Book/Printed Material The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an inhabitant of Canada,

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  • Image 1 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … THE LIFE OF JOSIAH HENSON, FORMERLY A SLAVE, NOW AN INHABITANT OF CANADA, AS NARRATED BY HIMSELF. BOSTON: ARTHUR D. PHELPS. 1849.
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 2 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an …
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 3 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … THE LIFE OF JOSIAH HENSON, FORMERLY A SLAVE, NOW AN INHABITANT OF CANADA, AS NARRATED BY HIMSELF. BOSTON: ARTHUR D. PHELPS. 1849. 617 107
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 4 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … E 444 .H52, copy 2 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by Arthur D. Phelps, in the office of the Clerk of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 11–21827 CAMBRIDGE: PRINTED BY BOLLES AND HOUGHTON:
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 5 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … ADVERTISEMENT. The following memoir was written from the dictation of Josiah Henson. A portion of the story was told, which, when written, was read to him, that any errors of statement might be corrected. The substance of it, therefore, the facts, the reflections, and very often the words, are his; and little more than the structure of the sentences belongs to another. The narrative,…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 6 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … iv thought to justify the endeavor to make them more extensively known. The story has this advantage, that it is not fiction, but fact; and it will be found fruitful in instruction by those who attentively consider its lessons.
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 7 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … LIFE OF JOSIAH HENSON. I was born, June 15, 1789, in Charles County, Maryland, on a farm belonging to Mr. Francis N., about a mile from Port Tobacco. My mother was the property of Dr. Josiah McP., but was hired by Mr. N., to whom my father belonged. The only incident I can remember, which occurred while my mother continued on N.'s farm, was…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 8 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … 2 and intractable, that Mr. N. determined to sell him. He accordingly parted with him, not long after, to his son, who lived in Alabama; and neither my mother nor I, ever heard of him again. He was naturally, as I understood afterwards from my mother and other persons, a man of amiable temper, and of considerable energy of character; but it is not…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 9 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an … 3 recognized as the deep piety and devotional feeling and habits of my mother. I do not know how, or where she acquired her knowledge of God, or her acquaintance with the Lord's prayer, which she so frequently repeated and taught me to repeat. I remember seeing her often on her knees, endeavoring to arrange her thoughts in prayers appropriate to her situation, but…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 10 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 4 I but ill understood at first, but which dawned on my mind, with dreadful clearness, as the sale proceeded. My mother was then separated from me, and put up in her turn. She was bought by a man named Isaac R., residing in Montgomery county, and then I was offered to the assembled purchasers. My mother, half distracted with the parting forever from…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 11 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 5 or from some accidental cause, I fell sick, and seemed to my new master so little likely to recover, that he proposed to R., the purchaser of my mother, to take me too at such a trifling rate that it could not be refused. I was thus providentially restored to my mother; and under her care, destitute as she was of the proper…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 12 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 6 My earliest employments were, to carry buckets of water to the men at work, to hold a horseplough, used for weeding between the rows of corn, and as I grew older and taller, to take care of master's saddle-horse. Then a hoe was put into my hands, and I was soon required to do the day's work of a man; and it was…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 13 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 7 the older, a pair of pantaloons, or a gown, according to the sex; while some kind of round jacket, or overcoat, might be added in winter, a wool hat once in two or three years, for the males, and a pair of coarse shoes once a year. Our lodging was in log huts, of a single small room, with no other floor than…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 14 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 8 casual word of this sort, sometimes overheard, would fill me with a pride and ambition which some would think impossible in a negro slave, degraded, starved, and abused as I was, and had been, from my earliest recollection. But the love of superiority is not confined to kings and emperors; and it is a positive fact, that pride and ambition were as active…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 15 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 9 win a kind word, or a benevolent deed from his callous heart. In general, indifference, or a cool calculation of my value to him, were my reward, chilling those hopes of an improvement in my condition, which was the ultimate object of my efforts. I was much more easily moved to compassion and sympathy than he was; and one of the means I…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 16 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 10 it, and that then I esteemed it among the best of my deeds. By means of the influence thus acquired, the increased amount of work done upon the farm, and by the detection of the knavery of the overseer, who plundered his employer for more selfish ends, and through my watchfulness was caught in the act and dismissed, I was promoted to be…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 17 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 11 abstinence from what no one about him thought wrong, but for his general probity and excellence. This man occasionally served as a minister of the Gospel, and preached in a neighborhood where preachers were somewhat rare at that period. One Sunday when he was to officiate in this way, at a place three or four miles distant, my mother persuaded me to ask…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 18 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 12 sermon that was preached from it. The divine character of Jesus Christ, his life and teachings, his sacrifice of himself for others, his death and resurrection were all alluded to, and some of the points were dwelt upon with great power,—great, at least, to me, who