In a message dated 04/28/2001 12:51:25 PM Mountain Daylight Time, martee@citlink.net writes: > . So > while later law (18th century) attempted to > prohibit the freedom, there were no small > number working and moving about VA and both > the North and South. And, don't forget that > issue of freed slaves were free, as well. > The whole issue of free African Americans in colonial America is often misunderstood. See Paul Heinegg's Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia, collection of genealogies about African American families living in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. http://www.freeafricanamericans.com I found this material by sheer accident but find it fascinating. An Agatha Kersey inherited the land of James Calthorpe in Southampton Co 1793. I had no idea who she was, so did a web search--and there she is in Heinegg's material. The very early census/tax records sometimes don't even indicate race. Agatha's probable father Thomas bought land in Southampton 1760--no indication of race in the deed. Walden Kersey, perhaps a brother of Agatha, is mentioned in a will--"land adjacent to Walden Kersey" with no indication of race. Later, 1790 on, they're listed as "other" on the census records. So they owned land--and many of the free African-Americans in the colonial south were probably NEVER slaves--or slaves whose families has been freed very early, 1600s. Some were slave owners themselves. The family of another Thomas Kersey, free African-American owning land, was also in Mecklenburg Co--and according to census records, they remained there right through the Civil War. Thomas himself was 85 in the 1870 census--one can hardly imagine what his life must have been like as a free African American in a strong slave state. Karen

In addition, Karen, it should also be remembered that in the early and even nearly to the last quarter end of the 17th century in VA some folks, usually men, of African origin came as indentured servants, served their terms, bore children, bought land (as you mentioned), and died in VA. Though it is not easy from this distance to realize how much time passed, we should bear in mind that we were an active and vigorous English colony for more than 100 years - 4+ generations - between the days of the Jamestown settlement and the period of "new" laws which undertook to restrict, even ban, manumission. By 1725 the free VA population having African or mixed ancestry was not atall negligible. Thanks. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: <KDale60909@aol.com> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2001 3:49 PM Subject: Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Manumission of Slaves in VA | In a message dated 04/28/2001 12:51:25 PM Mountain Daylight Time, | martee@citlink.net writes: | | | > . So | > while later law (18th century) attempted to | > prohibit the freedom, there were no small | > number working and moving about VA and both | > the North and South. And, don't forget that | > issue of freed slaves were free, as well. | > | | The whole issue of free African Americans in colonial America is often | misunderstood. See Paul Heinegg's Free African Americans of North Carolina | and Virginia, collection of genealogies about African American families | living in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. | | http://www.freeafricanamericans.com | | I found this material by sheer accident but find it fascinating. An Agatha | Kersey inherited the land of James Calthorpe in Southampton Co 1793. I had no | idea who she was, so did a web search--and there she is in Heinegg's | material. The very early census/tax records sometimes don't even indicate | race. Agatha's probable father Thomas bought land in Southampton 1760--no | indication of race in the deed. Walden Kersey, perhaps a brother of Agatha, | is mentioned in a will--"land adjacent to Walden Kersey" with no indication | of race. Later, 1790 on, they're listed as "other" on the census records. | | So they owned land--and many of the free African-Americans in the colonial | south were probably NEVER slaves--or slaves whose families has been freed | very early, 1600s. Some were slave owners themselves. | | The family of another Thomas Kersey, free African-American owning land, was | also in Mecklenburg Co--and according to census records, they remained there | right through the Civil War. Thomas himself was 85 in the 1870 census--one | can hardly imagine what his life must have been like as a free African | American in a strong slave state. | | Karen | | | ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== | USGenWeb Archives Digital Maps Project | http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/ | | | ============================== | Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! | http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp |