JAMES CAMPBELL, 86; SLAVE IN WEST VIRGINIA. OHIO #127
     WELL, I WAS BORN IN MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA, ON JANUARY 15 1852, JUST
A FEW MILES FROM UNION, WEST VIRGINIA.
     MY MAMMY WAS DINNAH ALEXANDER CAMPBELL AND MY PAPPY WAS LEVI CAMPBELL AND T
HEY BOTH CAME FROM MONROE COUNTY.  THAT IS ABOUT THE ONLY PALCE I HEARD THEM SPE
AK ABOUT.
     THERE WAS LEVI, FLOYD, HENRY, NOAH, AND MANCY, JUST MY HALF BROTHERS AND SI
STERS, BUT I NEVER KNEW NO DIFFERENCE BUT WHAT THEY WAS MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS.
     WHERE WE LIVED?  ON MARSE JOHN ALEXANDER'S FARM.  HE WAS A GOOD MARSE, TOO.
  ALL MARSE JOHN WANTED WAS PLENTY OF WORK DONE AND WE DONE IT, TOO, SO THERE WA
S NO TROUBLE ON OUR PLANTATION.  I NEVER RECOLLECT ANYONE GETTING WHIPPED OR BAD
 TREATMENT FROM HIM.  I DO REMEMBER THAT SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS SAY THEY WAS TREA
TED PRETTY MEAN, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT IT CAUSE I WAS LITTLE THEN.
     WHERE DID I SLEEP?  I NEVER FORGIT THAT TRUNDLE BED THAT I SLEPT IN.
     MARSE JOHN'S PLACE WAS A KIND OF STOCK FARM AND I DID THE MILKING.
YOU ALL KNOW THAT WAS EASY LIKE SO I JUST KEEP BUSY MILKING AND GOT OUT OF THE H
ARD WORK.  ANOTHER THING I LIKED TO DO WAS PICK BERRIES, THAT WAS EASY TOO, SO I
 DONE MY SHARE PICKING.
     MONEY?  LAWSY CHILD, I NEVER DONE SEEN ANY MONEY UNTILL AFTER I CAME TO GAL
LIPOLIS AFTER THE WAR.  AND NOW I LIKE TO HEAR IT JINGLE, IF I JUST HAD TWO CENT
S, I WOULD MAKE IT JINGLE.
     WE ALL HAD PLENTY AND GOOD THINGS TO EAT, BEANS, CORN, POTATOES, MELONS AND
 HOT MUSH, CORN BREAD; WE JUST SAW WHITE FLOUR ONCE IN A WHILE.
     YES MAM, WE HAD RABBIT, WILD TURKEY, PHEASANTS, AND FISH.  I'M TELLING YOU,
 THAT RIFLE PAPPY HAD SURE COULD KILL THE GAME.
     ANOTHER GOOD OLD TIME WAS MAPLE SUGAR MAKING TIME, MOSTLY DONE AT NIGHT BY
 LIME STONE BURNING.  YES, I HELPED WITH THE MOLASSES AND ALL THE TrME I WAS THI
NKING ABOUT THEM HOT BISCUITS, HAM MEAT, CORN BREAD AND MOLASSES.
     WE LIVED IN A CABIN ON MARSE JOHN'S PLACE.  THERE WAS NOT MUCH IN THE CABIN
 BUT MY MAMMY KEPT IT MIGHTY CLEAN.  SAY, I CAN SEE THAT OLD FIRE PLACE WITH THE
 BIG LOGS BURNING RIGHT NOW, AND SMELL THAT GOOD COOKING, ALL DONE IN IRON POTS
 AND SKILLETS.  AND ALL THE COOKING AND HEATING WAS DONE BY WOOD, WHY I NEVER SA
W A LUMP OF COAL ALL THE TIME I WAS THERE.  WEALL HAD TO CUT SO MUCH WOOD AND PI
LE IT UP TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, AND THEN WHEN OUR PILE WAS CUT, THEN OUR
WORK WAS DONE, SO WE JUST HAD A GOOD TIME.
     WE ALL WORE JEANS CLOTHES, JUST PANTS AND A JACKET.  IN THE SUMMER WE CHILD
REN ALL WENT BAREFOOT, BUT IN THE WINTER WE ALL WORE SHOES.
     OLD MARSE JOHN AND HIS FAMILY LIVED IN A BIG FINE BRICH HOUSE.  MARSE JOHN
HAD THESE CHILDREN, MISS BETTY AND MISS ANN AND THERE WAS MARSE MIKE AND MARSE J
OHN.  MARSE JOHN, HE WAS SORT OF SPOILED LIKE.  HE WENT TO THE WAR AND RAN
AWAY FROM HARPER'S FERRY AND CAME HOME JUST SCARED TO DEATH.  HE GOT HIMSELF A P
AIR OF CRUTCHES AND NEVER WENT BACK.  MARSE JOHN USED THEM CRUTCHES UNTIL AFTER
THE WAS WAS OVER.  THEN THERE WAS OLD MISSY KIMBERTON, THE GRANDMOTHER.  SHE WAS
 PECULIAR BUT PRETTY GOOD, SO WAS MARSE'S CHILDREN.
