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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/17871-h.zip b/17871-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..72773ad --- /dev/null +++ b/17871-h.zip diff --git a/17871-h/17871-h.htm b/17871-h/17871-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d3f6ce9 --- /dev/null +++ b/17871-h/17871-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2680 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Slave Girl's Story, by Kate Drumgoold. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p { margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; + } + hr { width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; + } + + table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} + + body{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + + .pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + } /* page numbers */ + + .linenum {position: absolute; top: auto; left: 4%;} /* poetry number */ + .blockquot{margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 10%;} + .sidenote {width: 20%; padding-bottom: .5em; padding-top: .5em; + padding-left: .5em; padding-right: .5em; margin-left: 1em; + float: right; clear: right; margin-top: 1em; + font-size: smaller; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: dashed 1px;} + + .bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} + .bl {border-left: solid 2px;} + .bt {border-top: solid 2px;} + .br {border-right: solid 2px;} + .bbox {border: solid 2px;} + + .center {text-align: center;} + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + .u {text-decoration: underline;} + + .caption {font-weight: bold;} + + .figcenter {margin: auto; text-align: center;} + + .figleft {float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: + 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0; text-align: center;} + + .figright {float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; + margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;} + + .footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + .footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + .footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} + .fnanchor {vertical-align: super; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;} + + .poem {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;} + .poem br {display: none;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 4em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Slave Girl's Story, by Kate Drumgoold + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: A Slave Girl's Story + Being an Autobiography of Kate Drumgoold. + +Author: Kate Drumgoold + +Release Date: February 27, 2006 [EBook #17871] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SLAVE GIRL'S STORY *** + + + + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Susan Skinner and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<h1>A Slave Girl's Story</h1> + +<p class="center" style="font-size: large;"><i>Being an Autobiography of</i><br /> +KATE DRUMGOOLD.</p> + + +<p class="center" style="font-size: large;">BROOKLYN—NEW YORK.</p> + +<p class="center" style="font-size: large;">1898</p> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> + + +<p>Once a slave girl, I have endeavored to fill the pages with +some of the most interesting thoughts that my mind is so full +of, and not with something that is dry.</p> + +<p>This sketch is written for the good of those that have +written and prayed that the slaves might be a freed people, +and have schools and books and learn to read and write for +themselves; and the Lord, in His love for us and to us as a +race, has ever found favor in His sight, for when we were +in the land of bondage He heard the prayers of the faithful +ones, and came to deliver them out of the Land of Egypt.</p> + +<p>For God loves those that are oppressed, and will save them +when they cry unto him, and when they put their trust in +Him.</p> + +<p>Some of the dear ones have gone to the better land, but +this is one of the answers to their prayers.</p> + +<p>We, as the Negro Race, are a free people, and God be +praised for it. We as the Negro Race, need to feel proud of +the race, and I for one do with all my heart and soul and +mind, knowing as I do, for I have labored for the good of +the race, that their children might be the bright and shining +lights. And we can see the progress that we are making in an +educational way in a short time, and I think that we should +feel very grateful to God and those who are trying to help us +forward. God bless such with their health, and heart full of +that same love, that this world can not give nor taketh away.</p> + +<p>There are many doors that are shut to keep us back as a +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>race, but some are opened to us, and God be praised for those +that are opened to the race, and I hope that they will be true +to their trust and be of the greatest help to those that have +given them a chance.</p> + +<p>There are many that have lost their lives in the far South +in trying to get an education, but there are many that have +done well, and we feel like giving God all the praise.</p> + +<p>I was born in Old Virginia, in or near the Valley, the +other side of Petersburg, of slave parents, and I can just call +to mind the time when the war began, for I was not troubled +then about wars, as I was feeling as free as any one could +feel, for I was sought by all of the rich whites of the +neighborhood, as they all loved me, as noble whites will love +a child, like I was in those days, and they would send for me +if I should be at my play and have me to talk for them, and +all of their friends learned to love me and send me presents, +and I would stand and talk and preach for some time for +them.</p> + +<p>My dear mother was sold at the beginning of the war, +from all of her little ones, after the death of the lady that she +belonged to, and who was so kind to my dear mother and all +of the rest of the negroes of the place; and she never liked +the idea of holding us as slaves, and she always said that we +were all that she had on the earth to love; and she did love +me to the last.</p> + +<p>The money that my mother was sold for was to keep the +rich man from going to the field of battle, as he sent a poor +white man in his stead, and should the war end in his favor, +the poor white man should have given to him one negro, and +that would fully pay for all of his service in the army. But +my God moves in a way unknown to men, and they can +never understand His ways, for He can plant His footsteps +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>on the North, the South, the East, the West, and outride any +man's ideas; and how wonderful are all of his ways. And if +we, as a race, will only put our trust in Him, we shall gain +the glorious victory, and be a people whose God is the God +of all this broad earth, and may we humble ourselves before +Him and call Him, Blessed.</p> + +<p>I told you that my white mother did not like the idea of +calling us her slaves, and she always prayed God that I should +never know what slavery was, for she said I was never born +to serve as did the slaves of some of the people that owned +them.</p> + +<p>And God, in His love for me and to me, never let me +know of it, as did some of my own dear sisters, for some of +them were hired out after the old home was broken up.</p> + +<p>My mother was sold at Richmond, Virginia, and a gentleman +bought her who lived in Georgia, and we did not know +that she was sold until she was gone; and the saddest thought +was to me to know which way she had gone, and I used to +go outside and look up to see if there was anything that would +direct me, and I saw a clear place in the sky, and it seemed +to me the way she had gone, and I watched it three and a +half years, not knowing what that meant, and it was there the +whole time that mother was gone from her little ones.</p> + +<p>On one bright Sunday I asked my older sister to go with +me for a nice walk and she did so, for she was the one that +was so kind to the rest of us—and we saw some sweet flowers +on the wayside and we began to have delight in picking them, +when all at once I was led to leave her alone with the flowers +and to go where I could look up at that nice, clear spot, and +as I wanted to get as near to it as I could, I got on the fence, +and as I looked that way I saw a form coming to me that +looked like my dear mother's, and calling to my sister Frances +to come at once and see if that did not look like my dear<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> +mother and she came to us, so glad to see us, and to ask after +her baby that she was sold from that was only six weeks old +when she was taken from it; and I would that the whole world +could have seen the joy of a mother and her two girls on that +heaven-made day—a mother returning back to her own once +more, a mother that we did not know that we should ever see +her face on this earth more. And mother, not feeling good +over the past events, had made up her mind that she would +take her children to a part of this land where she thought +that they would never be in bondage any more on this earth.</p> + +<p>So she sought out the head man that was placed there by +the North to look after the welfare of lately emancipated +negroes of the South, to see that they should have their rights +as a freed people.</p> + +<p>This gentleman's name was Major Bailley, who was a +gentleman of the highest type, and it was this loving man +that sent my dear mother and her ten little girls on to this +lovely city, and the same time he informed the people of +Brooklyn that we were on the way and what time we should +reach there; and it seemed as though the whole city were out +to meet us. And as God would have it, six of us had homes +on that same day, and the people had their carriages there to +take us to our new homes.</p> + +<p>This God-sent blessing was of a great help to mother, as +she could get the money to pay her rent, which was ten +dollars per month, and God bless those of my sisters who +could help mother to care for her little ones, for they had not +been called home then, and God be praised for all that we +have ever did for her love and comfort while she kept house.</p> + +<p>The subject was only a few years old, when she saw her +heart so fixed that she could not leave me at my mother's any +longer, so she took me to be her own dear, loving child, to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> +eat, drink, sleep and to go wherever she went, if it was for +months, or even years; I had to be there as her own and not +as a servant, for she did not like that, but I was there as her +loving child for her to care for me, and everything that I +wanted I had; truly do I feel grateful to my Heavenly Father +for all of those blessings that came to me in the time that I +needed so much of love and care.</p> + +<p>This dear lady, Mrs. Bettie House, my white mother, died +at the beginning of the war and then the time came for poor +me to go to my own dear mother again for awhile, and soon +the time came for us to be parted asunder, where we did not +see one another any more until after the war of 1865. And +we all thought that mother was dead, for we did not hear any +tidings of her after she had reached the far South.</p> + +<p>I shall never forget that lovely Sunday morning when I +saw my dear mother returning again to her own native home +and her own dear ones once more, but mother would not go +to the house with us, as she did not want to take the law in +her own hands. So she told sister and I where she was stopping +and told us to come to her after we had told the gentleman +where we lived, and I went to him and told him that mother +had come back and wanted to have us to come where she was +staying. He, Mr. House, did not want us to go, and I took +my oldest sister and marched out to go where mother was +and he did not like that freedom, and he tried to find which +way that we had gone to the place, but he did not find us, +and we had been to the place where the people were that had +homes, and that they would kill us at first sight, and that was +all that I wanted to see, and I did not find one thing true of +their sayings.</p> + +<p>Mother now has to tell the gentleman where to find all of +her own dear ones whom God in His love for had kept for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> +her, and she should have been very grateful to Him that her +life had been prolonged and all that she had left alive were +still alive, awaiting for her to return, and finding that her +children were all over in different places, and now she has +to tell where to find them, through the help of the Lord. +And when she had gone for them and was told that some of +her own were dead, she said that she would go and dig up +their bones; but they were not dead, as was said, and she sent +the soldiers after them and sometimes they were told the same +as mother was, and some of the little ones had to be sent for +two or three times before they were brought. My oldest sister +knew where they all were, so she could help to get the rest.</p> + +<p>One of my sisters who lived at the same place where we +were living was detained and the soldiers had go three times +before they could get her, for they said that she had died +since we had left, for I would not stay at the place as he, +Mr. House, did not want us to go on Monday to see my +mother, on whom I should look to, as she had come to claim +her own. I told my oldest sister that we would leave, and my +sister Annie was at one of Mr. House's sons, who found that +we were going to see mother and she came with us, so that +left three there yet; that was sister Lavinia and the baby, +sister Rosa, and they let mother have the baby, as it was a +sickly child; and she had to send there three times before she +could get sister Lavinia, and the last time the soldiers, with +horses, went, and the House's took off all of her clothing +and put them into water to keep them from taking her, and +they had to take blankets and wrap her in them, and bring +her to mother, and she took sick from that time from the +long ride, and getting cold she nearly died.</p> + +<p>One they hid in the garden; one they put in the cellar, and +so these were hard times for mother and us, who were in the +road one night walking to find some place to get out of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> +rain and let those wet garments get dried, for it was so dark +that we could not see a hand before us.</p> + +<p>But after all the hard trials we reached this lovely city, +where there are those that love and fear God, and who love +the souls of the negro as well as those of the white, the red, +the yellow or brown races of the earth, for we have ever +found some of the people who do not forget us day or night +in their prayers, that God will send a blessing to us as a race.</p> + +<p>To my story of a life of slavery:</p> + +<p>My dear mother had a dear husband that she was sold +from also, and he, not knowing that he should ever see my +mother any more, as the times were then, he waited for a +while and then he found him another wife, and when mother +came and found that he was married to another she tried to +get him, but she could do nothing about it; so having to leave +him behind to look after the last one and her family, although +it seemed hard for her to do so.</p> + +<p>My mother had a large family to take care of, but the +Lord was good to her and helped her, for she had laid some +of them away, and then there were ten little girls to care for. +My brother was lost to us and to mother also, as he was sent +to the war to do service for his owner, and we did not know +if he was alive or not, and he was my mother's only boy, as +this is a girl family that you do not see or hear of every day, +for that made seventeen girls to have battle through life had +they all have lived to this time.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> + + +<p>My mother did not know where my brother was before she +was sold, for we heard that he had tried to get over to the +Northern side and had been taken to Richmond, Va., and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> +put into Castle Thunder, and that was the last that we heard +of him during the war. When, to our surprise, we were on +our way North we learned that he was going to school; that +the Northern people had teachers there in the South to teach +them to read and to write; and he learning that we had gone +North made himself ready and came on, but he did not know +where to find us, so getting a place to work, and the same +time telling those that he worked for that his people were +here somewhere, they found mother and got her to go to the +place where he was, and sure enough there was her dead and +lost boy, and the joy and love that came to that dear, loving +mother and her only son on that day will never be known on +this side of the grave, as they have both gone to the land of +the blest, for my brother never used any bad language in his +life, and when he took the Lord for his own, it was his meat +and his drink to live for Him and to follow where He led, +and he died a true child of the King.</p> + +<p>A few years later and mother's name was enrolled in the +Lambs' Book of Life, for she gladly answered to the roll call +and fell asleep in the arms of Jesus.</p> + +<p>Well, my first place was in Adelphi street, with a family +by the name of Hammond, and I was there to help do the +work, and when they found that I liked to work so well they +wanted me to do so much that I left that place and got me +another, for I did not get out to church or to Sunday-school, +and that was not the way that I had been trained, for when I +was three years old my white mother had taken me to church +with her on horseback.</p> + +<p>Well, I said that I saw these children going to school on +every week day but Saturdays and on Sundays to Sunday-school, +and I there at work as if it were not the Lord's day, +and I never shall like to work on that day as I was born on +Sunday morning.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> + +<p>Well, I left there not knowing what to do, and a white +lady took me in and told me to stay there until I could get +another place, and I helped her girl on the next day to finish +all of the work and I made ready to look for a place, and +God did help me to find one and I shall never forget Him +as long as I live, for that was with a fine family and they +showed me love at once and I showed them love in return.</p> + +<p>They were members of the Washington Avenue Baptist +Church, and a more beloved family never lived. This was +the Bailley family—Mr. and Mrs. Bailley, Miss Abbey +Bailley, Mr. Bailley's sister, a young lady in her teens, Miss +Ella Bailley, and a nice boy by the name of Johnny Bailley, +and they were a nice family and they took me to church on +Sunday morning and sent me to Sunday-school in the afternoon +with their children, and what a heaven it seemed to me +from the place where I was living at first.</p> + +<p>I shall always remember my dear white mother, of whom +I spoke of in the first part, and whom I shall call your +attention to in many more pages of this little Life Book, and +shall always remember her with love and the kindest feeling. +She was a member of the true Methodist Church and was +never seen by her darling child from the House of God since +I could remember, for I was with her at all times on the +family horse, Kimble, and when I got large enough to ride +alone she bought me a fine black that had all the metal that a +horse could have, and his name was Charlie Engrum, and +she paid a large price for him, and he was the grandest horse +I ever saw, and it was my delight to be near a horse or horses +when I was a child, for I did not have any fear of any kind +of horse, and I would take a ride the first thing in the +morning, even before I would have my breakfast, and my +dear white mother would save it for me as she knew that I +would have that ride first; for it always made her feel proud<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> +to see how well I had learned to ride, and she was the one +that had taught me how to ride, for she had me on the horse +when I was three years old and from that time until she went +home to come out no more forever.</p> + +<p>I was two and a half years, as near as I can remember, +when my own slave mother's house was burned to the ground, +and I shall never forget that Saturday night. My mother's +husband had gone to a dance and mother was there alone with +her little ones, and we all came near getting burned up. We +were all asleep when I awoke and found the house in a blaze. +I did not know enough or I was so much scared that I did +not call to my mother, but I think that she heard me when I +rolled out of the bed, and she was out of the bed quick as +could be and getting the feather beds she threw them out of +the door and got the children and threw them out, and she, +finding that she did not have them all, said, "My God! I +have not all of my little ones;" and she ran in the house to +look and she found me under the bed, for I saw so much fire +that I was getting out of it, and God be praised that I was +saved from that fire, and I have not had the time to run after +any fires since, for that fire was all the fire I want.</p> + +<p>I had not to stay there then, for the time is near at hand +when I shall go to my white mother's to live, for she is in +Tennessee and will come home soon to be with her darling +child; and when she shall start again I shall go, and now the +times are all well for me as then, but the time has come that +the Lord has called her away from her child to be with Him, +and how could I live without her? And she was to leave her +sick child there for her own mother to care for, and God will +raise up friends in this lonely world to look after those that +cry unto heaven, believing that He is a hearer of the true +prayer. I shall always remember that Saturday afternoon when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> +I was lying so sick when my dearly beloved white mother +took so sick, and they had the doctor there for me, and he +had to see after her the same time, and she was getting so +much worse all the time and the doctor had not any hopes of +her, and they took me from the room where she was, to a +room upstairs and she had them to take me down to look at +her once more. That was on Sunday and on Monday she +heard the call to her to come up to that blessed land where +she should be forever with the Lord and her dear husband.</p> + +<p>What a glory it must be for those that have washed their +robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.</p> + +<p>I can call to mind when she the blessed one, that I call my +white mother, went to get me some shoes and a fine hat, and +the one that sold them told her, as she looked at a hat I +wanted, that its price was twenty dollars, but I was not +thinking of the prices then as I do now, and I cried to have +that hat and did not want any of the others, and he told my +white mother that was too much for to spend on a hat for +me, but she told him nothing would cost too much for her +to get for me, and she got that fine hat for me and he had +his money; so you can see how much she loved me. And now +that dear one is gone from me, and it seemed the dearest one +on this earth, and I did not think then that I could have lived +without her whom God had given to me for this world, but +God, in His wonderful love for me and to me, raised up +friends for me and helped me to find favor in the sight of all +the people, for they seemed to love me for her sake, and I +did not get well for a long time.</p> + +<p>This subject came to this dear lady, Mrs. Bettie House, +when but three years old, and from the day she came to that +house she walked in her footsteps, for she, Mrs. House, +could not move, but she was right in the way; and when she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> +used to set me down for my play at certain times in the day, +when she was going in her room for prayer, she would find +me near before she was through; and if ever there was a +loving woman she was one, and I own my love to God for +such a one as she was to care for me all of those nights of +watching by my bed, while the angels watched from above +to see that I should rise from that bed and live to be a woman +that would live for God and bless His name in all the earth, +knowing that I am tempted and tried on every hand. But +trusting in His omnipotent power I shall reach the land of +the blest where that dear one has gone to come out no more +forever.</p> + +<p>Well, to my story:</p> + +<p>Dear public, hoping that this little life will be read with +the greatest love for humanity, and I am sure that if you have +any love for the God of heaven you can not fail to find a love +for this book, and I hope you will find a fullness of joy in +reading this life, for if your heart was like a stone you would +like to read this little life.</p> + +<p>I had many a hard spell of sickness since the death of this +lady and the doctors said that I could not live beyond a certain +time, but every time they said so Doctor Jesus said she shall +live, for because I live she shall live also; and He came to +me and laid His strong arm around me and raised me up by +the power of His might, and to see the salvation of our God +in the land of the living. And to-day I can praise His name +for His wonderful love to the children of man.</p> + +<p>I told you that my brother was the oldest child of eighteen +and he was in his teens when he was sent to the war; and it +was a great thing to him when he found himself in the hands +of a people that were so kind and good to him and showing +such love for him, after being knocked around by those he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> +had been staying with, and it seemed like a heaven to him; +and he did learn fast, and he felt so glad to learn to read and +to write, and he would sit at nights when he was through +with his daily toil and write, so that he could let some one +look at it and see how well he was getting along, and I saw +how anxious he was to get an education. I asked my lady to +let him come there and wait on the table, and have time to +go every day to school, and she did so, and he would go to +No. 1 School to Mr. C. Dosey, and he did nicely in his +studies, and God be praised that he had that much to take +home with him, and I shall always feel glad that I gave him +that much.</p> + +<p>I was thinking of my dear brother when the news reached +me that he was in this city, and I can never tell any one how +glad that I was to see the only boy that my mother ever had, +for we all loved him dearly, as he cared for all the rest of +the children and it was no more than natural that we should; +and my mother thought so much of him that she often would +say if we were all boys she would not have to worry, for boys +could do so much better than girls. But I think that she found +that the girls were the best in her old age, for if one could +not be near her the other would, and if there is a time in the +life of a parent it is when they are helpless, and a boy is not +any good to care for a sick parent and they have to go without +care.</p> + +<p>But God be praised for all of the love and honor that was +bestowed on mother before she went home, for God has told +us to honor our fathers and our mothers that their days may +be long upon the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee; +and we can not do them enough honor for the love and the +all night watching that we have when we are babies, and if +we have all of the love and care that I had, I am sure that a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> +mother has her hands full; and when now I think of the care +and the worry that it was to take care of my sick body, I can +not help telling some one of it, that they may feel as grateful +as I feel, for God did give them love for me, and if there is +one that should feel grateful it is this feeble-bodied slave girl, +for I was such a slave to sickness, and God was so good to +raise me, even me, and I will say, praise His name.