Family Surnames

  • *Dukes*
  • *Fultz*
  • *Haynes/Haines*
  • *Lynes*
  • *Mills*
  • *Parker*
  • *Shank*
  • *Thornley*

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Indentured Servants

There is a book entitled "White Cargo" by Don Jordan and Michael Walsh that discusses the English, Irish and Scottish people sent to the early American colonies (some against their will) as indentured servants. Tens of thousands were brought here. Some were street children in 1619, later there were beggars, gypsies, prostitutes, convicts and anyone else who displeased the upper classes. This makes me wonder how many of us with Irish/Scottish/English roots may be descended from these "indentured servants". It could explain the difficulty we have with genealogy research.
"White Cargo" is meticulously sourced and footnoted and uses quotations from letters, diaries, newspapers, and wills for authenticity.
An excerpt from the review: 'Mainstream histories refer to these laborers as indentured servants, not slaves, because many agreed to work for a set period of time in exchange for land and rights... Many early settlers died long before their indenture ended or found that no court would back them when their owners failed to deliver on promises. And many never achieved freedom or the American dream they were seeking.'
Thank you for the information Christine Wright, it is definitely a book to read for those of us interested in early Colonial America and genealogy.