1813) and Kent (b. 1st of July 1817). Possible great-grandchildren for Claret were recorded in later returns from the estate, and  discussed in the following posts: ' Four Celias on Covey ', for possible children of Celia Little ' Quasheba of Covey ', for possible children of Cretia ' Binah of Covey ', for a possible daughter for Bina  More about the Covey plantation More about sources What are the limitations of the evidence? Isn't this too neat to be convincing? A note about

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists two women with a mother called Quasheba: Roundhill (b. 1794) and Eliza Atkinson aka Cretia (b. 1795). The mother of Eliza Atkinson/Cretia was named as A. Quasheba. The register lists two women called Quasheba: one who was born in 1763 and died on the 1st of April 1818, and one who was born in 1777. Both were born in Jamaica, and the older Quasheba was described as Sambo, suggesting that one of her parents had some European ancestry, which indicates that she was at least the third generation of her family to have been enslaved.  Unfortunately, it isn't clear which of the two women was 'A. Quasheba', or what the 'A' stood for. It also isn't clear whether or not Roundhill and Eliza Atkinson/Cretia were sisters. Going down a generation, Roundhill's family seems relatively straightforward. She had four children who were listed in the 1817 register and later returns from the estate: John Young (b. 181

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists four individuals with the mother's name of Cybelle: Sarah Virgo aka Mary Ann (b. 1773), Rosey (b. 1802), Dover (b. 1806) and Nelson (b. 1808). Cybelle aka Isabel (b. 1783) was the only woman listed under any possible spelling of that name not only on this estate but on any of John Tharp's estates. She could have given birth to Rosey, Dover and Nelson between the ages of 19 and 23, but would have been only 10 when Sarah Virgo aka Mary Ann was born. There are four possible explanations: Cybelle/Isabel was older than her estimated age Sarah Virgo/Mary Ann was younger than her estimated age The mother of Sarah Virgo/Mary Ann was another woman who went by the name of Cybelle but was listed under another name in the 1817 register The mother of Sarah Virgo/Mary Ann was another woman who went by the name of Cybelle but died before the 1817 register was compiled For possible children for Sarah Virgo/Mary Ann see ' Three

The 1817 slave register and later returns for John Tharp's Covey estate list  five children with a mother called Cretia or Lucretia:  Christian (b. 1809), who was described as Sambo, was the daughter of Lucretia Kitty Slack (b. 1816), who was described as Mulatto, was the daughter of Cretia John Tharp (b. 1819), who was described as Mulatto, was the son of Lucretia Jane Brown (18th of May 1819-1820), who was described as Negro, was the daughter of Cretia Jane Tharp (b. 1824), who was described as Mulatto, was the daughter of Lucretia  There were two women on the estate called Lucretia and one or two called Cretia.  Eliza Eccleston and Eliza Atkinson/Cretia may have been the same woman, but some doubt remains (see ' Eliza Eccleston of Covey ') : Eliza Eccleston (n.d.) (see ' Eliza Eccleston of Covey ') Eliza Atkinson aka Cretia (b. 1795) (see ' Quasheba of Covey ') Lucretia (b. 1801) (see ' Claret of Covey ') Lucretia (b. 1802) (see ' Four women c

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate includes four individuals with a mother called Queen: Princess (b. 1777), Bess (b. 1783), Prittabella (b. 1798) and Caesar (b. 1804). The 1820 return of 'increases' and 'decreases' records Caesar's death on the 22nd of January 1820, at the age of 15. Like all her children, Queen was born in Jamaica, and her age was estimated as 54 (b. 1763). The 1817 register also lists the children of Princess: Amey (b. 1803), Penny (b. 1808), Prudence (b. 1811) and Adam Reid (b. 1814). Possible children for Bess are discussed in a post called ' Four women called Bess on Covey '. More about the Covey plantation More about sources What are the limitations of the evidence? Isn't this too neat to be convincing? A note about the identity of fathers A note about the ages of mothers A note about descriptions of colour A note on language and tone Why have I posted this family tree?          Want occasional email updates

