George Abel Barge was married to Mary Ann Slaughter, a white woman. Jeff's mother was black or mulatto. The 1870 Wilcox County AL census, in which Jeff is found as an infant, indicate she may have been Martha Robins.

1870 Wilcox County AL census, Snow Hill beat, Camden post office, page 461-A.
House # 424, Family # 425
Simpson, William, 30, black, farmer, AL, no real estate, $100 personal property
Robins, Martha, 22, black, keeping house, AL
Miller, Prince, 15, male, black, farm labor, AL
Barge, Jeff, 3 months, black, born Feb 1870, AL

Note: George A. Barge with wife Mary and two daughters is listed on page 459-A.

In Wilcox County in that census those were the only Barges in Snow Hill, although there are blacks and a few whites (headed by Leonard T. Barge) in Pine Apple, and all blacks in Allenton.

The 1860 Slave Census showed George A. Barge owned three slaves:
80 y old Black Female
50 y old Black Male
22 y old Mulatto Female