The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-08-17
IARDMORE NEGRO WAS
BORN IN AL AB AM A
HUNDRED YE AIRS AGO


Erect as the proycrbial Indian, with
III a face the color Of polished mahogany.
III wroathed in a perpetual smile, display
= iii ing teeth that would cause "a movie star
Ito turn green with envy, his head
: III matched with wool white as driven
SNOW. stands Alec Taylor, who Is per
iii Uhaps Ardmorc's oldest negro citizen.
Alec has lived for so long In Ardmore
iii that he has become fixture among the
llwhite folks whom hc serves In various
l|lcnpacitics aud his activity has 80
lIlcnmouflaged his age that few realize
lllhr Is approaching the GENTRY milestone
I|Iupon the highway of life.
iii His story ~ most interesting ANA was
: !|lsocurcd after much questioning lor'
l|lnlike the modern darkey who delights
, Hin exploiting himself before others,
llIUnclc Alec Is very modest and relu't
p" l|lantly placed his story together after
l|lmuch persuasion in which "A coin OF
!, l|meager value took a prominent part.
- Born "A slave on a plantation In Ala
Sbama in April 1870, 1t will be seen
that he Is now in his one hundredth
4 year.
Early in life he developed such traits
= <of character that his old master col
!, SE2ekiel Taylor and his good wife, de-
;, = cided to make a house servant oi MN
- in which capacity he served until aiter
E the close of the Civil War.
& Following the custom prevailing III
, Athc south at that period of history, he
married a woman also the property of
p, II Colonel Taylor, and they lived happily
l together for several years.
r = During the years Immediately preced.
ing the war. reverse circumstances com
: PEELED the sale Of many slaves on the
= O old plantation and Alec's wife was
p among the number disposed OF. That
:, separation was permanent, as he never
saw or heard of her again.
,S His old master died six years before
/, g the beginning of hostilities between the
;, states and Alec became the property
, of the widow to whom he remained
} faithful during the trying days of the
=, fearful struggle.
After peace was declared, and belns
s free, he bade goodbye to the old home
c and sought his fortunes in Texas, IN
, which state he remained for 30 years,
working for various planters and saving |
, what he could from his meager wages.
D; Twenty years ago he came to Ard |
more with his wife, he having married
/ again and purchased a small home ana
S garden in the northeast part OF the city
=, where they have lived since
e His wife, Aunt Josie, who is "a years
of age is as sprightly as her more aged
Y spouse. and helps to keep the wolf from
the door by doing washing for the most
particular white folks of the city, while
her husband makes and tends gardens,
in which art he is an expert, putting to
shame his more youthful competitors.
,Nfl I, &c 4 = n
when the Civil War closed, would have
had the hardhood to try fortune among
strangers in a distant state, far from
t youthful environments, but Alecs de
termination to do so demonstrated an
independence of spirit inculcated by les
sons of the old south taught him by
l master and mistress during his youth.
7 Whether his life has been wholly a
J.. success, or whether he ever reached the
= goal of his ambition, Alec does not state,
{ but he does say he is happy and con
Y tented in his home, while he enjoys the
respect of everyone, white and black,
with whom he comes in contact.
His stories of plantation days "befo
de wah" are most interesting, and
among friends he does not mind telling
that he was happy back in Aabam',
9 where the only worry that ever entered
I his yonug life was continued dread
- of "petterrollers," whenever he would
I slip off after night to pay a visit to
] some dusky damsel on a neighboring
i, estate. He is a good story teller and it
y is no uncommon sight to see him sur
{ rounded by group Of white children
to whom he tells. in awed tones, of
"hants an gobins an sich,' to their
, great delight and sometimes to their