Slaves

Yeoman Farmers Most whites North Carolinians lived on their own farms. Only one of four families owned slaves, and only top tenth of families could be considered wealthy. These Yeoman farmers organized thier lives around three things: thier families, the seasons, and thier neighborhoods. Marriage was accepted starting point for making a family and a farm.Most men were in thier early 20's when they married, for they often had to wait until they had the resources to acquire land and settle down, as it was called. Woman often married in thier late teens. Weddings were simple and almost always held at the home of the bride. The groom would arrive with his attendents and give the father of the bride a present. The minister then conducted the service. Family and nieghbors were present; after the ceremony they stayed to eat, dance, and party. All wore thier best clothes. The bridal couple took no honeymoon either they lived with thier parents or immediantly went to their own house.

Slaves Slaves were found in every North Carolina county. Even Mountian counties, where poor soil and remote location hindered any kind of economic growth, had slaves a part of thier population. Some areas, however, had many more slaves than others. The greatest concentration of slaves was along the belt of Hertford south through Pitt and Wayne counties. These counties had two advantages: they promoted the growth of slavery. They soil just above the level of swamps was some of the best in the state. Second the good land were located close enough to ports to make cost very little. North Carolina Population 1830-1860


 * Year || White || Slave || Total ||
 * 1830 || 492,386 || 245,601 || 737,987 ||
 * 1840 || 507,602 || 245,817 || 753,419 ||
 * 1850 || 580,491 || 288,548 || 869,03 ||
 * 1860 || 661,563 || 331,059 || 992,622 ||

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