Aug 19, 2016 Orange County Review
Curiosity finally got the best of me and I recently buckled down to satisfy a decades-long query. Just what is the story regarding free blacks pre-emancipation and particularly in Orange County.
We already know that after about 1809, those who were manumitted by their owners were required in most cases to leave the state, not just the county, barring a handful of exceptions.
However, records indicate that there were an estimated 185 free blacks living in Orange County as reflected in the 1850 and 1860 Census. One might surmise that the older family members were manumitted prior to the date mentioned above and subsequently all children born to them would be born as free people. Another possibility, though far less frequent in Virginia, was that the older family members were never enslaved. The facts that would inform these questions are yet to be investigated and require a case by case study.
In the interim, let’s study a few of the facts and figures related to the residential population in Orange County from 1850 through 1860.
There are definitely discrepancies in the reported numbers, but even with that the data portrays a scenario that is accurate in percentages if not exact per capita figures. Please accept the following figures as estimates and do not get bogged down in trying to make the numbers match (as I did for a couple of hours).
The overall population grew from 10,067 in 1850 to 10,851 in 1860. The white population decreased by 591 while the enslaved population increased by 190 from 5,921 in 1850 to 6,111 in 1860. The free black population remained approximately the same at about 184.
Nope, the numbers do not compute; was it a miscalculation, an error in transcription, or were there a few individuals simply not accounted for by the census- taker? I am not sure for our purposes it really matters. Instead, let’s have a look at the percentages which will not be greatly impacted by the discrepancies.
During this 10-year span, the enslaved people of Orange County constituted an average of 57.5 percent of all the residents. The free black individuals comprised 4.15 percent of the free population and 1.77 percent of the total number of the county’s inhabitants. It is clear that though people of color held a striking majority, free blacks were a tiny minority.
It is my hope to flesh out their lives and the laws that impacted their rights or lack of as free people. Were their marriages legally recognized? Could they own property or a business? Will the research reveal that they were indeed better off than those enslaved and in what manner or did they live a life that was constantly threatened and possibly on the brink of enslavement?
It will take some time to answer these questions, but I am happy to report a very special finding already. Searching the 1860 Census records, I have identified an estimated 135 free black persons complete with given and surname, gender, approximate birth year and their place of residence as in who were their neighbors. For me, that is a big ‘wow!’ moment. I hope to do the same for the 1850 Census.
Be assured, I will share all the names in coming articles.
Until next week, be well.