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African-American Maffetts
In the mid-1960's while a student at Georgia Tech, I was contacted by Robert L. Maffett, himself a student at LaFayette College in PA. During our correspondence I found that Robert's father was a minister in Philadelphia, but was originally from northern Alabama. I also discovered that Robert was African-American. I related to him that there were several black Maffetts in Chattanooga and that circumstances would suggest these families might be related to his. From oral history told by his grandparents, he believed that his ancestors were originally from GA. Further research found records of my great-great grandfather, John Maffett, as owning two slaves in Gwinnett County, GA in 1830. However, in the census of 1840 and 1850 he did not own slaves. I also discovered records of Maffetts in SC owning slaves. In particular was the will of Robert Maffett Jr. dated 1839 that listed two slaves named Doc and Hatta. When Robert last contacted me a number of years ago he was living in Chicago and was an agent for the Department of Tobacco and Firearms. In George Ball's award-winning book, Slaves in the Family, he states that Africans did not use last names before they arrived in America. Indeed, Europeans did not have surnames before about 1100 A.D. When Emancipation was declared in 1863, it was necessary for everyone to adopt a last name. Newly freed slaves were free to chose their own names at that time if they had not already adopted one. How these names were chosen was a matter of individual preference.
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