Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-23
NAMES OF NEGROES.
The Curious Nomenclature That Orig
mated in Plantation Life.

OF course on every plantation there
was several negroes of the same name,
and the negroes, who are apt at such
things, used various and peculiar sobri-
quets to distinguish them. On my Ia
theirs place there were An Taller Liza,
An Black Liza, and An Pop-eyed
Liza, and Tinker Big Jake,
Tinker Little Jake and Tinker Knock
kneed Jake. There were in one family
three generations of Bens, all pos
sessed of physical or mental in
trinity The old man, who had been
kicked in the head by a mule, was crazy.
He spent his days and pretty nearly all
his nights standing under broad china
tree preaching of the judgment day. He
was Tinker Fool Ber. His son, mid
dle-aged man, afflicted with an ulcer that
made him lame, was Tinker Hoppin'
Ben. The grandson, who trembled with
the palsy, and, besides, was simple
minded, was Tinker Chilly Ben.
Though able-bodied, he was never re-
quired to do any work, and wandered
about the place without let or him
drance.
At the close of the war large major
ity of the Southern negroes assumed the
name of the family to which they be-
longed, getting it fearfully twisted some
times, as, for Instance, Grim for Gra-
ham, Baskey for Arrow baski, etc. Some
went back in search of names to their
former owners in Virginia or Carolina,
who had either lost them through debt
or raised them to be sold to the negro
sfeculator, who brought them further
south to be sold again to work
the cotton and rice plantations:
In this way you will now find
the grandfather of family bearing the
name of his old master in Virginia, the
son that of his owner at the close of the
war, while the grandson assumes some
fanciful name suggested by circum-
stances. So know an old man calling
himself Jim Sanders. His son is Jim
James Jr. There is not, nor ever has
been Jim James Sr. His son, again, is
Jim Grandson. Upon the plantations
you still occasionally come across the
Dinah, Sukey, ETC., but very rarely even
there. Grandisons, Mortimers, Lellas,
Natalies, etc., have taken their places.
Bible names, with explanatory pre-
fixes and suffixes, are great favorites
among the deyout portion OF the negro
community. The man who works my
10 All5 DdNlu MY
wood-cutter is the Rev. Solerman Wise
man, who, like st. Paul, does not dis
dain with his own hands to minister to
his necessities. Besides these, l num-
ber among my acquaintances the Rev.
Simon Surrender and Holy Taber-
nacle, Brother John the Baptist
Tubbs, and Elder William Wine
glass, a somewhat Incorporate
name for the calling. Among the
more secular are Jack Hyena and Prince
Arthur Hardtimes, happy equality be-
tween the aristocrat and the plebian.
The lusty young negro who, with Web
ster's spelling-book and hickory,
teaches the colored idea how to shoot,
has chosen the name OF Professor Sam
Cape OF Good Hope. A black Vulcan,
hammering sparks from his anvil, dubs
himself Sampson Lightning. The
butchers boy who comes whistling into
the yard with his basket upon his arm
and has face as black as ebony,
answers to the name of Ivory Temple.
A little colored female tramp from the
country, who comes to me once week,
totin' bundle of lighter'd on her
head, which she offers to exchange for
mick or two ENTITY hasses" (fasks), an
nounces herself as Miss Annerlizer
Purse. An empty purse, evidently, as
she never fails to wind up the trade by
asking: "Ain't yer got nuthin' tat yer
kin give me ?"-[ Phlladelph Times.