Well, you don't provide much information on Clara other than the 1860 census so I can only guess. It's important to try and establish some connection Clara and other family members especially parents. Is there a marriage or death records ? They should list any parents. What's happens to Clara and her children after the 1860 census ? You may want to post at the FPOC forum here. There are quite a few Louisiana researchers over there. Was she catholic ? Sometimes there are Father Hebert's church records available ? Was her children's last name Rapp as well ? I think it more likely than not that she was a free person before. At some point there was a law passed in Louisiana where you could still free a slave but that freed slave had to leave the state of Louisiana.