The Vena family of Augusta county appears to be a typical free black family. According to the 1860 population census, nineteen Venas lived in Augusta County's North Subdivision. The Venas comprised three distinct households, headed by Poland Vena, 38, Washington Vena, 59, and Sally Vena, 80. Looking at the ages for the three houshold heads, and also the fact that Washington and Sally's family and house numbers are separated by only one number, we can imagine that Sally was probably the matriarch of this family, and Poland and Washington were her sons. The families were:
| Poland, 38, Day Laborer | Washington, 59, Day Laborer | Sally, 80 |
| Margaret, 25 | Betsy, 48 | Diannah, 18, Domestic |
| Signora, 4 | Jeremiah, 21 | Vick., 16, Domestic |
| Mary A., 10 | Gregory, 13 | Alexander, 13 |
| Robert M., 3 | Lydia, 6 | Aaron, 4 |
| B. F., 1 | Aibelus, 1 | |
| Rebecca, 1 |
Additionally, Fanny Vena, an eight-year old girl lived with John Lombin, a free black shoemaker and his wife Harriet. Because the Lombin's house and family number in the census was only three away from Poland Vena's, it is safe to assume that Fanny was his daughter, probably hired by the childless Lombins to help around the house.
None of the three Vena households, nor the family as a whole, could be considered wealthy, although they did own more real estate and personal property than the majority of Augusta's 586 free blacks. Using our census statistics compiled for both blacks and "mulattos", one finds that eighteen people reported real estate holdings worth $21,100, with a mean value of $1,172, and that eighty-nine people reported personal estate worth $20,184, with a mean value of $227. It's important to note, however that these figures are skewed somewhat by the presence of a few wealthy free blacks, notably barber Robert Campbell.
The Vena's lack of significant property is not surprising, given the family's occupations: the men were day laborers and the women (in this case two teenage girls) were domestics. There are no Venas in either the agricultural census or the Staunton tax digests. The Free Black Registry provides no more illumination: five Venas registered with Augusta County between 1812 and 1851; none of them appear in the 1860 census record. The uneveness of registration was characteristic of free blacks; some people registered multiple times, perhaps to protect property or position, while most never made the trip to the courthouse.