</p> + +<p>I was telling you of my white mother being so true to the +attendance in the services of God, and I only wish that you +would have known her as I did, for she was more like one +of the heavenly host than she was like us, who are such sinful +creatures. Now, it seems like sometimes that we have not +much love for the One who had so much love for us that He +gave all the dear One that He had to bring us to Himself, +that we should taste of those joys which He has for those who +have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood +of the Lamb.</p> + +<p>The Lord helped me to find love and favor with all after +my white mother was gone from this earth, when I felt that +I would soon follow the darling one to the blessed mansion; +and I would look to see her come to me, and I went as soon +as I was well to the house and lay on the steps, and it was +not until we had left the dear old place before I could be kept +from there; and I wish that the whole world could have seen +how much she was like an angel, and I would to God she +could see me to-day; it would do you good. Lord, lead me +on day by day, and help my feeble life to be formed like +her's, for when I think how she used to watch by my bed at +nights, while the angels watched by my bed from on high to +see that I should rise; and is not God the One that I should +serve? And I love to serve Him and honor Him, for He is +my all in all; for she has shown me how great her love was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> +for me and all of humanity, and I love to think of her love +and to know how wonderful it would be to see her sweet face +on this green earth, and it does seem to me as if I could +almost see her by thinking of her so much.</p> + +<p>I have said that we came to this lovely city in the year of +our Lord 1865, and in that year I went to live with a good +family that were members of the church, where the Lord +spoke peace to my soul, under the preaching of the Rev. +David Moore, then the beloved leader of the noblest band of +God's children on this earth, and a more beloved people +never lived. They were always on the lookout for any strangers +that might come in the church; and they soon found me out +as I was a stranger in the Monday night meeting. The dear +pastor came to me the first one, for he did not stop to think +whether I was an African or what nation I had come from, +but he saw in me a soul, and he wanted to find out if there +was any room for Jesus to live or what I should do with +Jesus, or what should I do for Him, who had done so much +for me; and my poor heart was ready and waiting for some +one to come to its rescue. It was then and there that I yielded +my life and my all to the one that can save to the uttermost +all that come unto Him by the Lord Jesus Christ.</p> + +<p>I followed my Lord and Master in the Jordan in the year +of our Lord 1866, and those sweet moments have never left +me once. As the years go by they seem to be the more sweet +to my sinful soul, and I am trying to wing my way to these +bright mansions above, where I shall meet those dear ones +who have gone before.</p> + +<p>I have had some of the darkest days of my life while on +this voyage of life, but when it is dark Jesus says, "Peace, be +still and fear not, for I will pilot thee."</p> + +<p>And then my heart can sing:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"Jesus, Saviour, pilot me<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Over life's tempestuous sea,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Unknown waves before me roll,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Hiding rocks and treacherous shoals.<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Chart and compass come from Thee,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Jesus, Saviour, pilot me."<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>I know that He has led me through paths seen and unseen +and has been my pilot, for we have been called to pass +through many a dark trial, but God has been able for it all.</p> + +<p>My dear mother had four of her children called home to +heaven within a short time. Some of them left her for the +land of love in the same month, and there seemed like nothing +but God's displeasure on us, but it was God's love to us, for +we know that they are safe from all harm and danger in this +world of sin and distress. Some of them I never saw more +after landing in this city, but I shall see them and know them +when I shall have fought the blessed battle on this side, and +the victory shall be on the Lord's side. Then I can sing with +the angels above:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"Crown Him, Crown Him, angels.<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Crown Him, Crown Him, King of Kings.<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Crown Him, Crown Him, angels.<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Crown Him, Crown Him, Crown the Saviour King of Kings."<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>What joy there will be to crown Him as our Heavenly +King and to know that we are the inhabitants of that kingdom.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> + + +<p>I was baptized by the Rev. David Moore, the pastor of the +Washington Avenue Church, who is one of the best beloved +ones on this earth, for he never overlooked me in the time<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> +that my soul needed the Lord Jesus Christ to save me from +my sins and make me a child of the King, which makes me +what I am to day. I bless God that he ever put it in my dear +mother's mind to come to this place, for she was not a +Christian, and the heaviest burden that I have carried was +praying for one that was the head of the great family where +she should have been a leader of her dear ones to the Lamb +of God, that taketh away the sins of the world. But God be +praised for a little one to lead so many, for of all the people +of mothers there was not one that knew of this love of God, +and how many were the souls given for me to work for. I +told my mother that I had found Jesus and was going to +follow Him. She said. "My child, you are too young. I am +afraid that you will not hold out." And I said, "Mother, if I +should look to myself I should fail, but I look to Jesus. I +have given my life and He can hold me in the power of His +might and can keep me from failing; so I can not go against +your will, but I must follow Him, for you know how He +has saved me from sickness so many times, and now the time +has come for me to pay my vows unto Him for making me +His own." I went forward in the way that He marked out +for me and then to pray that she might be saved.</p> + +<p>My grandma was almost one hundred years old, and when +she heard that the Lord had saved me and that I was praying +for her she saw her own sins and asked me to come on to +visit all of my people, and I, getting ready, got my oldest +sister to go with me. I found that the way was opened for +work, as there we began the work, and they were looking to +see something that they would never see in this world, and +sweetly they were all brought to the Saviour. Grandma went +home to carry the good news and some of the rest have gone +with the same good news.</p> + +<p>Later years some of my sisters came and some did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> +come. Then some got tired and went back to the world, but +I have no joy like the joy there is in the Lord.</p> + +<p>My dear mother found the peace in Jesus before she went +to that land of song. When the Lord sent the death angel to +call her name she was ready to answer, "Here am I ready to +go in, to come out no more."</p> + +<p>My mother left us on the 28th day of February, 1894, in +the triumph of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessed +thought that I shall soon be with her on the other side of the +river to help her "Crown Him Lord of all."</p> + +<p>To my story:</p> + +<p>The subject of this sketch, as I said, was born again under +the preaching of Rev. David Moore, of the Washington +Avenue Baptist Church, which is one of the noblest churches +of this city, and it has some of the best people in it of any +church in the world, for there is more done for those in need +in other lands. When I became a member of that church I +could not read in any book, for I did not know a letter. +There was a gentleman in the church by the name of Mr. +Lansberry, who finding that I was one of those that was going +to learn, went to a store and bought me a First Reader and +gave it to me, and I did not lose any of my time at nights. I +went to the meetings every night and came back and got a +lady, who was a sister of Mr. Bailey, to be my teacher, and +sometimes she used to be so very sleepy that she could not +keep her eyes open and I would shake her and say that my +lesson was to be learned, and it was always well learned. Then +I went to the Sunday-school to let my Sunday-school teacher +hear it on Sundays, and he, Mr. Ward, always said that he +was sure that I would learn so fast I would soon catch up +with his Bible Class. It was not long before I could lay my +Reader down and take my lessons in the Bible, and I can<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> +bless God for all of this, for the love and the kindness that I +received of all that knew me was a token of His great love +for me, and I know that He was near me all the time to +bring me nearer to the Light. My mind was then fixed that +I should some day go to school and I could not rest night or +day I was so anxious to go to school; but my dear mother +could not send me. She had poor health and no one to help +her to take care of the younger children, and I had to work +and do the best I could with my books, hoping that the time +would come that I should see myself sitting in some school +studying, the same time asking mother to let two of the other +children go to school every day. She did let them go for +awhile, but some one came and wanted her to let them go to +work out again and she let them go out to work:</p> + +<p>Well, I said that I would go to school some day, and they +had a fine time laughing at my high ideas and I let them +laugh all that they wanted to, but I worked hard and long to +get the means that I might be able to go, as I said, to some +pay school, where I could not be stopped at any time. When +I was almost ready to leave for some school the smallpox took +me, and I was laid aside for three or four years; that is, I +was not well, and thought that my plans were all broken. I +still trusted in God, for I knew that He would do all things +for me as long as I put my trust in Him.</p> + +<p>Well, as time rolled on I found myself improving slowly +and I was then living with a dear, good lady by the name of +Miss L. A. Pousland, who is one of the loveliest ladies that +ever lived, for she loves me to-day as a mother, though she +is in eightieth odd year and is doing well for an old lady.</p> + +<p>We were living in South Oxford street when I took sick +of the smallpox and she did not want me taken away from +there, as she wanted to take care of me herself, but I felt that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> +it would be too much for her to wait on me, so the doctor +said that it was only a heavy cold that I had taken and would +be all right in a week or so. But I knew that I had a fever +of some kind, so I asked that I might go to my mother's +house, and she sent for the carriage and I went home.</p> + +<p>When I had reached my mother's I felt somewhat better, +only to grow worse all the time, and my eyes getting so that +I could not see when it was day or night. I had a nurse that +knew all about the disease and a good doctor that the city +health doctor let take charge of the case after he had been out +there to see me: and knowing that the case was taking, that +no one should get it he let me remain at home for nine days, +and then I went to the hospital and was there till the symptoms +were well dried.</p> + +<p>When the doctor found out that I was able to come out he, +Dr. Schenck, wrote to my lady to send a carriage out. She +did so at once and I was at my mother's for awhile, and then +my lady came to see me and told me how the woman did the +people in the house, so I told her how bad my limbs were, +and she said that if I could go home with her and tell her +what to do, she would get on without the woman and let her +go. My mother made me ready in a little while and I was +soon at the dear old home, 344 Carlton avenue.</p> + +<p>God be praised for the way he has led me since I was three +years old until this day, for it was His hand that taught me +to remember all of these long years. I have in my mind the +time at the old home when they put me on the fine dressing +table in front of the large mirror, while the Rev. Mr. Walker +baptized me in the name of the Father and the Son and the +Holy Ghost, according to the Methodist tests in those days, +and I always thought that was to give me my Christian name; +but when the Lord had spoken peace to my soul He led me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> +to follow in his footsteps, and I gladly followed Him to be +buried to the world—that is, to be put out of sight, and that +is what the word means. I have found it to be one of those +times when the Father was pleased with His own dear beloved +Son, and I know that He will be pleased whenever we do +please Him, for God so loved the world of sinful men that +He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in +Him should have everlasting life, for God sent not His Son +into the world to condemn it, but that through Him all might +believe in Him and have everlasting life.</p> + +<p>I wish that I could know that the whole world was receiving +this life, and that we all could help to crown Him, as the +angels are crowning Him, the King of Kings and Lord of +Heaven and of this earth.</p> + +<p>It is a blessed hope to know that God is love, and they that +worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.</p> + +<p>I joined the church in 1866 and began to try and follow +in this good old way that leads from earth to glory, and it +has not always been a path of the sweetest flowers, but I have +never failed to find my all in the Lord Jesus Christ.</p> + +<p>He led me on day by day, and after awhile I found that +He had led me to go away from home that I might get ready +for the work that my heart was so full of, for every time that +I saw the newspaper there was some one of our race in the +far South getting killed for trying to teach and I made up +my mind that I would die to see my people taught. I was +willing to go to prepare to die for my people, for I could not +rest till my people were educated. Now they are in a fair way +to be the people that God speaks of in the Holy Word, as +He says that Ethopia shall yet stretch forth her hand and all +nations shall bow unto her. I long to see the day that the +Ethiopians shall all bow unto God as the One that we should<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> +all bow unto, for it is to Him that we all owe our homage +and to be very grateful to Him for our deliverance as a race. +If we should fail to give him the honor due there would a +curse come to us as a race, for we remember those of olden +times were of the same descent of our people, and some of +those that God honored most were of the Ethiopians, such as +the Unica and Philop, and even Moses, the law-giver, was +of the same seed.</p> + +<p>And not long ago darkness hung over the face of this race +and God moved upon the face of this dark earth and the light +came forth.</p> + +<p>How wonderfully solemn and yet grand are these inspired +thoughts and words of a race whose God is so loving and +forgiving, and we, contemplating the grand mystery of the +world beyond this vale of tears, for God does preserve all +that He has planted on this earth.</p> + +<p>No subject can surely be a more delightful study than the +history of a slave girl, and the many things that are linked to +this life that man may search and research in the ages to +come, and I do not think there ever can be found any that +should fill the mind as this book.</p> + +<p>This is a perfect representation of things as I can remember +them, and to think how wonderful are these most beneficent +streams of God's providence to all those of our race that have +prayed that their loving children might feel the warm streams +of an education flowing through every child. Tens of thousands +of miles, North, South, West and East, God has thrown +His mantle of love all around us, and it is that which should +make us love and fear Him, who is able to destroy both soul +and body; for His searching eye rests on all of the negro +race, to see what use they are going to make of their time +and talent, and I hope that nature will teach them that all of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> +our talent belongs to the great God who gave us our being.</p> + +<p>Nature awakens in our being a feeling that we must lay at +His feet that we may get the blessed approval, for we are so +changeable, but God is unchanging. He is omnipotent, and +all else is transition. Yet God rules the oceans, the mountains, +the valleys, and all that walks the broad earth.</p> + +<p>Well, now I shall tell you something more of my working +in the City of Brooklyn. I lived with the Bailey family the +first year, and when they went away in the summer, as all of +the rich used to do, I stayed in the house for the summer and +they went across the ocean and were away for some time. The +next year I did not like to stay in the house alone, so Mrs. +Bailey got me a place with a nice friend of hers, and when +she came home, thought that she was going to have me to +come back to live with her but I stayed with her friend as +there were but three in the family and the work was not hard, +and it gave me more time to study, and Mrs. Stafford's son, +Willie, was so glad to have me as his pupil that I had not +any trouble to get my lessons ready for him. He went to +school every day and he could not get through his head how +it was that I could not go to school every day as he did. His +mother told him how it was and his eyes would fill with tears +and he would ask his mother and father to let him stay at +home on Sundays to read the Bible to me while I should get +the dinner ready, and they would let him stay, for he wanted +to see me going to the House of God on Sundays as they did +and was willing to have anything to eat that I might have the +opportunity of attending the church and Sunday-school. His +mother would let me go to the Sunday-school on every +Sunday, for they were good people and were of the kind that +delighted in their help and they were members of the Church +of The Messiah, and they were a very happy family. They<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> +did not think that anything was too good for my enjoyment +and that is the reason that I stayed with them and did not go +back to the lady as she wanted me to do. I could not tell +which seemed to love me most, and then her son was so +willing to teach me, as Miss Abbie Bailey had, so I made up +my mind that as I had more time there for study I would +remain, and I had some of the best days of my life when I +began to learn so fast, and he would bring me before his +mother and father that they might hear me recite my lessons +and see how well I was doing under him as my teacher. They +felt the more glad to see how much he was interested in +teaching me. Later on in years I was taken sick with the +smallpox and was carried away to the hospital. He was taken +sick while I was away and his mother said that he would call +for me about the last one on this earth, and she tried to find +me, but she did not know where I was for some time after +his death, and then she felt so bad to think that he was gone +and did not see me, for he always loved to be with me that +he might hear me sing, as I was always on the wings of song +if I were at my work; and that is the way that I have been +all of my life.</p> + +<p>When I got well of the smallpox, as I said, I went back +to the place where I was living when I took the malady, and +there I tried to work, but was very feeble for a long time +and under the doctor's care all of the time and spending more +than I could make, for some of the doctors charged me two +dollars a visit, and that will use up a poor person's earnings +very soon.</p> + +<p>But all of this time I kept in mind the idea that I should +save every cent that I could that I might send myself to school +some day. That day did come when it seemed as dark as any +night I had ever seen, when I should go away to boarding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> +school and spend that little and should not have enough to +finish; but I went, taking the Lord as the guide of my life, +and the way began to grow bright before me and I could see +all the clouds rolling away and the brightness shining forth. +I went to Washington, D. C., and entered the Wayland +Seminary, under the leadership of Professor G. M. P. King, +of Bangor, Maine, with his other teachers and professors +under him; all of whom are a noble band of teachers. And +the way the Lord did help me in my studies is a blessing to +the dear ones that I had under me for the eleven years that I +was in the school work, and the way they progressed.</p> + +<p>I said that I attended the Wayland Seminary for three +years, of eight months, making it in all of my stay there +twenty-four months, which may seem long to some, but it +seems short to me, though I am very glad that I had that +much time there for it was a fountain of blessing to my soul.</p> + +<p>I left Washington, D. C., in the year of 1878 and came +to Brooklyn and went to work again to earn money to go off +to school, and when I did go it was another school in the +Blue Ridge, Alleghany Mountains, where the very air of +heaven seemed to fan the whole hill sides, and there never +was a more lovely place on this earth for one to learn a lesson, +for we could see the key to all lessons where nature had +designed for a grand school of learning. At this place was to +be found one of the best schools of learning that has been +built by man. And I think of the hundreds and thousands of +teachers and preachers and lawyers and doctors that these two +schools have turned out in the different parts of this country, +and many of them are in other parts of the world.</p> + +<p>And all of this has been done through the churches, and +God be praised for those that have given of their means.</p> + +<p>At Harper's Ferry I spent four years and they were years<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> +of hard labor, but they were just as sweet as they could well +be, for the Lord went with me and I found favor with all of +the teachers. When I had spent the first eight months there I +learned to have the greatest love for my beloved teachers, and +when the time came for me to leave the teachers I thought +that my poor heart would break. Though I was coming to +my own people in Brooklyn, I felt that I was leaving my best +friends on the earth and so did all of the students.</p> + +<p>Well, now the Summer had passed and gone and the Fall +came when God permitted all of the loving ones to come +together once more to take up the cares of studies again. So +the time of the winter season was always a blessing to all, and +some found it the happiest time of their lives, for they found +Jesus precious to their souls and could study so much better +than they could before.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> + + +<p>There were sometimes as many as sixty or seventy brought to +the knowledge of the Truth, and sometimes we had to go out +of the class-room into the prayer-room, for the Lord was +among us in the Spirit's power.</p> + +<p>When in 1886 I went out for good, that I might be of +some use to my own people I started in the strength of the +Lord, and He did give me the greatest victory as a school +teacher, for all of the people sought me to take their children +in my school and give them a start. I had my hands full of +work, but I let them come in for the Board always sent them +to me find out if I could find room and time, and I always +made the time for when scholars find that a teacher loves +them they will do any amount of hard studying.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p> + +<p>And so the time rolled on, with everything to make me +feel like hard work, in the strength of the blessed Lord.</p> + +<p>I was three years old when I was leaving my own dear +mother's home to go to my new mother's home, or I should +say to my white mother's home, to live with her, and I left +my mother's as happy as any child could leave her own home, +for this lovely lady was always at my mother's to see me ever +since I could remember anything, and she was the joy of my +little life and I seemed to be all the joy of her sweet life. She +had learned to love me from the time that I came into the +world.</p> + +<p>She had watched me in my cradle and longed for the day +to come when I should be able to walk, for she knew that I +would follow her everywhere she should go. She said to all +of the friends around that if I should live to remember her +that would be all that she would ask.</p> + +<p>And so she read her blessed Bible and prayed until she saw +her prayers answered, and then she went to her home in +glory, where she has watched and waited and longed to see +the good old ships of those who have washed their robes and +made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.</p> + +<p>I can never tell any one how many happy hours that I had, +for the only trial that I had was that of sickness, which caused +me to be of a great care to her all of her life. It was her +delight to wait on me and to have her cousin, the doctor, to +be always ready to come at any moment she should send for +him. He was a good doctor by the name of Sims, and I +always liked him, too, until I had the typhoid fever and I +had to take some oil. I did not like to take it and he held my +hands so that they could pour that in me, and he and I fell +out.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p> + +<p>My white mother used to give it to me, but she did not +let me know what she was giving me, for she put some +molasses in the oil and cooked them, so I should not know. +I would not have known if I had not seen her one night have +the old bottle in her hand putting the oil in the kettle, which +she was making ready for me, and I looked up and saw what +it was and, as young ones will do, did not want to take +molasses and butter which I had been taking so long, for I +had to take it on every night or I could not speak.</p> + +<p>Later on she moved from the place where she was and +bought another farm where it was not near the water, as the +doctor thought that was not a good place for me to be, and I +was not sick so much as I had been at the former.</p> + +<p>The first hard spell of sickness on this farm was the fever +that I was sick of at the time that she took sick of the yellow +jaundice, and she turned as yellow as anything could be. She +went home with that awful malady, thinking of me and of +what my future should be in God's hands, to love and bless +the world in which I should live if it should be the will of +Him who knows the future of all the people that live on this +earth.</p> + +<p>So God has been a father and a loving mother and all else +to me, and sometimes there has been enough of trials in this +life to make me almost forget that I had this strong arm to +save me from these trials and temptations; but when I fly to +Him I find all and in all in Him.