Im not an expert on free blacks in thcentury Louisiana but I do know that under Spanish rule which began in the s slaves were given the right to own property under the law of coartacion Slaves were allowed to get a fair price for the property they sold They could use their free time to sell produce in the markets or hire themselves out as laborers nurses craftsmen or artisans As a result slaves under Spanish rule could purchase their own freedom and could petition the courts for freedom Therefore the if the legal status of an individual could change then a slave could become a freeman and could then become a slaveowner This was common According to an article appearing in the Encyclopedia of Louisiana by the end of the Spanish period  there were  free blacks in New Orleans alone that had purchased their own freedom So I dont question the statement that there were free blacks trading in the Avoyelles area in the th century I dont know who wrote this and I dont know what evidence he has but I dont know anything to make me doubt it What evidence do you have