Hi Randy, I can't let your last paragraph go unchallenged. The state coordinator for USGenWeb in NC said that there were no records of Indians being slaves. All the slaves were, at least partially, of African descent. Agerton had a bastard son Joseph, by one of his slave women. After Agerton's death, his nephew John, son of his brother Daniel, tried to emancipate Joseph and make him a free man. John -------------------- Randy Willis wrote: > From: Randy Willis > www.randywillis.org > randy@randywillis.org > > My research begins in Southeast Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay area, the > same area that the pilgrims first settled. There in the 1740's, in Isle of > Wight County and Nansemond County (now the city of Suffolk) was the place > that Joseph Willis' father, three uncles and one aunt called home. The > family had come to America from Devonshire, England. I believe, but I cannot > prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt, ........................Agerton, > Daniel, Benjamin, James, and Joanna were neighbors on the Northwest > Cape Fear River. The other brother, George Willis, came first to New > Hanover, obtaining a land grant on Widow Creek in 1761 and selling out in > 1767. He then moved to Robeson County (formerly part of Bladen County) not > very far west from the rest of the family. > > The four brothers were all well-to-do planters with large land holdings. As > a planter, Agerton owned slaves many of which were Indian. At this time in > North Carolina many slaves were Indian; in fact as late as the 1780's in > North Carolina a third of all slaves were Indian. Indians were made slaves > by the whites from the very beginning.