</p> + +<p>He is my rock and my hiding place in the time of trials, +for a child that had all of the love and comfort of a queen +was now left to her own dear mother, who had so many more +and had to work so hard to take care of us all that I have +seen sit up all night long working for her little ones. I used<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> +to feel sorry to see her sitting up alone at her work. I would +get up out of the bed and sit with her till daylight; for I was +always near mother after the dear one had been plucked from +this earth to await my arrival.</p> + +<p>I have found that learning is to refine and elevate the mind, +so we should cultivate our hearts and minds and live to bless +those we meet. We should neither flatter nor despise those +that are rich or great.</p> + +<p>It was not long after this dear one had been called away +before we were all in different places, and to share the fate +that comes to those that are left behind those that have been +good and kind. Then the time is coming that mother is to be +taken from the whole family of little ones and they are to be +left in the hands of others. That is one of the saddest times +of life for children when they do not know if they shall ever +see her face on this green earth any more; and if to-day we +should hear the cries of those little lambs it surely would +break the heart of a stone, for remember that we have the +same feelings for our mothers as any race of people and our +hearts will melt as easily as the richest ones on this earth.</p> + +<p>But God in His great love to us meant that we should see +the return of our dear mother to her own and that he would +send her and the children out of the Land of Egypt as He +did of old when He had tried to teach the rulers how wrong +it was to sell and buy human flesh, and this was one of those +awful sins that had to be repented of by those that could and +would not see the truth. When the wrath of God came upon +them and took all of the slaves away from them they could +see nothing but tears and curses to the God of Heaven, and +some of them cursed the earth, the stars, the moon. The +negroes that had prayed so hard to God said that was the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> +cause of the war, for they could see something in their prayers +that seemed to reach up to heaven, and the answer had come +for their deliverance.</p> + +<p>Is not this a great God who can hear the prayers of the +faithful ones when they pray? Do not we owe our lives and +our all to this great and good God the Father, God the Son +and God the Holy Ghost? And if we should fail to recognize +Him we should have a worse sin fall on us than ever any one +race had.</p> + +<p>Well, to my story:</p> + +<p>My brother James was my mother's oldest child. He was +sent away to the war to keep his master at home, and we did +not hear from him for a long time, but we made up our +minds that if he did not get killed he would go over to the +Northern side as soon as he should get the chance, though we +did not see him to tell him to do so, for all of my mother's +children were like herself in the love of freedom. My mother +was one that the master could not do anything to make her +feel like a slave and she would battle with them to the last +that she would not recognize them as her lord and master +and she was right.</p> + +<p>My brother did try to get away, but he was caught and +locked up in Richmond, Va., and for a awhile we heard them +say that he would be killed, but God was there to help him, +so he came out all right and went to work on the breastworks, +and when he did try again he got over on the Northern side. +They almost caught him again, but as the Lord was his leader +at night, he made his escape, and to hear him tell of that +river that he crossed and how he walked on the water and he +was so scared that he did not know he got wet; but I know +that he did get wet, though. He said the Lord carried him +over the river without letting him get wet. I am sure that I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> +could not help laughing at my brother to hear of such a thing, +for there never was a time that I have read of since the time +of Peter that any one was called to walk on the water. The +Lord was there Himself to show Peter how small his strength +was when he trusted in his own strength, and Peter would +have failed entirely if his Lord and Master had not been +there.</p> + +<p>And so it would have been with my dear brother. He +would have been taken by the Southerners, and that would +have been his last trial on this side of the grave.</p> + +<p>My sister Frances was hired out and we did not see her +from one Christmas to the other, for she was a good way off +where she could not get home. She was treated very badly by +some of those where she lived and her limbs had been sprained +so that she could hardly move on them. When later on the +Lord had it so arranged that she was taken home to live, +where she could be cared for, she soon got better and was +able to go about helping mother, with the rest of the children, +for my brother who had to help her to care for the children +was gone, and she was all the help that my mother had, for +I was not large enough to do much and had not been put to +mind the children.</p> + +<p>The gentleman that my dear brother belonged to was a +Methodist and a minister. He did not want to go to the war +and so he sent my poor brother to defend what belonged to +him, and he did not get the good of it after all, for my +brother was determined that he would gain his freedom if he +could and he tried and did not get tired of trying.</p> + +<p>Then my sister Annie was given to the gentleman's married +son and she was not with us, and sister Tempy Green was +with the minister, and she was one of the dead ones that +mother had a time to get. Maggie, Susie, Martha and Mary<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> +were at the same place where mother was sold from, and she +went and got them at once. It was like a dream to them to +see how far she had been sold and to see her back there again.</p> + +<p>Sister Lavinia was at the same place where I was and she +was treated very badly by the man's own daughter, for she +would whip her without cause. Sister Rosa was at the same +place and she was three and a half years on mother's return. +As I told you, she was six weeks old when mother was sold +and that made it three years and three months that mother +was gone from her own native home to a part of the country +where she did not know any one, not even the great God who +had been so good to her all of those years when she was gone; +and all of her whole life God was watching over her and +giving to the world one child who was to help to educate the +down-trodden race which was, through Abraham Lincoln, to +be God's leader for the children that were in Egypt in the +South, and God with this leader and the race, they came +through fire and smoke, and now they can see the light of +another day. Some of the race say that they are sometimes, in +their thoughts, ashamed that they belong to a race that has +been in bondage, but I have never felt that way, for I am +glad that things have been as they were, for God has moved +in a way that is unknown to men and His wonders He has +performed, and has planted His footsteps in the South, the +West, the East and in the North, and is watching the people +and asking them what doors are they opening for the Ethiopian.</p> + +<p>Father Abraham is calling to the Ethiopians to know what +has been the result of the great emancipation, and can we not +send the echo back with a jubilee, that we are marching on +in education in double file, and longing to see the day that +not one of your sons and daughters of this broad earth but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> +what shall learn to read and write; though it may bless the +earth with a tenfold blessing that they will not forget to bless +God with a hundred fold.</p> + +<p>Three cheers for this great Emancipator.</p> + +<p>And while he may sleep yonder, forgotten may be by some, +his name has a green spot in my heart and shall ever keep +green while on this side I stay.</p> + +<p>And there is another one who sleeps yonder whom I shall +not forget and that is Father John Brown, whose ashes are as +dear to me as the apple of mine eye; and how can I forget +him after four years of study at the dear old place where he +was taken from and hanged, because he saw the wrath of God +upon the nation and came forth to save his people.</p> + +<p>Another one who will ever be shining bright in the hearts +and minds of the whole negro race, and what shall I say of +him who led us to the greatest victory the world has ever +known—Ulysses S. Grant, the loved of all nations and the +pride of all lands; he whom the world admires, to call the +blessed, who mourned for this land to see the end, and God +did help him in ways that man knew not, save himself and +his God.</p> + +<p>And there is another dear one that God will help me to +remember with all of the love and gratitude, and it makes +me feel sad as I have to speak of her once more and it may +be that I shall have to speak of her many times, as she was +the one that brought me on to this lovely city, and that is my +mother, who has gone to that land of song where there is no +more of sickness or sorrow and where God will dry every +tear.</p> + +<p>There is another I remember and that is Father Charles +Sumner, who for years wrote and also fought and spoke, as +never man spoke, for the race and the Civil Rights Bill, that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> +it might not die, but it should be a rock for the defence of +the race.</p> + +<p>And there is another that I shall not leave out of this book, +for if I did the book would be incomplete, and that is +Frederick Douglass, the greatest of men among the negro +race of this country or of any land on the globe. He wrote +and spoke and went all over to try to do all he could for his +race, and who could forget such men as these? I would say +in true lines, may the earth fail to move sooner than I forget +those noble lives. Honored be their memories and honored +be their ashes, for their lives shall live in the memories of +all coming generations and their ashes will make rich the soil +whereon they lie.</p> + +<p>May God give us some more of such men as these for they +are few, and we need so many now to go forth and speak the +truth.</p> + +<p>And there is dear Doctor David Moore, that my pen, I +fear, would fail to move, if I did not do him honor. He was +beloved and honored to the last day of his stay in the +Washington Avenue Baptist Church, and it was on account +of sickness that he had to leave this city and go up in the +northern part of this State that he might be able to preach +the Word, and God did make him well after he had left +Brooklyn; and his work has been crowned with great success.</p> + +<p>God did use him in this city to His own glory in saving +men, women and children from the very door of sin and the +dread of the life which is to come. And may the God of +Heaven and the Ruler of this earth be with him as he comes +near the Jordan to make its waters calm, and enter in the gate +and hear the blessed "Well done, good and faithful servant, +enter thou in the joys of thy Lord."</p> + +<p>J. D. Fulton is one that will have one of the highest places<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> +at God's right hand, for he started out to look after the +Ethiopian's rights when he was only seventeen years of age. +What can be said of a long life like his, that has written and +traveled and spoke to such large crowds of hearers in the +interest of the race which I represent. How I have seen those +silvery locks fly as his warm heart melted to tears as he +pleaded for the down-trodden of the Ethiopians; and if God +has ever heard a prayer I know that He hears the prayer of +this dear good man, for I have seen the answer come in +mighty power, in many ways, to the saving of precious souls, +and the way that he wrote about the negro in this country +and its problem.</p> + +<p>He was called to the Hanson Place Church to preach and +he worked hard, with God's help, and improved the church +and many were brought to the Saviour through the Word, +such as the Lord will own and bless at the last day.</p> + +<p>Doctor Fulton is one of the best men on this broad earth +to love and labor for humanity and I do not think that my +race, the noble Ethiopians, should ever forget him as long as +God shall spare his life. When the time shall come when the +dear blessed one shall be called to the world above, and that +active form is stilled in death and when that silvery voice is +no longer heard in the defence of the down-trodden Ethiopians +and the oppressed of any land, that he will hear the "Well +done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of +thy Lord."</p> + +<p>And to think of one who has written so long never more +to wield the pen in the cause of the church and God's children +is a sad thought to the writer, for she has loved him as a +father and he shall ever have a green spot in my heart for I +shall never forget his kind words to me in my lonely hours.</p> + +<p>Dr. J. D. Fulton's first wife was one of the loveliest women<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> +that ever lived, for I have been to their house to dine with +the family and I found that Mrs. Sarah Fulton and family +were the same that they were in the church. There was the +sweetest home that I ever saw in all my life, for the father +and the mother were all love, and then take Miss Jennie, the +eldest child, and she was a lovely girl, and there was Miss +Nellie, another lovely girl, and Sadie, the youngest girl, and +she was her father all the way, and the boy Justin, who came +to the family while I was away. I think he has a large heart +like his dear father, and I do know that if he only is a good +man like his father God will own and bless him.</p> + +<p>Dr. Fulton's second wife, Aunt Laura, was a lovely woman, +for we all learned to love her when her first husband was +living.</p> + +<p>Miss L. A. Pousland was one of the best ladies I have +seen in this city, for it was from her house that I went to the +Wayland Seminary in 1875, and to her love I owe a love of +gratitude, and to all that may come to me as worldly goods I +shall always think of Miss L. A. Pousland and of her love +to me when I was getting ready for school and the letters full +of love to me all the time while I was prosecuting my studies. +Oh, how she longed to see me out in the world doing my +Master's will and helping to teach, for she is a Boston lady, +and they are a learned people and like to see all others learn, +and that is the way, like the old Pilgrim Fathers were, that +there should be a grand common level for all after them.</p> + +<p>To my story of child in House's family:</p> + +<p>This Mr. John House had the largest sum offered to him +for a girl as I was that was ever offered for any one and he +would not accept the whole world of money, on account of +the one that had loved me and cared for me, for he well +knew that after all of those prayers that he would be sinning;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> +and he would not have had my mother sold away from her +children if his brother would have let him know it in time. +He went away to attend court and to his surprise found that +my mother was sold. He came home at once to let us know +of it, and he was the one that called in my sister Frances and +sister Annie and sister Rosa, for the two oldest that I speak +of fell to a dead brother who had drank himself to death, and +these were sold to pay for his drink. He had been dead for +some time and those that he owed now came in to get their +pay, which was their only chance; and the money that they +got did not do them much good, thanks to God, for it was +in the time of the war and the money was of the Confederate +money, and it was during the great struggle when this money +was called in never more to be the money of these United +States, for this Union needs the kind of money that will be +good in all lands, and I am glad that the people can see it +now as they never saw it before.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> + + +<p>I am glad that the dear Lord has laid it in my heart at this +time in life to let the world hear something of a life that they +will all be filled with a love for one whom it has been a +delight to meet at any and all times.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Sarah Potter, who is a beloved and dear lady, who +is the bright morning star of the Washington Avenue Baptist +Church, and who is one of the brightest lights that this city +has or ever will have, for she is all over this city looking +after the needy ones, comes from a noble family and all of +the family have been foreign missionaries. She has been a +home missionary for many years and God has blessed her and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> +her labors, and her dear father was doing missionary work +in India for fifty years, and God blessed his work there. Now +that his dear work has been finished in this world and he has +gone to his reward, his works do follow him, for the number +that have been saved through his preaching eternity will tell.</p> + +<p>His form will no more walk out on the field of battle for +the Lord, and who can fill the place of such a life-work as +this child of the King has filled? And to go home to his +beloved and blessed Master with his arms full of blessed +sheaves; and as we think of him, how we wonder in our daily +walks if we shall go to the Saviour with our hands full or +shall we go empty-handed and thus to meet our Saviour so; +not one soul with which to greet Him, must we empty-handed +go?</p> + +<p>I have heard of Mr. Mason as one of the first to go among +the Coreans, and I have seen some of them, that have taken +the Lord for their all and in all, come to this land of ours to +fit themselves for the blessed work among their own people. +God be praised for such a man as Dr. Mason and all of his +loving children, who have had the same spirit that their father +had, and he was filled with the Holy Ghost and with the +power of the Lord.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Sarah W. Potter was the beloved wife of a sea +captain, Mr. William Potter, and he owned a ship that sailed +the Indian Ocean, and he was washed overboard one night +while his wife, Mrs. Potter, was sick, and she did not know +that he had a watery grave until the next day. They had one +son, who is now married, by the name of Frank, whom I +held as an idol, as he always called to me when in trouble, +for his dear mother taught him the love of the Bible, and he +would not fight any boy, let them do him as they would. He +knew that I would go after the boys for blocks, as I was one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> +of those soldiers that was not afraid to fight. As he grew older +I told him that he had to go out into the world to fight his +way and I wanted him to begin it at once, and he did learn +to battle for himself. He married a lovely girl by the name +of Miss Katie Harvey and they have two children, the eldest +a girl and the youngest a boy, which is the lovely little man +of the home.</p> + +<p>I have seen that mother sit up at nights waiting for her +son to come that she might ask a blessing on him before he +should sleep, and how could that boy go astray after all these +prayers and entreaties? May he lead his lambs to the blessed +Master, and have the "Well done, good and faithful servant, +enter thou into the joys of thy Lord."</p> + +<p>To my story of work in the City of Brooklyn:</p> + +<p>The lady, Miss L. A. Pousland, whom I spoke of in the +preceding pages, is the place where I found myself living in +1875, after twelve or thirteen years of service. It was there +that I met Mrs. Sarah Potter. She has been all of a mother +to me to give me all the encouragement she could bestow on +me. For all of this kindness I am more than grateful to my +Heavenly Father, for I know that all goodness comes from +Him. He surely has shown His love to her in sparing her to +see me go from her home to Washington to school and spend +three years and then go to Harper's Ferry and spend four +years, and to see me out in the world teaching for eleven +years, and to break down while at my post and now at home +to serve in another way. Is not this not God's love to me, as +a poor, humble servant of His? I should never forget to give +the love and honor due Him.</p> + +<p>God knows my heart and He will bless the work in my +hands, as the writer of this book.</p> + +<p>When I found that I could get through school in a given<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> +time as I had studied hard, if I had the money, I told Miss +L. A. Pousland, that I would not be there to work any more, +as I had a place in Saratoga Springs for the Summer. She +felt bad to lose me, but as she knew that I could make more +money for three months at the Springs she wanted me to have +my heart's desire, so I came on from school and went to see +her and then made ready for the Springs, getting one of my +sisters to go with me and taking such things as we could. We +were there too soon and we had to wait for work, and I went +around and made myself known to the white people. They +soon called on me to come and do work for them, and the +first was a Mrs. Carpenter, a good lady. She then got her +married daughter to have me to work for her family and they +were a fine family. Her daughter's husband was a grand +studio man on Broadway, doing a good business. Then she +sent me to another friend of hers, and my sister and I could +live for a while. When the rush came I did not forget the +one who had helped me, but went to her two days out of a +week, for she had her house filled with boarders, and the +Summer was all a blessing to her and her family.</p> + +<p>There was Mrs. Purdy, who was another one of my +friends, for I did work for her laundry for three years, and +she said whenever I came to the Springs and wanted work to +come to her; if the house was filled there was room for me. +So you see how God did open the way for me in that strange +and lonely place, where there are so many that go there for +the Summer looking for work. I went out of the house where +we were stopping and got the washing and brought it home +to my sister, for she would not go out of the house as she +had not been from the place where she lived before. I got +her to go with me to help me with the work, and it was +coming in so fast I had to get a white lady to help us to get<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> +through, for the colored people said that we would not get +work as the laws were passed to keep the New York workers +out, and I told them that they would have to pass laws to +keep the rich people of New York from coming there to +board if they should keep the workers out; so I did not hear +to that, and found the way for I had the will, and where +there is a will there is always a way. So much for the first +Summer.</p> + +<p>Well, the second time I went up alone. I say alone, I mean +that my sister did not go, but the Lord did go with me that +Summer, for I did not go to the house where my sister and +I was for they tried to discourage us the first time. I always +mark one that is an enemy to me and shake the dust off of +my feet and let the Lord do for that one what He thinks is +best.</p> + +<p>Well, for the third year I was there with the Lord and He +was surely there with me. I did not do any work on the +Lord's Day, but tried to teach them. When they made me an +offer of larger pay for the work done on the Lord's Day, I +told them that in six days the Lord made the heavens and the +earth and He rested on the seventh day, and I felt that if He +needed rest on that day I was sure that I must have rest. So +the Sunday work was not carried on any more in that laundry. +He said that the Lord had sent me to that laundry for the +bettering of all in it. The gentleman was from Philadelphia +and his name was Mr. Cheek.</p> + +<p>So you see how the Lord preached His word through me, +a feeble one of the dust, and what can not the Lord help us +to do if we only trust in Him and if we strive to live for His +honor and glory while on this side of Jordan?</p> + +<p>Mrs. Purdy had one daughter, and a lovely girl in music, +and her name was Kittie Purdy. She was sought to play<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> +everywhere as she was a fine player, and everyone thinks her +a very pretty girl. Her mother is a perfect lady, for she used +to be so kind to her help. She never was late in any of her +meals for the help and she always sat down with us and eat +with us. She was as jolly as any one at the table and she +always called me her bird, for I was on the wing of song +from the time I began my work until my work was finished, +and then I would start home as happy as any one could be. +Then I would be the first to greet her in the mornings always +and she used to say that I brought to her a great deal of +comfort each hour and drove all of her business cares away. +I used to feel glad that I, although a working girl, could be +of some love and comfort to some one, and it makes me feel +glad to-day that God in His love to me and for me can own +such a feeble one.</p> + +<p>My next start was for Asbury Park to do work for Mrs. +Haseltine, another lovely lady, who was a Boston lady and +whom I learned to love as a mother. I worked for her two +years and was to have worked for her the third year if she +had not taken sick at the time she did. A gentleman came on +from Philadelphia and she got me to work for him and I +found him a fine gentleman. I praise God for all that came +to me while I was pursuing my studies, and to-day I do feel +like saying,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Oh! what a foretaste of glory divine;<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Heir of salvation, purchase of God,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Born of His spirit, washed in His blood.<br /></span> +<span class="i0">This is my story, this is my song,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Praising my Saviour all the day long,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">This is my story, this is my song,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Praising my Saviour all the day long."<br /></span> +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></div></div> + +<p>To my story: Mrs. Haseltine, I said, had to go to the +Saratoga Springs for the Summer and she used to let me hear +from her, but my work in school was so great that I lost sight +of her and I do not know if she is in Florida or not. Wherever +she is I love her and she has my heart. She did all that she +could all the time that I worked for her to let me do extra +work for the boarders so that I might earn money outside of +what she paid me, and the ladies used to come to the laundry +and talk to me, for some of these ladies went to school as I +did and some of them waited at the large hotels in the Summer +time to pay their board. The gentleman that had Mrs. +Haseltine's house took me in at evening time to entertain the +guests, and they all helped me. When I came home to make +ready for school I was at our own church one evening when +dear Dr. J. D. Fulton was giving us one of his grand +lectures, and he gave me time to sing, read and speak. The +church took a grand collection for me, which amounted to +seventeen dollars and seventy-three cents. I was better fixed +that year than I had been at any year since I had been going +to school, for I had worked all of the Summer and would +not spend any of my money as I wanted it all for school, but +the Evil one came and stole it from me and I was left without +a dollar, and I had the heavy heart one is sure to have when +they need money as I did. Then I had to borrow money to +leave for the school, and you may think how one feels after +a Summer's work, and to have some one else to use the money +that has not been gotten with their own labor.