http://www.lulu.com/leboudin - Purchase site for book, Notes And Documents of Free Persons of Color. Book details the lives of those labled, "fpc", or Free Persons of Color, by the Fredericksburg Free Negro Registry. The chronicles include members of groups now labled, Tri-Racial Isolates, who inhabited the Mountains of the Southeastern United States. They were a mixture of Natives, whites, and blacks, who were fleeing for their freedom.
Notes and Documents of Free Persons of Color, is 290 pages, African American History, Non Fiction, and contains, appendix, bibliography, endnotes, and index. It is the true story of Virginias' own Creole Population.
One of the more controversial characters is, Mary Bowden, who was born in 1730. She was seven years old, when George Washingtons father, was awarded her Indenture. Mary Bowdens ethnicity has not been proven, but she is believed to have been Rappahannock Indian. It was their land that was taken to build the large plantations along the Rappahannock. This theory was given credence, when Mary ran away several times, and remained in the area.
The Plantation Mary was taken to, belonged to George Washingtons family. In 1750, Mary had a daughter, Patty Bowden, who was described as a Dark Mulatto. It is believed that Patty's father was a Washington family slave. On the Washington Plantation is a Graveyard which holds Native Americans, and slaves from the Washington plantation. Mary, and her daughter Patty were forced into thirty year indentures because of their racial status of, Mulatto (mixed raced). Mulatto was a term that applied to mixed raced persons, and to Natives. Ms. Wills will speak about the laws, and religions of Virginia, and how they affected Natives land, and Africans labor.
Ms. Wills will do a presentation of her book at:
The African American Museum & Library @ Oakland
659 14th Street
Oakland CA 94612
(510) 481-1804
On: June 12, 2004; 3:00 - 5:00 pm.
Event is free to the public. Light refreshments will be served
ALL ARE WELCOME!!
