The broad ax., 1925-12-26
TWO VALUABLE WORKS ON
THE NEGRO
Free Negro Heads Of Families in the
United States in 1880, $500; Free
Negro Owners Of Slaves in the
United States in 1880, $100
By Carter Goodwin Woodson

By Carter Goodwin Woodson
These works are the product Of the
well known editor Of the Journal Of
Negro History and author Of various
interesting and valuable works on the
Negro. AS he has devoted the last
is years Of his life to the special study
Of this neglected group, he is now pub
fishing at a rapid rate numerous books
treating the various aspects Of Negro
life and history. These two publica-
tons are brought out by the Research
Department Of the Association for the
Study Of Negro Life and History,
which the author founded 10 years ago
and has directed up to the present
time.
The aim Of this work Is to facilitate
the further study of this neglected
group. Most Of the people Of this
country have forgot that about half a
million, almost one seventh Of the Ne
groes in this country, were free prior
to the emancipation in 1865. These
were leaders Of this despised class,
toiling up sometimes against the teeth
OF opposition into positions OF ease
and culture. Many were prosperous
farmers and efficient mechanics. "A
few Of them were printers, editors,
teachers, ministers, physicians, and
lawyers prior to the Civil War.
The statistical report on Free Negro
Heads Of Families Is introduced BY a
valuable discussion Of the free Negro
from various points Of view. The au-
thor therein ably discusses the origin
Of the free Negro, the prevention Of
the increase Of this class, the free Ne
gro before the law, economic achieve
ment, and social distinctions. Prob
ably the most interesting part of the
treatise is the development Of early
race admixture as the origin of the
free Negro. The study is we'll doeu-
mented BY references to incontrovert-
ible sources which inspire confidence
in the authors production and enhance
the value Of the work
The facts Of the statistical part Of
the work were extracted from the
manuscript schedules returned by
those who took the census of the
United States in 1880 After the ed
itor had first copied the record Of one
state to acquaint himself in detail with
the information given in these census
reports, the statistics were then copied
under his direction BY three persons.
The matter thus collected was then
verified by the editor and one of his
assistants.
Accompanying tables give the names
Of about $4,000 heads Of families,
showing in each case the district, the
county and state in which each lived.
In some cases even the streets Of the
cities on which some resided are given.
There appear also the approximate age
Of the head Of the family and the total
number Of persons in the family in
Guiding the slaves. Some one has re-
ferred TO this as a veritable blue book
on the Negro aristocracy a century
ago.
The study Of FREE NEGRO
OWNERS OF SLAVES Is Of IN
usual interest because of the oppor-
tunity it offers for understanding the
Negro himself The records show.
however. that the Negro owners Of
slaves were such largely from the
point Of view Of philanthropy. In
many instances the husband purchased
the wife or vice versa. The slaves
belonging to such families were few
compared with the large numbers
found among the whites Oh the we'll
developed plantations. Slaves Of Ne
groes were in some cases the children
OF a free father who had purchased
his wife. If he did not thereafter
emancipate the mother, as 80 many
such husbands could not do without
becoming separated from them. his
own children were born his slaves and
were thus reported By the enumera-
tors. Some Of these husbands were
not anxious to liberate their wives i'm
mediately. They considered it advis-
able to put them on probation for
lew years, and if they did not find
them satisfactory they would sell
their wives as other shareholders dis
posed Of Negroes. For example. a
Negro shoemaker in Charleston. South
Carolina, purchased his wife for $500;
but, on finding her hard to please, he