New Book Alert!

Hi folks! I just found out about a new book last night. This is part 0f a sort of series (technically not a series, but it's "series-like"), which anyone with slave or free Black ancestors in NC needs to check out, it's a great source. The author is William L. Byrd, III. All the books start out with the title: "North Carolina Slaves and Free Persons of Color" and a subtitle of the particular county. This one is for Perquimans County and the publisher is Heritage Books. Here is a link to Heritage Books and in the search box, type "William Byrd" to get the full list. 3 of titles returned are not by him, but if you add the "L." in there, it won't return EVERY title of his. The publication date is 2006 with a copyright date of 2005. If you don't want to purchase it, check your local library or get it through ILL at your library. I can finally fit the pieces together of 1 family I've been researching thanks to just the first 10 pages of this book!

Quiz Answers

Today’s post is the answers to the quiz. No one responded to the original quiz, and although I’m a bit disappointed, I really didn’t expect anyone to.

The purpose of the quiz was NOT to show how much or little a person knows, but really to point on the discrepancies between our general knowledge of free Blacks in the South and the truth. I’ve given this quiz about 5 times to groups and of all the times I’ve given it, maybe only 3 or 4 got more than 50% correct

Section 1: Population

• In 1790, how many free people of color were there in the South compared to the North? A). 361 in the South vs 2,031 in the North B). 3,619 in the South vs. 2,031 in the North C). 36,196 in the South vs. 20,315 in the North D). None of the above
• Answer: C. Out of a total free “colored” population of 59,511 in the entire US in the 1790 census, 36,196 lived in the South versus 20,315 in the North. Surprising, huh?? Remember, tax paying Native Americans were included in this number and quite a few free Blacks were part Native American.

• Which state had the largest population of free people of color in 1790 and the second largest in 1850? A). Virginia B). North Carolina C). Maryland D). New York
• Answer: A. In 1790, Virginia had the largest population with Maryland trailing behind at 2nd and North Carolina at 3rd…all Southern states. Maryland was a border state and depending on what a person believes, some consider it Northern while others consider it Southern.

• The free people of color population of the entire state of NC in 1790 accounted for what percentage of the population? A). 54% B). 5% C). 27% D). 13%
• Answer: D. 4,975 free persons of color resided in NC in 1790, accounting for 13% of the entire state's population.

• In the 1850 census, North Carolina again ranked 3rd in the highest population of free people of color. Virginia was 1st, Maryland was 2nd. What was the population of free people of color in NC during the 1850 census? A). 5,362 B). 13,035 C). 75,003 D). 30,463

• Answer: D. The 1850 census of North Carolina enumerated 30,463 free people of color, the majority which lived in Halifax County.

The most interesting thing to me about looking at the populations, our society today is led to believe that the majority of the free Blacks before the Civil War lived in the North, but the census shows that from 1790-1860, the South always had more. Virginia and Maryland switched back and forth between positions 1 and 2, and then North Carolina was usually 3rd and as low as 6. In North Carolina, the largest majority of free Blacks lived in the Northern Piedmont section, especially around Granville and Halifax Counties. It is interesting to note that the majority were not freed in NC, but in VA and a large portion came from Mecklenburg Co., VA

Section 2: Laws

• True or False: North Carolina required all free Blacks to register statewide.
• Answer: False! Although most Southern states required free Blacks to register, NC only required it for 4 towns: Washington, Wilmington, Edenton, and Fayetteville. The law came about because these 4 towns were situated on a major water way and many slaves tried to escape by boat by pretending they were free. The law was in place to prevent this from happening.

• True or False: Free Blacks could always travel freely in and out of the state.
• Answer: False! Manumission laws in NC required the freed slave to leave the state within 6 months. In 1723, a law was passed that made it illegal for a freed slave to return or face being sold back into slavery for 7 more years. Another law passed in the early 1800's forbade free Blacks from other states from entering NC.

• True or False: Free Blacks could always own slaves in NC.
• Answer: False! Up until 1861, it was actually true, there were no restrictions on free Blacks from owning any property. It wasn't until the dawn of the Civil War that laws changed. In 1861, not only was it illegal for free Blacks from owning slaves, they could no longer own guns as well, which left them defenseless against attacks by white neighbors and soldiers during the war.

