RUSSELL SURNAMES
1790 PRINCE GEORGES CO. MARYLAND
CENSUS
both Benjamin & Mary are on page 312

free white males of 16 years & upwards, including heads of families
free white males under 16 years
free white females including heads of families
all other free persons
slaves

MARRIAGES
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MARYLAND
1781-1822
of possible kin to Eleanor Russell
but most significantly the first marriage listed here might be of some relevance

Henry Dorton's mother, Anne Dorton, was an indentured servant to a sea captain in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Anne was providing services to the Captain's wife, Jane Martin, Inn Keeper. [We don't know the given name of Jane Martin's husband. - See below]

Possibilities:

1) Ann Russell might be a sister to Eleanor Russell
2) Richard Martin might be the son of Jane Martin and her husband the innkeeper.
Thus:
3) Henry Dorton may still have been in familial contact with his mother, Anne, who could still be living in 1780 wtih the Martin family. Richard Martin, as a son of Jane Martin, would have married into the Russell family, as well as Henry marrying into the Russell family.

1790 CENSUS
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MARYLAND

Perhaps this is:
Name: HENRY MARTIN
Spouse: ROBINSON, JANE
Marriage Date: 25 Jun 1743
County: Talbot , MD

There is also a Henry Marten in the 1790 Talbot, MD census, so this is probably NOT "Captain" Martin. However, I must add it here and discuss it as though it "could be" Captain Martin as the name "Jane" fits. See also 1790 Talbot Co. Henry Marten.

My notations:
1) Is the noted "1 slave," Anne Dorton?
2) If so, is this a possibility that this is the household where Henry Dorton was born into and he was the son of Anne Dorton and Henry Marten.
3) Henry Dorton was named "Henry." Is this Henry's father, "Henry Marten"?
4) Is Henry Marten the husband of Jane Marten the innkeeper who indentured Henry Dorton to service? Is Henry Marten in this census the captain? There is no notation of "captain" on the census.
4)If Henry is the son of Captain Marten, then he is one-half brother to the Marten children of Henry and would be more inclined to marry within the family of Russell, as we see a Richard Marten/Martin marrying an Ann Russell.

*******

Regarding Henry Dorton being indentured as "Henry Dalton a Mulatto (Tis said)"

Scenarios where Henry would "officially" be mulatto:
According to me

1) If Anne Dorton, Henry's mother was a mulatto and Henry's unknown father was a mulatto, then Henry Dorton would be a mulatto.
2) If Anne Dorton was white and Henry's unknown father was black, then Henry would be a mulatto.
3) If Anne Dorton was white and Henry's unknown father was Indian (or mixed Indian/Black/White), then Henry would be a mulatto.

***

Scenarios where Henry would "officially" be black:
According to me

3) If Anne Dorton was mulatto (black/white) and Henry's father was black, would Henry be black or mulatto? [My notation: Probably black.]

4) If Anne Dorton was black and Henry's father was mulatto, would Henry be black or mulatto? [My notation: Probably black.]

5) If Anne Dorton was mixed Indian/Black/White and Henry's father was black, Henry would probably be considered black.

***

Scenarios where Henry would "officially" be considered white:
According to me

6) If Anne Dorton was white (or considered white) and Henry's father was white (or considered white). For example, if the father of Henry Dorton is Jane Marten's husband, Capt. Marten, probably a white man.

7)Monongalia County, West Virginia court case (probably before 1820) wherein Henry Dorton brought an assault charge against a white man. I believe that if Henry were white, he could have brought this suit; if he were "of color," I don't think he would have been allowed to do so before 1865.

8) Monongalia County, West Virginia court case wherein Henry Dorton sues a white man to regain property that he sold, for non-payment. I believe that if Henry were white, he could have brought this suit; if he were "of color," I don't think he would have been allowed to do so before 1865.

9)Henry Dorton (and his family) was listed in the 1810 Monongalia County (West) Virginia census as a white man. Perhaps and in all probability, one of Henry's children married a mixed-race person, causing Henry to be considered a man of color thereafter.

10) Lack of any American Revolution military record stating that Henry Dorton was black or mulatto or Indian.

***

We do see good reason that Jane Marten would have wanted to indenture Anne's son, Henry, if Jane's husband was the father of Henry.

In my opinion, if Captain Marten were the father of Henry, and Anne were a slave, would or could Jane have been obliged to keep Henry Dorton and/or to sell him as a slave? Does one indenture a "slave"?

Then, Jane, in my opinion, would have not have to had him named mulatto to indenture Henry Dorton, unless this was an additional confirmation on her part as to why he should be indentured. Also it is my opinion that children of 'slaves' were allowed to remain in their owners' homes. Perhaps Anne was not a 'slave,' even though she may have been counted as one?

MARYLAND LAW - 1715, ch. 44, §. 27.:
MULATTOES. 1. Mulatto Children, begotten by any Negro, or other Slave, or by any Free Negro, upon any WhiteWoman; or by any White Man upon any Free NegroWoman, shall be Servants till the Age of Thirty-one.

We have no reason to believe that one or the other {Anne Dorton OR Henry Dorton's father} or both were black or mulatto, other than the court record that named him a mulatto only by it being 'said' that he was; but the fact remains that if he were by blood actually 'mulatto,' then we cannot prove him to be black as some have done. He remains 'mulatto' by court record. He remains 'man of color' on other records, and in the 1810 census he is listed as white. Although in the 1811 Personal Property Tax Return, he is listed as 'man of color' and we do not know if this 'man of color' designation was brought about by one of his children marrying into a mixed or Indian race. There is nothing to indicate in his military service records that he is 'mulatto' OR black.

After thoroughly reading the 'essay-speech' regarding Henry Dorton being a black soldier in the American Revolution, I believe it has no more basis in fact than I have put on my website. That is to say, that there is nothing I see that concludes that Henry Dorton was black. Perhaps since there may no longer be a politically-correct word for 'mulatto,' all past centuries-documented persons who have the word mulatto associated with their names, have become 'black'? Therefore, over the past 250 years Henry Dorton has become 'black' (tis said) instead of "mulatto" (tis said).????

There will be Henry Dorton descendants who will wish him to be black as there will be descendants who wish him to be white. I only wish to point out facts and contradictions of facts. My goal is to do good genealogical research for whatever racial category my ancestors fall in. I have no racial bias regarding what I would like my ancestors' race to be. I hope (and wish) this to be the case for others as well.

1800 Census
Prince Georges Co., MD