There were no DEBNAMs freed in Wake County before the end of the Civil War. HENRY DEBNAM & LUCY SMITH were married in 1862 while slaves, according to the records they filed in Wake Co. when they registered their Cohabitation Marriage Record with the County, the marriages of former slaves. You will need to look first through the census records of their nearby white neighbors, checking especially the previous census in 1860 & 1850, to determine if they had slaves in those years, and you would then need to research those families including all of their records of wills, estate records, deeds, etc. to see if there are mentions of the names of the ancestors included in any of those records. This Forum has had a number of helpful guides & tips posted that can help you get started with Slavery research.

Deloris