X XXX SILAS JACKSON I WAS BORN AT OR NEAR ASHBIE'S GAP IN VIRGINIA, EITHER IN THE YEAR 1846 OR '47. I DO NOT KNOW WHICH, BUT I WILL SAY I AM 90 YEARS OF AGE. MY FATHER'S NAM E WAS SLING AND MOTHER'S SARAH LOUIS. THEY WERE PURCHASED BY MY MASTER FROM A S LAVE TRADER IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. MY FATHER WAS A MAN OF LARGE STATURE AND MY MOTHER WAS TALL AND STATELY. THEY ORIGINALLY CAME FROM THE EASTERN SHORE OF MAR YLAND. I THINK FROM THE LEGG ESTATE; BEYOND THAT I DO NOT KNOW. I HAD THREE BR OTHERS AND TWO SISTERS. MY BROTHERS WERE OLDER THAN I, AND MY SISTERS YOUNGER. THEIR NAMES WERE SILAS, CARTER, RAP OR RAYMOND, I DO NOT REMEMBER; MY SISTERS W ERE JANE AND SUSIE, BOTH OF WHOM ARE LIVING IN VIRGINIA NOW. ONLY ONE I HAVE EV ER SEEN AND HE CAME NORTH WITH GENERAL SHERMAN. HE DIED IN 1925. HE WAS A BAPT IST MINISTER LIKE MYSELF. THE ONLY THING I KNOW ABOUT MY GRANDPARENTS WERE: MY GRANDFATHER, RAN AWAY THROUGH THE AID OF HARRIET TUBMAN AND WENT TO PHILADELPHIA. HE SAVED 350 DOLLA RS AND PURCHASED MY GRANDMOTHER THROUGH THE AID OF A QUAKER OR AN EPISCOPAL MINI STER, I DO NOT KNOW. I HAVE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TRIED TO TRACE THIS PART OF MY FAMILY'S PAST HISTORY BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS. I WAS A LARGE BOY FOR MY AGE. WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS OF AGE MY TASKS BEGAN AND CONTINUED UNTIL 1864. IN VIRGINIA WHERE I WAS, THEY RAISED TOBACCO, WHEAT, CORN, AND FARM PRODUCTS. I HAVE HAD A TASTE OF ALL THE WORK ON THE FARM, BESIDE S DIGGING AND CLEARING UP NEW GROUND TO INCREASE THE ACREAGE TOT HE FARM. WE AL L HAD TASK WORK TO DO--MEN WOMEN, AND BOYS. WE BEGAN WORK ON MONDAY AND WORKED UNTIL SATURDAY. THAT DAY WE WERE ALLOWED TO WORK FOR OURSELVES AND TO GARDEN OR TO DO EXTRA WORK. WHEN WE COULD GET WORK, OR WORK ON SOMEONE ELSE'S PLACE, WE GOT A PASS FROM THE OVERSEER TO GO OFF THE PLANTATION, BUT TO BE BACK BY NINE O' CLOCK ON SATURDAY NIGHT OR WHEN CABIN INSPECTION WAS MADE. SOMETIMES WE COULD E ARN AS MUCH AS FIFTY CENTS A DAY, WHICH WE USED TO BUY CAKES, CANDIES, OR CLOTHE S. ON SATURDAY EACH SLAVE WAS GIVEN TEN POUNDS CORNMEAL, A QUART OF BLACK STRA P, SIX POUNDS OF FATBACK, THREE POUNDS OF FLOUR AND VEGETABLES, ALL OF WHICH WER E RAISED ON THE FARM. ALL OF THE SLAVES HUNTED, OR THOSE WHO WANTED TO, HUNTED RABBITS, OPPOSSUMS, OR FISHED. THESE WERE OUR CHOICE FOOD AS WE DID NOT GET ANY THING SPECIAL FROM THE OVERSEER. OUR FOOD WAS COOKED BY OUR MOTHERS OR SISTERS AND, FOR THOSES WHO WERE NOT MARRIED, BY THE OLD WOMEN AND MEN ASSIGNED FOR THAT WORK. EACH FAMILY WAS GIVEN THREE ACRES TO RAISE THEIR CHICKENS OR VEGETABLES, AND IF A MAN RAISED HIS OWN FOOD HE WAS GIVEN