The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1882-09-30
TIL GREATGtOh EIAN'S NLN
PIE SIDkYUF HIS OKE
LIFE.

Halt cent the tnli"Aing trrse auto
biography tnki$ tii+x.d. DR.. w. IL.
White, Of Atlanta:
/ was bonn ia Ja>lltr county, G..,
Setk-mber IA. 1888. | was the
eryeAth Of nire children and the
fftk Of six mMlar~. My father
was L sinai! farmeE, ovuing few
slas-s Oull. All his sous. there
fore, did all the fara, Ws<k aud all
his ixAghters did AL the household
work. Ny mother eut xDd made
the clothes We Wore. and most of
them xeE~ spun aud vote on the
p~lantAlIoA. | worked on the farm
from The ,iale l was eight years
old. aud black and white came aud
went alike il all work. Ny father
WAS a man If Common education,
but Was extensively read aud Of
great infueaer III the neighbOrhOOd.
When / was ten Years old I,u 1883
my father m"'ed to the county Of
Troup, = new cou::ty, and biS lands
we're all in the woods, and helped
clear them. l walked the entire
distance from the old to the new
homr, over one hundred miles, help
Ing to drive the cattle. My father
would always ha,e u school house,
. church and q temperance society
near his lhouse. He vas always
Trustee Of the school, class leader
aud trustee in the church, aud pres
jd~nt of the temperance society.
Some Of my eaIiisst and sweetest
secOilectiOns are connected with
these institutions aud my fathers
zeal in them. Tue black people al
ways attended church with the
whites, aud all of Us, black aud
white, were encouraged to become
NEIL bers At very early ages. The
rule was for the children to work GU
the farm until the crop Was made,
and then 60 to school until it was
gathered. After the crop was gath
cred, 60 to school again until plant
ing t Inc for another crop.
This was my life until ( was six
teen years old. l was then contin
ued at school all the time, with a
view to a collegiate education. My
father was not able to send all bis
cbilnren to college. Only one he
sides myself desired a college
course, and l alone graduated. At
ter l was pronounced prepared to
enter college, my father decided he
Was not able to send me. A family
consultation was held. My mother
insisted on my going. She had al
ways had what was called her
"patcb," which was near the house,
and was cultivated by her house
hands, when not needed at house
work. This patch had always been
my mothers pin money, amounting
from $50 to 800. My mother said
she would contribute this to my col
lege expenses and would make my
clothes at home besides. All old
aunt Of my mothers, who lived in a
small house i'll my fathers yard,
aud had some means small and 10
children, agreed to contribute as
much more My father agreed to
add the balance, and l promised
that all my college expenses, OF any
kind, should not exceed $500 per
annnm. l promised my mother 1
would take the first honor in my
class. l redeemed this promise.
The proudest day III my Life was
when | wrote to my parents hat l
had taken the first honor in my
class and all the honors Of the lite
rary society of which l was a mem
Der.
The cook, Mariah, came by my
mother and was near her age. She
also raised nine children, just the
number my mother raised. One OF
the cooks children, from birth, was
assigned to one of my mothers
children. From our childhood we
played together, worked together,
and would fight for each other
against all the world. Stronger
ties than these were never formed.
1t was an alliance offensive and de
fensive.
married in 1916. Ny wife had
seven slaves, large aud small, left
her by her father, who died when
she was an infant. We thus be
gan life with eight slaves. When
my father and mother died, the
slaves selected their owner among
the children, and | had TO take two
morn who Wnull GO 9Th TO other