Enslaved families passed down oral memory of African-born ancestors like Papa Renty.

Evidence

I told him exactly what my mom had shared with me: that my great-grandfather was born Renty Taylor in South Carolina. He was later sold by the Taylor slaveholder and given the name Thompson. He was also the descendant of a man called Papa Renty, who was born in Africa. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 125