</p> + +<p>Well, I did not know what I should do, so I made up my +mind that I had done all that lay in my power—that is, I had +earned the money, and some one had taken it from me and I +was left to go without. So I took the Lord for it, and could +not board as I had done, but I bought some little things to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> +use and boarded myself, and I was up sometimes at the late +hours of night, when all of the people were asleep, cooking +for the next day, that I might not be late at school. So you +can see how loving God was to me.</p> + +<p>My life in school was one of joy to me and to my mother +and sisters and brother and brothers-in-law, and all of the +time that I was in school they were sending me their mites to +help me along. My sister, Mrs. E. F. Rodwell and Mr. G. +W. Rodwell, and my sister, Mrs. Annie Lindsey and Mr. +F. P. Lindsey were the ones that never for once forgot me, +and at Christmas time I was like a child looking for something. +Everybody was good to me. Praise the Lord for all of +the love that came to me in the time of need.</p> + +<p>Well, my work ended in 1886, though I taught in 1885, +and had the blessing of God with me in this school. There +were twenty-five out of the school brought to the knowledge +of the truth, such as the Lord will own and bless at the last +day. God be the glory. Amen and Amen.</p> + +<p>The place was Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va., and +I was called from that school to go West where they needed +me to teach in a place where the teachers had made the pupils +almost hate to go to a school. My heart was in that work, +which no one liked, so I went there trusting in the Lord. I +lost that place, but they got me another one where they built +me a new house, and the Lord did bless me in this place, +although I was not able to go to the Baptist Church only once +a month, for there was not any nearer than ten or fourteen +miles. When the next year came I helped the people build a +church and it was all paid for before I left there. How God +did pour out His spirit there in the salvation of souls, and +He did add unto the dear church such as will be saved at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> +day when He shall come to make up his jewels; and I can +praise His name for such a Saviour.</p> + +<p>Well, to my story: As a teacher in the same place for eleven +years, or I should say I was connected with the same school +for that length of time, and all the way the Saviour led me. +Sometimes it was not all flowers and sweetness, but in it all +I can see the hand of the Blessed One; and it used to make +me say to myself, Praise the Lord, Oh, my soul, and all that +is within me praise His holy name!</p> + +<p>After being there for sometime I was taken sick and was +there sick and could not teach my school for that Winter. It +made me feel very bad, but my good Dr. Ford said that he +thought all of the county were sorry to learn of my illness +and all were losing a good teacher. I would not be able to do +any school work for sometime to come as the nerves were all +overworked, and that had brought on other troubles which +were of a dangerous nature. So my heart was heavy indeed, +and if I had not had my hope built in Jesus Christ I would +not have stood, for I felt that all other ground was to me a +sinking sand. I stayed there all of the Winter and then came +on home to Brooklyn, and the Lord was so good to make me +well; I went back to my work and taught all that Winter, +and when my school was out I then went down to the county +seat, which is ten miles from the station and is about fourteen +from my school, where I spoke of.</p> + +<p>Hinton is a lovely little town on the Chesapeake and Ohio +Railroad and in the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains, +and is one of the greatest places on the road, as all of the +trains from the West, East, South and North stop there. It +is a lovely town and they have a roundhouse there where they +build locomotives. They have a fine Y. M. C. there. There<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> +are a number of men employed at this place. They have two +nice Baptist Churches and a Baptist Mission, two Methodist +Churches, one Episcopalian, one Congregational, one Presbyterian +and one Roman Catholic and one college, a number +of private schools and a number of public schools and the +county is doing a good work in education, and to the Lord +be all the praise for all of this good work.</p> + +<p>Hinton I said was a lovely place. Like Harper's Ferry, +that I spoke of in the preceding chapter, it is situated on +Camp Hill in a lovely place, between the Potomac River on +one side and the Shenandoah River on the other, and it has +two of the most beautiful bridges I ever saw. When you see +the trains coming and going it looks lovely.</p> + +<p>The Wayland Seminary is in a lovely spot on Meredian +Hill, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, and you can +see all over the City of Washington. It is lovely to behold +with all of its fine buildings and art galleries, though I do +not like it as well as Harper's Ferry, for I was not well the +whole time I was there and I had so much better health at +the Ferry. I bless God that I made the change when I did or +I might have been gone to my long home before I had the +time to see so much of God's love to me in the way He has +led me through paths that I did not see then. I can truly say +unto Him, Lord, Thou hast been my dwelling place in all +of these years of trial and has been my rock in a weary land +and my shelter in the times of storm.</p> + +<p>Well, I came home last October a year ago, 1895, and +made up my mind to stay for the time being. Some of the +people found out that I was here and they sent for me to +come to see them. I went to Mrs. Murphy's the next week +and I was there nearly a year and found that I could not do +much lifting, so I did not feel well for quite a while, and I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> +had a heavy day of it the last time that I was there. So I told +her daughter I should not come any more as I had gone early +that I should get home early. It was nearly six o'clock when +I stopped. They are a lovely family of four men and four girls, +all of whom are are very fine indeed; two sons married, and +children, and one daughter married and she has two little +ones. Miss Josephine is a school teacher. Miss Alice is the +housekeeper, as the mother is not very well at times. One of +the lovely girls is a Sister in a convent.</p> + +<p>I also did work for her daughter, Mrs. Nellie Chester, +and she is a lovely woman. I had to lose her work as she had +to get her a girl.</p> + +<p>I also worked for fine families by the names of Mrs. +Handford and Mrs. Taylor, but they went away from this +city.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> + + +<p>I am now doing work for a lovely family by the name of +Mrs. Coddington, as her husband has died not long since, +and he was a nice man and they have two lovely girls that +teach school. I also work for Mrs. White, who is a lovely +lady, and all of her family.</p> + +<p>At the Pells and the Powells. Mrs. Pell is a lovely woman, +with two children, one a lovely young lady and full of the +sweetest music the ear ever heard, for I do not think that +there ever was any one that could play sweeter music than +her. The other is a boy, a nice youngster of promise.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Powell is the sister of the first Mrs. Pell and she has +one daughter, who is a Mrs. Pell, whom I have to call Mrs. +E. Pell to let each one know which one I mean. There are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> +other ladies in the mansion that are very nice to me. Mrs. +Pell No. 1 is the head of the house and is a fine lady, and in +telling you of those that I have worked for and I am doing +work for I mean to tell that it is by the day that I work for +some of them; as you will see as you read this that I have had +very few places where I lived out by the month, and staying +a good while in a place.</p> + +<p>I did work for Mrs. Johnson, but as her business is not +so good at times she has me whenever she can feel as if she +can spare the money. So this little life of mine has been +almost locked up in a nutshell, and Jesus has come to me in +the spirit's power that I should tell the world of His wonderful +love to me a poor sinner of the dust. And what can not the +Lord do for those who put their trust in Him? We feel like +saying to the blessed One, how amiable are all of Thy works, +oh Lord, and our eyes are seeing Thy salvation in many parts +of the earth.</p> + +<p>I can remember the first time that it was my pleasure to +hear dear Dr. J. D. Fulton. It was on Thanksgiving Day +when he first came to this city to preach at the Hanson Place +Church, as their pastor. The Rev. David Moore had him to +preach the Thanksgiving sermon at the Washington Avenue +Baptist Church, and we were all delighted at hearing him on +that day. I loved him on hearing that sermon, for I felt the +spirit power on that day, through his preaching. I shall always +think of the Doctor and his loving family, for we, as the +negro race, have not such a friend on earth as Dr. Fulton. I +am not afraid to say it to his dear honor as he is not dead, +and I wish every negro knew him as I do for then they would +all feel toward him as I feel. I hope that he will long live to +tell the truth as he has in days gone by; and if he was in this +city where the evil is so strong, we should hear him sounding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> +the watchword, and that is the reason that those that loved +the ways of sin did not like him, for they felt that he had +cause to trouble them while they were yet in their sins.</p> + +<p>But I hope that the day will come when I shall hear him +again in this city, and I hope that God will give him long +life and that he may see the travel of his soul and be satisfied, +for I know that he tries to do God's will in this love that he +has for humanity and that is why the Lord will bless him in +all the work that his hands find to do.</p> + +<p>I was not at home when he left this city and I felt sad when +I found that he was gone, for we shall ever miss him. My +prayer is to God that he may live to a good old age and that +when he shall be called to come up higher that he may be +caught up in the air to meet his Lord and Master and all of +those that have gone on before, and be ready to Crown Him +King of Kings and Lord of Lords.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="Progress_of_Church_Work" id="Progress_of_Church_Work"></a>Progress of Church Work</h2> + + +<p>A speech to a crowded church, in the year of our Lord 1888, +in Talcott, Summers Co., W. V. I was asked to have this +published out there, but I wanted to have it brought to my +home in Brooklyn. I was into so much work out there, and +my people were not there to see what the Lord did help me +to do:</p> + +<p>Dear friends, we are here to-night to commemorate this +grand occasion, and our watchword is Onward and Upward +to the Prize!</p> + +<p>This is a time that we should all shout the Jubilee and to +send the glad tidings to all the world and to let all the nations +know that we are on our march to that happy land of song.</p> + +<p>Dear friends, let us look for a few moments and think of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> +the time when you had not a church where you could worship +God. I told you that God would give you this lovely place, +where no one could drive you out, and to see what great +things He has done for you in a little time, and how great +things can He not do if we will only trust Him? We have +those of our race that have held places of greatest trust and +God bless them in those places. Why should we give up the +fight and lay our armor by when there is so much for us to +do? No, no, we can not and we will not lay the grand old +armor down, for the Lord is on our side and we shall surely +conquer if we look to Him whose arm is so large and strong. +Then let us take fresh courage and march on until we reach +the goal, and then we shall be glad and rejoice for the Lord +has spoken good to His people, the Ethiopians.</p> + +<p>Oh, ye colored people, why not take this as yours and +begin now to rejoice ye in your own race and feel proud of +the race, but not ones that can dance the best on the ballroom +floor, for there is very little in that when it is all +summed up in a whole. Let us thank all the good people who +have shown any love to us while we have been in this work +of building and may they all find favor in the sight of God. +You have a dear good pastor who is willing to give his life +to the Lord and the church. Let us take fresh courage and +march into His service, for we shall gain if we only trust in +God and do the right He will help us to persevere.</p> + +<p>Time would fail me and my pen would fail to move if I +should try to enumerate all of the blessings that have come +to us as a race. I hope that we, as the hated negro race, will +make a fresh start from this night and do all that we can to +forward the work in this church, and God will send us a +blessing.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="Etiquette_of_Young_Men" id="Etiquette_of_Young_Men"></a>Etiquette of Young Men</h2> + + +<p>I was wondering a few days since if the men of the present +day had lost the respect that men used to have for the women. +I was carried back to the year of 1884 while in school with +so many of the young men of my own race, when I saw so +much of the respect that they showed to us girls and that was +what caused me to write this to their honor. I think that true +etiquette is one of the greatest blessings that young men can +have for the women, for it is to them that we look to for the +protection and love, and if we fail to find it in them where +shall we look? This is one of the greatest fortunes that one +can have, and it is that which makes a young man what he +ought to be. We, as the women, need so many of such ones +and the world needs them fully as much, and the God who +made them looks for more and when he does not find it in +the dear creatures that He has made it makes Him feel sad.</p> + +<p>I found a number of young men that used to attend the +Wayland Seminary that had the greatest regard for the girls, +and I could not but notice them in this respect and their kind +acts while there, although I was not in the same classes with +them, but I never saw them make any difference while I was +in school. I always found good friends among them and I +never saw a young man meet one of the young ladies but they +lifted their hats, and that made the people of Washington, +D. C., always speak of it in the kindest terms. One never +loses anything in this way, and their virtues are greater than +gold.</p> + +<p>When the weather was very bad one day and I was coming +from school and a young man saw me fall down, he came to +help me home and I felt very grateful and I feel that wherever<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> +that young man shall go he will have favor in the eyes of all, +and God will be his leader for he has made a good beginning.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="School_Life" id="School_Life"></a>School Life</h2> + + +<p>While at the Harper's Ferry school I found the loveliest +teachers that ever were in a school. Professor Brackett, the +head of the school, is a fine gentleman, and his wife, Mrs. +W. Brackett, is a lovely lady and she is one of the finest +teachers that ever lived. She has three nice children, two of +them are girls and one boy, who is a young man by this time, +for I have not seen him since he went to Maine to attend +school, which is the Bates'. It is a fine school of Latin, and a +number of the students went to that same school.</p> + +<p>Mr. W. P. Curtis was one of the professors. He was my +Sunday-school teacher and he was fine.</p> + +<p>Mr. D. M. Wilson was a dear professor, whom we loved. +Miss Caroline Franklin was a lovely teacher and we all loved +her. Miss C. Brackett was one of the lovely teachers, and +one whom every one of the other teachers loved, for she was +one of the finest readers that ever lived, let it be man or +woman. They used to have her read nearly every afternoon +when the school was out, and sometimes they would call to +Professor Curtis to read to the school. He was a very good +reader, but Miss C. L. Franklin was the grand trainer of +the whole school. They had a grand reading circle there at +nights for the rich of the Ferry, and she was the one to do +the fine reading. All of the noble people of the place loved +her and she will ever be loved and remembered by all who +knew her. She is now in Washington, D. C., teaching, and +the people have learned to love her as we did. I do not think<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> +that any one could help loving her for her love and fidelity +to the race which she represents.</p> + +<p>Miss C. L. Franklin's mother, who is a lovely woman +whom we all love as a mother, for she had many of the +students at her house to board, like Mrs. William Lovett, +and she was so very kind to all of them that she will be +remembered by us all, for we love those in our school life +that would say a kind word to us. It was to help us along in +our daily toil.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Julia Robinson was one of the lovely ladies at the +Ferry, also, and all of the teachers boarded there. She has a +number of the students that board with her and she is much +beloved.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Bell was one of the ladies that kept boarders and she +is much beloved. Mr. W. M. Bell is one of the teachers and +all love him as a teacher.</p> + +<p>Mr. J. Trinkle, who keeps one of the halls in the Summer +time has a number of boarders, and does well all of the +Summer months and in the Winter he teaches in or near the +Ferry. With it all they are all doing what they can to help to +forward the interest or an education in all of that section, and +I really think that part of the country will show a larger +percentage of those that have been educated through the +churches than could have been taught in the public schools, +for the terms are so very short that it is hard for the people +to get a start.</p> + +<p>But God has wonderfully blessed the teachers that have +been sent on there from the North to look after the interests +of the negroes. They love the work of the school-room, and +it is their meat and their drink daily to give away what they +have received. The Word says that it is more blessed to give<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> +than to receive, and we are always ready to receive from the +hands of our earthly friends, and it is much greater to receive +from God.</p> + +<p>Mr. Thomas Lovett has two lovely little girls, named, +respectively, Florence, the eldest, and the other Shoelett, and +they are very smart. Mr. Lovett has built a hill-top house in +a lovely place. It is filled in the Summer time, while he has +music for the boarders. That makes it pleasant during the +warm weather of the Summer months, and it is one of the +loveliest places that can be found on the B. & O. Railroad, +and the white people go their from all parts.</p> + +<p>I had the pleasure of stopping there on my way home in +1895, and it did my soul good to find such a fine house built +by one of the colored gentlemen and one that I had known, +for I was at his mother's boarding house for the whole time +that I was at the Ferry. He was teaching school then in the +Winter time and looking after his mother's business in the +Summer time. So I am glad that some of my people are +trying to make an honest living. He is one among the many +at the Ferry that are keeping boarding houses; and I am +thankful for all that comes to us as a race. I hope, as I have +often heard dear Dr. Fulton say that he wanted to see the +race go forward, and I pray that the time is not far distant +when all of the friends of the negroes shall see them making +men and women of themselves, and then the grand problem +will be solved. Then we shall be glad, for I am grieved night +and day for my own people, and I feel so grateful to God for +letting me see and to know that I have such a good friend as +Dr. Fulton is. He shall be loved by me as long as I live, +and I hope that he will ever be loved by all that shall read +this life of mine, for he has been a father to me and I am +one that always remembers a kindness as long as any one will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> +do one for me. God will bless those that will think of me in +love.</p> + +<p>As this day has been one of quiet to me I have wondered +what it would be to me if I could look into those bright +mansions above and see my two mothers' faces. What a joy +there would be at the sight of them seeing me and of me +seeing them, and we all singing,</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Early in the morning our songs shall rise to Thee;<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Holy, holy, merciful and mighty,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>And what a glory it will be for all that have washed their +robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and I +know that two darling mothers have washed their robes and +made them white, and to God be all the praise for the great +love that He has shown to poor me, who feels so lonely on +this lovely Lord's day. How much have I found in His +service, too, and if I could be able to go there to-night I feel +that I should be blessed, but I have to stay at home to-night +as I have not been well for a month or more. I feel grateful +as can be that I could be out this morning, and I will pay +vows unto my God as long as I shall live, for He is my rock +and my hiding place in the time of trouble. I have had a +storm of them and it is to Him I fly to shield my soul from +the evil one, and knowing as do how many hard spells I have +had, it is right for me to be as careful as I can, taking the +Lord for my healer. How He has blessed me so many times +when there were no other hopes for me to build on, I have +found that I could trust in His almighty power.</p> + +<p>I shall not forget the kind care of Dr. Matthews, of this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> +lovely city, whom God gave to me when I was very low and +the three times a day that he paid his visits to see how I was +getting along. He was so kind in his words to comfort me +and to give my mother cheer I shall always think of him +kindly, for the snow was so deep that a horse could not travel +very well and he had to walk it three times a day. I had not +my white mother then to care for me, but my own mother +did what she could for me and I know that she has her reward +in heaven for all that she has ever done for me in the times +when I needed the most care.</p> + +<p>There is good Dr. Reeves, a good Quaker doctor, and I +had to have him to attend me. He was very kind and gentle +in his treatment of me and I am very glad that I found such +a friend in him, for he was like a father to me? I shall not +overlook dear Dr. Warmsley, who was a good doctor to me +and he was kind as he could be, and I shall not forget him, +although I have not seen him for a long time.</p> + +<p>What shall I say of the last doctor that I was under out +West, and that is Dr. J. W. Ford, who was so kind to me +as a stranger. He would come when he was sent for. It made +no difference what time of day or night. It might be you +would find him on his way where he was sent for and +sometimes he would be on the road all night long, for he is +the best doctor in the county, and I was going to say the best +in the State of West Virginia. They all send for him; far and +near, where they have any fever, and he is so good in fevers, +through the Lord, he is sure to bring them out of if they do +as he tells them. May the Lord give him a good long life to +do the will of Him who is the greatest doctor after all. And +if we only put our trust in Him we shall find that He will +make our sick bed easy for us and He will carry us all the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> +way while we are sick, for He has borne our sorrows and +sickness.</p> + +<p>To my story as a school girl: It was full of sweet love and +regard, for I gained favor with all of the teachers and +professors and all of the pupils. The Lord be praised for all +of this love and joy that came to me in my school days. Then +the love that came from the Washington Avenue Baptist +Church of sending me the sum of twenty or thirty dollars to +help me in paying my expenses was of the greatest love for +one in a school, as I wanted to pay as I went, and then the +Sunday-school would send me their money, one of the dear, +loving favors of God's love, and naming each time from +which the money came and sending it through the Board at +Chicago. Then Mrs. Conley or Mrs. Connell sent it to me +and the Board sent the same way when my own beloved +church sent me money. It was in the time of Mrs. Sarah +Fulton and she did not forget me when I was in school. The +Mission Band of our church sent me some money every year +after the first year that I went to school. Sometimes it was to +the answer of my prayers that the money came at the time I +needed it to pay my board and God be praised for those who +from the bottom of their hearts contributed in the grand and +good work of education. For all that I shall do in this life to +help some one that needs help, I shall think of the Lord's +love to me and try and do what I can to bring them to the +Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, and to +God I owe my life and my all, and if I should fail to love +and honor Him I know that He will not remember me before +His dear Father in heaven.</p> + +<p>Mr. William Lovett, the father of a large family, is one +of the finest gentlemen anywhere around the whole country,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> +and is much beloved by all who know him. The white people +who board with him in the Summer time all liked him, for +he was so nice and quiet. He has a large family of girls and +boys and all are smart. He sent two of them to the Hillsdale +College when they had finished at the Ferry, and one was +John Lovett, who studied law, and the other one, Miss Etta +Lovett, was a fine school teacher and a music teacher.</p> + +<p>I have just learned that the last one of the girls has married, +and that is the youngest of the family. They all have good +partners for life, which does not come to all large families. +God bless such a father and mother, who have taken such +good care of the training of their children.</p> + +<p>Mr. John Lovett was one of the teachers of whom I shall +speak of, as I boarded in their house for four years. A more +lovely woman never lived than his mother. She is known far +and wide as one of the best ladies to keep boarders and she +has a lovely family of girls and boys. Mr. Thomas Lovett is +a doctress, who is one of the finest ladies that lives. She is +from the North and she has some of the best people of the +Northern cities that she waited on, and they love her to-day +for the kind care that she had for them.</p> + +<p>Miss Emma Carter is one of the teachers, and Miss Lizzie +Sims, Miss Frances Sims, Mr. Burrell and Mr. C. H. +Plummer; and of later years Miss Mary Brackett has gone +there as one of its teachers and there are others that have gone +there as teachers. The dear good work is going on in the +strength of the Lord and I hope that He will still bless his +work. The same that I said of Miss C. L. Franklin I will +say of Miss Lulia Brackett, who is married now and is still +one of its beloved teachers. She loves the work of teaching +the negroes better than her own life and all that she has in +Maine. God bless those dear teachers, as they labor there for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> +my own dear people whom God has blessed in getting an +education.</p> + +<p>Miss Lulia Brackett married a Mr. Loughtner, who is a +school master for the whites at the Ferry, and who is a fine +school teacher and whom the people like very much. It is a +joy to meet him on his way to his school-house.