Thank you for your input. I have the Katz article. It is very helpful, as Ely suggests, because it places Cumberland County history in a broader context.

However, it contains several errors, probably the result of a quick survey of the record. The statement that no one was ever jailed in Cumberland County due to lack of free papers appears to be wrong. The LVA website offers an excerpt from the 1834 Order Book calling for the sale of free Negro Eley Hubbard and her jailing until her sale date.

Sally Phillips