I have noticed that in the records that I have seen for quite a few of the names in the book, and it was one thing that I have tried to make people aware of when they are looking for records of former owners. Quite a few of the surnames in the Emancipation book, for instance, were assigned by the North Carolina General Assembly, not by the slaves themselves. My ancestors who I found in the book were owned by one SAMUEL WILLIAMS, who freed them in his will in 1791, but due to the laws of the time, it had to be approved by petitioning the Courts; in 1798, they were finally freed and assigned the surname of GREEN. They weren't the only ones given the GREEN surname, there were many others freed in the late 1700s - early 1800s in other Counties who were also given that surname, all I can figure is that it was the surname du jour because none of the slaveowners had that surname. Indeed, in the same act that declared my 8 GREEN ancestors free in 1798, some of the other names were as follows with the slaveowners name first, assigned surname second:
Moses PARKER - Betty & John BLACK
Thomas AMIS - Grace & Harry WEBB
Thomas PERSON - Nancy & Eliza HART
James ALLEN - Daniel SHAD
Mark ALLEN - Ginger PEPPER (male)
Ozborne JEFFRIES - Buffalo SAM
Dixon BOGYE - Chelsea REED

Deloris