This book presents a historical overview of the free Negro in Virginia from the mid-eighteenth century through the Civil War, along with the physical and historical background of Amherst County. The original edition preserved a wealth of information on nearly 1,200 free persons of color who lived in Amherst County prior to the Civil War. This second edition contains well over 350 new names. In addition, more than a hundred names from the previous book have been expanded with new information. An entire chapter dealing with the history of slaves and free colored persons in Virginia has been substantially enlarged.
