The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-08-29
BEN HILLS AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
The Late Senator's Simple Story of His Own
LIfe-A Struggle Against Poverty
A Slaye-Owner

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Llfe-A Struggle Against Poverty
A Slave-0wnef.
Three years ago. Senator Ben Hill sent
the following terse autobiography to his
friend, Dr. I'll. w White, of Atlanta:
was born in Jasper county, Georgia Sept.
IA, 1928. | was the seventh of nine chill
dren and the fifth of six brothers. My
| father was small farmer owning few
slaves only. All his sons, therefore, did
all the farm work. and all his daughters
did all the 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 l was 8 years old, and black and
| white came and went alike in all work.
| My father was a man of common EDUCATION,
| but was extensively read and of great in
| tiuence in his neighborhood. When |
was 10 years old Tin 1887 my father
moved to the county of Troup, a new
county and his lands We're all in the woods,
| and helped clear them | walked the en-
| tire 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, a church, and temperance
society near his house. He was always
trustee of the school house, class-leader
| and steward in the church, and president
of the temperance society. Some of my
earliest and sweetest recollections are con
nected 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 en-
couraged to become members at a very
early age. The rule was for 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
other crop
This was my life until I was Is years
old. was then continued ut school all
the time with view to collegiate educa-
ton. NV father was not able TO send all
bis children to college,; only one besides
myself desired college course, and alone
graduated. After was pronounced pre-
pared to enter college nay father decided
he was not able 10 send me. A family
consultation was held. Ny mother in
sisted on my going. She had always had
what was called her "pafch, which was near
the house, and was cultivated by her
house-hands when not needed at homework |
This patch had always been my mothers |
pin money, amounting to from $50 to |
800. My mother said sire would con
tribute this to- my college expenses, and |
would make my clothes at home besides. |
An old aunt of my mothers, who lived in |
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 promised that all my col |
lege expenses of any kind should not eX
coed $500 per annum. | promised my /
mother / would take the first honor in my
class. j redeemed that promise The
prondest day ofsfny life 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 a member
The cook, Marian, 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
worked together, and would
fight for each other againstsall the world.
Stronger ties than these were never form
ed. 1t was an alliance offensive and de-
fensiyc. At
married in 1915. My wife had seven
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
slaves selected their owners among the
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 sew
eral years after we did, and determined
not to keep his slaves. They were not
willing to go out of the family, and
bought them. now had fourteen slaves
was professional man living in town,
and did not need them.s / was not willing
10 hire them out. The result was,
bought some land near the town, and
moved on it with the slaves. and told them to
support themselves under my protection.
The slaves increased and married wives
md husbands and raised children and to
Seep them together / bought them ALL
llso bought several others who had 10 be
old, and who selected me as their owner.
n few years my small place was INSULT
;ient for them, and rather than part with
hem bought larger plantation in the
county and placed them on it. and removed
With my family back to town. Twas thus
Shareholder from 1916 to 1865, just TWEEN
y years. My slaves increased from eight
. sixty-seven, and during all that time