I was focusing on the definition of the term, and  not on the 1850
census record. Yes, census enumerators did vary in their descriptions of
family members, and wrote accordingly. Descriptions even varied from
census to census. Thank you for your response.

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pat Duncan
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 3:41 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: inter-racial sex acceptable?

Paul is correct that the term mulatto implies a person of mixed race.
But he used the example of the census to show how many mixed race
individuals there were based on the term mulatto.  I contend that you
can not view the use of that term to truly indicate a mixed race when
parentage often can not be proven.

On the 1850 census for example, there are numerous children of the same
black parents being classified as both mulatto and black.  This
indicates to me that the census taker obviously saw they were 'negro'
individuals, but used the terms black and mulatto to designate skin
tone.  It would be difficult to argue that two parents classified as
black produced mulatto children (using the strict meaning of the term
mulatto) and also black children.

So we agree yet disagree.

Pat Duncan
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Harbury, Katharine (LVA)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] inter-racial sex acceptable?


Finkelman is correct.  The meaning of the term, mulatto, differed in the
17th- and 18th- centuries, if I recall correctly.  In the 17th-century,
this included white and Indian, and Indian and black as well as white
and black ancestry.  In Maryland for example, colonial entries often
describe mulatto children born to white women servants.  The definition
became more narrowly defined in the 18th-century, and varied from region
to region.

*****************
mulatto always implied the person was of mixed racial ancestry.

Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
     and Public Policy