Date: 1/23/2011, 8:41 am

I look at my great grandfather Joel House, who as a free person of color, is stated as a carpenter/laborer and listed in the Cabarrus County, N.C. census along with the farmer John Fehgert whom he works for. This is in the 1850 and 1860 census. In the 1860 census Joel House has a personal estate of $125.00, which makes me think that he does have property or a business, and yet I see nothing about him in the North Carolina patents or land records. I do however see some other African Americans during that time.

Is there really a list of actual African American land owners?
Joseph