Francene, I try to save info on slaves and servants, but have not found a lot in the West family. There is a little info on Harmon and William West of Christian County, brothers with Chatham Co NC roots who decided to "invest" in slaves just before the Civil War. It is said the slaves all ran off; one came back, took his family, and left again. It does not appear as if they knew much about slaves. In NC, 1811, Jesse West's mother-in-law left the services of her "negro man Harry" to one daughter, he being so valuable that this daughter received nothing else in the will, and it was added that if the daughter died first, that Harry should go to whichever other sibling that HE THOUGHT BEST; in other words, leaving the choice to Harry! If your Paul came from Chatham County, then he would have belonged to the family of either Ignatius or Jesse West (or descendants) for those were the only Wests in Chatham who didn't go to KY in the early 1800's. Ignatius died in 1831. His son Isaa! c (born 1794) stayed in Chatham . Your Paul could have been with this family until he went to KY? Nancy Jones dotsicle