</p> + +<p>Mr. William Bell is one of the the teachers whom we all +love dearly, and he taught school outside for a while before +he came to teach at the college. He had the greatest success +as a teacher. May God bless those faithful ones as they are +far from their homes, family, friends and loving ones.</p> + +<p>I had the pleasure of working for a fine family in Brooklyn +by the name of Davis, and I found them all a lovely family. +I had the pleasure of going away in the country one Summer +to a place called Flemington, N. J., and we had a fine time +as it was his father and mother's home, and they had a dairy +farm and all of the nice things that one finds in the country. +I was not well while there as it was low land, and one of +their daughters was not well, so I feeling that I would be +better to come home they got ready and come on home, and +I left them and went to my home where I could rest. In the +Fall I was so much better that I was able to go back out West +and take up my work again. When I had finished my public +school I taught a pay school for the Summer and had a large +number of scholars, and they progressed well. Some of them +would go without their food all day to study extra lessons.</p> + +<p>It would be all of a joy to the whole world to have seen +how well all of the girls, boys, young men and young ladies +did in all of the schools where I have had the pleasure of +teaching.</p> + +<p>I have never taught in any school with any other teacher +or teachers, and I was so much more blessed, for all teachers<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> +have a way of their own. The new teacher always makes so +much change in a school and in the pupils, I found that to +do good work in school I should stay long in one place, that +I might bring the scholar near to me. Sometimes I have had +it rough, but in it all I can see the hand of God leading me +to do all that I could to help forward the great cause of +education in those parts where there was so much need.</p> + +<p>I have just learned that the Rev. J. D. Fulton has had a +stroke and I cannot tell how he is at this time, but I can not +do any work until I hear from him, as I have had my mind +on him for some time, as he was somewhere in Massachusetts +and I had not heard from him for some time. The last time +that I heard from him he was not well, and I knew that he +was so great for working that I feared he would break down.</p> + +<p>So I wrote to Mrs. Wamsley, his daughter, and shall wait +to hear how he is, for I know she will let me know at once +as she is there with her father.</p> + +<p>I have heard from her and he is better, thank God, and +not dead, as so many thought, for he does so much work that +no one thought that he could get over it.</p> + +<p>And here on this 20th day of January I fell sick myself +and have not been able to take up my work until the 4th day +of March, and once more in the strength of the Lord I have +taken up this work and hope to push it as fast I can, and I +hope to finish it in the near future if the Lord wills. I hope +that all who will may have the pleasure of knowing of +something of the joys and of the sorrows that have crowned +this little life of mine, but in and through it all I have seen +the blessed hand of Him who is wise.</p> + +<p>March 4th, 1897.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<p class='center'>Transcriber's Note: The following errors in the text have been left +uncorrected from the original.</p> + + +<div class='center'> +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td align='left'>Page 8:</td><td align='left'>"the House's took off"</td></tr> +<tr><td align='left'>Page 16:</td><td align='left'>"formed like her's"</td></tr> +<tr><td align='left'>Page 49:</td><td align='left'>"all of whom are are very fine"</td></tr> +<tr><td align='left'>Page 58:</td><td align='left'>"like a father to me?"</td></tr> +<tr><td align='left'>Page 60:</td><td align='left'>"Mr. Thomas Lovett is a doctress, who is one of the finest ladies that lives."</td></tr> +<tr><td align='left'>Page 61:</td><td align='left'>"one of the the teachers"</td></tr> +</table></div> + + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Slave Girl's Story, by Kate Drumgoold + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SLAVE GIRL'S STORY *** + +***** This file should be named 17871-h.htm or 17871-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/8/7/17871/ + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Susan Skinner and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: A Slave Girl's Story + Being an Autobiography of Kate Drumgoold. + +Author: Kate Drumgoold + +Release Date: February 27, 2006 [EBook #17871] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SLAVE GIRL'S STORY *** + + + + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Susan Skinner and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + A Slave Girl's Story + + +_Being an Autobiography of_ + KATE DRUMGOOLD. + + + BROOKLYN--NEW YORK. + + 1898 + + + + +CHAPTER I + + +Once a slave girl, I have endeavored to fill the pages with some of the +most interesting thoughts that my mind is so full of, and not with +something that is dry. + +This sketch is written for the good of those that have written and +prayed that the slaves might be a freed people, and have schools and +books and learn to read and write for themselves; and the Lord, in His +love for us and to us as a race, has ever found favor in His sight, for +when we were in the land of bondage He heard the prayers of the faithful +ones, and came to deliver them out of the Land of Egypt. + +For God loves those that are oppressed, and will save them when they cry +unto him, and when they put their trust in Him. + +Some of the dear ones have gone to the better land, but this is one of +the answers to their prayers. + +We, as the Negro Race, are a free people, and God be praised for it. We +as the Negro Race, need to feel proud of the race, and I for one do with +all my heart and soul and mind, knowing as I do, for I have labored for +the good of the race, that their children might be the bright and +shining lights. And we can see the progress that we are making in an +educational way in a short time, and I think that we should feel very +grateful to God and those who are trying to help us forward. God bless +such with their health, and heart full of that same love, that this +world can not give nor taketh away. + +There are many doors that are shut to keep us back as a race, but some +are opened to us, and God be praised for those that are opened to the +race, and I hope that they will be true to their trust and be of the +greatest help to those that have given them a chance. + +There are many that have lost their lives in the far South in trying to +get an education, but there are many that have done well, and we feel +like giving God all the praise. + +I was born in Old Virginia, in or near the Valley, the other side of +Petersburg, of slave parents, and I can just call to mind the time when +the war began, for I was not troubled then about wars, as I was feeling +as free as any one could feel, for I was sought by all of the rich +whites of the neighborhood, as they all loved me, as noble whites will +love a child, like I was in those days, and they would send for me if I +should be at my play and have me to talk for them, and all of their +friends learned to love me and send me presents, and I would stand and +talk and preach for some time for them. + +My dear mother was sold at the beginning of the war, from all of her +little ones, after the death of the lady that she belonged to, and who +was so kind to my dear mother and all of the rest of the negroes of the +place; and she never liked the idea of holding us as slaves, and she +always said that we were all that she had on the earth to love; and she +did love me to the last. + +The money that my mother was sold for was to keep the rich man from +going to the field of battle, as he sent a poor white man in his stead, +and should the war end in his favor, the poor white man should have +given to him one negro, and that would fully pay for all of his service +in the army. But my God moves in a way unknown to men, and they can +never understand His ways, for He can plant His footsteps on the North, +the South, the East, the West, and outride any man's ideas; and how +wonderful are all of his ways. And if we, as a race, will only put our +trust in Him, we shall gain the glorious victory, and be a people whose +God is the God of all this broad earth, and may we humble ourselves +before Him and call Him, Blessed. + +I told you that my white mother did not like the idea of calling us her +slaves, and she always prayed God that I should never know what slavery +was, for she said I was never born to serve as did the slaves of some of +the people that owned them. + +And God, in His love for me and to me, never let me know of it, as did +some of my own dear sisters, for some of them were hired out after the +old home was broken up. + +My mother was sold at Richmond, Virginia, and a gentleman bought her who +lived in Georgia, and we did not know that she was sold until she was +gone; and the saddest thought was to me to know which way she had gone, +and I used to go outside and look up to see if there was anything that +would direct me, and I saw a clear place in the sky, and it seemed to me +the way she had gone, and I watched it three and a half years, not +knowing what that meant, and it was there the whole time that mother was +gone from her little ones. + +On one bright Sunday I asked my older sister to go with me for a nice +walk and she did so, for she was the one that was so kind to the rest of +us--and we saw some sweet flowers on the wayside and we began to have +delight in picking them, when all at once I was led to leave her alone +with the flowers and to go where I could look up at that nice, clear +spot, and as I wanted to get as near to it as I could, I got on the +fence, and as I looked that way I saw a form coming to me that looked +like my dear mother's, and calling to my sister Frances to come at once +and see if that did not look like my dear mother and she came to us, so +glad to see us, and to ask after her baby that she was sold from that +was only six weeks old when she was taken from it; and I would that the +whole world could have seen the joy of a mother and her two girls on +that heaven-made day--a mother returning back to her own once more, a +mother that we did not know that we should ever see her face on this +earth more. And mother, not feeling good over the past events, had made +up her mind that she would take her children to a part of this land +where she thought that they would never be in bondage any more on this +earth. + +So she sought out the head man that was placed there by the North to +look after the welfare of lately emancipated negroes of the South, to +see that they should have their rights as a freed people. + +This gentleman's name was Major Bailley, who was a gentleman of the +highest type, and it was this loving man that sent my dear mother and +her ten little girls on to this lovely city, and the same time he +informed the people of Brooklyn that we were on the way and what time we +should reach there; and it seemed as though the whole city were out to +meet us. And as God would have it, six of us had homes on that same day, +and the people had their carriages there to take us to our new homes. + +This God-sent blessing was of a great help to mother, as she could get +the money to pay her rent, which was ten dollars per month, and God +bless those of my sisters who could help mother to care for her little +ones, for they had not been called home then, and God be praised for all +that we have ever did for her love and comfort while she kept house. + +The subject was only a few years old, when she saw her heart so fixed +that she could not leave me at my mother's any longer, so she took me to +be her own dear, loving child, to eat, drink, sleep and to go wherever +she went, if it was for months, or even years; I had to be there as her +own and not as a servant, for she did not like that, but I was there as +her loving child for her to care for me, and everything that I wanted I +had; truly do I feel grateful to my Heavenly Father for all of those +blessings that came to me in the time that I needed so much of love and +care. + +This dear lady, Mrs. Bettie House, my white mother, died at the +beginning of the war and then the time came for poor me to go to my own +dear mother again for awhile, and soon the time came for us to be parted +asunder, where we did not see one another any more until after the war +of 1865. And we all thought that mother was dead, for we did not hear +any tidings of her after she had reached the far South. + +I shall never forget that lovely Sunday morning when I saw my dear +mother returning again to her own native home and her own dear ones once +more, but mother would not go to the house with us, as she did not want +to take the law in her own hands. So she told sister and I where she was +stopping and told us to come to her after we had told the gentleman +where we lived, and I went to him and told him that mother had come back +and wanted to have us to come where she was staying. He, Mr. House, did +not want us to go, and I took my oldest sister and marched out to go +where mother was and he did not like that freedom, and he tried to find +which way that we had gone to the place, but he did not find us, and we +had been to the place where the people were that had homes, and that +they would kill us at first sight, and that was all that I wanted to +see, and I did not find one thing true of their sayings. + +Mother now has to tell the gentleman where to find all of her own dear +ones whom God in His love for had kept for her, and she should have +been very grateful to Him that her life had been prolonged and all that +she had left alive were still alive, awaiting for her to return, and +finding that her children were all over in different places, and now she +has to tell where to find them, through the help of the Lord. And when +she had gone for them and was told that some of her own were dead, she +said that she would go and dig up their bones; but they were not dead, +as was said, and she sent the soldiers after them and sometimes they +were told the same as mother was, and some of the little ones had to be +sent for two or three times before they were brought. My oldest sister +knew where they all were, so she could help to get the rest. + +One of my sisters who lived at the same place where we were living was +detained and the soldiers had go three times before they could get her, +for they said that she had died since we had left, for I would not stay +at the place as he, Mr. House, did not want us to go on Monday to see my +mother, on whom I should look to, as she had come to claim her own. I +told my oldest sister that we would leave, and my sister Annie was at +one of Mr. House's sons, who found that we were going to see mother and +she came with us, so that left three there yet; that was sister Lavinia +and the baby, sister Rosa, and they let mother have the baby, as it was +a sickly child; and she had to send there three times before she could +get sister Lavinia, and the last time the soldiers, with horses, went, +and the House's took off all of her clothing and put them into water to +keep them from taking her, and they had to take blankets and wrap her in +them, and bring her to mother, and she took sick from that time from the +long ride, and getting cold she nearly died. + +One they hid in the garden; one they put in the cellar, and so these +were hard times for mother and us, who were in the road one night +walking to find some place to get out of the rain and let those wet +garments get dried, for it was so dark that we could not see a hand +before us. + +But after all the hard trials we reached this lovely city, where there +are those that love and fear God, and who love the souls of the negro as +well as those of the white, the red, the yellow or brown races of the +earth, for we have ever found some of the people who do not forget us +day or night in their prayers, that God will send a blessing to us as a +race. + +To my story of a life of slavery: + +My dear mother had a dear husband that she was sold from also, and he, +not knowing that he should ever see my mother any more, as the times +were then, he waited for a while and then he found him another wife, and +when mother came and found that he was married to another she tried to +get him, but she could do nothing about it; so having to leave him +behind to look after the last one and her family, although it seemed +hard for her to do so. + +My mother had a large family to take care of, but the Lord was good to +her and helped her, for she had laid some of them away, and then there +were ten little girls to care for. My brother was lost to us and to +mother also, as he was sent to the war to do service for his owner, and +we did not know if he was alive or not, and he was my mother's only boy, +as this is a girl family that you do not see or hear of every day, for +that made seventeen girls to have battle through life had they all have +lived to this time. + + + + +CHAPTER II + + +My mother did not know where my brother was before she was sold, for we +heard that he had tried to get over to the Northern side and had been +taken to Richmond, Va., and put into Castle Thunder, and that was the +last that we heard of him during the war. When, to our surprise, we were +on our way North we learned that he was going to school; that the +Northern people had teachers there in the South to teach them to read +and to write; and he learning that we had gone North made himself ready +and came on, but he did not know where to find us, so getting a place to +work, and the same time telling those that he worked for that his people +were here somewhere, they found mother and got her to go to the place +where he was, and sure enough there was her dead and lost boy, and the +joy and love that came to that dear, loving mother and her only son on +that day will never be known on this side of the grave, as they have +both gone to the land of the blest, for my brother never used any bad +language in his life, and when he took the Lord for his own, it was his +meat and his drink to live for Him and to follow where He led, and he +died a true child of the King. + +A few years later and mother's name was enrolled in the Lambs' Book of +Life, for she gladly answered to the roll call and fell asleep in the +arms of Jesus. + +Well, my first place was in Adelphi street, with a family by the name of +Hammond, and I was there to help do the work, and when they found that I +liked to work so well they wanted me to do so much that I left that +place and got me another, for I did not get out to church or to +Sunday-school, and that was not the way that I had been trained, for +when I was three years old my white mother had taken me to church with +her on horseback. + +Well, I said that I saw these children going to school on every week day +but Saturdays and on Sundays to Sunday-school, and I there at work as if +it were not the Lord's day, and I never shall like to work on that day +as I was born on Sunday morning. + +Well, I left there not knowing what to do, and a white lady took me in +and told me to stay there until I could get another place, and I helped +her girl on the next day to finish all of the work and I made ready to +look for a place, and God did help me to find one and I shall never +forget Him as long as I live, for that was with a fine family and they +showed me love at once and I showed them love in return. + +They were members of the Washington Avenue Baptist Church, and a more +beloved family never lived. This was the Bailley family--Mr. and Mrs. +Bailley, Miss Abbey Bailley, Mr. Bailley's sister, a young lady in her +teens, Miss Ella Bailley, and a nice boy by the name of Johnny Bailley, +and they were a nice family and they took me to church on Sunday morning +and sent me to Sunday-school in the afternoon with their children, and +what a heaven it seemed to me from the place where I was living at +first. + +I shall always remember my dear white mother, of whom I spoke of in the +first part, and whom I shall call your attention to in many more pages +of this little Life Book, and shall always remember her with love and +the kindest feeling. She was a member of the true Methodist Church and +was never seen by her darling child from the House of God since I could +remember, for I was with her at all times on the family horse, Kimble, +and when I got large enough to ride alone she bought me a fine black +that had all the metal that a horse could have, and his name was Charlie +Engrum, and she paid a large price for him, and he was the grandest +horse I ever saw, and it was my delight to be near a horse or horses +when I was a child, for I did not have any fear of any kind of horse, +and I would take a ride the first thing in the morning, even before I +would have my breakfast, and my dear white mother would save it for me +as she knew that I would have that ride first; for it always made her +feel proud to see how well I had learned to ride, and she was the one +that had taught me how to ride, for she had me on the horse when I was +three years old and from that time until she went home to come out no +more forever. + +I was two and a half years, as near as I can remember, when my own slave +mother's house was burned to the ground, and I shall never forget that +Saturday night. My mother's husband had gone to a dance and mother was +there alone with her little ones, and we all came near getting burned +up. We were all asleep when I awoke and found the house in a blaze. I +did not know enough or I was so much scared that I did not call to my +mother, but I think that she heard me when I rolled out of the bed, and +she was out of the bed quick as could be and getting the feather beds +she threw them out of the door and got the children and threw them out, +and she, finding that she did not have them all, said, "My God! I have +not all of my little ones;" and she ran in the house to look and she +found me under the bed, for I saw so much fire that I was getting out of +it, and God be praised that I was saved from that fire, and I have not +had the time to run after any fires since, for that fire was all the +fire I want. + +I had not to stay there then, for the time is near at hand when I shall +go to my white mother's to live, for she is in Tennessee and will come +home soon to be with her darling child; and when she shall start again I +shall go, and now the times are all well for me as then, but the time +has come that the Lord has called her away from her child to be with +Him, and how could I live without her? And she was to leave her sick +child there for her own mother to care for, and God will raise up +friends in this lonely world to look after those that cry unto heaven, +believing that He is a hearer of the true prayer. I shall always +remember that Saturday afternoon when I was lying so sick when my +dearly beloved white mother took so sick, and they had the doctor there +for me, and he had to see after her the same time, and she was getting +so much worse all the time and the doctor had not any hopes of her, and +they took me from the room where she was, to a room upstairs and she had +them to take me down to look at her once more. That was on Sunday and on +Monday she heard the call to her to come up to that blessed land where +she should be forever with the Lord and her dear husband. + +What a glory it must be for those that have washed their robes and made +them white in the blood of the Lamb. + +I can call to mind when she the blessed one, that I call my white +mother, went to get me some shoes and a fine hat, and the one that sold +them told her, as she looked at a hat I wanted, that its price was +twenty dollars, but I was not thinking of the prices then as I do now, +and I cried to have that hat and did not want any of the others, and he +told my white mother that was too much for to spend on a hat for me, but +she told him nothing would cost too much for her to get for me, and she +got that fine hat for me and he had his money; so you can see how much +she loved me. And now that dear one is gone from me, and it seemed the +dearest one on this earth, and I did not think then that I could have +lived without her whom God had given to me for this world, but God, in +His wonderful love for me and to me, raised up friends for me and helped +me to find favor in the sight of all the people, for they seemed to love +me for her sake, and I did not get well for a long time. + +This subject came to this dear lady, Mrs. Bettie House, when but three +years old, and from the day she came to that house she walked in her +footsteps, for she, Mrs. House, could not move, but she was right in the +way; and when she used to set me down for my play at certain times in +the day, when she was going in her room for prayer, she would find me +near before she was through; and if ever there was a loving woman she +was one, and I own my love to God for such a one as she was to care for +me all of those nights of watching by my bed, while the angels watched +from above to see that I should rise from that bed and live to be a +woman that would live for God and bless His name in all the earth, +knowing that I am tempted and tried on every hand. But trusting in His +omnipotent power I shall reach the land of the blest where that dear one +has gone to come out no more forever. + +Well, to my story: + +Dear public, hoping that this little life will be read with the greatest +love for humanity, and I am sure that if you have any love for the God +of heaven you can not fail to find a love for this book, and I hope you +will find a fullness of joy in reading this life, for if your heart was +like a stone you would like to read this little life. + +I had many a hard spell of sickness since the death of this lady and the +doctors said that I could not live beyond a certain time, but every time +they said so Doctor Jesus said she shall live, for because I live she +shall live also; and He came to me and laid His strong arm around me and +raised me up by the power of His might, and to see the salvation of our +God in the land of the living. And to-day I can praise His name for His +wonderful love to the children of man. + +I told you that my brother was the oldest child of eighteen and he was +in his teens when he was sent to the war; and it was a great thing to +him when he found himself in the hands of a people that were so kind and +good to him and showing such love for him, after being knocked around by +those he had been staying with, and it seemed like a heaven to him; and +he did learn fast, and he felt so glad to learn to read and to write, +and he would sit at nights when he was through with his daily toil and +write, so that he could let some one look at it and see how well he was +getting along, and I saw how anxious he was to get an education. I asked +my lady to let him come there and wait on the table, and have time to go +every day to school, and she did so, and he would go to No. 1 School to +Mr. C. Dosey, and he did nicely in his studies, and God be praised that +he had that much to take home with him, and I shall always feel glad +that I gave him that much. + +I was thinking of my dear brother when the news reached me that he was +in this city, and I can never tell any one how glad that I was to see +the only boy that my mother ever had, for we all loved him dearly, as he +cared for all the rest of the children and it was no more than natural +that we should; and my mother thought so much of him that she often +would say if we were all boys she would not have to worry, for boys +could do so much better than girls. But I think that she found that the +girls were the best in her old age, for if one could not be near her the +other would, and if there is a time in the life of a parent it is when +they are helpless, and a boy is not any good