Allow me to trouble the list with a further question -- did the Native American exemption from slavery run out after a set number of generations? In the case I have, the mother was free because she was part Indian; her son was likewise free; but HIS children by a slave woman were SLAVES. Is this because the exemption "expired" or because slave status always follows that of the mother? I'm wondering if his children should have been free, but the masters simply ignored the law in that instance. Many thanks to Brent for his earlier answer to my first query. Henry Wiencek Charlottesville To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html