Chapter 372019—early January
Carlton went to the courthouse the next morning, and visited the Tax Assessor’s office, where he was waited on by a middle-aged man named Porter Starling.
“How can I help you, Mr. Perry?” Starling said after Carlton had handed him a card.
“I’ve been looking into the history of the property and the Raleigh family,” Carlton said. “We’ve found some evidence that an older black woman—a former slave—owned a cabin adjacent to the property. I’d like to find out where that cabin was, if it’s possible.”
“Let’s go have a look at the maps.” Starling led Carlton into a room full of square tables. Each table held a large bound volume of maps, and he went to one located near the rear wall of the room. He opened the book of maps and turned a few pages.
“This volume conta