to care for a sick parent +and they have to go without care. + +But God be praised for all of the love and honor that was bestowed on +mother before she went home, for God has told us to honor our fathers +and our mothers that their days may be long upon the land which the +Lord, thy God, giveth thee; and we can not do them enough honor for the +love and the all night watching that we have when we are babies, and if +we have all of the love and care that I had, I am sure that a mother +has her hands full; and when now I think of the care and the worry that +it was to take care of my sick body, I can not help telling some one of +it, that they may feel as grateful as I feel, for God did give them love +for me, and if there is one that should feel grateful it is this +feeble-bodied slave girl, for I was such a slave to sickness, and God +was so good to raise me, even me, and I will say, praise His name. + +I was telling you of my white mother being so true to the attendance in +the services of God, and I only wish that you would have known her as I +did, for she was more like one of the heavenly host than she was like +us, who are such sinful creatures. Now, it seems like sometimes that we +have not much love for the One who had so much love for us that He gave +all the dear One that He had to bring us to Himself, that we should +taste of those joys which He has for those who have washed their robes +and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. + +The Lord helped me to find love and favor with all after my white mother +was gone from this earth, when I felt that I would soon follow the +darling one to the blessed mansion; and I would look to see her come to +me, and I went as soon as I was well to the house and lay on the steps, +and it was not until we had left the dear old place before I could be +kept from there; and I wish that the whole world could have seen how +much she was like an angel, and I would to God she could see me to-day; +it would do you good. Lord, lead me on day by day, and help my feeble +life to be formed like her's, for when I think how she used to watch by +my bed at nights, while the angels watched by my bed from on high to see +that I should rise; and is not God the One that I should serve? And I +love to serve Him and honor Him, for He is my all in all; for she has +shown me how great her love was for me and all of humanity, and I love +to think of her love and to know how wonderful it would be to see her +sweet face on this green earth, and it does seem to me as if I could +almost see her by thinking of her so much. + +I have said that we came to this lovely city in the year of our Lord +1865, and in that year I went to live with a good family that were +members of the church, where the Lord spoke peace to my soul, under the +preaching of the Rev. David Moore, then the beloved leader of the +noblest band of God's children on this earth, and a more beloved people +never lived. They were always on the lookout for any strangers that +might come in the church; and they soon found me out as I was a stranger +in the Monday night meeting. The dear pastor came to me the first one, +for he did not stop to think whether I was an African or what nation I +had come from, but he saw in me a soul, and he wanted to find out if +there was any room for Jesus to live or what I should do with Jesus, or +what should I do for Him, who had done so much for me; and my poor heart +was ready and waiting for some one to come to its rescue. It was then +and there that I yielded my life and my all to the one that can save to +the uttermost all that come unto Him by the Lord Jesus Christ. + +I followed my Lord and Master in the Jordan in the year of our Lord +1866, and those sweet moments have never left me once. As the years go +by they seem to be the more sweet to my sinful soul, and I am trying to +wing my way to these bright mansions above, where I shall meet those +dear ones who have gone before. + +I have had some of the darkest days of my life while on this voyage of +life, but when it is dark Jesus says, "Peace, be still and fear not, for +I will pilot thee." + +And then my heart can sing: + + "Jesus, Saviour, pilot me + Over life's tempestuous sea, + Unknown waves before me roll, + Hiding rocks and treacherous shoals. + Chart and compass come from Thee, + Jesus, Saviour, pilot me." + +I know that He has led me through paths seen and unseen and has been my +pilot, for we have been called to pass through many a dark trial, but +God has been able for it all. + +My dear mother had four of her children called home to heaven within a +short time. Some of them left her for the land of love in the same +month, and there seemed like nothing but God's displeasure on us, but it +was God's love to us, for we know that they are safe from all harm and +danger in this world of sin and distress. Some of them I never saw more +after landing in this city, but I shall see them and know them when I +shall have fought the blessed battle on this side, and the victory shall +be on the Lord's side. Then I can sing with the angels above: + + "Crown Him, Crown Him, angels. + Crown Him, Crown Him, King of Kings. + Crown Him, Crown Him, angels. + Crown Him, Crown Him, Crown the Saviour King of Kings." + +What joy there will be to crown Him as our Heavenly King and to know +that we are the inhabitants of that kingdom. + + + + +CHAPTER III + + +I was baptized by the Rev. David Moore, the pastor of the Washington +Avenue Church, who is one of the best beloved ones on this earth, for he +never overlooked me in the time that my soul needed the Lord Jesus +Christ to save me from my sins and make me a child of the King, which +makes me what I am to day. I bless God that he ever put it in my dear +mother's mind to come to this place, for she was not a Christian, and +the heaviest burden that I have carried was praying for one that was the +head of the great family where she should have been a leader of her dear +ones to the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world. But God +be praised for a little one to lead so many, for of all the people of +mothers there was not one that knew of this love of God, and how many +were the souls given for me to work for. I told my mother that I had +found Jesus and was going to follow Him. She said. "My child, you are +too young. I am afraid that you will not hold out." And I said, "Mother, +if I should look to myself I should fail, but I look to Jesus. I have +given my life and He can hold me in the power of His might and can keep +me from failing; so I can not go against your will, but I must follow +Him, for you know how He has saved me from sickness so many times, and +now the time has come for me to pay my vows unto Him for making me His +own." I went forward in the way that He marked out for me and then to +pray that she might be saved. + +My grandma was almost one hundred years old, and when she heard that the +Lord had saved me and that I was praying for her she saw her own sins +and asked me to come on to visit all of my people, and I, getting ready, +got my oldest sister to go with me. I found that the way was opened for +work, as there we began the work, and they were looking to see something +that they would never see in this world, and sweetly they were all +brought to the Saviour. Grandma went home to carry the good news and +some of the rest have gone with the same good news. + +Later years some of my sisters came and some did not come. Then some +got tired and went back to the world, but I have no joy like the joy +there is in the Lord. + +My dear mother found the peace in Jesus before she went to that land of +song. When the Lord sent the death angel to call her name she was ready +to answer, "Here am I ready to go in, to come out no more." + +My mother left us on the 28th day of February, 1894, in the triumph of +faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessed thought that I shall soon +be with her on the other side of the river to help her "Crown Him Lord +of all." + +To my story: + +The subject of this sketch, as I said, was born again under the +preaching of Rev. David Moore, of the Washington Avenue Baptist Church, +which is one of the noblest churches of this city, and it has some of +the best people in it of any church in the world, for there is more done +for those in need in other lands. When I became a member of that church +I could not read in any book, for I did not know a letter. There was a +gentleman in the church by the name of Mr. Lansberry, who finding that I +was one of those that was going to learn, went to a store and bought me +a First Reader and gave it to me, and I did not lose any of my time at +nights. I went to the meetings every night and came back and got a lady, +who was a sister of Mr. Bailey, to be my teacher, and sometimes she used +to be so very sleepy that she could not keep her eyes open and I would +shake her and say that my lesson was to be learned, and it was always +well learned. Then I went to the Sunday-school to let my Sunday-school +teacher hear it on Sundays, and he, Mr. Ward, always said that he was +sure that I would learn so fast I would soon catch up with his Bible +Class. It was not long before I could lay my Reader down and take my +lessons in the Bible, and I can bless God for all of this, for the love +and the kindness that I received of all that knew me was a token of His +great love for me, and I know that He was near me all the time to bring +me nearer to the Light. My mind was then fixed that I should some day go +to school and I could not rest night or day I was so anxious to go to +school; but my dear mother could not send me. She had poor health and no +one to help her to take care of the younger children, and I had to work +and do the best I could with my books, hoping that the time would come +that I should see myself sitting in some school studying, the same time +asking mother to let two of the other children go to school every day. +She did let them go for awhile, but some one came and wanted her to let +them go to work out again and she let them go out to work: + +Well, I said that I would go to school some day, and they had a fine +time laughing at my high ideas and I let them laugh all that they wanted +to, but I worked hard and long to get the means that I might be able to +go, as I said, to some pay school, where I could not be stopped at any +time. When I was almost ready to leave for some school the smallpox took +me, and I was laid aside for three or four years; that is, I was not +well, and thought that my plans were all broken. I still trusted in God, +for I knew that He would do all things for me as long as I put my trust +in Him. + +Well, as time rolled on I found myself improving slowly and I was then +living with a dear, good lady by the name of Miss L. A. Pousland, who is +one of the loveliest ladies that ever lived, for she loves me to-day as +a mother, though she is in eightieth odd year and is doing well for an +old lady. + +We were living in South Oxford street when I took sick of the smallpox +and she did not want me taken away from there, as she wanted to take +care of me herself, but I felt that it would be too much for her to +wait on me, so the doctor said that it was only a heavy cold that I had +taken and would be all right in a week or so. But I knew that I had a +fever of some kind, so I asked that I might go to my mother's house, and +she sent for the carriage and I went home. + +When I had reached my mother's I felt somewhat better, only to grow +worse all the time, and my eyes getting so that I could not see when it +was day or night. I had a nurse that knew all about the disease and a +good doctor that the city health doctor let take charge of the case +after he had been out there to see me: and knowing that the case was +taking, that no one should get it he let me remain at home for nine +days, and then I went to the hospital and was there till the symptoms +were well dried. + +When the doctor found out that I was able to come out he, Dr. Schenck, +wrote to my lady to send a carriage out. She did so at once and I was at +my mother's for awhile, and then my lady came to see me and told me how +the woman did the people in the house, so I told her how bad my limbs +were, and she said that if I could go home with her and tell her what to +do, she would get on without the woman and let her go. My mother made me +ready in a little while and I was soon at the dear old home, 344 Carlton +avenue. + +God be praised for the way he has led me since I was three years old +until this day, for it was His hand that taught me to remember all of +these long years. I have in my mind the time at the old home when they +put me on the fine dressing table in front of the large mirror, while +the Rev. Mr. Walker baptized me in the name of the Father and the Son +and the Holy Ghost, according to the Methodist tests in those days, and +I always thought that was to give me my Christian name; but when the +Lord had spoken peace to my soul He led me to follow in his footsteps, +and I gladly followed Him to be buried to the world--that is, to be put +out of sight, and that is what the word means. I have found it to be one +of those times when the Father was pleased with His own dear beloved +Son, and I know that He will be pleased whenever we do please Him, for +God so loved the world of sinful men that He gave His only begotten Son +that whosoever believeth in Him should have everlasting life, for God +sent not His Son into the world to condemn it, but that through Him all +might believe in Him and have everlasting life. + +I wish that I could know that the whole world was receiving this life, +and that we all could help to crown Him, as the angels are crowning Him, +the King of Kings and Lord of Heaven and of this earth. + +It is a blessed hope to know that God is love, and they that worship Him +must worship Him in spirit and in truth. + +I joined the church in 1866 and began to try and follow in this good old +way that leads from earth to glory, and it has not always been a path of +the sweetest flowers, but I have never failed to find my all in the Lord +Jesus Christ. + +He led me on day by day, and after awhile I found that He had led me to +go away from home that I might get ready for the work that my heart was +so full of, for every time that I saw the newspaper there was some one +of our race in the far South getting killed for trying to teach and I +made up my mind that I would die to see my people taught. I was willing +to go to prepare to die for my people, for I could not rest till my +people were educated. Now they are in a fair way to be the people that +God speaks of in the Holy Word, as He says that Ethopia shall yet +stretch forth her hand and all nations shall bow unto her. I long to see +the day that the Ethiopians shall all bow unto God as the One that we +should all bow unto, for it is to Him that we all owe our homage and to +be very grateful to Him for our deliverance as a race. If we should fail +to give him the honor due there would a curse come to us as a race, for +we remember those of olden times were of the same descent of our people, +and some of those that God honored most were of the Ethiopians, such as +the Unica and Philop, and even Moses, the law-giver, was of the same +seed. + +And not long ago darkness hung over the face of this race and God moved +upon the face of this dark earth and the light came forth. + +How wonderfully solemn and yet grand are these inspired thoughts and +words of a race whose God is so loving and forgiving, and we, +contemplating the grand mystery of the world beyond this vale of tears, +for God does preserve all that He has planted on this earth. + +No subject can surely be a more delightful study than the history of a +slave girl, and the many things that are linked to this life that man +may search and research in the ages to come, and I do not think there +ever can be found any that should fill the mind as this book. + +This is a perfect representation of things as I can remember them, and +to think how wonderful are these most beneficent streams of God's +providence to all those of our race that have prayed that their loving +children might feel the warm streams of an education flowing through +every child. Tens of thousands of miles, North, South, West and East, +God has thrown His mantle of love all around us, and it is that which +should make us love and fear Him, who is able to destroy both soul and +body; for His searching eye rests on all of the negro race, to see what +use they are going to make of their time and talent, and I hope that +nature will teach them that all of our talent belongs to the great God +who gave us our being. + +Nature awakens in our being a feeling that we must lay at His feet that +we may get the blessed approval, for we are so changeable, but God is +unchanging. He is omnipotent, and all else is transition. Yet God rules +the oceans, the mountains, the valleys, and all that walks the broad +earth. + +Well, now I shall tell you something more of my working in the City of +Brooklyn. I lived with the Bailey family the first year, and when they +went away in the summer, as all of the rich used to do, I stayed in the +house for the summer and they went across the ocean and were away for +some time. The next year I did not like to stay in the house alone, so +Mrs. Bailey got me a place with a nice friend of hers, and when she came +home, thought that she was going to have me to come back to live with +her but I stayed with her friend as there were but three in the family +and the work was not hard, and it gave me more time to study, and Mrs. +Stafford's son, Willie, was so glad to have me as his pupil that I had +not any trouble to get my lessons ready for him. He went to school every +day and he could not get through his head how it was that I could not go +to school every day as he did. His mother told him how it was and his +eyes would fill with tears and he would ask his mother and father to let +him stay at home on Sundays to read the Bible to me while I should get +the dinner ready, and they would let him stay, for he wanted to see me +going to the House of God on Sundays as they did and was willing to have +anything to eat that I might have the opportunity of attending the +church and Sunday-school. His mother would let me go to the +Sunday-school on every Sunday, for they were good people and were of the +kind that delighted in their help and they were members of the Church of +The Messiah, and they were a very happy family. They did not think that +anything was too good for my enjoyment and that is the reason that I +stayed with them and did not go back to the lady as she wanted me to do. +I could not tell which seemed to love me most, and then her son was so +willing to teach me, as Miss Abbie Bailey had, so I made up my mind that +as I had more time there for study I would remain, and I had some of the +best days of my life when I began to learn so fast, and he would bring +me before his mother and father that they might hear me recite my +lessons and see how well I was doing under him as my teacher. They felt +the more glad to see how much he was interested in teaching me. Later on +in years I was taken sick with the smallpox and was carried away to the +hospital. He was taken sick while I was away and his mother said that he +would call for me about the last one on this earth, and she tried to +find me, but she did not know where I was for some time after his death, +and then she felt so bad to think that he was gone and did not see me, +for he always loved to be with me that he might hear me sing, as I was +always on the wings of song if I were at my work; and that is the way +that I have been all of my life. + +When I got well of the smallpox, as I said, I went back to the place +where I was living when I took the malady, and there I tried to work, +but was very feeble for a long time and under the doctor's care all of +the time and spending more than I could make, for some of the doctors +charged me two dollars a visit, and that will use up a poor person's +earnings very soon. + +But all of this time I kept in mind the idea that I should save every +cent that I could that I might send myself to school some day. That day +did come when it seemed as dark as any night I had ever seen, when I +should go away to boarding school and spend that little and should not +have enough to finish; but I went, taking the Lord as the guide of my +life, and the way began to grow bright before me and I could see all the +clouds rolling away and the brightness shining forth. I went to +Washington, D. C., and entered the Wayland Seminary, under the +leadership of Professor G. M. P. King, of Bangor, Maine, with his other +teachers and professors under him; all of whom are a noble band of +teachers. And the way the Lord did help me in my studies is a blessing +to the dear ones that I had under me for the eleven years that I was in +the school work, and the way they progressed. + +I said that I attended the Wayland Seminary for three years, of eight +months, making it in all of my stay there twenty-four months, which may +seem long to some, but it seems short to me, though I am very glad that +I had that much time there for it was a fountain of blessing to my soul. + +I left Washington, D. C., in the year of 1878 and came to Brooklyn and +went to work again to earn money to go off to school, and when I did go +it was another school in the Blue Ridge, Alleghany Mountains, where the +very air of heaven seemed to fan the whole hill sides, and there never +was a more lovely place on this earth for one to learn a lesson, for we +could see the key to all lessons where nature had designed for a grand +school of learning. At this place was to be found one of the best +schools of learning that has been built by man. And I think of the +hundreds and thousands of teachers and preachers and lawyers and doctors +that these two schools have turned out in the different parts of this +country, and many of them are in other parts of the world. + +And all of this has been done through the churches, and God be praised +for those that have given of their means. + +At Harper's Ferry I spent four years and they were years of hard labor, +but they were just as sweet as they could well be, for the Lord went +with me and I found favor with all of the teachers. When I had spent the +first eight months there I learned to have the greatest love for my +beloved teachers, and when the time came for me to leave the teachers I +thought that my poor heart would break. Though I was coming to my own +people in Brooklyn, I felt that I was leaving my best friends on the +earth and so did all of the students. + +Well, now the Summer had passed and gone and the Fall came when God +permitted all of the loving ones to come together once more to take up +the cares of studies again. So the time of the winter season was always +a blessing to all, and some found it the happiest time of their lives, +for they found Jesus precious to their souls and could study so much +better than they could before. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + + +There were sometimes as many as sixty or seventy brought to the +knowledge of the Truth, and sometimes we had to go out of the class-room +into the prayer-room, for the Lord was among us in the Spirit's power. + +When in 1886 I went out for good, that I might be of some use to my own +people I started in the strength of the Lord, and He did give me the +greatest victory as a school teacher, for all of the people sought me to +take their children in my school and give them a start. I had my hands +full of work, but I let them come in for the Board always sent them to +me find out if I could find room and time, and I always made the time +for when scholars find that a teacher loves them they will do any amount +of hard studying. + +And so the time rolled on, with everything to make me feel like hard +work, in the strength of the blessed Lord. + +I was three years old when I was leaving my own dear mother's home to go +to my new mother's home, or I should say to my white mother's home, to +live with her, and I left my mother's as happy as any child could leave +her own home, for this lovely lady was always at my mother's to see me +ever since I could remember anything, and she was the joy of my little +life and I seemed to be all the joy of her sweet life. She had learned +to love me from the time that I came into the world. + +She had watched me in my cradle and longed for the day to come when I +should be able to walk, for she knew that I would follow her everywhere +she should go. She said to all of the friends around that if I should +live to remember her that would be all that she would ask. + +And so she read her blessed Bible and prayed until she saw her prayers +answered, and then she went to her home in glory, where she has watched +and waited and longed to see the good old ships of those who have washed +their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. + +I can never tell any one how many happy hours that I had, for the only +trial that I had was that of sickness, which caused me to be of a great +care to her all of her life. It was her delight to wait on me and to +have her cousin, the doctor, to be always ready to come at any moment +she should send for him. He was a good doctor by the name of Sims, and I +always liked him, too, until I had the typhoid fever and I had to take +some oil. I did not like to take it and he held my hands so that they +could pour that in me, and he and I fell out. + +My white mother used to give it to me, but she did not let me know what +she was giving me, for she put some molasses in the oil and cooked them, +so I should not know. I would not have known if I had not seen her one +night have the old bottle in her hand putting the oil in the kettle, +which she was making ready for me, and I looked up and saw what it was +and, as young ones will do, did not want to take molasses and butter +which I had been taking so long, for I had to take it on every night or +I could not speak. + +Later on she moved from the place where she was and bought another farm +where it was not near the water, as the doctor thought that was not a +good place for me to be, and I was not sick so much as I had been at the +former. + +The first hard spell of sickness on this farm was the fever that I was +sick of at the time that she took sick of the yellow jaundice, and she +turned as yellow as anything could be. She went home with that awful +malady, thinking of me and of what my future should be in God's hands, +to love and bless the world in which I should live if it should be the +will of Him who knows the future of all the people that live on this +earth. + +So God has been a father and a loving mother and all else to me, and +sometimes there has been enough of trials in this life to make me almost +forget that I had this strong arm to save me from these trials and +temptations; but when I fly to Him I find all and in all in Him. + +He is my rock and my hiding place in the time of trials, for a child +that had all of the love and comfort of a queen was now left to her own +dear mother, who had so many more and had to work so hard to take care +of us all that I have seen sit up all night long working for her little +ones. I used to feel sorry to see her sitting up alone at her work. I +would get up out of the bed and sit with her till daylight; for I was +always near mother after the dear one had been plucked from this earth +to await my arrival. + +I have found that learning is to refine and elevate the mind, so we +should cultivate our hearts and minds and live to bless those we meet. +We should neither flatter nor despise those that are rich or great. + +It was not long after this dear one had been called away before we were +all in different places, and to share the fate that comes to those that +are left behind those that have been good and kind. Then the time is +coming that mother is to be taken from the whole family of little ones +and they are to be left in the hands of others. That is one of the +saddest times of life for children when they do not know if they shall +ever see her face on this green