heard of these things for the first time in my life. I was wonderfully impressed, too, with…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 19 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 13 which the subsequent course of my life has led me to imagine might not have been unacceptable to Him who heareth prayer. At all events, I date my conversion, and my awakening to a new life—a consciousness of superior powers and destiny to any thing I had before conceived of—from this day, so memorable to me. I used every means and opportunity of…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 20 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 14 this period, that is, when I was nineteen or twenty years old. My master's habits were such as were common enough among the dissipated planters of the neighborhood; and one of their frequent practices was, to assemble on Saturday or Sunday, which were their holidays, and gamble, run horses, or fight game-cocks, discuss politics, and drink whiskey, and brandy and water, all day…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 21 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 15 crowd him into his buggy, with the ease with which I would handle a bag of corn, and at the same time with the pride of conscious superiority, and the kindness inspired by performing an act of benevolence. I knew I was doing for him what he could not do for himself, and showing my superiority to others, and acquiring their respect in…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 22 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 16 same moment two of the negroes sprung up from under the bushes, where they had been concealed, and stood with him, immediately in front of me; while the third sprang over the fence just behind me. I was thus enclosed between what I could no longer doubt were hostile forces. The overseer seized my horse's bridle, and ordered me to alight, in the…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 23 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 17 trip up my feet when he was down, I gave him a kick with my heavy shoe, which knocked out several of his front teeth, and sent him groaning away. Meanwhile, the cowardly overseer was availing himself of every opportunity to hit me over the head with his stick, which was not heavy enough to knock me down, though it drew blood freely.…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 24 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 18 called attendance, by my master's sister, who had some reputation in such affairs; and she splintered my arm, and bound up my back as well as she knew how, and nature did the rest. It was five months before I could work at all, and the first time I tried to plough, a hard knock of the colter against a stone, shattered my…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 25 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 19 will not deny that I used his property more freely than he would have done himself, in supplying his people with better food; but if I cheated him in this way, in small matters, it was unequivocally for his own benefit in more important ones; and I accounted, with the strictest honesty, for every dollar I received in the sale of the property…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 26 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 20 forty years that have since elapsed, I have had no reason to regret the connection, but many, to rejoice in it, and be grateful for it. She has borne me twelve children, eight of whom survive, and promise to be the comfort of my declining years. Things remained in this condition for a considerable period; my occupations being to superintend the farming operations,…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 27 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 21 After a time, however, continual dissipation was more than a match for domestic saving. My master fell into difficulty, and from difficulty into a lawsuit with a brother-in-law, who charged him with dishonest mismanagement of property confided to him in trust. The lawsuit was protracted enough to cause his ruin, of itself. He used every resource to stave off the inevitable result, but…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 28 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 22 perpetual dread to the slave of the more northern States—I consented, and promised faithfully to do all I could to save him from the fate impending over him. He then told me I must take his slaves to his brother, in Kentucky. In vain I represented to him that I had never travelled a day's journey from his plantation, and knew nothing of…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 29 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 23 them, and the consideration which I had always manifested for them. Under these circumstances no difficulty arose from want of submission to my authority, and none of any sort, except that which I necessarily encountered from my ignorance of the country, and my inexperience in such business. On arriving at Wheeling, I sold the horse and wagon, and purchased a boat of sufficient…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 30 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 24 me, but purchasing myself of my master. The idea of running away was not one that I had ever indulged. I had a sentiment of honor on the subject, or what I thought such, which I would not have violated even for freedom; and every cent which I had ever felt entitled to call my own, had been treasured up for this great…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 31 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 25 know not; but the perception of my own strength of character, the feeling of integrity, the sentiment of high honor, I have experienced,—these advantages I do know, and prize; and would not lose them, nor the recollection of having attained them, for all that I can imagine to have resulted from an earlier release from bondage. I have often had painful doubts as…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 32 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 26 Sufficiency of food is a pretty important item in any man's account of life; but is tenfold more so in that of the slave, whose appetite is always stimulated by as much labor as he can perform, and whose mind is little occupied by thought on subjects of deeper interest. My post of superintendent gave me some advantages, too, of which I did…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 33 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 27 impressed with its own sinfulness and imperfection, and with the mercy of God, in Christ Jesus, my humble ministrations have not been entirely useless to those who have had less opportunity than myself to reflect upon these all-important subjects. It is certain that I could not refrain from the endeavor to do what I saw others doing in this field; and I labored…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 34 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 28 was to be exhibited in its most odious and naked deformity. I was exempted from