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While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Some Account Of The Family I Left In
Slavery用roposal To Purchase Myself And Parents揺ow Met By
My Old Master.
It is but natural that the reader should wish to hear a word
about the family I left behind.
There are frequently large slave families with whom God
seems to deal in a remarkable manner. I believe my family is
an instance.
I have already stated that when I fled, I left a father,
mother, and eleven brothers and sisters. These were all,
except my oldest brother, owned by the man from whom I fled.
It will be seen at once then how the fear of implicating
them embarrassed me in the outset. They suffered nothing,
however, but a strong suspicion, until about six months
after I had left; when the following circumstance took
place:
When I left my friend W.W. in Pennsylvania to go on north, I
ventured to write a letter back to one of my brothers,
informing him how I was; and this letter was directed to the
care of a white man who was hired on the plantation, who
worked in the garden with my father, and who professed a
warm friendship to our family; but instead of acting in good
faith, he handed the letter to my master. I am sorry that
truth compels me to say that that man was an Englishman.
From that day the family were handled most strangely. The
history begins thus: they were all sold into Virginia, the
adjoining state. This was done lest I should have some plan
to get them off; but God so ordered that they fell into
kinder hands. After a few years, however, their master
became much embarrassed, so that he was obliged to pass them
into other hands, at least for a term of years. By this
change the family was divided, and my parents, with the
greater part of their children, were taken to New Orleans.
After remaining there several years at hard labor,洋y father
being in a situation of considerable trust, they were again
taken back to Virginia; and by this means became entitled by
the laws of that state to their freedom. Before justice,
however, could take its course, their old master in
Maryland, as if intent to doom them for ever to bondage,
repurchased them; and in order to defeat a similar law in
Maryland, by which they would have been entitled to liberty,
he obtained from the General Assembly of that state the
following special act. This will show not only something of
his character as a slaveholder, but also his political
influence in the state. It is often urged in the behalf of
slaveholders, that the law interposes an obstacle in the way
of emancipating their slaves when they wish to do so, but
here is an instance which lays open the real philosophy of
the whole case. They make the law themselves, and when they
find the laws operate more in favor of the slaves than
themselves, they can easily evade or change it. Maryland
being a slave-exporting state, you will see why they need a
law to prohibit the importation of slaves; it is a
protection to that sort of trade. This law he wished to
evade.
"An act for the Relief of 覧 of 覧 County. Passed January
17th, 1842.
"Whereas it is represented to this General Assembly that 覧
of 覧 county, brought into this state from the state of
Virginia, sometime in the month of March last, two negro
slaves, to wit, 覧 and 覧 his wife, who are slaves for life,
and who were acquired by the said 覧 by purchase, and
whereas, the said 覧 is desirous of retaining said slaves in
this state. Therefore, Be It Enacted, by the General
Assembly of Maryland, that the said 覧 be, and he is hereby
authorized to retain said negroes as slaves for life within
this state, provided that the said 覧 shall within thirty
days after the passage of this act, file with the clerk of
the 覧 county court, a list of said slaves so brought into
this state, stating their ages, with an affidavit thereto
attached, that the same is a true and faithful list of the
slaves so removed, and that they were not brought into this
state for the purpose of sale, and that they are slaves for
life. And provided also, that the sum of fifteen dollars for
each slave, between the ages of twelve and forty-five years,
and the sum of five dollars for each slave above the age of
forty-five years and under twelve years of age, so brought
into this state, shall be paid to the said clerk of 覧
county court: to be paid over by him to the treasurer of the
western shore, for the use and benefit of the Colonization
Society of this state.
State of Connecticut. Office of Secretary of State.
"I hereby certify, that the foregoing is a true copy of an
act passed by the General Assembly of Maryland, January
17th, 1842, as it appears in the printed acts of the said
Maryland, in the Library of the state.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal
of said state, at Hartford, this 17th day of August, 1846.
Charles W. Beadley,
(Seal.)
Secretary of State."
Thus, the whole family after being twice fairly entitled to
their liberty, even by the laws of two slave states, had the
mortification of finding themselves again, not only recorded
as slaves for life, but also a premium paid upon them,
professedly to aid in establishing others of their fellow
beings in a free republic on the coast of Africa; but the
hand of God seems to have been heavy upon the man who could
plan such a stratagem to wrong his fellows.
