During all my slave life I never lost sight of freedom. It was always on my heart; it came to me like a solemn thought, and often circumstances much stimulated the desire to be free and raised great expectation of it. We slaves all knew when an Abolitionist got into Congress. We knew it when there was just one there, and we watched it all the way until there was a majority there. I don’t know hardly how we got the knowledge, but we always knew. We always called “freedom” “possum,” so as to keep the white people from knowing what we were talking about. We all understood it.
Some years before emancipation, my master signed $900 to be paid in work towards building a Baptist College where we lived. He sent me to work out his subscription. I had four children of my own, and I thought that it was hard for me to work out this $900, when I could have no privilege of educating my own children. I little thought then that my children would ever graduate at this college, but God has turned things about so that three of my children have graduated, and the fourth will graduate next June; so that when I worked out this subscription of my master, I was building a college for myself and my family. While at work on this college, I fell into a conversation with the white carpenters at work there, and they said “niggers” would do nothing “if set free.” I told them if they would take me out into the woods and strip every rag from me, and set me free, that in ten years I would school my children.
Just after emancipation my master said: “Ambrose, I want you to let Nannie stay with her mistress; she can’t do without her.” I said: “Master, I always thought that if ever I was free I would educate my children; if ’twas not for that, sir, I would accommodate you.” “Ambrose,” said he, “I hardly thought you would deny me.” I said: “I can’t do any better, sir.” With this we separated, and now all my children are good scholars; one is a minister; one has charge of an academy; I have a good house of seven rooms, and eleven acres of land about it, besides a farm of 320 acres in the country.
Nothing can illustrate the great change that has come over us, unless it is the change in passing from earth to heaven. You could see the force of this illustration if you knew our history—if you only knew the dark Egypt we have come through. I believe emancipation will work out as great things for us as it did for Israel.
When the college and the Congregational Church were planted here I joined the church, and have never been sorry for it. I love the missionary cause, and would rather give all I have than to see it go down.
I love to think of my son down in Selma preaching. There was quite a scare there about the yellow fever, and my son wrote me to know what he should do; I wrote him back, “to look to the Lord, and stand to his post.”
A GRATEFUL WARD.
A Letter from an Indian.
I thank you, gentlemen, you kind and good. By and by I see you and tell you. You give money to Mrs. Caruthers to help me learn. I try to learn fast. Indian no talk much English. May be very soon I understand. Long ago I an Indian, now I don’t think so. I think gust the same white man. Now I want be same as good white man. Here this country good Tarrytown I like. Your a