Eric,

Linda is correct in her answer.  I, too, have worked extensively with
Georgia census records from 1870 through 1910, and I have seen the same
family listed as black, mulatto, and white in the various census
returns.  There is some debate about who made these determinations
(whether it was the census taker giving his best approximation or
whether the family in question answered as such).  As to your other
question - I worked with rural Middle Georgia and Piedmont counties, and
I found evidence suggesting that black families (extended) tried to
settle together in the same areas once they escaped tenancy and had the
means to purchase land, but that tenancy also caused black families to
settle together.  That said, I found it to be very common for white
households to be listed among black households in the census data, and
it is very common to find white and black estate administrators in
probate.  I would be very interested in knowing which Georgia counties
you are working with.  Feel free to contact me off-line
([log in to unmask]).

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Huffstutler, Eric S.
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 4:21 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-HIST] Census Question

I am trying to track down my grandmother's roots which are not quite
direct nor clear.  In doing so I ran across something a bit unusual and
wanted to get someone's input on this:

During the 1910 census, her family listed as white, was in the middle of
a page that was all blacks and pages on either side of them are all
black families.  Why would a white family in the deep south (this was
Georgia) be living in the middle of hundreds of blacks?

Also, could a mulatto be listed as white then?

Thanks.
Eric 
 
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