The Mystery of the Mysterious Grandmother

The birth of a baby girl called Lucia on the 30th of April 1820 was registered in the 1820 return of 'increases' and 'decreases' for the Good Hope estate. A woman called Lucia (b. 1787) died on the estate on the 27th of May of the same year, and since the baby's mother's name was Lucia, it's possible that baby Lucia's mother died at the age of 33 as a result of complications of childbirth. However, no  Lucia born in 1787 was listed in the 1817 slave register.  There was a Lucia who was born in Africa in about 1775, who would have been about 45 when little Lucia was born. A Lucia who was born in 1752 is discussed in ' Lucia of Good Hope '. It's possible that there was only one younger woman named Lucia on the estate, and that the trustee or overseer who registered her death in 1820 did not know or did not think it was important to note that she had been born in Africa. Though the disparity in age estimates is larger than usual, this seems more

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate lists three children with a mother called Countess:  Thetis (b. 1803), January (m) (b. 1808) and Prue (b. 1814). Later returns for the estate added three more daughters:  Charlotte (b. 12th of February 1819),* Bess (b. 1822) and Melly (b. 1825).  There were two women on the estate called Countess. One was born in Africa in about 1777 and one in Jamaica in 1802. The older Countess could have given birth to any or all of these children between the ages of 26 and 48. The younger Countess was 12 when Prue was born, and is unlikely to be her mother, but she could have given birth to Charlotte, Bess and Melly between the ages of 17 and 23. The dotted divider in the family tree indicates that the older Countess was almost certainly the mother of the three older children, but that either woman could have given birth to the three youngest. Going down a generation, the 1823 return records the death of Thetis's son Jupiter at the a

The 1817 slave register for the Good Hope estate lists a boy called George (b.1812), who was described as Mulatto) and whose mother was named as Clarissa. His death was recorded in the 1823 return of 'increases' and 'decreases'. The 1820 return, the only one that gives dates, records the birth of Delia on 1st of April 1820 to a mother called Clarissa. A woman called Clarissa was listed in the 1817 slave register, with a date of birth of around 1781 and a mother called Castena. Her death was recorded in the 1820 return, on the 5th of March 1819, which means that she couldn't be Delia's mother. Castena wasn't listed in the 1817 register, though she may have been listed under another name, but her death was recorded in the 1820 return as having occurred on the 14th of April 1819. Her age at death was estimated as 64 (b. 1756), and she was described as creole (born in Jamaica). Another woman called Clarissa (b. 1795) was purchased with her mother, Venus (1769-18

Two children on the Good Hope estate are listed to a mother called Bell: a daughter called Fanny (b. 1815) and a son called January (b. 20th of September 1818, d. 27th of November 1818).* Two women called Bell were included in the 1817 slave register for this estate. One was born in Africa in about 1783 and the other in Jamaica in about 1786.  The death of a woman Bell who was born in Jamaica was registered in the 1820 return as having occurred on the 10th of December 1817, at the age of 31 and a half.  The death of 'Bell Ebo' was recorded in the 1823 return, and her age at death was estimated at 38. This means that it must have been the  Bell born in Africa who gave birth to January in 1818. Fanny could have been the daughter of either woman. * The 1820 return is the only one that gives precise dates for births and deaths. More about Good Hope More about sources What are the limitations of the evidence? Isn't this too neat to be convincing? A note about the identity of fat

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate includes two women whose mother was named as Mary Ebo: Charlotte (b. 1795) and Margaret (b. 1783).  Mary Ebo (b. 1763) was also listed in the register, which describes her as African (born in Africa). The description Ebo suggests that she was from the Igbo people of Nigeria. Going down a generation, possible children for Margaret are discussed in ' Three women called Margaret on Good Hope '.  Charlotte was given as the mother's name for five  children listed on the estate:  William Mitchell (b. 1792), Nelly Girdwood (b. 1813), James (b. 1815), Mary Ann aka Nancy (b. 21st of January 1819)* and Mimba (b. 1825) .  William Mitchell was described as Sambo, and the son of Charlotte Mulatto.  Nelly Girdwood and James were  described as  Mulatto. Mary Ann/Nancy and Mimba were described as Negro. Another Charlotte on the estate (1766-1822) was  described as  Quadroon .  Unless there had been another Charlotte on the estat

