"Sambo" 1657, antedates OED 1704-

[Wilson Gray]

FWIW, it seems to me that

"This _Negre Sambo_"

does make it possible to interpret "Sambo" as the slave's actual name:
"This Negre[,] Sambo [by name,] ...". Unless, of course, there were,
at the time, a set of individuals that were generally referred to as
"Sambos" and "Negre" specifies a member of the subset, "Negre Sambos."
The nursery tale is no help, since "black Sambo" has the same
structure as "Negre Sambo" or "ching-chong Chinaman" and such.

Wikipedia:

The origins of the word "Sambo" stem from an occurrence believed to be
at the height of the British Empire. An unknown slave ship had docked
in the then-popular Morecambe Bay area to buy various [and] sundry
items; once back at sea it was noticed that a black member of the
ship's staff had been left ashore. This man's name was Sambo; shunned
by the people of Morecambe, he was made to live out the remainder of
his days on the outskirts of the villages at that time. To this day
there is a monument known as 'Sambo's Grave' on the coast of the
Lancashire village of Heysham.

But this merely begs the question, in the old sense.

-Wilson

-Wilson

On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 1:01 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "Sambo" 1657, antedates OED 1704-
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I will ask on a list that might have experts on the period and
> location, but in the meanwhile:
>
> At 9/11/2008 10:33 AM, Baker, John wrote:
>>         I had supposed that "wore black" referred to clerical attire
>>(i.e., that Sambo was as moral as a clergyman),
>
> Possibly, but my sense of the period says skin color is more
> likely.  Also: "Sambo" was apparently part of a group of "axe-men"
> helping to cut a road.  Ligon writes, between the "compass"
> demonstration and the "wore black" text, that Sambo "desired me, that
> he might be made a Christian; for, he thought to be a Christian, was
> to be endued with all those knowledges he wanted."  So Sambo is not
> described as moral, but just wanting knowledge.
>
>>but "eat green" was a
>>complete mystery
>>
>>         It's interesting to see how old "Sambo" is.  Is this originally
>>an African name?
>
> I think there is dispute about the etymology; wasn't there something
> earlier this year on this list?  The OED takes its etymology as "[a.
> Sp. zambo, applied in America and Asia to persons of various degrees
> of mixed Negro and Indian or European blood; also, a name for a kind
> of yellow monkey; perh. identical with zambo bandy-legged (according
> to Diez repr. L. scambus).]"  There is a slight hint that the author
> of the article that pointed me to the 1657 citation thinks "Sambo"
> derives from an Akan day name; others on this list probably know more.
>
> Joel
>
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