"Steve Brown" <slsb1@sympatico.ca> wrote: > >In the history of ancestors in Boston area around 1650 I see many men >"Became a freeman on MMDDYYYY". >These guys were not slaves, what does the note refer too? That they became 'citizens' - whatever the 1650 qualifications were in Boston. Chances are they had to belong to a church, be of a certain age & own a certain amount of real or personal property. An indentured servant would become a free man at the end of their term--- and some of them became freemen. The benefits of being a freeman rather than just a 'free man' varied too-- but they probably included the privilege of voting and holding office. [and maybe paying higher taxes] Jim