I know that the defination of free people of color is very broad and covers a wide spectrum of people of mixed bloodlines. I described the priveleged plantation creole society of free people of color. Many times, the white father did not recognize them and kept them in slavery, which they remained in until they either died or were freed by some kind master. If the father did not recognize them, then they did not take his surname, but took either his first or second name or a derivation of the first two names of their master. That is how the surnames, such as jean louis, honore, jean pierre, jean baptiste, and jacques with its deriviations of james, jacot, jacko, etc., bcame so popular. Also, some surnames were corrupted from the father's first, second, and surname into new surnames.
There were many slaves, who were the children of their white masters, and the white masters kept them on the plantation and they or their descendants were freed by the Proclamation of Emancipation.