Not so fast, Henry. I'm researching the treatment of the poor in antebellum Virginia, including bound children. Treatment varied from county to county, and in some counties race had very little to do with treatment, education notwithstanding. Thus indentures in, say, Rockbridge County compared very well when set against Accomack. The overwhelming majority of indentures in Acc. were for farming, only 3 boys learned a "mobile" trade. Rockbridge tended toward the potentially lucrative mechanical trades. Lancaster was another county where orphans tended to do very well in their apprenticeship. Indeed of all those, black and white indentured in Lancaster, none showed up on the poor list again. Too, the education was generally catch as catch can, if at all. Masters in York told the court (the citation escapes me now) that they were reluctant to take on apprentices BECAUSE of the educational requirements of indenture: reading, writing, and "cyphering to the rule of three." Education, too, varied from county to county. One common lament among Superintendents of (Poor) Schools was that many who were eligible for the free education offered by the schools did not take advantage. So much for the belief that America has always been a nation craving knowledge, or at least was at some "golden age." So be careful about generalizing and keep in mind the differences from place to place. Jim Watkinson To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html