Mastah died an’ den missie, she and a son-in-law took charge of de place.  Mah sistah Hannah wuz sold on de auction block at Richmon to Mastah Frank Maxie (Massie?) an’ taken to de plantation near Charlottesville.  I missed mah sistah terrible an ran away to see her, ran away three times, but ev’ry time dey cum on horseback an git me jus befoh I got to Maxies.  The missie wuz with dem on a horse and she ax where I goin an’ I told her.  Mah hands wuz tied crossways in front with a big rope so hard it hurt.  Den I wuz left on de groun foh a long time while missie visited Missie Maxie.  Dey start home on horses pulling de rope tied to mah hands.  I had to run or fall down an’ be dragged on de groun’.  It wuz terrible.  When we got home de missie whipped me with a thick hickory switch an’ she wasn’t a bit lenient.  I wuz whipped ev’ry time I ran away to see mah sister.

When dere wuz talk of Yankies cumin’ de missie told me to git a box an she filled it with gold an’ silver, lots of it, she wuz rich, an I dug a hole near de hen house an put in de box an’ covered it with dirt an’ smoothed it down an scattered some leaves an twigs ovah it.  She told me nevah, nevah to tell about it and I nevah did until now.  She showed me a big white card with writin’ on it an’ said it say “This is a Union Plantation” an’ put it on a tree so the Yankies wouldn’t try to find de gold and silvers.  But I never saw any Yankie squads cum around.  When de wah wuz ovah, de missie nevah tell me dat I wuz free an’ I kep’ on workin’ same as befoh.  I couldn’t read or write an’ to me all money coins wuz a cent, big copper cents, dey wuz all alike to me.  De slaves wuz not allowed any learnin an’ if any books, papers or pictures wuz foun’ among us we wuz whipped if we couldn’t explain where dey cum from.  Mah sistah an’ brother cum foh me an tell me I am free and take me with them to Mastah Maxies’ place where dey workin.  Dey had a big dinnah ready foh me, but I wuz too excited to eat.  I worked foh Mastah Maxie too, helpin’ with de horses an’ doin’ chores.  Mammy cum’ an wuz de cook.  I got some clothes and a few cents an’ travelers give me small coins foh tending dere horses an’ I done done odd jobs here an dere.

I wanted some learnin but dere wuz no way to git it until a white man cleared a place in de woods an’ put up branches to make shade.  He read books to us foh a while an’ den gave it up.  A lovly white woman, Missy Holstottle, her husband’s name wuz Dave, read a book to me an’ I remember de stories to dis day.  It wuz called “White an’ Black.”  Some of de stories made me cry.

After wanderin about doin work where I could git it I got a job on de C an O Railroad workin’ on de tracks.  In Middleport, dat’s near Pomeroy, Ohio, I wuz married to Gertie Nutter, a widow with two chillun, an dere wuz no moah chilluns.  After mah wife died I wandered about workin’ on railroads an’ in coal mines an’ I wuz hurt in a mine near Zanesville.  Felt like mah spine wuz pulled out an I couldn’t work any moah an’ I cum to mah neice’s home here in Zanesville.  I got some compensation at first, but not now.  I get some old age pension, a little, not much, but I’m thankful foh dat.