Daniel Camp

Brief Life History of Daniel

In 1856, Williams Camp told a Salt Lake county probate court that Daniel was born into his household on 14 October 1833. That means that Camp probably enslaved Daniel's mother at that time. Daniel may be the brother of Charlotte Camp, close in age to him and also enslaved in the Camp household. As the legal record shows, the Camp household was a violent one, so Daniel and Charlotte probably both suffered not only separation from their family and loved ones, but also many of the abuses of slavery. The Camps took Daniel and Charlotte to Utah in 1850. They settled in Davis County, then moved to Salt Lake City. When Williams and Diannah Greer Camp went to the South in the early 1850s, they hired Dan out to William Hooper. The hiring fees would have paid for the upkeep of the Camp children left in Salt Lake City in the care of Charlotte. When Charlotte and another woman watching the children both died, the children went into the household of Bishop Edwin Woolley. When the Camps returned to Salt Lake City, they brought enslaved Caroline, Isaac, and Shepherd. Daniel and Shepherd worked closely together for several years until Shepherd was killed in 1859. In 1856, the Camps decided to move to the South. Daniel did not want to go so he ran away. Williams Camp formed a posse of Southerners and chased him down. The people of Salt Lake City were horrified. Bishop Edwin Woolley had the Southerners arrested for kidnapping. The case was dismissed, but Daniel remained in Utah. Williams Camp then sold Daniel to Thomas S. Williams. Thomas S. Williams in turn sold Daniel to William H. Hooper. Daniel was in Hooper's possession when the 1860 census slave schedule was taken for Salt Lake County. This is the last time Daniel has been found in any record. He may have worked as one of the West's famed Black cowboys, because a couple of landforms in rural Rich County are named "Negro Dan." He may have died and been buried on the range. His burial location is unknown. Sources: 1830 US Census; 1840 US Census; 1850[1851] US Census Slave Schedule; 1856 Utah Territorial Census; 1860 US Census Slave Schedule; Salt Lake County Probate Court records; Utah Territory First District Court records; Memories of Ellen Camp Greer; Daughters of Utah Pioneer's "The Negro Pioneer" for an image of a Salt Lake County Clerk's record of Dan's sale; Thiriot, "Slavery in Zion" (2023, University of Utah Press). Written by Amy Tanner Thiriot, 31 December 2023.

Photos and Memories (3)

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Sources (7)

  • Wm H Hooper, "United States Census, 1860"
  • Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-L1RF-7BZ?cc=2001084&wc=M6H1-8NL%3A284658101%2C284677901
  • 1856 Territorial Census, Great Salt Lake County, Ward 13

World Events (3)

1835 · The Hermitage is Built

The Hermitage located in Nashville, Tennessee was a plantation owned by President Andrew Jackson from 1804 until his death there in 1845. The Hermitage is now a museum.

1836 · Remember the Alamo

Being a monumental event in the Texas Revolution, The Battle of the Alamo was a thirteen-day battle at the Alamo Mission near San Antonio. In the early morning of the final battle, the Mexican Army advanced on the Alamo. Quickly being overrun, the Texian Soldiers quickly withdrew inside the building. The battle has often been overshadowed by events from the Mexican–American War, But the Alamo gradually became known as a national battle site and later named an official Texas State Shrine.

1846

U.S. acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in wake of Mexican War including California and New Mexico.

Name Meaning

Dutch (also Van de Camp) and North German: from camp ‘enclosed, fenced, or hedged piece of land, field’, from Latin campus ‘plain’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived by such a field. Compare Kamp .

English: from Middle English kempe ‘warrior’; see Kemp . The spelling Camp may be due to the influence of Old English camp ‘battle’ and campian ‘to fight’, or of Old French campion ‘warrior, champion’.

French: mainly southern form of Champ .

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Possible Related Names

Story Highlight

Short Biography of Daniel Camp

In 1856, Williams Camp told a Salt Lake county probate court that Daniel was born into his household on 14 October 1833. That means that Camp probably enslaved Daniel's mother at that time. Daniel may …

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