     OLD MARSE JOHN HAD ABOUT TWENTY SLAVES SO THE WORK WAS NOT SO BAD ON NONE-O
F US.  I CAN JUST SEE THEM OLD BINDERS AND HARROWS NOW, THAT THEY USED THEN.  IT
 WOULD SURE LOOK FUNNY USING THEM NOW.
     I ALWAYS GOT UP AT FOUR OCLOCK IN THE MORNING TO GET IN THE COWS AND I DIDN
'T HURRY NONE, CAUSE THAT TAKE IN THE TIME.
     OUR MAMMY NEVER ALLOWED THE OLD FOLKS TO TELL US CHILDREN SCARY STORIES ABO
UT HANTS AND SUCH LIKE SO THERE ARE NONE FOR ME TO REMEMBER.
     TRAVELLING WAS RATHER SLOW LIKE.  THE ONLY WAY WAS IN OX CARTS OR ON HORSE
BACK.  WE ALL DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TIME FOR TRAVELLING.  OUR MARSE WAS TOO GOOD TO T
HINK ABOUT RUNNING AWAY.
     NONE OF MY FAMILY COULD READ OR WRITE.  I LEARNED TO READ AND WRITE AFTER I
 CAME NORTH TO OHIO.  THAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING I EVER TACKLED, BUT IT MADE ME
THE HAPPIEST AFTER I LEARNED.
     WE ALL WENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL AND MEETING.  YES MAM, WE HAD TO WORK ON
SUNDAYS, TOO, IF WE DID HAVE ANY SPARE TIME, WE WENT VISITIN!  ON SATURDAY
NIGHTS WE HAD A BIG TIME FOR THERE WAS MOST ALWAYS DANCING AND WE WOULD DANCE AS
 LONG AS THE CANDLES LASTED.  CANDLES WAS ALL WE HAD ANY TIME FOR LIGHT.
     I REMEMBER ONE OF THE NEIGHBOR BOYS TRIED TO RUN AWAY AND THE PARTOLS GOT H
IM AND FETCHED HIM BACK AND HE SURE DID GET A WALLOPING FOR IT.  THAT TOOK
ANY SUCH NOTION OUT OF MY MIND.  THEM PATROLLERS KEPT US SCARED TO DEATH ALL THE
 TIME.  ONE, HENRY JONES, RAN OFF AND WENT CLEAN UP NORTH SOME PLACE AND THEY NE
VER DID GET HIM.  COURSE, WE ALL WAS SURE POWERFUL GLAD ABOUT HIS ESCAPING.
     WE WERE NEVER ALLOWED OUT OF THE CABIN AT NIGHT.  BUT SOME TIMES THE OLDER
ONES WOULD SNEAK OUT AT NIGHT AND TAKE THE HORSES AND TAKE A LITTLE RIDE.  AND
 MAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST TOO BAD IF OLD MARSE JOHN HAD CAUGHT THEM.  THAT WA
S SURE HEAPS OF FUN FOR THE KIDS.  I REMEMBER HEARING ONCE THE OLD FOLKS
TALKING ABOUT THE WAY ONE MARSE DONE SOME BLACK BOYS THAT DID SOMETHING WRONG.
 HE JUST MADE THEM BITE THE HEADS OFF OF TOBACCO WORMS;  MYSELF I WOULD RATHER T
AKE A LICKING.
     ON CHRISTMAS DAY, WE WOULD GET FIRE CRACKERS AND DRINK BRANDY, THAT WAS
ALL.  THAT DAY WAS ONLY ONE WE DIDN'T WORK.  ON SATURDAY EVENINGS WE WOULD MOLD
CANDLES, THAT WAS NOT SO BAD.
     THE HAPPIEST TIME OF MY LIFE WAS CAPTON TIPTON, A YANKEE SOLDIER, CAME AND
 TOLD US THE WAR WAS OVER AND WE WERE FREE. CAPTAIN TIPTON SAID:"YOU ARE THE
BOYS WE DID THIS FOR."  WE SURE DIDN'T LOSE ANY TIME GETTING AWAY; NO MAN.
     WE WENT TO LEWISBURG AND THEN UP TO CHARLESTON BY WAGON AND THEN TOOK THE G
VERNMENT BOAT, GENERAL CROOK, AND IT BROUGHT US HERE TO GALLIPOLIS IN 1865.  THA
T OHIO SHORE SURE LOOKED PRETTY.
     I AM SURE THANKFUL TO MISTER LINCOLN FOR WHAT HE DID FOR US FOLKS, BUT THAT
 JEFF DAVIS, WELL I AIN'T SAYING WHAT I AM THINKING.
     THAT IS JUST LIKE THE WORLD, THERE IS LOTS OF GOOD AND LOTS OF BAD IN IT.