Napolean P Drue

Cabinet card of Napolean P. Drue, taken at the Richmond Photo Company in Richmond, Virginia, circa 1880s. There was a note attached that indicated he purchased land in 1867 and was "the first colored person in Powhatan County, Virginia to record a deed for property bought after emancipation by one of his race." Drue was born enslaved in Belmead, Virginia in 1843 and served as a house servant for the Cocke family until 1863 when he was emancipated. Following the Civil War, he purchased 33 acres near Belmead and worked at St. Emma's. He died in 1925 and is buried in Belmead Historic Cemetery. [Library of Virginia]