Is there anything on the net abt. VA's slave traders, if so may we have the add.? I have read somethings abt. it, some Kings in VA. were in on bringing slaves into the USA, Norfolk, VA. I think it was, Thanks Jan. HERMON B FAGLEY wrote: > > www.ancestry.com added "Slave Narratives' to their databases. Free for > all a > few days. This is the 1st hit I got for UNDERGROUND > Ancestry.com - Slave NarrativesMember Login | Guest Registry | Why Join? > > > Search > Record Type > Slave Narratives > Search ResultsFebruary > 11, > 2000 > (Verbatim interview with Arnold Gragston, 97-year-old ex-slave whose > early > life was spent helping slaves to freedom across the Ohio River, > while he, > himself, remained in bondage. As he puts it, he guesses he could be > called > a 'conductor' on the underground railway, only we didn't call it > that > then. I don't know as we called it anything -- we just knew there > was a > lot of slaves always a-wantin' to get free, and I had to help > 'em.") > > "Most of the slaves didn't know when they was born, but I did. You > see, I > was born on a Christmas mornin' -- it was in 1840; I was a full > grown man > when I finally lot my freedom." > > "Before I got it, though, I helped a lot of others get theirs. Lawd > only > knows how many; might have been as much as two-three hundred. It > was 'way > wore than a hundred, I know. > > "But that all came after I was a young man -- 'grown' enough to > know a > pretty girl when I saw one, and to go chasing after her, too. I was > born > on a plantation that b'longed to Mr. Jack Tabb in Mason County, > just > across the river in Kentucky." > > "Mr. Tabb was a pretty good man. He used to beat us, sure; but not > nearly > so much as others did, some of his own kin people, even. But he was > kinda > funny sometimes; he used to have a special slave who didn't have > nothin' > to do but teach the rest of us -- we had about ten on the > plantation, and > a lot on the > > (-50-) > > other plantations near us -- how to read and write and figger. Mr. > Tabb > liked us to know how to figger. But sometimes when he would send > for us > and we would be a long time comin', he would ask us where we had > been. If > we told him we had been learnin' to read, he would near beat the > daylights > out of us -- after gettin' somebody to teach us; I think he did > some of > that so that the other owners wouldn't say he was spoilin' his > slaves." > > "He was funny about us marryin', too. He would let us go a-courtin' > on the > other plantations near anytime we liked, if we were good, and if we > found > somebody we wanted to marry, and she was on a plantation that > b'longed to > one of his kin folks or a friend, he would swap a slave so that the > > husband and wife could be together. Sometimes, when he couldn't do > this, > he would let a slave work all day on his plantation, and live with > his > wife at night on her plantation. Some of the other owners was > always > talking about his spoilin' us." > > "He wasn't a Dimmacrat like the rest of 'em in the county; he > belonged to > the 'know-nothin' party' and he was a real leader in it. He used to > always > be makin' speeches, and sometimes his best friends wouldn't be > speaking to > him for days at a time." > > "Mr. Tabb was always specially good to me. He used to let me go all > about > -- I guess he had to; couldn't get too much work out of me even > when he > kept me right under his eyes. I learned fast, too, and I think he > kinda > liked that. He used to call Sandy Davis, the slave who taught me, > 'the > smartest Nigger er > > Copyright 1998-2000, MyFamily.com Inc. and its subsidiaries. Terms & > Conditions > | Privacy Statement | Y2K| Contact Us > > Ancestry.com - Slave NarrativesMember Login | Guest Registry | Why Join? > > Advanced Search | Search by Locality | Search by Record > Type | > Search Help > > Database: Full Context of Slave Narratives > > in Kentucky.' > > "It was 'cause he used to let me go around in the day and night so > much > that I came to be the one who carried the runnin' away slaves over > the > river. It was funny the way I started it, too." > > "I didn't have no idea of ever gettin' mixed up in any sort of > business > like that until one special night. I hadn't even thought of rowing > across > the river myself." > > "But one night I had gone on another plantation 'courtin,' and the > old > woman whose house I went to told me she had a real pretty girl > there who > wanted to go across the river and would I take her? I was seared > and > backed out in a hurry. But then I saw the girl, and she was such a > pretty > little thing, brownskinned and kinda rosy, and looking as scared as > I was > feelin', so it wasn't long before I was listenin' to the old woman > tell we > when to take her and where to leave her on the other side." > > "I didn't have nerve enough to do it that night, though, and I told > them > to wait for me until tomorrow night. All the next day I kept seeing > Mister > Tabb laying a rawhide across my back, or shootin' me, and kept > seeing that > seared little brown girl back at the house, looking at me with her > big > eyes and askin me if I wouldn't just row her across to Ripley. Me > and Mr. > Tabb lost, and soon as dust settled that night, I was at the old > lady's > house." > > "I don't now how I ever rowed the boat across the > > (-52-) > > river the current was strong and I was trembling. I couldn't see a > thing > there in the dark, but I felt that girl's eyes. We didn't dare to > whisper, > so I couldn't tell her how sure I was that Mr. Tabb or some of the > others > owners would 'tear me up' when they found out what I had done. I > just knew > they would find out." > > "I was worried, too, about where to put her out of the boat. I > couldn't > ride her across the river all night, and I didn't know a thing > about the > other side. I had heard a lot a out it from other slaves but I > thought it > was just about like Mason County, with slaves and masters, > overseers and > rawhides; and so, I just knew that if I pulled the boat up and went > to > asking people where to take her I would get a beating or get > killed." > > Copyright 1998-2000, MyFamily.com Inc. and its subsidiaries. Terms & > Conditions > | Privacy Statement | Y2K| Contact Us > > Ancestry.com - Slave NarrativesMember Login | Guest Registry | Why Join? > > Previous Page Next Page > "I don't know whether it seemed like a long time or a short time, > now - > it's so long ago; I know it was a long time rowing there in the > cold and > worryin'. But it was short, too, 'cause as soon as I did get on the > other > side the big-eyed, brown-skin girl would be gone. Well, pretty soon > I saw > a tall light and I remembered what the old lady had told me about > looking > for that light and rowing to it. I did; and when I got up to it, > two men > reached town and grabbed her; I started tremblin' all over again, > and > prayin'. Then, are of the men took my arm and I just felt down > inside of > me that the Lord had got ready for me. 