Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-08-31
HILLS AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
The Great Georgian's Simple StOry of
His Own Life.

The Great Georgian's Simple StOry of
His Own Life.
The Press.
Three years ago SefAtor Ben Hill sent
the following terse autobiography to his
friend, DR.. w. II. White, of Atlanta:
was born in Jasper county, Georgia,
September II, 1923. was the seventh
of nine children and the fifth of six
brothers. Ny father was small farm
| er, owning 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 all the
clothes we wore, and most of them were
homespun and were woye on the plapta-
tion. / worked on the farm from the
time was eight years old, and black
and white came and went alike in all
tswork. My father had common educa-
ton, but was extensively read and of
great influence in his neighborhood.
When l was ten years old (1S93) my
father moved to the county of TrOup, a
new county, and his lands were all in
the woods, and helped clear them. l
walked the entire distance from the old
to the new home over one hundred
miles, helping to drive cattle. My faith
Fer would always have schoolhouse, a
church and temperance society near
bis house. He was always trustee of
the school, class-leader and steward in
the church and president of the temper
ance society. Some of my earliest and
|sru or
with these institutions and my fathers
zeal in them. The black people always
attended church with the whites; and
all of us, black and white, were encour-
aged to become members at very early
ages. The rule was fer the children to
work on the farm until the crop was
made, and then go to school until it was
gathered. After the crop was gathered,
go to school again until planting time
fer another crop.
This was my life until 1 was sixteen
years old. was then confined at school
all the time with view to a collegiate
education. My father was not able to
send all his children to college; only one
beside myself desired college course,
and alone graduated. After l was
prepared to enter college my father de-
Ecided he was not able to send me. A
family consultation was held. My moth
er insisted on my going. She had al
ways had what was called her patch"
which was near the house, and was cul-
tiyated by her house hands when not
needed at housewOrk. This patch had
alVays been my mothers pin money,
amounting from $50 to 800. My moth
arr n oI, fri hnf n
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
means (smalD and no children, agreed
to contribute as much more. My father
agreed to add the balance, and l promis-
ed that all my college expenses of any
kind should not exceed $500 per annum.
promised my mother that would take
the first honor in my class. l redeemed
thSs-.eenaise The -nrondest- day of my
fffe was when wrote to my parents
that had taken the first honor in my
class and all the honors of the literary
society of which was member.
HOW BECAME A SHAREHOLDER.
The cook, Mariah, came by my moth
er, and was near her age. She also rails
ed nine children, just the number my
mother raised. One of the cooks chill
dren from birth was assigned to one of
my mothers children. From our child
hood we played together, worked to
gether, and would fight for each other
against all the world. Stronger ties
than these were never formed. 1t was
an alliance offensive and defensive.
married in 1S45. My wife had sew
en- slaves, large and small, left by her
father, who died when she was an in
FAINT. We thus began life with eight
slaves. When my father and mother
died, the slaves selected their owner
among the children, and I had to take
two more, who would go with no other
child, and paid for them. My wife had
one brother left an orphan with her.
He married several years after we did,
and determined not to keep his slaves.
They were not willing to go out of the
family, and bought them. l now had
fourteen slaves. I was a professional
man living in town, and did not need
them. l was not willing to hire them
out. The result was, bought some
land near the town, and moved on it
Will GilC oldtCS, dnu IOlu bhOm w CUP
port themselves under my protection.
The slaves increased and married wives
and husbands and raised children, and
to keep them together l bought them
all. l also bought several others who
had to be sold, and who selected me as
their owner. In few years my small
place was insufficient for them, and
rather than part with them l bought
larger plantation in the country and
placed them upon it, and removed with
my family back to town. L was thus a
STAKEHOLDER from 1S45 to 1865, just 20
years. The slaves increased from eight
to sixty-seven, and during all that time
there were but two deaths among them.
realized no profit from them, and all
of them will testify that 1 cared better
for them than they have been able to
care for themselves "since freedom
came"