In a message dated 1/1/01 11:09:19 AM, [email protected] writes: << If my ggg-grandfather was a sharecropper (as I thought he was) would he have been listed in the census as a farmer or a laborer (as he was). I would have thought a sharecropper would have been listed as a farmer. Can anyone tell me what kind of jobs would have been considered as a laborer in Orange County, N.C. in the 1840-1860's? Chris >> Hi Chris, You would find your ancestor listed as a farmer, if that were his vocation, whether he owned land or not. If he worked solely as a helper on a farm, he would have been listed as a farmhand or laborer. Also anyone who worked for a sawmill would also be listed as a laborer or millhand. One who worked with a miller, would be called a laborer or millhand. A blacksmiths helper or worker could also be referred to has a laborer. There were many forms of laborers or workers to be found in the 1850 or 1860 Censuses. John Fox Winston Salem, NC