As far as enumerators go; one of my ancestors was white in 1783, and Mulatto in 1785. They used the very scientific method of, "eyeballing", which brought about mixed results. Anita -- "J. Douglas Deal" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Just a number or two to help ground our speculations in evidence: in the 1860 federal census, 10.41% of the slaves were deemed by enumerators to be "mulatto"; for 1850, the figure was 7.70%. For a study that investigates the variables that seem to go along with high (or low) rates of miscegenation, see Richard H. Steckel, "Miscegenation and the American Slave Schedules," Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 11:2 (Autumn 1980), 251-263. Douglas Deal Professor of History and Chair of History Department State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY 13126 [log in to unmask] (315)-312-5632 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html