The Opelousas courier., 1882-10-07
The Great Georgian's Simple
Story of Ills own Life.

story or Ills UWn Lille,
Three years age Senator Ben Hill
sent the following terse autobiography
to his friend, DR.. W: H. White, of At
lanta:
I was born in Jasper county, Ga.
September IA, 1923. was the seventh
of nine children and the fifth of siz
brothers. My father was a small farm
er, owning q few slaves only. All his
sons, therefore. did all the farm work
and all his daughters did all household
work. My mother cut and made the
clothes we wore, and most of them were
spun and wove on the plantation.
worked on the farm from the time
was eight years old, and black and
white came and went alike in all work
Father was O man of common educa-
ton, but was extensively read and of
great influence in the neighborhood.
When | was ten years old lin 1889 my
father moved to the county of TrOup,
a new county, and his lands were all
in the woods, and | helped clear them.
| walked the entire distance from the
old to the new home, Over one hundred
miles, helping to drive the cattle. My
father would always have a school
house, q church and a temperance so
ciety near his house. He was always
trustee Of the school, class-lead-
er and trustee in the church, and pres
ident of the temperance society. Some
of my earliest and sweetest recollec-
tiens are connected with these institu-
tons and my fathers zeal in them
The black people always attended
church with the whites, and all Of us,
black and white, were encouraged to
become members at very early ages.
The rule was for the children to work
oil the farm until the crop was made,
and then go to school until it was
gathered. After the crop was gather
ed, so to school again until planting
time for another crop.
This was my life until I was sixteen
years old. / was then continued at
school all the time, with a view to q
collegiate education. Ny father was
not able to send all his children to col.
lege. Only one besides myself desired
a college course, and / alone gradu-
ated. After | was pronounced prepar-
ed to enter college, my father decided
he was not able to send me. A family
consultation was held. My mother in
sisted on my going. She had always
had what was called her patch"
which was neal the house, and was
cultivated by her house hands, when
not needed at homework. This patch
had always been my mothers pin
money, amounting from $50 to 800.
Ny mother said she would contribute
this to my college expenses and would
make my clothes at home besides. An
old aunt Of my mothers who lived in a
small house in my fathers yard, and
had some can (small) and no chill
dren, agreed to contribute as much
more. My father agreed to add the
balance, and | promised that all my
college expenses, of any kind, should
not exceed $500 per annum | prom
ised my mother | would take the first
homer in my class. l redeemed this
promise. The proudest day in my life
was when wrote to my parents that |
had taken the first honor in nv class
and all the honors of the literary SO. |
ciety of which l was a member.
The cook, Mariah, came by NV
mother and was near her age. She
also raised nine children, just the num-
Der my mother raised. One of the
cooks children, from birth, was assign
ed to n 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. It was an alliance offensive |
and defensive.
/ married in 1915. My wife had sew
en- slaves, large and small, left her by
her father, who died when she was an
infant. We thus began life with eight
slaves. When my father and mother
died, the shaved selected their owner
among the children and | had to take
two more, who would go with no other
child, and paid for them. My wife had
one other brother left an orphan with
her. He married several years after
we did, and determined not to keep his
They were not willing to 60
out Of the family, and [ bought them.
/ o had fourteen slaves. I was a
professional man, living in town, and
did not need them. / was net willing
to hire them out. The result was, I
bought some land neal the town, and
moved on it with the slaves, and told
them to support themselves under my
protection. The slaves increased and
married wives and husbands and rails
ed children, and to keep them together
| bought them all. I also bought sew
eral others who had to be sold, and
who selected me as their owner. In d
few years my small place was insult
for them, and rather than part
with them bought a larger plantation
the county and placed them on it
and removed with my family back to
town. was thus q stakeholder from
1915 to 1865, just twenty years. My
increased from oight to twenty
seven, and during all that time there
but two deaths among them. 1
realized no preft from them, and all of
hem will testify that I cared better
or them than they have been able to
care for themselves "since freedom
Eminent ST. TnYis Phvsi.