If she were given her freedom there will be a deed recording the transfer of her ownership from her master to herself. If she were freed in a will there will be a deed listing her guardians. The guardians, were to ensure that she was treated fairly in court when she bought land and to prevent from being stolen back into slavery. Usually she would have to purchase her children's freedom, so there should be deeds showing the transfer of her children to her from their former owners and her emancipation of her children. Also she would have to pay a poll tax on the slaves she own and the free people of color in her household. This was a special assessment that that she would have to pay on herself and family. So you will need to check the tax records. They will usually mention if she were born free or purchased her freedom. Also locate her family on the 1870 Census and then check the local Freedmen Bank Records. She may have used them for a bank account. The records sometimes hold an amazing amount of detail on account holders' families. If She was a Quadroon, she may have been "bright" enough to pass and her children might have been Octaroon. In some states Octaroon children were still considered whites and therefore not able to be slaves. This was the case in most states until around 1800, but too many "slaves" were moving on into society and into the frontier so the philosophy began to change and "one drop of Negro blood" attitude began to control, as long as a person had one drop of Negro blood they were considered a Negro and therefore a slave, if enslaved. Idon't know when the concept changed in Georgia. I child was considered free only if it was born to a free mother. The father could have been free and the mother enslaved and the child would have been enslaved. > > From: Virginia Crilley <varcsix@hot.rr.com> > Date: 2007/07/23 Mon PM 01:00:18 EDT > To: gagen-l@rootsweb.com > Subject: [GAGEN] Free Blacks ?? > > Can someone suggest a way to find out the answer to this question? > > MY ANCESTOR RITTER DORSEYA/A IS LISTED ON THE CENSUS 1850 IN TROU[P COUNTY > GA. SHE WAS LISTED AS A FREE BLACK WITH HER CHILDREN. HOW CAN I FIND > DOCUMENTS ON HER. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF SHE WAS BORN FREE OR GIVEN HER > FREEDOM. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW I COULD SEACH FOR THESE DOCUMENTS AND WHERE > I MIGHT LOCATE THEM. > THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND HAVE A NICE DAY. > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GAGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >