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ArchivesJarvis is a White last name (so I've heard).
I am of Antiguan descent my cousin came to the cunclusion that when our ancestors came from Africa they did not have last names and they just took their Master's last name when they came here. What do you think?
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Jarvis is certainly an English surname, and your suggestion is one possible explanation. I believe that the majority of Afro-Caribbean people have some European ancestry, and it's likely that some adopted a European surname from that part of their lineage.
It is probable that your African forebears did not have a surname, though some West African peoples, such as the Manding and the Fulbe (Fulani) had clan names. Of course they were not permitted to retain their African names, or anything of their African culture,in the New World.
It is probable that your African forebears did not have a surname, though some West African peoples, such as the Manding and the Fulbe (Fulani) had clan names. Of course they were not permitted to retain their African names, or anything of their African culture,in the New World.
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