a personal share in the dreadful calamity, but I could not see without the deepest grief the agony which I recollected in my own mother, and which was again brought before my eyes in the persons with whom I had been long associated; nor could I refrain from…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 35 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 29 said he, “I must not be known to have spoken to you on this subject, yet if you will obtain Mr. Amos's consent to go to see your old master in Maryland, I will try and put you in a way by which I think you may succeed in buying yourself.” He said this to me more than once; and as it was…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 36 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 30 I succeeded well there also. By his advice I then purchased a suit of respectable clothes, and an excellent horse, and travelled leisurely from town to town, preaching as I went, and, wherever circumstances were favorable, soliciting aid in my great object. I succeeded so well, that when I arrived at Montgomery county, I was master of two hundred and seventy-five dollars, besides…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 37 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 31 At night I was sent to such quarters as I had been accustomed to long enough,—the cabin used for a kitchen, with its earth floor, its filth, and its numerous occupants;—but it was so different from my accommodations in the free States for the last three months, and so incompatible with my nice wardrobe, that I looked round me with a sensation of…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 38 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 32 stop me and plague me, if he can't do any thing worse.” “Well, I'll get it for you,” she answered; and glad was I to see her return with it in her hand, and to have her give it to me, while she little imagined its importance to my plan. My reception by Master Frank was all I expected, as kind and hearty…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 39 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 33 had the means to do without his help, and that he would see neither me nor my money; that with my horse and my pass I was pretty independent of him already, and he had better make up his mind to what was really inevitable, and do it with a good grace. By such arguments as these, Mr. Frank not only induced him…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 40 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 34 rob you of that piece of paper, and destroy it. You will then be thrown into prison, and sold for your jail fees, before any of your friends can know it. Why should you show it at all? You can go to Kentucky in perfect safety with your pass. Let me enclose that valuable document for you under cover to my brother, and…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 41 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 35 before I had arrived, telling them what I had been doing, and the children of the family had been eager to communicate the great news to my wife how I had been preaching, and raising money, and making a bargain for my freedom. It was not long before Charlotte began to tell me with much excitement what she had heard, and to question…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 42 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 36 I resolved not to deliver the paper to Amos, and told my wife I had not seen it since I was in Louisville. It might be in my bag, and perhaps it was lost; but at all events I did not wish to see it again at present; and if she should find it, and put it in some place which I did…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 43 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 37 When the search proved in vain, he told me that, after all, it was of no consequence, for whenever I made up the money, his brother would renew the paper. “But,” said he, “you have given too much for yourself. Isaac has been too hard upon you, and I don't see how you are going to get so much in Kentucky.” All this…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 44 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 38 with a flat boat, and was nearly ready to start; in fact he was to leave the next day, and I must go and take care of him, and help him dispose of the cargo. The intimation was enough. Though it was not distinctly stated, yet I well knew what was intended, and my heart sunk within me at the near prospect of…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 45 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 39 corn, whiskey, and other articles from the farm, and from some of the neighboring estates, which were to be sold as we dropped down the river, wherever they could be disposed of to the greatest advantage. It was a common trading voyage to New Orleans, in which I was embarked, the interest of which consisted not in the incidents that occurred, not in…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 46 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 40 than the rest. I watched the manœuvres necessary to shoot by a sawyer, to land on a bank, or avoid a snag, or a steamboat, in the rapid current of the Mississippi, till I could do it as well as the captain. After a while the captain had a disease of the eyes, by which they became very much inflamed and swollen. He…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 47 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 41 interest, turned my blood to gall and wormwood, and changed me from a lively, and I will say, a pleasant-tempered fellow, into a savage, morose dangerous slave. I was going not at all as a lamb to the slaughter, but I felt myself becoming more ferocious every day; and as we approached the place where this iniquity was to be consummated, I became…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 48 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 42 themselves into shapes which grew larger, and seemed firmer, every time they presented themselves; and at length my mind was made up to convert the phantom shadow into a positive reality. I resolved to kill my four companions, take what money there was in the boat, then to scuttle the craft, and escape to the north. It was a poor plan, may-be, and…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 49 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 43 the character I had acquired, and the peace of mind which had never deserted me. All this came upon me instantly, and with a distinctness which made me almost think I heard it whispered in my ear; and I believe I even turned my head to listen. I shrunk back, laid down the axe, crept up on deck again, and thanked God, as…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 50 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 44 whom I have told the story myself, ever suspected me of having entertained such thoughts for a moment. In a few days after this tremendous crisis we arrived in New Orleans, and the little that remained of our cargo was soon sold, the men were discharged, and nothing was left but to dispose of me, and break up the boat, and then Mr.