rced to leave their farms and to seek homes
elsewhere, probably on unclaimed territory in remote parts of the
colony. This gave rise to that fringe of rough humanity upon the
frontier, that spread continually westward as the colony grew. Many of
the servants that escaped from their masters fled to the mountains,
seeking refuge among the defiles and woods of the Blue Ridge or the
more distant Alleghanies. The descendants of these wretched people
still exist in the mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee
and Kentucky, exhibiting in their ignorance, their disregard for law,
their laziness and even in their dialect the lowness of their origin.

The facts presented in the preceding paragraphs lead us inevitably to
the conclusion that that portion of the vast body of indentured
servants that were brought to Virginia which made its lasting imprint
on the character of the population of the eastern countries was
composed of men of sterling qualities, and was rather an element of
strength than of weakness to the middle class into which they went.
That many did rise to places of trust and influence is well
established. There are numerous instances of servants, who, after
serving their term of indenture, became burgesses, justices, etc. Thus
John Trussell, who came over in 1622 as a servant, became a burgess in
1654.[191] The Assembly of 1629 included in its members William
Warlick, William Poppleton, Richard Townsend and Anthony Pagett, all
of whom had come to the colony under terms of indenture.[192] Gatford,
a puritanical preacher of the Commonwealth period, wrote that at that
time some of the former servants were still filling offices of trust
in the colony. The author of Virginia's Cure asserted, in 1662, that
the burgesses "were usuall such as went over as servants thither; and
though by time, and industry, they may have obtained competent
estates, yet by reason of their poor and mean condition, were
unskilful in judging of a good estate, either of church or
Commonwealth."[193] This, however, is undoubtedly an exaggeration.
Yet, in 1651, Governor Berkeley, in an address to the Assembly, stated
that hundreds of examples testified to the fact that no man in the
colony was denied the opportunity to acquire both honor and wealth.

The chief occupation to which the freed servant turned was
agriculture. During their term of indenture it was as field laborers
that most of them had spent their time, and many were ignorant o