“To the one who is victorious... I will give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” — Revelation 2:17
Okay, here’s that paragraph with some key words highlighted in bold and italic:
Building on the history shared in Part One, we now explore a personal story that shows both the cruelty of slavery and the courage that led to new hope and freedom. In the quiet town of Nesmith, South Carolina, a will was written in 1864 by Jane Pressley McConnell. She wasn’t just passing down land, livestock, or tools—she was distributing human beings. In her handwritten last testament, 66 enslaved men, women and children were willed to her children as property. Their names were listed with the same finality as cows or carts: Emeline, Joe, Franklin, Betty, Rosina, Delia, Adam…
But what makes this will both painful and powerful is this: these names survived.
A Photograph of the Will (1864)
In her will, Jane Pressley McConnell divided the people she enslaved among her children, listing them by name as if they were property to be inherited. Below are the groups of individuals assigned to each child. While these names were recorded in a document that treated them as possessions, these were real people — mothers, fathers, children, and laborers — whose lives and legacies extend far beyond the pages of this will.
- James Zuill McConnell received: Emeline, Julius, Gadson, Martha, Dinah, Gilbert, Sarah, Louis, Jeremiah, Alfred
- John Thomas McConnell received: Betty, Franklin, Travis, Amelia, Madison, Eliza, Tom, Daphne, Joe, Daniel, Lavenia
- Elizabeth Catherine McConnell received: Sarah, Ann, Nelly, Jeffery, Emma, Ella, Rosina, Sall, Aleck, George, William, Portis, Adam
- Martha Caroline McConnell received: Caroline, August, Elvira, Nanny, Susy, July, Old Dick, Lavany, Edwin, Old John, Sampson, Phillis, Delia
- Samuel Blakly McConnell received: Rectina, Leony, Easter, Peggy, Clara, Peter, Sam, Charles, Henry, Waites, Polly
They were mothers, fathers, children and laborers—and though enslaved, they carried with them lineages and stories that no ownership could erase. Six years later, in 1870, those very same individuals would appear again—this time in the first U.S. Census after emancipation, now listed as free people with surnames they chose for themselves.
The Shift: 1870 Census & The Right to a Name
By 1870, the end of slavery had brought more than just freedom. It gave formerly enslaved people something deeply important—the right to choose their own last names. Before emancipation, enslavers gave names or no names at all, treating people as property. But now, these men, women and children could pick names that represented their identity, their family, or their hopes for the future.
Below, you’ll see how some of the people listed in Jane Pressley McConnell’s 1864 will reappear in history. Their names changed from those assigned by slavery to names they claimed for themselves—names that tell stories of resilience and new beginnings.
They were not just names on paper. They were lives intertwined with pain and hope—stories of survival and of reclaiming selfhood.
“We were named. Then we named ourselves. Now we tell the story.”
A Scriptural Reflection
“To the one who is victorious… I will give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” — Revelation 2:17
This journey—from being listed as property to being recorded as free—reminds us of the power in reclaiming one’s name. Each chosen surname was more than a word; it was a declaration: “I am more than what was forced upon me.” Through these names, generations rebuilt their identities, restored their dignity and carried forward a legacy of strength.
Remembering them isn’t just about looking back—it’s about honoring the spirit that lives on today.
Haven’t read Part One yet?
Meet the people behind these names and discover the powerful stories that shaped their path to freedom. Catch up here Part 1: Reclaiming Identity After Slavery.
Be part of the remembrance.
Share this story, start a conversation, and help keep these names—and their legacies—alive.