• True or False: North Carolina's courts always followed the letter of the law when it came to free Blacks.
• Answer: False! This may be very surprising to some, but they were very lenient on following the laws…in favor of the free Blacks! Many court cases exist that are in complete contradiction with the laws of the day.

At the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh, almost every county has a section of records entitled “Slave Records” or “Slave and Free Persons of Color Records” where there are numerous records on free Blacks. Also, many records can be found in numerous court documents. A great place to get started with your research at the NC State Archives is: http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/archives/FindingAids/co_guide.pdf

These are surnames currently in my database that I'm actively working on. If you have free Blacks in antebellum NC, whether they are listed below or not, please let me know, I would like to communicate with you about your line to further your and my research.

AMIS, ANDERSON, ARTIS, BASS, CHAVIS (lots of spelling variations), BIBBA, BIBBY, BEEBEE, BLACKNALL, BOGANS, BONNER, BOOKER, BOON, BROOKS, BURRELL, COKER, CREWS, DAY, EVANS, FLOOD, GOEN(S)/GOIN(S)/GOING(S)/GOWEN(S), GUARN(E)(S), HAGINS, HARRIS, HAWKINS, HAWLEY/HALLY, IVEY, JOHNSON, JONES, LOCUS(T)/LUCAS, LYNCH, MABRY, MAGEE, MAHO/MAYHO/MAYO/MAYOH, MITCHELL, MONTFORT/MUMFORT/MUMFORD, PETTIFORD/PETTIFER/PETTIVER, PETTIS, PITTMAN, RICHARDSON, RIGGANS, SCOTT, SESSUMS, SHIVERS, SILVER, SNELLING, STEWART, SWEAT, TABO(U)RN(E), TON(E)Y, TYNER

This list of names is always growing and I’ll try to remember and post new names I’ve discovered.

Coming up next: North Carolina laws of the 1700s regarding free Blacks.

Historical Periods in U.S. History, and Other Terminology

Hi all,

I was reading my blog and intro over and didn't mention this. I wanted to talk a bit about the terminology I use for my research. First, I want to talk about what I mean by "antebellum".

Antebellum vs. antebellum

Many dictionaries give the definition of "antebellum" as the period of history immediately before the Civil War. If you break about the word and look at it's roots, it literally means "before (ante) war (bellum)" I use antebellum in a general sense, meaning the entire period of U.S. history before the Civil War. However, there are many time periods in U.S. history, and I'm sure I might refer to them when I discuss a specific time period. I'm going to break down the time periods here in order to help you understand about them some more for you non-historians out there.

• Pre-Contact: This is the period before Jamestown. I see no reason why I'd use this term in the blog, but wanted to add it. This has a lot to do with the "discovery" of America (both North and South) by European explorers.


• Colonial: This period generally goes from 1607-1750. I will be using "Colonial" to discuss early free Blacks in the state.


• Revolutionary: This period goes from 1750-1789, basically the time leading up to the Revolutionary War and the time after the War through the creation and implementation of the Constitution. This is also a term I'll be using to talk about early free Blacks. The early free Black families generally span from the Colonial period and the Revolutionary period.


• Antebellum: There is some disagreement when the antebellum period begins. I personally view the antebellum period beginning when Gabriel's Rebellion began in 1800 and my next couple posts about the laws in NC regarding free Blacks will show you why. Generally I use antebellum to refer to the whole period of US history before the Civil War, but if you see me use "Antebellum", I'm talking about the specific Antebellum period. I know that's confusing, sorry. I'll try to give date ranges as much as possible to avoid confusion.


• Bellum (aka, the Civil War): This is pretty straight forward, but the Civil War period is from 1860, when the first states began to withdraw from the Union, until December 1865, when the 13th amendment to the Constitution was ratified.


• Reconstruction: The Reconstruction era lasted about 10 years, from 1866-1877. This is the period when slaves were freed and free Blacks during the antebellum period fell under the same laws as the former slaves.

