You assume that the census taker recorded the designation based on
information from the resident rather than on observation.  I don't think
this is necessarily true.  There are many discrepancies in race in the
census, especially where the same person's race was given differently from
one census to another.  Some people may not have even thought of themselves
as one of the "official" categories such as "mulatto."

Gregg

Gregg D. Kimball
Director of Publications
  and Educational Services
Library of Virginia
804/692-3722
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-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 9:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: black master


        I guess in the case of census information negro was negro and white
was white, depending upon what the census informant told the census taker.
I can't imagine the reason a free white in Louisiana would attempt to be
counted as a free black, for reasons that should be obvious, but I can see
where a free black would prefer to be counted as a white.  To the extent
that census data is skewed, it seems to me it would be with fewer free
blacks than actually existed.

       I would be curious to know if anyone knows of a reason a free white
would designate himself as a free black in a US census.

JDS

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