…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 51 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 45 we had come down had brought us to the long days and the heat of June; and everybody knows what the climate of New Orleans is at that time of the year. A little before daylight master Amos awoke indisposed. His stomach was disordered, but he lay down again, thinking it would pass off. In a little while he was up again, and…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 52 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 46 strength was so entirely gone, that he could neither speak, nor move a limb; and could only indicate his wish for a teaspoonful of gruel, or something to moisten his throat, by a feeble motion of his lips. I nursed him carefully and constantly. Nothing else could have saved his life. It hung by a thread for a long time. We were as…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 53 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 47 though he had been convalescent all the while. As soon as he could speak, he told all I had done for him, and said, “If I had sold him, I should have died;” but it never seemed to occur to him or the rest of the family that they were under any, the slightest, obligation to me on that account. I had done…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 54 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 48 market value, absolved me from all obligation, in my opinion, to pay him any more, or to continue in a position which exposed me to his machinations. I determined to make my escape to Canada, about which I had heard something, as beyond the limits of the United States; for, not-withstanding there were free States in the Union, I felt that I should…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 55 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 49 me to part with her, yet I would do it, and take all the children with me but the youngest, rather than run the risk of forcible separation from them all, and of a much worse captivity besides, which we were constantly exposed to here. She wept and entreated, but found I was resolute, and after a whole night spent in talking over…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 56 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 50 go by himself, and to help me carry the necessary food. I used to pack the little ones on my back, of an evening, after I had got through my day's work, and trot round the cabin with them, and go some little distance from it, in order to accustom both them and myself to the task before us. At length the eventful…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 57 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 51 alone. The population was not so numerous as now, nor so well disposed to the slave. We, dared look to no one for help. But my courage was equal to the occasion, and we trudged on cautiously and steadily, and as fast as the darkness, and the feebleness of my wife and boys would allow. It was nearly a fortnight before we reached…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 58 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 52 arrived safe at Cincinnati. There we were kindly received and entertained for several days, my wife and little ones were refreshed, and then we were carried on our way thirty miles in a wagon. We followed the same course as before, of travelling by night, and resting by day, till we arrived at the Scioto, where we had been told we should strike…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 59 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 53 rough, of course, being neglected, and the logs lying across it constantly; the underbrush was somewhat cleared away, and that was about all to mark the track. As we went wearily on, I was a little ahead of my wife and the boys, when I heard them call to me, and, turning round, saw that my wife had fallen over a log, and…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 60 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 54 howl, turned round, and ran as fast as they could. There were three or four of them, and what they were afraid of I could not imagine, unless they supposed I was the devil, whom they had perhaps heard of as black. But even then one would have thought my wife and children might have reassured them. However, there was no doubt they…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 61 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 55 Each one wanted to touch the children, who were shy as partridges, with their long life in the woods; and as they shrunk away, and uttered a little cry of alarm, the Indian would jump back too, as if he thought they would bite him. However, a little while sufficed to make them understand what we were, and whither we were going, and…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 62 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 56 in the course of the next forenoon we came out upon the wide plain, without trees, which lies south and west of Sandusky city. We saw the houses of the village, and kept away from them for the present, till I should have an opportunity to reconnoitre a little. When about a mile from the lake, I hid my companions in the bushes,…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 63 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 57 and offered to take me and my family to Buffalo, whither they were bound, and where they might arrive the next evening, if the favorable wind continued, of which they were hurrying to take advantage. Never did men work with a better will, and soon two or three hundred bushels were thrown on board, the hatches were fastened down, the anchor raised, and…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 64 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 58 fears were not removed by seeing me returning with three other men; and she tried to hide herself. It was not without difficulty that I satisfied her all was right, for her agitation was so great that she could not, at once, understand what I said. However, this was soon over, and the kindness of my companions facilitated the matter very much. Before…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 65 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 59 of those who were looking on. A gentleman of the neighborhood, Colonel Warren, who happened to be present, thought I was in a fit, and as he inquired what was the matter with the poor fellow, I jumped up and told him I was free. “O,” said he, with a hearty laugh, “is that it? I never knew freedom make a man roll…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 66 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 60 to serve, and that I could get along with him, if honest and faithful work would satisfy him. In the afternoon I found him, and soon struck a bargain with him for employment. I asked him if there was any house where he would let me live. He said yes, and led the way to an old two story sort of shanty, into…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 67 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 61 more value to him than that of those he was accustomed to hire; and as I consequently gained his favor, and his wife took quite a fancy to mine, we soon procured some of the comforts of life, while the necessaries of food and fuel were abundant. I remained with Mr. Hibbard three years, sometimes working on shares, and sometimes for wages; and…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 68 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 62 their obligations to their Maker, their Saviour, and themselves. It may, nay, I am aware it must, seem strange to many that a man so ignorant as myself, unable to read, and having heard so little as I had of religion, natural or revealed, should be able to preach acceptably to persons who had enjoyed greater advantages than myself. I can explain it,…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 69 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 63 him to come and read, to me. “Where shall I read, father?” “Anywhere, my son,” I answered, for I knew not how to direct him. He opened upon Psalm ciii. