1619 A Dutch slave trader exchanged his cargo of Africans for food. These Africans became indentured servants similar to poor Englishmen who exchanged labor for passage to America. "A brief history of Jamestown" The word slave didn't appear until 1660. Englishmen used the word servant when it meant slave.By 1680 Africans became essential to the economy. With the success of tobacco planting, African Slavery was legalized in Virginia and Maryland. This became the foundation of the southern economy. "Columbia U" The twenty Africans aboard the Dutch man of War that arrived in Virginia changed the face of slavery from American Indians to African between 1650 - 1750. Africans and Indians faced the same problem slavery. These first 20 were sold to the governor and a merchant of Jamestown 1638 first public auction. 1640 the Virginia General Assembly defined this peculiar institution. This became the basic for every slave law in the south. Black Freemen lived in legal fear until 1864. Unable to defend himself even free he had to depend on his old master to keep him safe. Fear that any Englishman would/could sale him back into slavery. Yes some owned slaves for when they are freed the children, the wives are not always freed with them. Some yes had farms. Then the laws changed. The terms Mustezoes, Mulattos, Maroon, Octoroon, Quadroon are terms used to classify Negroes. As in New Orleans the brighter the Negro was the more value but they would still be Negroes in the end of sale. All but one term is mixed White. To remove the class level placed on Negro's from slavery, based on Willie Lynch's speech to the VA assembly of owners, based on color the people chose a name that spoke of history and our home the only one that was known to us. Sorry Jessie didn't do it alone, Cash I suggest reading History of Slavery. African Slave Trade Many Thousand Gone The United States Timeline. Soul By Soul African American use this list to search for owner to find Slaves - Please stick to the fact and not personal life styles. Quan Arnett Pruitt African American ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul" <martee@citlink.net> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2001 4:58 PM Subject: Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Manumission of Slaves in VA > 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 > | > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > Hosted by Rootsweb http://www.rootsweb.com > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry's Library - The best collection of family history > learning and how-to articles on the Internet. > http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library >