From what I've seen, the records have been aggregated pre-computer with the mindset that that era worked within, thus it is somewhat useful. The earlier researchers were looking for how much stuff went out, rather than from which ports. I have a list of towns and ports that I compiled back in the 1980's as a simplistic list, but as for what you're asking about, no such luck from here.
On an somewhat anecdotal level, the batteaux that plied the rivers of VA seem to have been entirely or overwhelmingly populated by African-Americans. The relative freedom from oppressive oversight was given as a primary reason, but by inference.
I have wrestled with what went where in that era as well. For instance, Byrd's Mine Mad individuals seemed to have been mining copper, but no smelters were recorded. The overland mileage to the nearest deepwater port at Petersburg was 80 mile so whether they EVER shipped copper ingots out or not is an open question.
I have used the Colonial Statistics information but it is not fine-grained enough to do much beyond regional work.
Lyle Browning
On Feb 28, 2014, at 9:55 PM, Michael Nicholls <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I am tracing the work of some free men of color, owners or operators of watercraft on the James and lower Appomattox Rivers. I have found some arriving and departing from Petersburg, Norfolk and Richmond through the shipping news sections of newspapers, especially after about 1810. Does anyone know if anyone has created a databank of shipping to and from VA ports in the early national era; or if there are records extant of Virginia ports, either at the state or national level? Thanks--Mick
>
> Michael L. Nicholls
> Professor of History, Emeritus
> Dept. of History
> Utah State University
> Logan, UT 84322-0710
>
> [log in to unmask]
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