You might also want to find a copy of June Purcell Guild's book Black Laws of Virginia, which is a compilation of the laws that applied to blacks both enslaved and free from 1619 to 1930's when the book was written. The book gives you a framework in which to understand what you find when you read the records.

A must read for any AA research because for the most part the laws of VA were a model for all the other states..

Selma