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists five children with a mother called Sarah: June (b. 1797), John (b. 1803), Richard (b. 1803), Mary Ann (b. 1807), Henry (b. 1812) and Frances (b. 1815). The 1820 return, the only one that gives precise dates, adds Pinkey Richards (b. 10th of July 1818) and Maria Williams (b. 18th of June 1820). In addition, Bunchy Small (b. 1831) was born to a mother called Sarah Stuart. Maria Williams and Bunchy Small were described as Negro, and all of the others as Sambo.  Three women called Sarah on Covey were the right age to be possible mothers for these children: Sarah Virgo aka Mary Ann (b. 1773), who was the daughter of Cybelle (see ' Cybelle of Covey '). She would have been 24 when June was born and 47 when Maria Williams was. She would have been too old to be the mother of Bunchy Small. Sarah (b. 1777), who was the daughter of Rosanna (see ' Rosanna of Covey '). She would have been 20 when June was born and 43 whe

The 1826 record of 'increases and decreases' among the people enslaved on John Tharp's Covey estate notes the birth of John Partridge (b. 1824) and Sarah (b. 1826), both to a mother named Eliza Eccleston.  The 1832 return adds another son, called Thomas Stuart (b. 1830). The 1817 register listed four women called Eliza and two more called Elizabeth, none with the last name Eccleston: Eliza Atkinson aka Cretia (b. 1795), daughter of Quasheba Eliza Francis aka Priscilla (b. 1795), daughter of Rosannah Elizabeth Dixon aka Betty (b. 1799), daughter of Leah, described as Mulatto Eliza Lobban (b. 1809), who was described as Mulatto, and who died in 1831 Eliza Green (b. 1813), daughter of Leah Elizabeth Stewart (b. 1813), daughter of Camilla, described as Mulatto Assuming that the same woman was the mother of all three children, we can discount Eliza Green and Elizabeth Stewart, who would only have been eleven when John Partridge was born. All three of Eliza Eccleston's childr

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate lists six individuals with a mother named as Rosanna or Rosannah: Bess Kingston (b. 1773), Simon (b. 1773), Hightimes (b. 1777), Sarah (b. 1777), Mishie (b. 1787) and Eliza Francis aka Priscilla (1795-1824).  Rosanna's age was estimated as 84 (b. 1733). I suspect this is an imprecise gesture in the direction of 'very old', because there would be few people alive who could have confirmed her age with any precision.  If she had been born in 1733, she'd have been 62 when Eliza Francis was born, so she was probably at least 10 years younger. Going down a generation, Bess Kingston was named specifically as the mother of three individuals in the 1817 register and later returns from the estate:  Charlotte Hay aka Flora (b. 1799), Notice (m) (b. 1804) and James Handyman (7th of December 1819-20th of May 1820) . Other children who may also have been hers are discussed in a post called ' Four women called Bess on Covey

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Covey estate includes 15 individuals with a mother called Bess:* Robin (b. 1789), Alexander Broderick aka Roger (b. 1795), Dorrinda (b. 1795), Shooman (m) (b. 1795), Fema (f) (b. 1797), Charlotte Hay aka Flora (b. 1799), whose mother was 'K. Bess', Jasper (b. 1800), Lucretia (b. 1802), Notice (m) (b. 1804) , whose mother was 'K. Bess',  Christmas (m) (b. 1805), Leven (m) (b. 1807), Clarey (b. 1810), Sally Hawkins (b. 1811), Betty (b. 1813) and Roger (1816-1820), whose mother was 'G. Bess'. The 1820 return adds James Handyman (1819-1820), whose mother was 'Bess (Kingston)'. Assuming that Bess was used consistently (that it wasn't used interchangeably with forms like Bet, Betty, Bessy, Betsy, Elizabeth, Liz, Lizzy and Eliza), there were four women who could have been the mother of some of these children: Bess aka Phoebe (b. 1773), whose mother wasn't named. She was between 16 and 46 when these children w