I may discuss more past Reconstruction, not sure at this point, and I'll define those eras if I do.

"Black" vs. "Free Person of Color" vs. "African American"

There are different terms I may use, and I did touch on this a bit in the quiz. I use the term Black, but this offends some and they'd rather I use African American. I've used African American before, and that offended others, so instead I use what I'm most comfortable using, and since I have arthritis in my hands, I use Black. I apologize right now if that offends you, it's not my intention, but I can't please everyone.

From time to time, I may revert back and use the term "free people of color" or "FPOC" for short. I have seen quite a few people offended by this term, not just when I've used it, but other historians as well, such as Paul Heinegg and at Afrigeneas for the FPOC forum. Why do we use this term? For the simple reason that not all Blacks were/are Black, but they are often a mixture of races, such as Native American, and white. Some documents from the time refer to "Free Coloreds," which refer not only to those of African descent, but to tax paying Native Americans as well.

Manumission vs. Emancipation

So, what is manumission? This is something I'll talk a lot about. A lot of people have never heard the term before. Manumission and emancipation are pretty much the same thing. There is a slight difference though. Generally, emancipation refers to the freeing of someone from another person (i.e., they are forcing the "owner" to free them). Manumission is more voluntary. Usually the "owner" is setting his own slave free, or perhaps he purchased a slave for the purpose of manumitting that slave. I will almost always use the term "manumission."

I cannot think of anymore terminology issues as this time, if I do, I'll do another post about terminology. If you have any questions or concerns regarding terminology, please either let me know in the comments section or send me an email to discuss it privately.

Free Blacks: Take This Quiz (answers next week!)

What?!? Two blogs in one day??? Yep! I just want to get the ball rolling, and this is the way I start all my talks that I've given both on and off line. This blog is a quiz. Don't worry if you don't know the answer, because frankly I don't expect you to! The purpose of this quiz is to show you the difference between stereotypes concerning free Blacks in the South as a whole versus the truth. Some stereotypes may be based on fact, some not, and I'm not giving away any answers. Next Monday (April 16th), I will post the answers to the quiz. Feel free to post your answers to the quiz, or what you think the answers are, in the comments, but you don't have to. So, without further ado.....

First, I’m gonna start with just the facts. This is a transcript of a quiz I handed out at a talk I gave in February of 2006. Please note that "free people of color" refers not just to Blacks, but also to tax-paying Native Americans and any other racial minorities that happened to live in the area. Early census years did not distinguish between Blacks, Native Americans, etc. Instead races were either "white" or "other free people" and "slaves".

Section 1: Population

1. In 1790, how many free people of color were there in the South compared to the North? A). 361 in the South vs 2,031 in the North B). 3,619 in the South vs. 2,031 in the North C). 36,196 in the South vs. 20,315 in the North D). None of the above
2. Which state had the largest population of free people of color in 1790 and the second largest in 1850? A). Virginia B). North Carolina C). Maryland D). New York
3. The free people of color population of the entire state of NC in 1790 accounted for what percentage of the population? A). 54% B). 5% C). 27% D). 13%
4. In the 1850 census, North Carolina again ranked 3rd in the highest population of free people of color. Virginia was 1st, Maryland was 2nd. What was the population of free people of color in NC during the 1850 census? A). 5,362 B). 13,035 C). 75,003 D). 30,463

Section 2: Laws

1. True or False: North Carolina required all free Blacks to register statewide.
2. True or False: Free Blacks could always travel freely in and out of the state.
3. True or False: Free Blacks could always own slaves in NC.
4. True or False: North Carolina's courts always followed the letter of the law when it came to free Blacks.

So, how do you think you did? You’ll find out next Monday! Wish I could offer something to the person who gets the most right…oh wait, I AM! KNOWLEDGE

Introduction: who am I?

Hi folks!

I know that some of you already know who I am and are already familiar with my research, but I'm sure there will be some new folks coming around, so I want to start off telling you a little about me, who I am, and what my research is. Then I want to talk about the purpose of this blog and what I hope to accomplish. Please note that all posts are copyrighted. I'm in the process of publishing some information and hope to get a book published about this project once I finally finish school. Feel free to print off a copy for yourself and whatnot, but if you want to repost something elsewhere, ask for my permission first please :o).

