Page News & Courier
Heritage and Heraldry
A Forgotten people - Page County’s antebellum population of free African-Americans
Article of June 17, 1999
Within the past year there has been a great deal of discussion over the institution of slavery and exactly what sort of impact it had on Page County. However, nothing has yet surfaced as to the “forgotten people” of Page County’s antebellum years. Of the total African-American population in Page County in 1860, nearly one-third (394 of 1,244) were free. Additionally, many of the families of that number had been free since the first recorded census of Page County in 1840. While I don’t have the space in one article to include all of my findings, I will take the time in this lead article to introduce some of the more interesting details I have found so far.
While not clearly indicated through county records, in all probability, these free African-Americans (the majority of which had not been listed as black, but rather as mulatto) had been slaves who had either acquired their own freedom through monies raised from having been hired during their lifetime, or had been freed by the wills (the subject of another upcoming article) of their very owners. Nevertheless, Mann Page, as having been freed by Philip Rudacille for payment for his own freedom in the amount of $600 in November 1831, was absolutely not the only one to find freedom from slavery within the boundaries of Page County prior to the Civil War.
Of the information gleaned from the early county records, there is much to be said, however, the census records reveal the most interesting information. From 1840 to 1850, there had been an increase in slaves and slave-holders. However, by 1860, the number of slave-holders had dropped below that of even 1840. Additionally, in that same year the number of slaves had dropped back to within sixty-one of the 1840 mark, showing that several had either been sold or freed.
Furthermore, by following a surname review of free blacks/mulattos from 1840 - 1860, much can be established. The count of surnames of the free African-Americans numbered over 21 in 1840. To that number 43 new surnames had been introduced by 1850 and another 33 by 1860, totaling at least 76 since 1840. The likelihood that migration of freed individuals to Page County transpired seems remote unless other family members actually resided in the county thereby drawing them to Page. Likewise, there had clearly been a trend for those that had been freed earlier on to have stayed in the county. Seventy-one percent of the surnames of the 1840 number still resided in Page as of 1860. However, out of those that had been introduced in 1850, only thirty-seven percent remained by 1860.
Of those living as single individuals dispersed among the white population of the county without any clear indication of other family in the home, there was a nearly equal number of free blacks/mulattos residing or working at the homes of slave-holders and non-slave-holders alike. Most resided or worked at the homes of farmers. Of those that resided with slave-holders, it is often presumed that other family members were still slaves in the same household. However, perhaps the most curious figure was that of the five census listed free black/mulatto children under the age of six that resided with non-slave-holding families - leaving no indication as to why they resided there.
Further research revealed that there were well over 30 free blacks/mulattos, as head of households, listed with occupations ranging from John Dixon as keeper of the furnace at Alma District #1 to those who held the occupations of laborer, blacksmith, forgeman, stone mason, cooper, carpenter, boatman, basket-maker, shoemaker, and tanner. The various homes of these people ranged from Overall (otherwise known as Milford) representing the northen most area of the residences to the Shenandoah Iron Works as the southernmost point. The wealthiest ($850 in real estate) free individual was the 33 year-old mulatto trader Samuel Campbell, residing in Marksville.
More to follow in other upcoming articles.
Return to the Page News & Courier sponsored directory for
Heritage & Heraldry articles.