Papa Renty was born in the Congo and enslaved by Colonel Thomas Taylor.

Evidence

Facts not in dispute are that Papa Renty or Renty Taylor, my great-great-great-grandfather, was born in the Congo, purchased by Colonel Thomas Taylor in the early 1800s, and enslaved on the Taylor Plantation in Columbia, South Carolina. Also not in dispute is the fact that my great-grandfather was born Renty Taylor and through the transfer of property assumed the name Renty Taylor Thompson. His mother was Tena Taylor, his father was Papa Renty’s son Renty Taylor, and his parents were both enslaved on the Taylor Plantation. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1149