In the 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate, two boys were listed with a mother called Margaret: March (b. 1813) and York (b. 1816). Later returns for the estate added Cato (1st of January 1818-18th of January 1819,* whose mother was named as Maggy), Cretia (21st of January 1819-13th of July 1819),* Joans (as shown) (b. 20th of April 1820),* Sam (b. 1821), John Pickett (1825-1829) and Elizabeth Pickett (b. 1832). John and Elizabeth Pickett were described as Quadroon. T here were three women called Margaret on Good Hope who could have been their mother: 1. Margaret (b. 1783), daughter of Mary Ebo [=Igbo, from Nigeria]. S ee ' Mary Ebo of Good Hope '. She would have been between the ages of 30 and 49 when these children were born and could theoretically have been the mother of any or all of them. 2. Margaret McCullock (b. 1800), who was described as Mulatto and was the daughter of Behaviour. Given the colour descriptions, she is the only one who could have be

Two individuals on the Good Hope estate were listed with a mother called Sarah: Charley (1809-1829) and King (b. and d. 1826). Charley's mother was named as Sarah Ebo [= from the Igbo people of Nigeria ], which suggests a mother born in Africa. Since both boys were described as Negro, their father would also have been of African heritage. Two women called Sarah were the right age to have given birth to these sons: Sarah (b. 1782, in Africa) and Sarah Oldham (b. 1799). Sarah Oldham was described as Mulatto and creole (born in Jamaica), so we can discount her as the mother of these boys. Her family tree is discussed in a post called ' Binah of Good Hope '. More about Good Hope 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

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope plantation listed a woman called Peggy Forbes, who was born in Jamaica in 1800 and described as  Mulatto.  In later returns of 'increases' and 'decreases' on the plantation, she  was named as the mother of seven children: Ann Roberts (b. 28th of December 1818),* Frederick (b. and d. 1823), Sally (b. and d. 1823), Jane White (b. 1826), Quaw (b. and d. 1826), John Muir (1829-1832) and William Thornton (b. 1831). All seven of Peggy's children were described as Quadroon , and she lost four of them in infancy. Peggy's mother was not  named, but she may have been the sister or half-sister of Jeannet or Janet Forbes (see ' Three women called Nelly on Good Hope '), who was also described as  Mulatto. * The 1820 return is the only one that provides dates. More about Good Hope More about sources What are the limitations of the evidence? Isn't this too neat to be convincing? A note about the identity of fat

Returns from the Good Hope estate in 1826 and 1832 record the birth of two children who were described as Mulatto to a mother called Janet or Janett Forbes: Jean (b. 1825) and Peter McBean (b. 1831). The 1817 slave register records that Jeannet Forbes (b. 1804) was the daughter of Nelly, and the same mother's name was given for Rebecca (b. 1817). Both Jeannet and Rebecca were  described as  Mulatto .  Six women called Nelly are included in the Good Hope lists, but only four were alive at the right time and old enough to have given birth to Jeannet or Rebecca. Two were born in Africa in about 1772, but no other information about them is available. Either one of them could have given birth to either or both of these children. The third possible mother was the daughter of Madam, born in Jamaica in 1802 (see ' Madam of Good Hope '). She could have given birth to Rebecca at the age of 15. The fourth possible mother was Nelly Grey (1785-1824), whose family tree is discussed in &#

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate lists three individuals whose mother was called Tamar: Hannah (b. 1790), Ned (b. 1792) and Welcome (m) (b. 1794). Tamar's age was estimated as 49 (b. 1768), and her birthplace was given as Africa. Possible children for Hannah are discussed in a post called ' Three women called Hannah on Good Hope '. More about Good Hope 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 & his family? Want daily updates with family trees of the people he enslaved?

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate lists four individuals whose mothers were named as Harriet: Hannah (b. 1798), Joey (b. 1799), Matilda (b. 1802), Bess (b. 1807) and Quamina (m) (b. 1813). Two women called Harriet were listed in the register, both born in Africa. One was estimated to be 34 (b. 1783) and the other 45 (b. 1772).  The older Harriet would have been between 26 and 41 when these children were born, and the younger between 15 and 30. In theory, either woman could have been the mother of any or all of the children.  However, a note in the 1817 register for John Tharp's Wales estate notes that a twenty-one-year-old enslaved man called Tommy Crew (b. 1796) had been freed in exchange for 'the negro woman Harriet in Good Hope estates return'. His brother, Ben Crew (b. 1787) had been freed on similar terms, in exchange for a 31-year-old woman from Africa. A 45-year-old woman seems a less likely substitute for a young man in his prime, making

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate lists three individuals whose mother was called Lucia: Catalina (b. 1768), Bean (1775-6th of February 1819)* and Alexander Murray aka Cuffee (b. 1779). Lucia's age was estimated as 65 (b. 1752), and her birthplace was given as Jamaica. Possible children for Catalina are discussed in a post called ' Three women called Catalina on Good Hope '. * Bean's death was recorded in the 1820 return of 'increases' and 'decreases', which is the only one that gives dates. More about Good Hope 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 & his family? Want daily updates with family trees of the people he enslaved?

