FREE NEGROES OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA 367 as well as the slave, was comparatively good. Later, dur- ing the period of cruel slavery, when the Negro, at least in the cotton Gulf States, was debased to the level of beasts, life became extremely hard for the slave while the free Negro, at the same time, came to be regarded as the pest of society. The free Negroes could neither vote nor hold office. They were not permitted to enter the militia nor to serve on juries. Like the slaves, they could not generally bear testimony against white persons. After 1831 they were prohibited from preaching. After 1838 they were not allowed to leave the state for education; and, of course, years before that time they had been legally deprived of the benefits of education. They were permitted to enter business and to own property, however; and their property was taxed. As shown above, free Negroes in Petersburg were al- most as numerous as slaves. Out of the 2,032 free Negroes in Petersburg in 1830, according to the findings of one in- vestigator, 503 of them were classed as heads of families 3 and in turn, among these heads of families, 107 were them- selves owners of slaves.4 These slaves ranged in number from one to six. After some study of original sources, the records of the city of Petersburg, including in manuscript the minutes of the Hustings Court, proceedings of the Com- mon Council, city ordinances, deed books, land books, mar- riage records, miscellaneous private documents, legislative petitions, and, in print, old newspapers and city directories, the writer has discovered a large number of well-to-do, self- respecting free Negroes. There were in particular some outstanding families. All of these persons represented a distinct asset to the town. In some instances, by reckoning from the present time, five and six generations of families may be traced, the descendants of some of whom still live in Petersburg. It is informing at this point to note that for generations the persons herein referred to in many cases enjoyed a reg- 3 Woodson, Free Negro Heads of Families in 1830. 4 Woodson, Free Negro Owners of Slaves in 1830.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 11:58:11 +0000
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