Nero was an African American man residing in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Nero had been enslaved by Abel Trueblood. When Abel Trueblood died in 1759, he bequeathed Nero's labor to his son, Josiah Trueblood, along with that of several other enslaved people. Due to his religious beliefs, Josiah Trueblood freed Nero in about 1776. Later, North Carolina passed a law stating that enslaved people could not be freed without permission of the courts. In 1778 local officials arrested Nero, arguing that he had violated the law even though he had been emancipated prior to the law, and sold his labor at public auction. Any further information regarding this individual has not been located.