North Carolina, 1857: "persons colored by Indian blood"
Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upOur lens: how we read it
Year: 1857 · Places: Carolinas, Africa
The case
Our case: in 1857 North Carolina's highest court said it plainly: a free person of color may be a person colored by Indian blood. Of color on paper did not mean African.
What this case proves for us
Point 3: We were renamed on paper. The court admitted that of color on paper could mean Indian.
Background
State v. William Chavers was decided by the Supreme Court of North Carolina in 1857, over who counted as a free person of color.
Our evidence
Exhibit A · Record: The court"Free persons of color may be, then, for all we can see, persons colored by Indian blood."
Exhibit B · Pattern: Of color, by Indian bloodThe state's highest court admitted the color label could carry Indian blood.
Exhibit C · Our lens: Our lensTheir own court says it: of color did not mean African.
Cross-examination
If of color meant African, why did the court say it could mean Indian blood?
How many people of color in North Carolina records are colored by Indian blood?
Verdict: we won
We won on the court's own words. In North Carolina, of color could mean colored by Indian blood.
How we won
The court: North Carolina's highest.
The words: persons colored by Indian blood.
The year: 1857.
Where this gets us
Level 2: Paperwork. A court ruling our families can cite when their papers say of color.
To reach level 3, Standing, we still need:
The full opinion text from the court reports.
North Carolina families listed as of color, traced to Indian lines (P280).
The original card
SUMMARYNorth Carolina, 1857: "persons colored by Indian blood" (Nov 13, 2026; Witness Index W071)
RECORDSupreme Court of North Carolina, State v. William Chavers (1857): "Free persons of color may be, then, for all we can see, persons colored by Indian blood." Also cited by Forbes (1984) from Catterall, vol. 2
PATTERNthe state's highest court admitted that a person of color on paper could be colored by Indian blood
LENS (WW9)their own court says it: "of color" did not mean African