Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-06-19
Fred. Douglass Revisits His Early
lt---. Home. - - -

Frederick Douglass returned to
Washington last night from a trip to
Wye River, Md, where he was raised
slave. The trip just ended is the
first time he has revisited the scenes
of his childhood for ffty>six years.
Accompanied by Collector John
Thomas Mr.. Douglass left Baltimore
Tuesday to revisit the homestead of
Mr.. Edmund Lloyd, his old master,
on Wye River, Talbot county. Mr..
Lloyd had been notified of their in
tended visit. The cutter started
at 1 o'clock the same day. Collector
Thomas, in describing the trip,
which, for many reasons, was MEM
orable one, said: Mr.. Lloyd's son,
Edmund, came aboard in response to
note, and, expressing regrets at
the absence of his father, who had
gone to Easton, most cordially res
ceived Mr.. Douglass in his name.
Mr.. Lloyd took charge of and es-
corted them around the farm. On
the trip down Mr.. Douglass had
described to us the location of the
old mansion with all of it's surround
ings, the old blacksmith shop, old
tobacco house, slave quarters, barns,
&c, The various farms and their
location, and who owned them fifty
six years ago, were also referred to,
and Mr.. Douglass, when landing dis
covered his memory of location to be
quite as remarkable as his memory
of events. Almost everything he had
described as ON the farm was there,
and with the exception Of some
slight decay, time had made
but little change. Mr.. Douglass
was shown by Mr.. Howard Floyd the
great grandson of his old master,
every familiar spot he enquired for,
and after having seen the garden
and venerable old elms, under which
he had played when boy, he was
taken into the family graveyard ad
joining the mansion, where, reverent
ly taking off his hat, he passed from
tomb to tomb, reading all the in
|
over where the first Edmund Lloyd
was buried 200 years ago, down to
that over the last stone. The grave
yard also contained the remains of
Admiral Buchanan, who commanded
the Merrimac in the action at Hamp~
ton Roads with the Monitor, and
those of General Winder, of the
Confederate army, both of whom
married daughters of the father of
the present Edmund Lloyd. After
Mr. Howard Lloyd had plucked a
bouquet of flowers and ivy from diff
ferent graves which he presented to
Mr.. Douglass, at his request the party
were invited into the old mansion. The
old hall, where Mr.. Douglass often
played when slave boy, was in
spected, and then the visitors par
took of the hospitalities of the
house. Mr. Douglass was very visiA
bly, affected at the great kindness
and consideration shown him, and
drank the health of the family, say
ing that he trusted that God in His
providence would pour out the horn
of plenty to the latest generation,
and that the children and descend-
ants of the master of the old house
would worthily maintain the fame
and char acteristic of his ancestors.
Referring to this feature of their
visit, Col. Thomas added: "By this
time it was noised about among the
colored people that Mr.. Douglass
had arrived, and on our return to
the boat he was met by NUMBER of
: descendants of the old slaves with
whom he had been acquainted when
a boy Tn conversation with them
he revived many of the early Incl
dents of his life"
Yesterday morning the party
steamed up the Miles River and an
chored off Admiral Buchanan's place,
where Mr.. Douglass disembarked for
the purpose of paying his respects to
the widow of Admiral Buchanan.
Said Col. Thomas, "he was most
kindly received by old Mrs. Buchan-
an, and, although the old lady is now
seventy>five years OF age, she had a
vivid recollection of Mr.. Douglass
boyhood, and, on the broad veranda
looking out on the river, and sur
rounded by her daughters and
great granddaughters, she and MIR.
Douglass chatted for over ma
hour, recalling memories of the
past" After receiving a handsome
bouquet from Mrs. Buchanan to take
home to his grandchildren, the
party took their leave, Mr. Douglass
say ,ng that among the many strange
and eventful periods of his life,
there was none SO strange, none
more eventful, none half so agreea-
BILE and pleasant, and none that so
plainly told how God moves in a
mysterious way as this trip, and that
it would form the greenest of the
many green spots in his memorp.