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Reference: Mrs. Eliza Million, 1814 E. Kirk Street, Muncie, Ind. John Curd, 1714 E. Kirk Street, Muncie, Indiana.
Mrs. Eliza Million was born in Green County, Kentucky. She can't remember her own age, but John Curd who is her step-grandson told me that she was born in 1852, which would make her approximately 85 years.
Her mother was owned by Rueben Willards and Mahala Willards and she and the children lived in a small house near the kitchen door of the "Big House". Their Master and Mistress didn't have any children of their own, so Charlotte, the mother of Mrs. Million did all the house work, including the washing and ironing. It was the job of Eliza to wash the socks for the family and other small things.
One day she realized that her father, who was owned by Reuben Vaughn had gone to fight in the Civil War. Her mistress told her that she would have to knit her father a pair of socks and send them to him as he would be needing them, so she, just a small child, started a pair and as she was inexperienced in knitting, it took her about four weeks to finish them. Then her mistress wrote her father a letter and sent the socks to him. He was at Cairo, Illinois at that time. In a little over a week, a letter came back telling them that the father had received the socks and how proud of them he was.
Mrs. Million tells that her mistress was very good to her, that she was never whipped although, "I 'spect that I needed many a slashing. I had plenty to eat and plenty to wear and I almost wishes that I'se still a slave, for at that time there was nothing to worry about."
After the War was over her mistress told her mother that she was free and asked her what she was going to do now. Her mother said, "I don't know just what I am going to do." She stayed on the plantation for about two years after she was free.
The father of Mrs. Million was in the Civil War for three years and six months.
During the time that Eliza was a child and young woman, she worked in the cotton and tobacco fields and in the clearings, raking up leaves and even chopped wood, like a man.
Mrs. Million can't read nor write. Her first husband was George Farris, a Civil War soldier, who died a long time ago. Her second husband, also a Civil War soldier, was Owen Million, who is also dead. Mrs. Million joked about her name, saying, "It is a poor name even if it is a Million." She also said that she "belonged to Uncle Sam," as she lived on a small Civil War widow's pension. She isn't able to do much work now as she is almost blind, and is a very lovely person to meet and nice to talk with.
She has lived in Whiteley, Muncie, for about 25 years. She is living at present at 1814 E. Kirk Street.
Monroe, Roy and Mering, Melvin Madison, Indiana"