The immense fortune he possessed when I left him, (bating
one thousand dollars I brought with me in my own body,) and
which he seems to have retained till that time, began to
fly, and in a few years he was insolvent, so that he was
unable to hold the family, and was compelled to think of
selling them again. About this time I heard of their state
by an underground railroad passenger, who came from that
neighborhood, and resolved to make an effort to obtain the
freedom of my parents, and to relieve myself from liability.
For this purpose, after arranging for the means to purchase,
I employed counsel to make a definite offer for my parents
and myself. To his proposal, the following evasive and
offensive answer was returned.
January 12th, 1846. J. H覧, Esq.
"Sir, Your letter is before me. The ungrateful servant in
whose behalf you write, merits no clemency from me. He was
guilty of theft when he departed, for which I hope he has
made due amends. I have heard he was a respectable man, and
calculated to do some good to his fellow-beings. Servants
are selling from five hundred and fifty to seven hundred
dollars. I will take five hundred and fifty dollars, and
liberate him. If my proposition is acceded to, and the money
lodged in Baltimore, I will execute the necessary
instrument, and deliver it in Baltimore, to be given up on
payment being made.
"Yours, & c,
"覧."
"Jim was a first-rate mechanic, (blacksmith) and was worth
to me one thousand dollars."
Here he not only refuses to account for my parents, by
including them in his return and proposition, but he at the
same time attempts to intimidate me by mooting the charge of
theft.
I confess I was not only surprised, but mortified, at this
result. The hope of being once more united to parents whom I
had not seen for sixteen years, and whom I still loved
dearly, had so excited my mind, that I disarranged my
business relations, disposed of a valuable library of four
hundred volumes, and by additional aid obtained among the
liberal people of Jamaica, I was prepared to give the
extravagant sum of five hundred dollars each for myself, and
my father and mother. This I was willing to do, not because
I approve of the principle involved as a general rule. But
supposing that, as my former master was now an old man not
far from his grave, (about which I was not mistaken) and as
he knew, by his own shewing, that I was able to do some
good, he would be inclined, whatever might have been our
former relations and misunderstandings, to meet my
reasonable desire to see my parents, and to part this world
in reconciliation with each other, as well as with God. I
should have rejoiced had his temper permitted him to accede
to any offer. But I thought it too bad, a free man of Jesus
Christ, living on "free soil," to give a man five hundred
dollars for the privilege of being let alone, and to be
branded as a thief into the bargain, and that too after I
had served him twenty prime years, without the benefit of
being taught so much as the alphabet.
I wrote him with my own hand, sometime after this, stating
that no proposition would be acceded to by me, which did not
include my parents; and likewise fix the sum for myself more
reasonable, and also retract the offensive charge; to this
he maintained a dignified silence. The means I had acquired
by the contributions of kind friends to redeem myself, I
laid by, in case the worst should come; and that designed
for the purchase of my parents, I used in another kind of
operation, as the result of which, my father and two
brothers are now in Canada. My mother was sold a second
time, south, but she was eventually found. Several of my
sisters married free men, who purchased their liberty; and
three brothers are owned, by what may be called conscience
slaveholders, who hold slaves only for a term of years. My
old master has since died; my mother and he are now in the
other world together, she is at rest from him. Sometime
after his death, I received information from a gentleman,
intimate with his heirs, (who are principally females) that
the reduced state of the family, afforded not only a good
opportunity to obtain a release upon reasonable terms, but
also to render the children of my oppressor some pecuniary
aid; and much as I had suffered, I must confess this latter
was the stronger motive with me, for acceding to their offer
made by him.
I have many other deeply interesting particulars touching
our family history, but I have detailed as many as prudence
will permit, on account of those members who are yet south
of Mason and Dixon's line.
I have faith in the hand that has dealt with us so
strangely, that all our remaining members will in time be
brought together; and then the case may merit a reviewed and
enlarged edition of this tract, when other important matter
will be inserted.
The Fugitive
Blacksmith; or Events in the History of
James W. C. Pennington, 1849