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name;” and as he read this beautiful outpouring of gratitude which I now first heard, my heart melted…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 70 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 64 him frankly I did not know. “Why, farther,” said he, “can't you read?” This was a worse question than the other, and if I had any pride in me at the moment, it took it all out of me pretty quick. It was a direct question, and must have a direct answer; so I told him at once I could not. “Why not,”…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 71 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 65 The congregation were disappointed, and I passed the Sunday in solitary reflection in the woods. I was too much engrossed with the multitude of my thoughts within me to return home to dinner, and spent the whole day in secret meditation and prayer, trying to compose myself, and ascertain my true position. It was not difficult to see that my predicament was one…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 72 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 66 toiled and groaned; but the crushing and cruel nature of which I had not appreciated, till I found out, in some slight degree, from what I had been debarred. At the same time it made me more anxious than before to do something for the rescue and the elevation of those who were suffering the same evils I had endured, and who did…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 73 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 67 soon became my great object to awaken them to a sense of the advantages which offered themselves to their grasp; and Mr. Riseley, seeing clearly the justness of my views, and willing to coöperate with me in the attempt to make them generally known among the blacks, permitted me to call meetings, at his house, of those who were known to be among…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 74 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 68 activity and sloth, independence and subjection. My associates agreed with me, and we resolved to select some spot among the many offered to our choice, where we would colonize and raise our own crops, eat our own bread, and be, in short, our own masters. I was deputed to explore the country, and find a place to which I would be willing to…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 75 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 69 were not to be overlooked by persons whose resources were so limited as ours; and we determined to go there first, for a time, and with the proceeds of what we could earn there, to make our purchases in Dawn afterwards. This plan was followed, and some dozen or more of us settled upon these lands the following spring, and accumulated something by…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 76 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 70 spreading very fast into the interior settlements and the large towns. The immigration from the United States was incessant, and some, I am not unwilling to admit, were brought hither with my knowledge and connivance. I was glad to help such of my old friends as had the spirit to make the attempt to free themselves; and I made more than one trip,…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 77 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 71 very tempting, and the cultivation of which was a monopoly in their hands, as no white man understood it, or could compete with them at all. The consequence was, however, that they had nothing but tobacco to sell; there was rather too much of it in the market, and the price of wheat rose, while their commodity was depressed; and they lost all…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 78 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 72 saw, for the most part, the propriety of my advice, and took it. At least, there are now great numbers of settlers, in this region of Canada, who own their farms, and are training up their children in true independence, and giving them a good elementary education, who had not taken a single step towards such a result before I began to talk…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 79 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 73 of his, an Englishman, by the name of James C. Fuller, residing at Skeneateles, New York, and endeavored to interest him in the welfare of our struggling population. He succeeded so far, that Mr. Fuller, who was going on a visit to England, promised to do what he could among his friends there, to induce them to aid us. He came back with…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 80 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 74 proper occupation and ornament of their sex. Such an establishment would train up those who would afterwards instruct others; and we should thus gradually become independent of the white man for our intellectual progress, as we might be also for our physical prosperity. It was the more necessary, as in many districts, owing to the insurmountable prejudices of the inhabitants, the children of…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 81 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 75 let me have them at a large discount from the price I had agreed to pay, if I would give him cash for the balance I owed him. I transferred a portion of the advantage of this bargain to the institution, by selling to it one hundred acres more, at the low price at which I obtained them; and thus the school has…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01
  • Image 82 of The life of Josiah Henson, formerly a slave, now an… 76 some personal friends. I have received many liberal gifts, and experienced much kindness of treatment; but I must be allowed to allude particularly to the donations received from Boston, by which we have been enabled to erect a saw-mill, and thus to begin in good earnest, the clearing of our lands, and to secure a profitable return for the support of our school,…
    • Contributor: Henson, Josiah - Eliot, Samuel Atkins
    • Date: 1849-01-01