There is little preserved information about Dr. Paw-Paw, but a series of notes point to him as an enslaved African man on Frances Littlepage's plantation in Virginia with remedies for yaws (a common skin disease of the time) and ‘‘inveterate venereal distempers.’’ Word spreads about Dr. Paw-Paw's success in treating enslaved people with his remedies.

Paw-Paw is offered his freedom by the Executive Council of Virginia in exchange for his medical knowledge, provided he stays in a working relationship with the government. Paw-Paw's freedom is tied to the number of remedies he can provide for white communities.