▁all ▁but ▁three ▁lived ▁on ▁" The ▁R idge ." ▁ ▁An c est ry ▁Gene alog ist ▁Paul ▁Hein eg g ▁has ▁used ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁colonial ▁era ▁documents ▁to ▁trace ▁the ▁ancest ors ▁of ▁families ▁identified ▁in ▁the ▁South ▁as ▁free ▁black s ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁two ▁cens uses ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁( 1 7 9 0 , ▁ 1 8 0 0 ). ▁These ▁included ▁court ▁records , ▁indent ures , ▁land ▁de eds , ▁will s , ▁etc . ▁For ▁instance , ▁if ▁a ▁white ▁woman ▁had ▁an ▁il leg it imate ▁mixed - race ▁child , ▁the ▁child ▁had ▁to ▁serve ▁a ▁period ▁of ▁app rent ices hip ▁as ▁an ▁indent ured ▁servant ▁to ▁be ▁trained ▁in ▁a ▁trade ▁and ▁to ▁prevent ▁the ▁community ▁from ▁having ▁to ▁support ▁the ▁woman ▁and ▁her ▁child . ▁Records ▁of ▁such ▁indent ures ▁are ▁among ▁the ▁court ▁records ▁he ▁consult ed . ▁▁ ▁He ▁found ▁that ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁families ▁of ▁free ▁people ▁of ▁color ▁were ▁desc ended ▁from ▁un ions ▁between ▁white ▁women , ▁free ▁or ▁indent ured ▁servants , ▁and ▁African ▁or ▁African - American ▁men , ▁slaves ▁or ▁indent ured ▁servants , ▁in ▁colonial ▁Virginia . ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁law ▁of ▁the ▁col ony ▁and ▁the ▁principle ▁of ▁part us ▁sequ it ur ▁vent rem , ▁by ▁which ▁children ▁in ▁the ▁col ony ▁took ▁the ▁status ▁of ▁their ▁moth ers , ▁the ▁mixed - race ▁children ▁of ▁these ▁un ions ▁and ▁mar ri ages ▁were ▁born ▁free ▁because