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate lists three women with a mother named Siddy:  Fidelia (b. 1780),   Mary Ann (b.  1787) and Hope (b. 1789).  Siddy's age was estimated as 54 (b. 1763) and her place of birth was given as Africa. The 1826 return for the estate recorded her death at the age of 61. Going down a generation, Fidelia was named in the 1817 register as the mother of Walter Park (b. 1801), who was described as Mulatto. The mother of Catherine (b. 1810), who was also described as Mulatto, was named as Mary Ann, and could have been Siddy's daughter, but there was another woman called Mary Ann  on the estate (see ' Mary Ann of Good Hope '). Hope was given as the mother's name for five children in the 1817 register and in later returns: Camilla (b. 1810), Chloe (b. 1816), Aqua (b. 13th of September 1818),* Palmer (m) (b. 1821) and Thomas (b. 1823). * Aqua's birth was recorded in the 1820 return of 'increases' and 'decre

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate includes a ten-year-old girl called Mary Grant who was described as Quadroon and whose mother was 'Mary Ann Mulatto'. Two women called Mary Ann were listed, but only one was described as Mulatto. Her age was estimated as 27, and although she was described as creole (born in Jamaica), no mother's name was given. The 1820 return for the estate, the only one that gives dates, notes the birth of Emily Baker on the 26th of January 1818. Emily Baker was also described as Quadroon and her mother was named as Mary Ann Saint, who must be the same woman as Mary Grant's mother. Catherine (b. 1810) was described as Mulatto and her mother was  named as Mary Ann. She could have been this Mary Ann's daughter if her father was also of mixed African and European heritage, but she could have been the daughter of another woman called Mary Ann on the estate  (see ' Siddy of Good Hope '). Going down a generation, Will

In the 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate,  ten children are listed with Catalina as their mother's name: Thomas Ivy (b. 1789), John Campbell (b. 1796), Katy (b. 1796), Jane Campbell (b. 1798), Bell (b. 1801), Tom (b. 1805) ,  Robert McVicar (b. 1809), Peter (b. 1809) , George (b. 1810), and King (b. 1817) . The mother of Tom, Peter, George and King was distinguished as E. Catolina or Catolina Ebo. Later returns for the estate add Bessy (b. 1822) and London (b. 1823). John and Jane Campbell and Bell were described as  Mulatto  and Charles as  Quadroon , which indicates that they all had white fathers. The shared surname probably indicates that, for John and Jane, at least, it was the same man. Thomas Ivy and Robert McVicar were also described as  Mulatto , and it is possible that Thomas Ivy was named after his father (see ' Three women called Hannah on Good Hope '). There were three women called Catalina on the estate who could have been the mother of

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate lists seven individuals whose mother was called Claretta:  John Small* (b. 1783), Minerva (b. 1785), Hercules (b. 1787), Toney (b. 1795), Quaw (m) (b. 1797), Dixon (b. 1801) and Venus (b. 1805).  With her name spelt Claritta, their mother is recorded as being 48 years old (b. 1769) and born in Jamaica. Going down a generation, Minerva was named as the mother of Catherine (b. 1808) in the 1817 register. The 1832 return from the estate records the birth of Clarissa (b. 1832), whose mother was Venus, and t hat same return records the death of Toney at the age of 36. Possible children for Catherine are discussed in a post called ' Three women and a baby called Catherine on Good Hope '. * Small could be a surname, a well-established epithet to distinguish him from other men of the same name, or an adjective applied on the spur of the moment as this register was compiled. It may not be used consistently in other documents.

The 1817 slave register for John Tharp's Good Hope estate includes three children with a mother called Behaviour: Sam Davis aka Sammy (1796-1831), Margaret McCullock (b. 1800) and Dickey aka Dick (b. 1805). Sam Davis and Margaret McCullock were described as Mulatto.  The same register lists Behaviour as creole (born in Jamaica) and about 49 years old (b. 1768). Her mother was named as Betty C, where C may be short for Coromantee (from Fort Kormantine in Ghana ]. Other possible children for Betty are discussed in a post called ' Five women called Betty on Good Hope '. Going down a generation, later returns from the estate described  John Pickett as Quadroon, and named his mother as Margaret Mulatto, who could only have been Margaret McCullock. In the 1832 return, Marg[aret] McCullock was named as the mother of Elizabeth Pickett, who was also described as  Quadroon .  It's possible that another child described as  Quadroon,  James Pickett (1827-1832), was also Margaret Mc