earth any more; and if to-day we should +hear the cries of those little lambs it surely would break the heart of +a stone, for remember that we have the same feelings for our mothers as +any race of people and our hearts will melt as easily as the richest +ones on this earth. + +But God in His great love to us meant that we should see the return of +our dear mother to her own and that he would send her and the children +out of the Land of Egypt as He did of old when He had tried to teach the +rulers how wrong it was to sell and buy human flesh, and this was one of +those awful sins that had to be repented of by those that could and +would not see the truth. When the wrath of God came upon them and took +all of the slaves away from them they could see nothing but tears and +curses to the God of Heaven, and some of them cursed the earth, the +stars, the moon. The negroes that had prayed so hard to God said that +was the cause of the war, for they could see something in their prayers +that seemed to reach up to heaven, and the answer had come for their +deliverance. + +Is not this a great God who can hear the prayers of the faithful ones +when they pray? Do not we owe our lives and our all to this great and +good God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost? And if we +should fail to recognize Him we should have a worse sin fall on us than +ever any one race had. + +Well, to my story: + +My brother James was my mother's oldest child. He was sent away to the +war to keep his master at home, and we did not hear from him for a long +time, but we made up our minds that if he did not get killed he would go +over to the Northern side as soon as he should get the chance, though we +did not see him to tell him to do so, for all of my mother's children +were like herself in the love of freedom. My mother was one that the +master could not do anything to make her feel like a slave and she would +battle with them to the last that she would not recognize them as her +lord and master and she was right. + +My brother did try to get away, but he was caught and locked up in +Richmond, Va., and for a awhile we heard them say that he would be +killed, but God was there to help him, so he came out all right and went +to work on the breastworks, and when he did try again he got over on the +Northern side. They almost caught him again, but as the Lord was his +leader at night, he made his escape, and to hear him tell of that river +that he crossed and how he walked on the water and he was so scared that +he did not know he got wet; but I know that he did get wet, though. He +said the Lord carried him over the river without letting him get wet. I +am sure that I could not help laughing at my brother to hear of such a +thing, for there never was a time that I have read of since the time of +Peter that any one was called to walk on the water. The Lord was there +Himself to show Peter how small his strength was when he trusted in his +own strength, and Peter would have failed entirely if his Lord and +Master had not been there. + +And so it would have been with my dear brother. He would have been taken +by the Southerners, and that would have been his last trial on this side +of the grave. + +My sister Frances was hired out and we did not see her from one +Christmas to the other, for she was a good way off where she could not +get home. She was treated very badly by some of those where she lived +and her limbs had been sprained so that she could hardly move on them. +When later on the Lord had it so arranged that she was taken home to +live, where she could be cared for, she soon got better and was able to +go about helping mother, with the rest of the children, for my brother +who had to help her to care for the children was gone, and she was all +the help that my mother had, for I was not large enough to do much and +had not been put to mind the children. + +The gentleman that my dear brother belonged to was a Methodist and a +minister. He did not want to go to the war and so he sent my poor +brother to defend what belonged to him, and he did not get the good of +it after all, for my brother was determined that he would gain his +freedom if he could and he tried and did not get tired of trying. + +Then my sister Annie was given to the gentleman's married son and she +was not with us, and sister Tempy Green was with the minister, and she +was one of the dead ones that mother had a time to get. Maggie, Susie, +Martha and Mary were at the same place where mother was sold from, and +she went and got them at once. It was like a dream to them to see how +far she had been sold and to see her back there again. + +Sister Lavinia was at the same place where I was and she was treated +very badly by the man's own daughter, for she would whip her without +cause. Sister Rosa was at the same place and she was three and a half +years on mother's return. As I told you, she was six weeks old when +mother was sold and that made it three years and three months that +mother was gone from her own native home to a part of the country where +she did not know any one, not even the great God who had been so good to +her all of those years when she was gone; and all of her whole life God +was watching over her and giving to the world one child who was to help +to educate the down-trodden race which was, through Abraham Lincoln, to +be God's leader for the children that were in Egypt in the South, and +God with this leader and the race, they came through fire and smoke, and +now they can see the light of another day. Some of the race say that +they are sometimes, in their thoughts, ashamed that they belong to a +race that has been in bondage, but I have never felt that way, for I am +glad that things have been as they were, for God has moved in a way that +is unknown to men and His wonders He has performed, and has planted His +footsteps in the South, the West, the East and in the North, and is +watching the people and asking them what doors are they opening for the +Ethiopian. + +Father Abraham is calling to the Ethiopians to know what has been the +result of the great emancipation, and can we not send the echo back with +a jubilee, that we are marching on in education in double file, and +longing to see the day that not one of your sons and daughters of this +broad earth but what shall learn to read and write; though it may bless +the earth with a tenfold blessing that they will not forget to bless God +with a hundred fold. + +Three cheers for this great Emancipator. + +And while he may sleep yonder, forgotten may be by some, his name has a +green spot in my heart and shall ever keep green while on this side I +stay. + +And there is another one who sleeps yonder whom I shall not forget and +that is Father John Brown, whose ashes are as dear to me as the apple of +mine eye; and how can I forget him after four years of study at the dear +old place where he was taken from and hanged, because he saw the wrath +of God upon the nation and came forth to save his people. + +Another one who will ever be shining bright in the hearts and minds of +the whole negro race, and what shall I say of him who led us to the +greatest victory the world has ever known--Ulysses S. Grant, the loved +of all nations and the pride of all lands; he whom the world admires, to +call the blessed, who mourned for this land to see the end, and God did +help him in ways that man knew not, save himself and his God. + +And there is another dear one that God will help me to remember with all +of the love and gratitude, and it makes me feel sad as I have to speak +of her once more and it may be that I shall have to speak of her many +times, as she was the one that brought me on to this lovely city, and +that is my mother, who has gone to that land of song where there is no +more of sickness or sorrow and where God will dry every tear. + +There is another I remember and that is Father Charles Sumner, who for +years wrote and also fought and spoke, as never man spoke, for the race +and the Civil Rights Bill, that it might not die, but it should be a +rock for the defence of the race. + +And there is another that I shall not leave out of this book, for if I +did the book would be incomplete, and that is Frederick Douglass, the +greatest of men among the negro race of this country or of any land on +the globe. He wrote and spoke and went all over to try to do all he +could for his race, and who could forget such men as these? I would say +in true lines, may the earth fail to move sooner than I forget those +noble lives. Honored be their memories and honored be their ashes, for +their lives shall live in the memories of all coming generations and +their ashes will make rich the soil whereon they lie. + +May God give us some more of such men as these for they are few, and we +need so many now to go forth and speak the truth. + +And there is dear Doctor David Moore, that my pen, I fear, would fail to +move, if I did not do him honor. He was beloved and honored to the last +day of his stay in the Washington Avenue Baptist Church, and it was on +account of sickness that he had to leave this city and go up in the +northern part of this State that he might be able to preach the Word, +and God did make him well after he had left Brooklyn; and his work has +been crowned with great success. + +God did use him in this city to His own glory in saving men, women and +children from the very door of sin and the dread of the life which is to +come. And may the God of Heaven and the Ruler of this earth be with him +as he comes near the Jordan to make its waters calm, and enter in the +gate and hear the blessed "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter +thou in the joys of thy Lord." + +J. D. Fulton is one that will have one of the highest places at God's +right hand, for he started out to look after the Ethiopian's rights when +he was only seventeen years of age. What can be said of a long life like +his, that has written and traveled and spoke to such large crowds of +hearers in the interest of the race which I represent. How I have seen +those silvery locks fly as his warm heart melted to tears as he pleaded +for the down-trodden of the Ethiopians; and if God has ever heard a +prayer I know that He hears the prayer of this dear good man, for I have +seen the answer come in mighty power, in many ways, to the saving of +precious souls, and the way that he wrote about the negro in this +country and its problem. + +He was called to the Hanson Place Church to preach and he worked hard, +with God's help, and improved the church and many were brought to the +Saviour through the Word, such as the Lord will own and bless at the +last day. + +Doctor Fulton is one of the best men on this broad earth to love and +labor for humanity and I do not think that my race, the noble +Ethiopians, should ever forget him as long as God shall spare his life. +When the time shall come when the dear blessed one shall be called to +the world above, and that active form is stilled in death and when that +silvery voice is no longer heard in the defence of the down-trodden +Ethiopians and the oppressed of any land, that he will hear the "Well +done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." + +And to think of one who has written so long never more to wield the pen +in the cause of the church and God's children is a sad thought to the +writer, for she has loved him as a father and he shall ever have a green +spot in my heart for I shall never forget his kind words to me in my +lonely hours. + +Dr. J. D. Fulton's first wife was one of the loveliest women that ever +lived, for I have been to their house to dine with the family and I +found that Mrs. Sarah Fulton and family were the same that they were in +the church. There was the sweetest home that I ever saw in all my life, +for the father and the mother were all love, and then take Miss Jennie, +the eldest child, and she was a lovely girl, and there was Miss Nellie, +another lovely girl, and Sadie, the youngest girl, and she was her +father all the way, and the boy Justin, who came to the family while I +was away. I think he has a large heart like his dear father, and I do +know that if he only is a good man like his father God will own and +bless him. + +Dr. Fulton's second wife, Aunt Laura, was a lovely woman, for we all +learned to love her when her first husband was living. + +Miss L. A. Pousland was one of the best ladies I have seen in this city, +for it was from her house that I went to the Wayland Seminary in 1875, +and to her love I owe a love of gratitude, and to all that may come to +me as worldly goods I shall always think of Miss L. A. Pousland and of +her love to me when I was getting ready for school and the letters full +of love to me all the time while I was prosecuting my studies. Oh, how +she longed to see me out in the world doing my Master's will and helping +to teach, for she is a Boston lady, and they are a learned people and +like to see all others learn, and that is the way, like the old Pilgrim +Fathers were, that there should be a grand common level for all after +them. + +To my story of child in House's family: + +This Mr. John House had the largest sum offered to him for a girl as I +was that was ever offered for any one and he would not accept the whole +world of money, on account of the one that had loved me and cared for +me, for he well knew that after all of those prayers that he would be +sinning; and he would not have had my mother sold away from her +children if his brother would have let him know it in time. He went away +to attend court and to his surprise found that my mother was sold. He +came home at once to let us know of it, and he was the one that called +in my sister Frances and sister Annie and sister Rosa, for the two +oldest that I speak of fell to a dead brother who had drank himself to +death, and these were sold to pay for his drink. He had been dead for +some time and those that he owed now came in to get their pay, which was +their only chance; and the money that they got did not do them much +good, thanks to God, for it was in the time of the war and the money was +of the Confederate money, and it was during the great struggle when this +money was called in never more to be the money of these United States, +for this Union needs the kind of money that will be good in all lands, +and I am glad that the people can see it now as they never saw it +before. + + + + +CHAPTER V + + +I am glad that the dear Lord has laid it in my heart at this time in +life to let the world hear something of a life that they will all be +filled with a love for one whom it has been a delight to meet at any and +all times. + +Mrs. Sarah Potter, who is a beloved and dear lady, who is the bright +morning star of the Washington Avenue Baptist Church, and who is one of +the brightest lights that this city has or ever will have, for she is +all over this city looking after the needy ones, comes from a noble +family and all of the family have been foreign missionaries. She has +been a home missionary for many years and God has blessed her and her +labors, and her dear father was doing missionary work in India for fifty +years, and God blessed his work there. Now that his dear work has been +finished in this world and he has gone to his reward, his works do +follow him, for the number that have been saved through his preaching +eternity will tell. + +His form will no more walk out on the field of battle for the Lord, and +who can fill the place of such a life-work as this child of the King has +filled? And to go home to his beloved and blessed Master with his arms +full of blessed sheaves; and as we think of him, how we wonder in our +daily walks if we shall go to the Saviour with our hands full or shall +we go empty-handed and thus to meet our Saviour so; not one soul with +which to greet Him, must we empty-handed go? + +I have heard of Mr. Mason as one of the first to go among the Coreans, +and I have seen some of them, that have taken the Lord for their all and +in all, come to this land of ours to fit themselves for the blessed work +among their own people. God be praised for such a man as Dr. Mason and +all of his loving children, who have had the same spirit that their +father had, and he was filled with the Holy Ghost and with the power of +the Lord. + +Mrs. Sarah W. Potter was the beloved wife of a sea captain, Mr. William +Potter, and he owned a ship that sailed the Indian Ocean, and he was +washed overboard one night while his wife, Mrs. Potter, was sick, and +she did not know that he had a watery grave until the next day. They had +one son, who is now married, by the name of Frank, whom I held as an +idol, as he always called to me when in trouble, for his dear mother +taught him the love of the Bible, and he would not fight any boy, let +them do him as they would. He knew that I would go after the boys for +blocks, as I was one of those soldiers that was not afraid to fight. As +he grew older I told him that he had to go out into the world to fight +his way and I wanted him to begin it at once, and he did learn to battle +for himself. He married a lovely girl by the name of Miss Katie Harvey +and they have two children, the eldest a girl and the youngest a boy, +which is the lovely little man of the home. + +I have seen that mother sit up at nights waiting for her son to come +that she might ask a blessing on him before he should sleep, and how +could that boy go astray after all these prayers and entreaties? May he +lead his lambs to the blessed Master, and have the "Well done, good and +faithful servant, enter thou into the joys of thy Lord." + +To my story of work in the City of Brooklyn: + +The lady, Miss L. A. Pousland, whom I spoke of in the preceding pages, +is the place where I found myself living in 1875, after twelve or +thirteen years of service. It was there that I met Mrs. Sarah Potter. +She has been all of a mother to me to give me all the encouragement she +could bestow on me. For all of this kindness I am more than grateful to +my Heavenly Father, for I know that all goodness comes from Him. He +surely has shown His love to her in sparing her to see me go from her +home to Washington to school and spend three years and then go to +Harper's Ferry and spend four years, and to see me out in the world +teaching for eleven years, and to break down while at my post and now at +home to serve in another way. Is not this not God's love to me, as a +poor, humble servant of His? I should never forget to give the love and +honor due Him. + +God knows my heart and He will bless the work in my hands, as the writer +of this book. + +When I found that I could get through school in a given time as I had +studied hard, if I had the money, I told Miss L. A. Pousland, that I +would not be there to work any more, as I had a place in Saratoga +Springs for the Summer. She felt bad to lose me, but as she knew that I +could make more money for three months at the Springs she wanted me to +have my heart's desire, so I came on from school and went to see her and +then made ready for the Springs, getting one of my sisters to go with me +and taking such things as we could. We were there too soon and we had to +wait for work, and I went around and made myself known to the white +people. They soon called on me to come and do work for them, and the +first was a Mrs. Carpenter, a good lady. She then got her married +daughter to have me to work for her family and they were a fine family. +Her daughter's husband was a grand studio man on Broadway, doing a good +business. Then she sent me to another friend of hers, and my sister and +I could live for a while. When the rush came I did not forget the one +who had helped me, but went to her two days out of a week, for she had +her house filled with boarders, and the Summer was all a blessing to her +and her family. + +There was Mrs. Purdy, who was another one of my friends, for I did work +for her laundry for three years, and she said whenever I came to the +Springs and wanted work to come to her; if the house was filled there +was room for me. So you see how God did open the way for me in that +strange and lonely place, where there are so many that go there for the +Summer looking for work. I went out of the house where we were stopping +and got the washing and brought it home to my sister, for she would not +go out of the house as she had not been from the place where she lived +before. I got her to go with me to help me with the work, and it was +coming in so fast I had to get a white lady to help us to get through, +for the colored people said that we would not get work as the laws were +passed to keep the New York workers out, and I told them that they would +have to pass laws to keep the rich people of New York from coming there +to board if they should keep the workers out; so I did not hear to that, +and found the way for I had the will, and where there is a will there is +always a way. So much for the first Summer. + +Well, the second time I went up alone. I say alone, I mean that my +sister did not go, but the Lord did go with me that Summer, for I did +not go to the house where my sister and I was for they tried to +discourage us the first time. I always mark one that is an enemy to me +and shake the dust off of my feet and let the Lord do for that one what +He thinks is best. + +Well, for the third year I was there with the Lord and He was surely +there with me. I did not do any work on the Lord's Day, but tried to +teach them. When they made me an offer of larger pay for the work done +on the Lord's Day, I told them that in six days the Lord made the +heavens and the earth and He rested on the seventh day, and I felt that +if He needed rest on that day I was sure that I must have rest. So the +Sunday work was not carried on any more in that laundry. He said that +the Lord had sent me to that laundry for the bettering of all in it. The +gentleman was from Philadelphia and his name was Mr. Cheek. + +So you see how the Lord preached His word through me, a feeble one of +the dust, and what can not the Lord help us to do if we only trust in +Him and if we strive to live for His honor and glory while on this side +of Jordan? + +Mrs. Purdy had one daughter, and a lovely girl in music, and her name +was Kittie Purdy. She was sought to play everywhere as she was a fine +player, and everyone thinks her a very pretty girl. Her mother is a +perfect lady, for she used to be so kind to her help. She never was late +in any of her meals for the help and she always sat down with us and eat +with us. She was as jolly as any one at the table and she always called +me her bird, for I was on the wing of song from the time I began my work +until my work was finished, and then I would start home as happy as any +one could be. Then I would be the first to greet her in the mornings +always and she used to say that I brought to her a great deal of comfort +each hour and drove all of her business cares away. I used to feel glad +that I, although a working girl, could be of some love and comfort to +some one, and it makes me feel glad to-day that God in His love to me +and for me can own such a feeble one. + +My next start was for Asbury Park to do work for Mrs. Haseltine, another +lovely lady, who was a Boston lady and whom I learned to love as a +mother. I worked for her two years and was to have worked for her the +third year if she had not taken sick at the time she did. A gentleman +came on from Philadelphia and she got me to work for him and I found him +a fine gentleman. I praise God for all that came to me while I was +pursuing my studies, and to-day I do feel like saying, + + "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, + Oh! what a foretaste of glory divine; + Heir of salvation, purchase of God, + Born of His spirit, washed in His blood. + This is my story, this is my song, + Praising my Saviour all the day long, + This is my story, this is my song, + Praising my Saviour all the day long." + +To my story: Mrs. Haseltine, I said, had to go to the Saratoga Springs +for the Summer and she used to let me hear from her, but my work in +school was so great that I lost sight of her and I do not know if she is +in Florida or not. Wherever she is I love her and she has my heart. She +did all that she could all the time that I worked for her to let me do +extra work for the boarders so that I might earn money outside of what +she paid me, and the ladies used to come to the laundry and talk to me, +for some of these ladies went to school as I did and some of them waited +at the large hotels in the Summer time to pay their board. The gentleman +that had Mrs. Haseltine's house took me in at evening time to entertain +the guests, and they all helped me. When I came home to make ready for +school I was at our own church one evening when dear Dr. J. D. Fulton +was giving us one of his grand lectures, and he gave me time to sing, +read and speak. The church took a grand collection for me, which +amounted to seventeen dollars and seventy-three cents. I was better +fixed that year than I had been at any year since I had been going to +school, for I had worked all of the Summer and would not spend any of my +money as I wanted it all for school, but the Evil one came and stole it +from me and I was left without a dollar, and I had the heavy heart one +is sure to have when they need money as I did. Then I had to borrow +money to leave for the school, and you may think how one feels after a +Summer's work, and to have some one else to use the money that has not +been gotten with their own labor. + +Well, I did not know what I should do, so I made up my mind that I had +done all that lay in my power--that is, I had earned the money, and some +one had taken it from me and I was left to go without. So I took the +Lord for it, and could not board as I had done, but I bought some little +things to use and boarded myself, and I was up sometimes at the late +hours of night, when all of the people were asleep, cooking for the next +day, that I might not be late at school. So you can see how loving God +was to me. + +My life in school was one of joy to me and to my mother and sisters and +brother and brothers-in-law, and all of the time that I was in school +they were sending me their mites to help me along. My sister, Mrs. E. F. +Rodwell and Mr. G. W. Rodwell, and my sister, Mrs. Annie Lindsey and Mr. +F. P. Lindsey were the ones that never for once forgot me, and at +Christmas time I was like a child looking for something. Everybody was +good to me. Praise the Lord for all of the love that came to me in the +time of need. + +Well, my work ended in 1886, though I taught in 1885, and had the +blessing of God with me in this school. There were twenty-five out of +the school brought to the knowledge of the truth, such as the Lord will +own and bless at the last day. God be the glory. Amen and Amen. + +The place was Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va., and I was called from +that school to go West where they needed me to teach in a place where +the teachers had made the pupils almost hate to go to a school. My heart +was in that work, which no one liked, so I went there trusting in the +Lord. I lost that place, but they got me another one where they built me +a new house, and the Lord did bless me in this place, although I was not +able to go to the Baptist Church only once a month, for there was not +any nearer than ten or fourteen miles. When the next year came I helped +the people build a church and it was all paid for before I left there. +How God did pour out His spirit there in the salvation of souls, and He +did add unto the dear church such as will be saved at the day when He +shall come to make up his jewels; and I can praise His name for such a +Saviour. + +Well, to my story: As a teacher in the same place for eleven years, or I +should say I was connected with the same school for that length of time, +and all the way the Saviour led me. Sometimes it was not all flowers and +sweetness, but in it all I can see the hand of the Blessed One; and it +used to make me say to myself, Praise the Lord, Oh, my soul, and all +that is within me praise His holy name! + +After being there for sometime I was taken sick and was there sick and +could not teach my school for that Winter. It made me feel very bad, but +my good Dr. Ford said that he thought all of the county were sorry to +learn of my illness and all were losing a good teacher. I would not be +able to do any school work for sometime to come as the nerves were all +overworked, and that had brought on other troubles which were of a +dangerous nature. So my heart was heavy indeed, and if I had not had my +hope built in Jesus Christ I would not have stood, for I felt that all +other ground was to me a sinking sand. I stayed there all of the Winter +and then came on home to Brooklyn, and the Lord was so good to make me +well; I went back to my work and taught all that Winter, and when my +school was out I then went down to the county seat, which is ten miles +from the station and is about fourteen from my school, where I spoke of. + +Hinton is a lovely little town on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and +in the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains, and is one of the greatest +places on the road, as all of the trains from the West, East, South and +North stop there. It is a lovely town and they have a roundhouse there +where they build locomotives. They have a fine Y. M. C. there. There +are a number of men employed at this place. They have two nice Baptist +Churches and a Baptist Mission, two Methodist Churches, one +Episcopalian, one Congregational, one Presbyterian and one Roman +Catholic and one college, a number of private schools and a number of +public schools and the county is doing a good work in education, and to +the Lord be all the praise for all of this good work. + +Hinton I said was a lovely place. Like Harper's Ferry, that I spoke of +in the preceding chapter, it is situated on Camp Hill in a lovely place, +between the Potomac River on one side and the Shenandoah River on the +other, and it has two of the most beautiful bridges I ever saw. When you +see the trains coming and going it looks lovely. + +The Wayland Seminary is in a lovely spot on Meredian Hill, between +Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, and you can see all over the City of +Washington. It is lovely to behold with all of its fine buildings and +art galleries, though I do not like it as well as Harper's Ferry, for I +was not well the whole time I was there and I had so much better health +at the Ferry. I bless God that I made the change when I did or I might +have been gone to my long home before I had the time to see so much of +God's love to me in the way He has led me through paths that I did not +see then. I can truly say unto Him, Lord, Thou hast been my dwelling +place in all of these years of trial and has been my rock in a weary +land and my shelter in the times of storm. + +Well, I came home last October a year ago, 1895, and made up my mind to +stay for the time being. Some of the people found out that I was here +and they sent for me to come to see them. I went to Mrs. Murphy's the +next week and I was there nearly a year and found that I could not do +much lifting, so I did not feel well for quite a while, and I had a +heavy day of it the last time that I was there. So I told her daughter I +should not come any more as I had gone early that I should get home +early. It was nearly six o'clock when I stopped. They are a lovely +family of four men and four girls, all of whom are are very fine indeed; +two sons married, and children, and one daughter married and she has two +little ones. Miss Josephine is a school teacher. Miss Alice is the +housekeeper, as the mother is not very well at times. One of the lovely +girls is a Sister in a convent. + +I also did work for her daughter, Mrs. Nellie Chester, and she is a +lovely woman. I had to lose her work as she had to get her a girl. + +I also worked for fine families by the names of Mrs. Handford and Mrs. +Taylor, but they went away from this city. