In a message dated 5/25/99 8:33:04 PM Pacific Daylight Time, dabf@zebra.net writes: << Middleton, Thomas Mu M 25 laborer Harriet B F 27 wife laborer Ella Mu F 7 dau. William B M 5 son Allise B F 3 dau. Cornelius B M 2 son >> One thing I noticed was the head of household and the oldest child are mulatto but the mother and other siblings are Black. Can anyone explain why? There seem to be at least two options. One is the census taker could decide by looking at a person what "race" to record. Also, the older child could have had a different genetic father (white) and the younger ones had a black father. The Black MIDDLETON's from Monroe Co. have a common ancestor with the Caucasian branch of the family. At least one black MIDDLETON has contacted John MIDDLETON and explained the relationship. Black families have not tried to deny, conceal, or forget their heritage, with regard to inter racial ancestry, like some of the Caucasians did. I have at least 2 female ancestors who had "out of wedlock" children and some people don't want that information spread around. Those women were white but their relatives and some descendants want to hide the fact they were unmarried. That desire would be even stronger if there was an interracial liaison. Grant