This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Williams,Sneed, Davis,Rodgers,Green,Evans,Copeland,Caudle/Cordle, Hawkins,Richardson,Hedgepeth,West,Toney,Carter,Lynch,Mills,Silver,Rudd, Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ikJ.2ACIB/1540.1.1.1.1 Message Board Post: Yes Nancy, That John Copeland, born abt 1808, probably in Wake Co./d. Jan. 11, 1894 Oberlin, Lorain Co.,Ohio, was the father of John A. Copeland, who was hanged for his participation at Harpers Ferry. At one time I had thought that maybe John Sr. was a member of my Copeland family, but now I'm not so sure, since the records I have found on him indicate he was freed sometime around 1815, when John Sr. was 7 years old. However, none of the records I've found indicate exactly what County, nor what his owner/father's name was, it's possible it wasn't even Copeland. There are some tantalizing sentences in some of the Chatham County Copeland wills that I've read, which could indicate that there may have been a non-white mistress for at least one of them, but nothing is definitive. My Copelands seem to have descended from the same line as the other Wake County Copelands who were Free Colored People living there in the 1800's, probably the ancestor being Isaac Copeland, who died there somet! ime between 1830-1840. I have however been able to trace John Copeland's wife, Delilah Evans,b:1809 Orange Co,NC/d: Nov.29, 1888 Oberlin, Lorain Co.,Ohio, family back to Mecklenburg Co.,Virginia, which is a connection to my Evans family from the same area. Indications are that her parents were Charles Evans, died before 1820, probably in Orange Co.,NC, and Frances Hunt, b.1785/d. btn 1850-1860 in Orange Co.,NC. Both the Free Evans and the Copeland families of NC, seem to have been pretty " shy" when it came to recording any kind of documents, since there are very records around giving any kind of details about their relations, they certainly rarely made wills, and any deeds found, you have be very speculative about. Deloris