Founded in 1761, Northampton Iron Furnace was a harsh and dangerous place to work. Prior to the Revolutionary War, most laborers were indentured servants. By the end of the 18th century, enslaved workers made up the majority.
NPS
While all those who labored at Hampton worked under difficult conditions, only the enslaved people faced perpetual bondage. From the 1760s-1780s, the Ridgely family made use of a diverse labor pool, with indentured servants, British prisoners of war, and paid laborers working alongside the enslaved, mostly on the farms or at Northampton Iron Furnace. By the 1790s, enslaved workers comprised most of Hampton’s labor force, and would do so for the next 70 years. Skilled enslaved workers, such as founders, blacksmiths, carriage drivers, and jockeys, had a higher status. Some enslaved workers with marketable skills, such as blacksmithing and carpentry, could earn money for themselves with permission from their enslavers, but they still remained enslaved.
From the mid-18th century until the early 19th century, the Ridgelys indentured more than 300 Europeans, most of them British and Irish. Over 500 African Americans were enslaved at Hampton over a period of over 100 years, from the 1760s until 1864. Some were purchased; others were born and immediatly considered an enslaved person on the plantation.
Hampton’s senior coachman Nathan Harris (c. 1815-lv. 1880), "...the driver who used to handle the four in hand so skillfully as to command the admiration of the people of Baltimore…."
Photograph of Nathan Harris driving Ridgely family members, 1864, NPS
The enslaved at Hampton were forced into the confines of a life in bondage. Yet, each person was still a unique individual with their own story and experience.
Consider the example of four sisters brought to Hampton as children in 1841. Eldest sister Harriet Davis Smith was a house servant and cook, who married Tom Smith, John Ridgely’s stable hand. Farm worker Caroline Davis Brown ultimately became the head dairymaid. Anne Davis Williams was a house servant, whose nursing skills were prized by the Ridgely family. Ellen Davis Harris was a farm worker who also cared for a large family of children.
The four Davis sisters came to Hampton with their parents and brothers after John Ridgely purchased three families from a Frederick County plantation in 1841. Learn more about them >>
By the 1830s, most of Hampton’s enslaved individuals also had surnames, such as Batty, Brown, Davis, Harris, Humphries, Pratt, Sheridan, Wicks, and many others. Some of these surnames continued for generations at Hampton, showing the longevity of family units on the plantation.
NPS
What’s In a Name? How was an enslaved person at Hampton named? Did their families name them, or did the Ridgelys? In the 18th century, some individuals had African names, such as Gamboe, Mingo, and Juba, even though they were unlikely to have been born in Africa. By the 19th century, enslaved families at Hampton were probably naming their own babies, with some exceptions. Greco-Roman names (Caesar, Vulcan and Hercules), and Biblical names (Moses and Abraham), likely reflect the Ridgelys’ influence, since most enslaved workers were illiterate. Records reveal that some parents named their children after beloved relatives, with these names passed down through the generations. Once freed, some people chose to change their names, perhaps as a way of expressing their new identity. One example is Charles Carnan Ridgely’s “body servant” Bill Bussey, who changed his name to Bill Johnson. Notably, none of the individuals enslaved at Hampton took the surname “Ridgely” when freed.
Some names reflected family relationships, such as “Lucy’s Dan,” while others were descriptive: “Big Charlotte,” “Old Dan” and “Yellow Harry.” Scholars have now been able to identify family groups, including enslaved individuals and their descendants, based on naming patterns.
