Jon Kukla is quite right about the laws and about Mick Nichols'
observations, which were also quite right. There is very good
information on this subject in Melvin Patrick Ely's excellent new book,
Israel on the Appomattox.

Israel on the Appomattox, by the bye, received the Library of Virginia's
literary award last Saturday for the best nonfiction book published in
2004.

Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
[log in to unmask]

Visit the Library of Virginia's web site at http://www.lva.lib.va.us

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jon Kukla
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 12:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FPC thread begun re: Carter Braxton the Signer

We should also remember that, although enforcement varied in the
extreme, throughout most of the antebellum period Virginia's law
provided that newly manumitted persons were supposed to leave the state
within a year - and (at least after Gabriel's conspiracy) the law also
required free people of color to register annually with the county
courts.
   On the latter, long ago I remember a conversation at Chicken's in the
capitol during which Mick Nochols observed that, in the southside
records he was examining at the time, compliance with the registration
provision seemed to increase in times of societal anxiety over race,
such as Gabriel, Turner, etc.
Jon Kukla

> Re: Why would free persons of color born in Virginia be in Hannibal, 
> Missouri in 1850?  And when would they have come there?
>
> Not so unusual: think of the freed Hemingses who went to Ohio in the 
> 1830s.
>
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the 
> instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
>


Dr. Jon Kukla, Executive Vice-President
Red Hill - The Patrick Henry National Memorial 1250 Red Hill Road
Brookneal, Virginia 24528 www.redhill.org Phone 434-376-2044 or
800-514-7463

Fax 434-376-2647

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- Karen Gorham-Smith, Associate Curator
- Edith Poindexter, Curator

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