'You hungry, Soy?' is what > he asked > me, and if he hadn't been holdin' me I think I would have fell > > (-53-) > > backward into the river." > > "That was my first trip; it took me a long time to get over my > seared > feelin', but I finally did, and I soon found myself goin back > across the > river, with two and three people, and sometimes a whole boatload. I > got so > I used to make three and four trips a month. > > "What did my passengers look like? I can't tell you any more about > it than > you can, and you wasn't there. After that first girl -- no, I never > did > see her again -- I never saw my passengers. I would have to be the > 'black > nights' of the moon when I would carry them, and I would meet 'em > out in > the open or in a house without a single light. The only way I knew > who > they were was to ask them; "What you say?" And they would answer, > "Menare." I don't know what that word meant -- it came from the > Bible. I > only know that that was the password I used, and all of them that I > took > over told it to me before I took them. > > "I guess you wonder what I did with them after I got them over the > river. > Well, there in Ripley was a man named Mr. Bank us; I think the rest > of his > name was John. He had a regular station there on his place for > escaping > slaves. You see, Ohio was a free state and once they got over the > river > from Kentucky or Virginia, Mr. Rankins could strut them all around > town, > and nobody would bother 'em. The only reason we used to land 'em > quietly > at night was so that whoever brought 'em could go back for more, > and > because we had to be careful that none of the > > (-54-) > > owners had followed us. Every once in a while they would follow a > boat and > catch their slaves back. Sometimes they would shoot at whoever was > trying > to save the poor devils. > > "Mr. Rankins had a regular 'station' for the slaves. He had a big > lighthouse in his yard, about thirty feet high and he kept it > burnin' all > night. It always meant freedom for slave if he could get to this > light. > > "Sometimes Mr. Rankins would have twenty or thirty slaves that had > run > away on his place at the time. It must have cost him a, whole lots > to keep > them and feed 'em, but I think some of his friends helped him. > > Copyright 1998-2000, MyFamily.com Inc. and its subsidiaries. Terms & > Conditions > | Privacy Statement | Y2K| Contact Us > > Ancestry.com - Slave NarrativesMember Login | Guest Registry | Why Join? > > Search > Record Type > Slave Narratives > Search ResultsFebruary > 11, > 2000 > Search Results > Database: Full Context of Slave Narratives > Combined Matches: > Previous Page Next Page > "I almost ran the business in the ground after I had been carrying > the > slaves across for nearly four years. It was in 1963, and one night > I > carried across about twelve on the same night. Somebody must have > seen us, > because they set out after me as soon as I stepped out of the boat > back on > the Kentucky side; from that time on they were after me. Sometimes > they > would almost catch me; I had to run away from Mr. Tabb's plantation > and > live in the fields and in the woods. I didn't know what a bed was > from one > week to another. I would sleep in a cornfield tonight, up in the > branches > of a tree tomorrow sight, and buried in a hay pile the next night; > the > River, where I had carried so many across myself, was no good to > me; it > was watched too close. > > "Finally, I saw that I could never do any more good in Mason > County, so I > decided to take my freedom, too. I had a wife by this time, and one > night > we quietly slipped across and headed for Mr. Rankin's bell and > light. It > looked like we had > > (-57-) > > to go almost to Chinn to get across that river; I could hear the > bell and > see the light on Mr. Rankin's place, but the harder I rowed, the > farther > away it Cot, and I knew if I didn't make it I'd get killed. But > finally. I > pulled up by the light-house, and went on to my freedom -- just a > few > months before all of the slaves got their's. I didn't stay in > Rinley, > though; I wasn't taking no chances. I went on to Detroit and still > live > there with wout of 10 children and 31 grandchildren. > > "We bigger ones don't care so much about hearin' it now, but the > little > once never ot tired of hearin' how their grandpa brought > Emancipation to > loads of slaves he could touch and fool, but never could see." > > (-58-, FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT, American Guide (Negro Writers' > Unit), > Jacksonville, Florida, Martin Richardson, Slave Interview, Arnold > Gragston, REFERENCES) > > 1. Interview with subject, Arnold Gragston, present address, Robert > > Hungerford Colle a Campus, Eatonville (F. O. Maitland) Florida. > > (Subject is relative of President of Hangerford College and stays > several > months in Eatonville at frequent intervals. His home is Detroit, > Michigan). > > (FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT, American Guide, (Negro Writers' Unit), > Jacksonville, Florida, Pearl Randolph, Field Worker, Complete, > 1,601 > Words, 8 Pages, Slave Interview, 18 Dec 1936, Harriett Gresham) > > Gresham, Harriett > > Copyright 1998-2000, MyFamily.com Inc. and its subsidiaries. Terms & > Conditions > | Privacy Statement | Y2K| Contact Us > > ________________________________________________________________ > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. -- - --------------------------------------------------- Click here for Free Video!! http://www.gohip.com/freevideo/