The Colrain, Massachusetts vital records lists Reuben White as dying on August 10, 1849, at the age of 96. It makes no mention of his race, but federal census reports for Colrain and nearby Shelburne all note that he and his family were African American. He first appears in the 1800 federal census for Shelburne with four people in the "All Other Free Persons" column. By 1810, the family of five had moved to Colrain, where they remained. In 1820 the household had eleven people- Reuben and his wife, eight children under the age of 14, and a female between the ages of 26 and 44. In 1830 the family numbered four and included two young people between the ages of 10 and 23. By 1840, probably several generations shared the home. Reuben and his wife are listed as being older than age 55, there were two children less than 10 years old, and one male between the ages of 10 and 23.