My name is Erin Bradford and I currently live in Raleigh, NC. I was born and raised in Montana and my parents and brother still live there. I've been doing genealogy since I was 11, that's 19 years now (you can do the math! LOL), but since no one in my family had ever tried to do genealogy, I had no clue where to begin. In a way, this is a blessing for my research project into free Blacks of antebellum NC. Since I didn't know how to start, I did it backwards. My grandma told me that we were supposedly descended from Gov. William Bradford of Mayflower/Plymouth Rock fame, but no one knew for sure. I had no clue how to start, so I began with Gov. Bradford and went forward. Using secondary sources, I found the first 7 generations forward only to determine it was too complicated to continue! When I started college at age 18, I had internet access and was able to start searching online. I also found some genealogists who set me straight on how to do the research. I can safely say now that I am NOT descended from Gov. William Bradford!

I started college at Montana State University with hopes and dreams of becoming a record producer, better than Quincy Jones and Barry Gordy put together, but that dream was soon dashed when I went deaf 1 week before the first day of class....and my major was Spanish! *LOL* I chose to change my major to art and it was a good choice as it was a good form of therapy for me to deal with my new deafness, but I also soon realized I did not like folks to tell me what to draw or how to draw it! I stayed at MSU for 2 years and then transferred to U of Montana where I changed my major to history. I loved UM, but I wanted to minor in African American studies and they did not offer it as a minor at the time, only Native American studies, which I did at first, but quickly realized it would not work for me since everything was oral and my typists couldn't keep up. I found out about the National Student Exchange program and decided to come to North Carolina State University, where my cousin currently attended, and fell in love with Raleigh. Secretly I knew that I would not be returning to MT, and I think my folks knew it, too. I finished out my BA in history with a minor in Africana studies at NCSU and then returned there the following year to get my MA in public history with a concentration archival management. I am now attending North Carolina Central University in Durham to get my MLS (Master's of Library Science) and hope to be done by May 2008.

So, now that you know the basics of me, here is some info about the project.

I began this project at NCSU in spring 2000 with a seminar on World Slavery, taught by Professor John David Smith (now at UNC-Charlotte), whose specialty is slavery and emancipation. For that class, we only had one grade: a term paper on any aspect of slavery, any where in the world. Since my interest was U.S. slavery, and I had just finished Dr. John Hope Franklin's The Free Negro in North Carolina, 1790-1860, I decided to write on the manumission practices of colonial North Carolina. During the process of writing that paper, I found manumission papers for quite a few families, and also mention of manumission papers for other families who were freed outside of NC thanks to Paul Heinegg's research, which encompasses not only NC, but also SC, VA, MD, and DE (and I'm probably leaving another state out). I fell in love with one particular family and I became hooked! I've had to put my research on the backburner for the last year and until I finish school. Between a full time job and full time school, I just have no more time to do any research, but if everything goes according to plan, I'll be back in action in about a year!

I'm hoping to accomplish a few things with this blog.

• First, I want to help educate those who are not aware of the free Black population in antebellum NC. This group is continually overlooked, not only in NC, but in other states as well, and I want to do something to help bring them to light.
• I want to discuss various types of records, which have been useful in my search. Most state records are different from state to state, but also there are similarities. I plan to present the benefits of various records for searching that might prove beneficial.
• I hope to highlight various free Blacks that I'm researching with mini-biographies about them. With the exception of a few very well known ones such as John Chavis and Thomas Day, these biographies will mostly consist of dates, spouses, children, and what records I have found them in.

There may be other things I do that are history or genealogy related, such as highlighting new websites or books I've come across related to either NC genealogy, history, or free Black genealogy or history; genealogy tools that I've found helpful, etc. If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to leave me a comment or email me. I don't plan to post more than about once a week or so and you can always subscribe to the RSS feeds to get updates (contact me if you don't know what these are or how to subscribe).

Thanks all for stopping by my neck of the woods!