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + + +I am now doing work for a lovely family by the name of Mrs. Coddington, +as her husband has died not long since, and he was a nice man and they +have two lovely girls that teach school. I also work for Mrs. White, who +is a lovely lady, and all of her family. + +At the Pells and the Powells. Mrs. Pell is a lovely woman, with two +children, one a lovely young lady and full of the sweetest music the ear +ever heard, for I do not think that there ever was any one that could +play sweeter music than her. The other is a boy, a nice youngster of +promise. + +Mrs. Powell is the sister of the first Mrs. Pell and she has one +daughter, who is a Mrs. Pell, whom I have to call Mrs. E. Pell to let +each one know which one I mean. There are other ladies in the mansion +that are very nice to me. Mrs. Pell No. 1 is the head of the house and +is a fine lady, and in telling you of those that I have worked for and I +am doing work for I mean to tell that it is by the day that I work for +some of them; as you will see as you read this that I have had very few +places where I lived out by the month, and staying a good while in a +place. + +I did work for Mrs. Johnson, but as her business is not so good at times +she has me whenever she can feel as if she can spare the money. So this +little life of mine has been almost locked up in a nutshell, and Jesus +has come to me in the spirit's power that I should tell the world of His +wonderful love to me a poor sinner of the dust. And what can not the +Lord do for those who put their trust in Him? We feel like saying to the +blessed One, how amiable are all of Thy works, oh Lord, and our eyes are +seeing Thy salvation in many parts of the earth. + +I can remember the first time that it was my pleasure to hear dear Dr. +J. D. Fulton. It was on Thanksgiving Day when he first came to this city +to preach at the Hanson Place Church, as their pastor. The Rev. David +Moore had him to preach the Thanksgiving sermon at the Washington Avenue +Baptist Church, and we were all delighted at hearing him on that day. I +loved him on hearing that sermon, for I felt the spirit power on that +day, through his preaching. I shall always think of the Doctor and his +loving family, for we, as the negro race, have not such a friend on +earth as Dr. Fulton. I am not afraid to say it to his dear honor as he +is not dead, and I wish every negro knew him as I do for then they would +all feel toward him as I feel. I hope that he will long live to tell the +truth as he has in days gone by; and if he was in this city where the +evil is so strong, we should hear him sounding the watchword, and that +is the reason that those that loved the ways of sin did not like him, +for they felt that he had cause to trouble them while they were yet in +their sins. + +But I hope that the day will come when I shall hear him again in this +city, and I hope that God will give him long life and that he may see +the travel of his soul and be satisfied, for I know that he tries to do +God's will in this love that he has for humanity and that is why the +Lord will bless him in all the work that his hands find to do. + +I was not at home when he left this city and I felt sad when I found +that he was gone, for we shall ever miss him. My prayer is to God that +he may live to a good old age and that when he shall be called to come +up higher that he may be caught up in the air to meet his Lord and +Master and all of those that have gone on before, and be ready to Crown +Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords. + + + + +Progress of Church Work + + +A speech to a crowded church, in the year of our Lord 1888, in Talcott, +Summers Co., W. V. I was asked to have this published out there, but I +wanted to have it brought to my home in Brooklyn. I was into so much +work out there, and my people were not there to see what the Lord did +help me to do: + +Dear friends, we are here to-night to commemorate this grand occasion, +and our watchword is Onward and Upward to the Prize! + +This is a time that we should all shout the Jubilee and to send the glad +tidings to all the world and to let all the nations know that we are on +our march to that happy land of song. + +Dear friends, let us look for a few moments and think of the time when +you had not a church where you could worship God. I told you that God +would give you this lovely place, where no one could drive you out, and +to see what great things He has done for you in a little time, and how +great things can He not do if we will only trust Him? We have those of +our race that have held places of greatest trust and God bless them in +those places. Why should we give up the fight and lay our armor by when +there is so much for us to do? No, no, we can not and we will not lay +the grand old armor down, for the Lord is on our side and we shall +surely conquer if we look to Him whose arm is so large and strong. Then +let us take fresh courage and march on until we reach the goal, and then +we shall be glad and rejoice for the Lord has spoken good to His people, +the Ethiopians. + +Oh, ye colored people, why not take this as yours and begin now to +rejoice ye in your own race and feel proud of the race, but not ones +that can dance the best on the ball-room floor, for there is very little +in that when it is all summed up in a whole. Let us thank all the good +people who have shown any love to us while we have been in this work of +building and may they all find favor in the sight of God. You have a +dear good pastor who is willing to give his life to the Lord and the +church. Let us take fresh courage and march into His service, for we +shall gain if we only trust in God and do the right He will help us to +persevere. + +Time would fail me and my pen would fail to move if I should try to +enumerate all of the blessings that have come to us as a race. I hope +that we, as the hated negro race, will make a fresh start from this +night and do all that we can to forward the work in this church, and God +will send us a blessing. + + + + +Etiquette of Young Men + + +I was wondering a few days since if the men of the present day had lost +the respect that men used to have for the women. I was carried back to +the year of 1884 while in school with so many of the young men of my own +race, when I saw so much of the respect that they showed to us girls and +that was what caused me to write this to their honor. I think that true +etiquette is one of the greatest blessings that young men can have for +the women, for it is to them that we look to for the protection and +love, and if we fail to find it in them where shall we look? This is one +of the greatest fortunes that one can have, and it is that which makes a +young man what he ought to be. We, as the women, need so many of such +ones and the world needs them fully as much, and the God who made them +looks for more and when he does not find it in the dear creatures that +He has made it makes Him feel sad. + +I found a number of young men that used to attend the Wayland Seminary +that had the greatest regard for the girls, and I could not but notice +them in this respect and their kind acts while there, although I was not +in the same classes with them, but I never saw them make any difference +while I was in school. I always found good friends among them and I +never saw a young man meet one of the young ladies but they lifted their +hats, and that made the people of Washington, D. C., always speak of it +in the kindest terms. One never loses anything in this way, and their +virtues are greater than gold. + +When the weather was very bad one day and I was coming from school and a +young man saw me fall down, he came to help me home and I felt very +grateful and I feel that wherever that young man shall go he will have +favor in the eyes of all, and God will be his leader for he has made a +good beginning. + + + + +School Life + + +While at the Harper's Ferry school I found the loveliest teachers that +ever were in a school. Professor Brackett, the head of the school, is a +fine gentleman, and his wife, Mrs. W. Brackett, is a lovely lady and she +is one of the finest teachers that ever lived. She has three nice +children, two of them are girls and one boy, who is a young man by this +time, for I have not seen him since he went to Maine to attend school, +which is the Bates'. It is a fine school of Latin, and a number of the +students went to that same school. + +Mr. W. P. Curtis was one of the professors. He was my Sunday-school +teacher and he was fine. + +Mr. D. M. Wilson was a dear professor, whom we loved. Miss Caroline +Franklin was a lovely teacher and we all loved her. Miss C. Brackett was +one of the lovely teachers, and one whom every one of the other teachers +loved, for she was one of the finest readers that ever lived, let it be +man or woman. They used to have her read nearly every afternoon when the +school was out, and sometimes they would call to Professor Curtis to +read to the school. He was a very good reader, but Miss C. L. Franklin +was the grand trainer of the whole school. They had a grand reading +circle there at nights for the rich of the Ferry, and she was the one to +do the fine reading. All of the noble people of the place loved her and +she will ever be loved and remembered by all who knew her. She is now in +Washington, D. C., teaching, and the people have learned to love her as +we did. I do not think that any one could help loving her for her love +and fidelity to the race which she represents. + +Miss C. L. Franklin's mother, who is a lovely woman whom we all love as +a mother, for she had many of the students at her house to board, like +Mrs. William Lovett, and she was so very kind to all of them that she +will be remembered by us all, for we love those in our school life that +would say a kind word to us. It was to help us along in our daily toil. + +Mrs. Julia Robinson was one of the lovely ladies at the Ferry, also, and +all of the teachers boarded there. She has a number of the students that +board with her and she is much beloved. + +Mrs. Bell was one of the ladies that kept boarders and she is much +beloved. Mr. W. M. Bell is one of the teachers and all love him as a +teacher. + +Mr. J. Trinkle, who keeps one of the halls in the Summer time has a +number of boarders, and does well all of the Summer months and in the +Winter he teaches in or near the Ferry. With it all they are all doing +what they can to help to forward the interest or an education in all of +that section, and I really think that part of the country will show a +larger percentage of those that have been educated through the churches +than could have been taught in the public schools, for the terms are so +very short that it is hard for the people to get a start. + +But God has wonderfully blessed the teachers that have been sent on +there from the North to look after the interests of the negroes. They +love the work of the school-room, and it is their meat and their drink +daily to give away what they have received. The Word says that it is +more blessed to give than to receive, and we are always ready to +receive from the hands of our earthly friends, and it is much greater to +receive from God. + +Mr. Thomas Lovett has two lovely little girls, named, respectively, +Florence, the eldest, and the other Shoelett, and they are very smart. +Mr. Lovett has built a hill-top house in a lovely place. It is filled in +the Summer time, while he has music for the boarders. That makes it +pleasant during the warm weather of the Summer months, and it is one of +the loveliest places that can be found on the B. & O. Railroad, and the +white people go their from all parts. + +I had the pleasure of stopping there on my way home in 1895, and it did +my soul good to find such a fine house built by one of the colored +gentlemen and one that I had known, for I was at his mother's boarding +house for the whole time that I was at the Ferry. He was teaching school +then in the Winter time and looking after his mother's business in the +Summer time. So I am glad that some of my people are trying to make an +honest living. He is one among the many at the Ferry that are keeping +boarding houses; and I am thankful for all that comes to us as a race. I +hope, as I have often heard dear Dr. Fulton say that he wanted to see +the race go forward, and I pray that the time is not far distant when +all of the friends of the negroes shall see them making men and women of +themselves, and then the grand problem will be solved. Then we shall be +glad, for I am grieved night and day for my own people, and I feel so +grateful to God for letting me see and to know that I have such a good +friend as Dr. Fulton is. He shall be loved by me as long as I live, and +I hope that he will ever be loved by all that shall read this life of +mine, for he has been a father to me and I am one that always remembers +a kindness as long as any one will do one for me. God will bless those +that will think of me in love. + +As this day has been one of quiet to me I have wondered what it would be +to me if I could look into those bright mansions above and see my two +mothers' faces. What a joy there would be at the sight of them seeing me +and of me seeing them, and we all singing, + + Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. + Early in the morning our songs shall rise to Thee; + Holy, holy, merciful and mighty, + Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. + +And what a glory it will be for all that have washed their robes and +made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and I know that two darling +mothers have washed their robes and made them white, and to God be all +the praise for the great love that He has shown to poor me, who feels so +lonely on this lovely Lord's day. How much have I found in His service, +too, and if I could be able to go there to-night I feel that I should be +blessed, but I have to stay at home to-night as I have not been well for +a month or more. I feel grateful as can be that I could be out this +morning, and I will pay vows unto my God as long as I shall live, for He +is my rock and my hiding place in the time of trouble. I have had a +storm of them and it is to Him I fly to shield my soul from the evil +one, and knowing as do how many hard spells I have had, it is right for +me to be as careful as I can, taking the Lord for my healer. How He has +blessed me so many times when there were no other hopes for me to build +on, I have found that I could trust in His almighty power. + +I shall not forget the kind care of Dr. Matthews, of this lovely city, +whom God gave to me when I was very low and the three times a day that +he paid his visits to see how I was getting along. He was so kind in his +words to comfort me and to give my mother cheer I shall always think of +him kindly, for the snow was so deep that a horse could not travel very +well and he had to walk it three times a day. I had not my white mother +then to care for me, but my own mother did what she could for me and I +know that she has her reward in heaven for all that she has ever done +for me in the times when I needed the most care. + +There is good Dr. Reeves, a good Quaker doctor, and I had to have him to +attend me. He was very kind and gentle in his treatment of me and I am +very glad that I found such a friend in him, for he was like a father to +me? I shall not overlook dear Dr. Warmsley, who was a good doctor to me +and he was kind as he could be, and I shall not forget him, although I +have not seen him for a long time. + +What shall I say of the last doctor that I was under out West, and that +is Dr. J. W. Ford, who was so kind to me as a stranger. He would come +when he was sent for. It made no difference what time of day or night. +It might be you would find him on his way where he was sent for and +sometimes he would be on the road all night long, for he is the best +doctor in the county, and I was going to say the best in the State of +West Virginia. They all send for him; far and near, where they have any +fever, and he is so good in fevers, through the Lord, he is sure to +bring them out of if they do as he tells them. May the Lord give him a +good long life to do the will of Him who is the greatest doctor after +all. And if we only put our trust in Him we shall find that He will make +our sick bed easy for us and He will carry us all the way while we are +sick, for He has borne our sorrows and sickness. + +To my story as a school girl: It was full of sweet love and regard, for +I gained favor with all of the teachers and professors and all of the +pupils. The Lord be praised for all of this love and joy that came to me +in my school days. Then the love that came from the Washington Avenue +Baptist Church of sending me the sum of twenty or thirty dollars to help +me in paying my expenses was of the greatest love for one in a school, +as I wanted to pay as I went, and then the Sunday-school would send me +their money, one of the dear, loving favors of God's love, and naming +each time from which the money came and sending it through the Board at +Chicago. Then Mrs. Conley or Mrs. Connell sent it to me and the Board +sent the same way when my own beloved church sent me money. It was in +the time of Mrs. Sarah Fulton and she did not forget me when I was in +school. The Mission Band of our church sent me some money every year +after the first year that I went to school. Sometimes it was to the +answer of my prayers that the money came at the time I needed it to pay +my board and God be praised for those who from the bottom of their +hearts contributed in the grand and good work of education. For all that +I shall do in this life to help some one that needs help, I shall think +of the Lord's love to me and try and do what I can to bring them to the +Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, and to God I owe my +life and my all, and if I should fail to love and honor Him I know that +He will not remember me before His dear Father in heaven. + +Mr. William Lovett, the father of a large family, is one of the finest +gentlemen anywhere around the whole country, and is much beloved by all +who know him. The white people who board with him in the Summer time all +liked him, for he was so nice and quiet. He has a large family of girls +and boys and all are smart. He sent two of them to the Hillsdale College +when they had finished at the Ferry, and one was John Lovett, who +studied law, and the other one, Miss Etta Lovett, was a fine school +teacher and a music teacher. + +I have just learned that the last one of the girls has married, and that +is the youngest of the family. They all have good partners for life, +which does not come to all large families. God bless such a father and +mother, who have taken such good care of the training of their children. + +Mr. John Lovett was one of the teachers of whom I shall speak of, as I +boarded in their house for four years. A more lovely woman never lived +than his mother. She is known far and wide as one of the best ladies to +keep boarders and she has a lovely family of girls and boys. Mr. Thomas +Lovett is a doctress, who is one of the finest ladies that lives. She is +from the North and she has some of the best people of the Northern +cities that she waited on, and they love her to-day for the kind care +that she had for them. + +Miss Emma Carter is one of the teachers, and Miss Lizzie Sims, Miss +Frances Sims, Mr. Burrell and Mr. C. H. Plummer; and of later years Miss +Mary Brackett has gone there as one of its teachers and there are others +that have gone there as teachers. The dear good work is going on in the +strength of the Lord and I hope that He will still bless his work. The +same that I said of Miss C. L. Franklin I will say of Miss Lulia +Brackett, who is married now and is still one of its beloved teachers. +She loves the work of teaching the negroes better than her own life and +all that she has in Maine. God bless those dear teachers, as they labor +there for my own dear people whom God has blessed in getting an +education. + +Miss Lulia Brackett married a Mr. Loughtner, who is a school master for +the whites at the Ferry, and who is a fine school teacher and whom the +people like very much. It is a joy to meet him on his way to his +school-house. + +Mr. William Bell is one of the the teachers whom we all love dearly, and +he taught school outside for a while before he came to teach at the +college. He had the greatest success as a teacher. May God bless those +faithful ones as they are far from their homes, family, friends and +loving ones. + +I had the pleasure of working for a fine family in Brooklyn by the name +of Davis, and I found them all a lovely family. I had the pleasure of +going away in the country one Summer to a place called Flemington, N. J., +and we had a fine time as it was his father and mother's home, and they +had a dairy farm and all of the nice things that one finds in the +country. I was not well while there as it was low land, and one of their +daughters was not well, so I feeling that I would be better to come home +they got ready and come on home, and I left them and went to my home +where I could rest. In the Fall I was so much better that I was able to +go back out West and take up my work again. When I had finished my +public school I taught a pay school for the Summer and had a large +number of scholars, and they progressed well. Some of them would go +without their food all day to study extra lessons. + +It would be all of a joy to the whole world to have seen how well all of +the girls, boys, young men and young ladies did in all of the schools +where I have had the pleasure of teaching. + +I have never taught in any school with any other teacher or teachers, +and I was so much more blessed, for all teachers have a way of their +own. The new teacher always makes so much change in a school and in the +pupils, I found that to do good work in school I should stay long in one +place, that I might bring the scholar near to me. Sometimes I have had +it rough, but in it all I can see the hand of God leading me to do all +that I could to help forward the great cause of education in those parts +where there was so much need. + +I have just learned that the Rev. J. D. Fulton has had a stroke and I +cannot tell how he is at this time, but I can not do any work until I +hear from him, as I have had my mind on him for some time, as he was +somewhere in Massachusetts and I had not heard from him for some time. +The last time that I heard from him he was not well, and I knew that he +was so great for working that I feared he would break down. + +So I wrote to Mrs. Wamsley, his daughter, and shall wait to hear how he +is, for I know she will let me know at once as she is there with her +father. + +I have heard from her and he is better, thank God, and not dead, as so +many thought, for he does so much work that no one thought that he could +get over it. + +And here on this 20th day of January I fell sick myself and have not +been able to take up my work until the 4th day of March, and once more +in the strength of the Lord I have taken up this work and hope to push +it as fast I can, and I hope to finish it in the near future if the Lord +wills. I hope that all who will may have the pleasure of knowing of +something of the joys and of the sorrows that have crowned this little +life of mine, but in and through it all I have seen the blessed hand of +Him who is wise. + +March 4th, 1897. + + * * * * * + +Transcriber's Note: The following errors in the text have been left +uncorrected from the original. + +Page 8: "the House's took off" +Page 16: "formed like her's" +Page 49: "all of whom are are very fine" +Page 58: "like a father to me?" +Page 60: "Mr. Thomas Lovett is a doctress, who is one of the finest + ladies that lives." +Page 61: "one of the the teachers" + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Slave Girl's Story, by Kate Drumgoold + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SLAVE GIRL'S STORY *** + +***** This file should be named 17871.txt or 17871.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/8/7/17871/ + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Susan Skinner and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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