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Julia Gurdner Ex-Slave 82 Years of Age (Harold J. Fugh Editor in Charge Special Topic Allen County District 1 Ex-Slaves)
Mrs. Julia Gurdner resides at the home of her daughter at 1222 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio. She was the property of Dr. Gurdner. One is immediately impressed by the lack of the features which are usually found in the colored race. She is very fair in complexion with a thin nose, and very thin lips. Her hair however is very kinky and snow white. She has an outstanding personality, is very intelligent and happy. She sometimes becomes vexed over the fact that her daughter will not allow her to work. The only work that she ever did was housework, before and after her marriage.
"I was born in the year of 1855, but I don't know what month or what day. Folks say it must have been sometime in July, 'cause it sho was hot and I first seen the light of day on a plantation just east of Knoxville in good old Tennessee.
"Yo' all ask me about the times when I was a slave. Of course, I was very young an' don't remembah a whole lot. My paw and maw was owned by Dr. Gurdner, a well known doctor in those parts. He was always good to his slaves and we worked for him an' I never 'membah only once when he got mad and beat one of his slaves. This was a young slave an' Lawd, he was mean. The master tole him an' warned him not to do certain things. Dis boy when he got a chance he would run away, sometimes as far as 200 miles an' when de Master had to go and fetch him back, he'd get awful mad. One day he went for him, but when he got back he took him to a shed an' took all his clothes off an' beat him with a blacksnake whip. I 'membah dat lak it was yesterday an' dat boy didn't run away no mo'.
"We didn't never have no experience with the soldiers, 'cause we was all freed when de war was about half over. De master got very poor an' mean, my mammy used to take food to him an' care for him till he died. He was a good man an' when dey say dat all slaves was treated lak animals dey don't know what dey is sayin'."
