Hi Sheila,

A couple of years ago, I also came across a Free Negro Register while I was transcribing some records in the Court Records of Halifax Co.,North Carolina for the years 1847-1865. I posted it the Halifax Co.,USGenweb site, and it does give one quite a picture of what was going on at the time. The coordinator chose to rename it "Free People of Color Register", I guess to be pc, but I really have no problem with that, I just wanted the info to get out there.
I believe the laws in NC at the time must have required that FCP register with the County if they were going to travel out of the area, because almost every single one of the people that I tried to trace from the Register, were living in different Counties, or even different States, by the 1850. A copy of the transcription can be found here:

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/halifax/court/free01.txt

By the way, we also have something in common in that I am a new coordinator for the Granville Co.,NC USGenweb site and am also adding new African American data to that and the Warren Co.,NC pages too.
The Drury Pettiford info might be of great interest to Erin Bradford who frequents Afrigeneas quite a bit and who runs a blog on Free Blacks in Antebellum North Carolina, the Pettifords are one the primary families that she researches.

Deloris