Our ancestral Virginia frontiersmen and women in the mid-1700's were sometimes taxed in terms of 'pounds of tobacco.' I'm wondering whether our ancestors actually paid 'in tobacco' (barter) or whether they paid 'in cash' after they marketed their tobacco. If 'in cash' this payment was likely made in Spanish milled dollars (coins) from my study. I note within Chalkey's Chronicles many court entries of "Hemp Certificates: (then a list of names.)" Does anyone know what these entries mean? Were these possibly to certify certain ancestral farmers were qualified to market hemp, or did these 'certificates' possibly have something to do with the hemp quality or payments, I wonder. Hemp was used for manufacturing rope, was it used for other purposes such as for bags (like burlap) or other products in those days? Many court entries simply state: "Liquors rated." (No names.) I doubt the court was conducting anything like today's wine-tasting (rating) parties.... or, did this more likely have something to do with setting the 'tax-rate,' I wonder. Some of our frontier ancestors didn't like the government over-taxing liquor since this was a higher-priced 'value-added' product from corn -- which was much easier to transport to distant markets than grain or flour. There was a so-called 'Whiskey-Rebellion' in the early 1790's as many of you probably know. Can anyone shed more light on these topics? Understanding such entries helps us appreciate the lives and times of our ancestors, not just jotting down names. Responding to the list might be helpful to others but I welcome private responses as well. Neil McDonald