TEN DOLLARS AT CHRISTMAS TIME EXTR A, BESIDES HIS PRESENTS. IN ,HE SUMMER OR WHEN WARM WEATHER CAME EACH SLAVE WAS GIVEN SOMETHING: TH E WOMEN, LINSEY GOODS OR GINGHAM CLOTHES; THE MEN OVERALLS, MUSLIN SHIRTS, TOP A ND UNDERCLOTHES, TWO PAIR OF SHOES, AND A STRAW HAT TO WORK IN. IN THE COLD WEA THER, WE WORE WOOLEN CLOTHES, ALL MADE AT THE SEWING CABIN. MY MASTER WAS NAMED TOM ASHBIE, A MEANER MAN WAS NEVER BORN IN VIRGINIA--BR UTAL, WICKED, AND HARD. HE ALWAYS CARRIED A COWHIDE WITH HIM. IF HE SAW ANYONE DOING SOMETHING THAT DID NOT SUIT HIS TASTE, HE WOULD HAVE THE SLAVE TIED TO A TREE, MAN OR WOMAN, AND THEN WOULD COWHIDE THE VICTIM UNTIL HE GOT TIRED, OR SOM ETIMES, THE SLAVE WOULD FAINT. MRS ASHBIE WAS KIND AND LOVELY TO HER SLAVES WHEN MR AHSBIE WAS OUT. THE A SHBIES DID NOT HAVE ANY CHILDREN OF THEIR OWN, BUT THEY HAD BOYS AND GIRLS OF HI S OWN SISTER AND THEY WERE MUCH LIKE HIM. THEY HAD MAIDS OR PRIVATE WAITERS FOR THE yOuNG-MnN IF THEY WjNTED THEM. I HAVE HEARD IT SAID BY PEOPLE IN AUTHORITY, TOM ASHBIE OWNED 9000 ACRES OF FARM LAND BESIDES WOOD LAND. HE WAS A LARGE SLAVE OWNER, HAVING MORE THAN A HU NDRED SLAVES ON HIS FARM. THEY WERE AWAKENED BY BLOWING OF THE HORN BEFORE SUNR ISE BY THE OVERSEER, STARTED WORK AT SUNRISE AND WORKED ALL DAY TO SUNDOWN, WITH NO TIME TO GO TO THE CABIN FOR DINNER. YOU CARRIED YOUR DINNER WITH YOU. THE SLAVES WERE DRIVEN AT TOP SPEED AND WHIPPED AT THE SNAP OF THE FINGER BY THE OVE RSEERS. WE HAD FOUR OVERSEERS ON THE FARM, ALL HIRED WHITE MEN. I HAVE SEEN ME N BEATEN UNTIL THEY DROPPED IN THEIR TRACKS; OR KNOCKED OVER BY CLUBS; WOMEN STR IPPED DOWN TO THEIR WAIST AND COWHIDED. I HAVE HEARD IT SAID THAT TOM ASHBIE'S FATHER WENT TO ONE OF THE CABINS LAT E AT NIGHT. THE SLAVES WAS HAVING A SECRET PRAYER MEETING. HE HEARD ONE SLAVE ASK GOD TO CHANGE THE HEART OF HIS MASTER AND DELIVER HIM FROM SLAVERY SO THAT H E MAY ENJOY FREEDOM. BEFORE THE NEXT DAY THE MAN DISAPPEARED, NO ONE EVER SEEIN G HIM AGAIN. BUT AFTER THAT DOWN IN THE SWAMP, AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE MOON, YO U COULD HEAR THE MAN WHO PRAYED IN THE CABIN PRAYING. WHEN OLD MAN ASHBIE DIED, JUST BEFORE HE DIED, HE TOLD THE WHITE BAPTIST MINISTER THAT HE HAD KILLED ZEEK FOR PRAYING AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO HELL. THE ASHBIE'S HOME WAS A LARGE STONE MANSION, WITH A PARCH ON THREE SIDES, W IDE HALLS IN THE CENTER UP AND DOWNSTAIRS, NUMEROUS ROOMS AND A STONE KITCHEN BU ILT ON THE BACK CONNECTED WITH THE DINING ROOM. THERE WAS A STONE BUILDING ON T HE FARM. IT IS THERE TODAY. I SAW IT THIS SUMMER WHILE VISITING IN VIRGINIA. THE OLD JAIL, IT IS NOW USED AS A GARAGE. DOWNSTAIRS THERE WERE TWO ROOMS, ONE WHERE SOME OF THE WHIPPING WAS DONE, AND THE OTHER USED BY THE OVERSEER. UPSTAI RS WAS USED FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS. THE IRON BARS HAVE CORRODED, BUT YOU CAN SEE WHERE THEY WERE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SLAVES SOLD ON THE FARM, BUT I HAVE SEEN THE M TAKEN AWAY AND BROUGHT THERE. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE SEEN SLAVES CHAINED TAKEN AWAY AND CHAINED WHEN THEY CAME. -NO-ONE-ON THE-PLACE WAS TAUGHT TO READ OR WRITE. N SUNDAY THE SLAVES WHO WANTED TO WORSHIP WOULD GATHER AT ONE OF THE LARGE CABINS WITH ONE OF THE OVERSE ERS PRESENT AND HAVE THEIR CHURCH, AFTER WHICH THE OVERSEER WOULD TALK. WHEN CO MMUNION WAS GIVEN THE OVERSEER WAS PAID FOR STAYING THERE WITH HALF THE COLLECTI ON TAKEN UP, SOMETIMES HE WOULD GET 25 CENTS. NO ONE COULD READ THE BIBLE. SAN DY JASPER, MR ASHBIE'S COACHMAN, WAS THE PREACHER. HE WOULD GO TO THE WHITE BAP TIST CHURCH ON SUNDAY WITH FAMILY AND WOULD BE BETTER INFORMED BECAUSE HE HEARD THE WHITE PREACHER. TWICE EACH YEAR, AFTER HARVEST AND AFTER NEW YEAR'S, THE SLAVES WOULD HAVE THEIR PROTRACTED MEETING, OR THEIR REVIVAL, AND AFTER EACH CLOSING THEY WOULD BA PTIZE IN THE CREEK. SOMETIMES IN THE WINTER THEY WOULD BREAK THE ICE SINGING GO ING TO THE WATER OR SOME OTHER HYMN OF THAT NATURE. AND AT EACH FUNERAL, THE AS HBIES WOULD ATTEND THE SERVICE CONDUCTED IN THE CABIN, WHERE THE DECEASED WAS, F ROM THERE TAKING HIM TO THE SLAVE GRAVEYARD. A LOT DEDICATED FOR THAT PURPOSE W AS SITUATED ABOUT THREE FOURTHS OF A MILE FROM CABINS, NEAR A HILL. THnRE WnRE A-NuMBER OF SLAVES ON OUR PLANTATION WHO RAN AWAY. SOME WERE CA PTURED AND SOLD TO A GEORGIA TRADER, OTHERS WHO WERE NEVER CAPTURED. TO INTIMID ATE THE SLAVES, THE OVERSEERS WERE CONNECTED WITH THE PATROLLERS, NOT ONLY TO WA TCH OUR SLAVES, BUT SOMETIMES FOR THE REWARDS FOR OTHER SLAVES WHO HAD RUN AWAY FROM OTHER PLANTATIONS. THIS FEATURE CAUSED A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE BETWEEN THE WHITES AND BLACKS. IN 1858, 2 WHITE MEN WERE MURDERED NEAR WARRENTON ON THE RO AD, BY COLORED PEOPLE. IT WAS NEVER KNOWN WHETHER BY FREE PEOPLE OR SLAVES. WHEN WORK WAS DONE THE SLAVES RETIRED TO THEIR CABINS. SOME PLAYED GAMES, OTHERS COOKED OR RESTED OR DID WHAT THEY WANTED. WE DID NOT WORK ON SATURDAYS UNLESS IN HARVEST TIMES, THEN SATURDAYS WERE DAYS OF WORK . AT OTHER TIMES, ON SATURDAYS YOU WERE AT LEISURE TO DO WHAT YOU WANTED. ON CHRISTMAS DAY, MR ASHB IE WOULD CALL THE SLAVES TOGETHER, GIVE THEM PRESENTS, MONEY, AFTER WHICH THEY S PENT THE DAY AS THEY LIKED. ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, WE ALL WERE SCARED--THAT WAS THE TIME FOR SELLING, BUYING, AND TRADING SLAVES. WE DID NOT KNOW WHO WAS TO GO OR COME. X XXX