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I, Lynch A. Currin, Clerk of the County Court of Pulaski County in the State of Virginia, do hereby certify that Mary James, the wife of King James, a free man of colour, and the free born daughter of Charlotte Findly. Twenty-Nine years old the 17th day of October last, Five feet six inches high, dark copper colour, stout and well made, with a scar on the right hand, the mother Charlotte Findly having obtained her freedom by suit in Wythe County, Virginia; was this day registered and numbered in the Clerk's office of said county, pursuant to an order of said court, and the act of assembly in such case made and provided. As witness Lynch A. Currin, Clerk of our said Court, this 12th day of November 1858 in the 83rd year of the Commonwealth.
(Signed) Lynch A. Currin
"Seal"
A true copy from the records in my office. In testimony where of I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the seal of said Court this 12th day of November 1858, in the 83rd year of the Commonwealth.
James, Thomas W.
Virginia: Pulaski County, to wit:
I, Lynch A. Currin, Clerk of the County Court of Pulaski County in the State of Virginia, do hereby certify that Thomas W. James the free born son of King and Mary James, Two years old the 5th day of September last, and of a dark copper colour; the mother Mary James being a free born daughter of Charlotte Findly who obtained her freedom by suit in Wythe County, Virginia: was this day registered and numbered in the Clerk's office of said County pursuant to an order of said Court, and the act of assembly in such cases made and provided.
As witness:
Lynch A. Currin, Clerk of our said
Court this 12th day of November 1858 in the 83rd year of the Commonwealth.
(Signed) Lynch A. Currin. C.
"Seal"
A true copy from the records in my office. In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the seal of said court this 12th day of November 1858 in the 83rd year of the Commonwealth.
Free Papers Of Tippett James No. 11"
James, Tippiett
Virginia: Pulaski County, to wit:
I, Lynch A. Currin, Clerk of the County Court of Pulaski County in the State of Virginia, do hereby certify that Tippet James, the free born son of Mary James, ten years old the 16th day of March last, Four feet five inches high, stout and well made, and of a dark copper colour; the mother Mary James being a free born daughter of Charlotte Findly, who obtained her freedom by suit in Wythe County, Virginia; was this day registered and numbered in the Clerk's office of said County, pursuant to an order of said Court, and the act of assembly in such cases made and provided, As Witness: Lynch A. Currin, Clerk of our said Court, this 12th day of November 1858, in the 83rd year of the Commonwealth.
(Signed) Lynch A. Currin, C.
SEAL
A true copy from the records in my office. In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name, and affixed the seal of said Court this 12th day of November, 1858, in the 83rd year of the Commonwealth.
Free Papers Of Mary James No. 10"
Jamison, Rev. Perry Sid
"I wus borned in Perry County, Alabama! De way I remember my age is, I was 37 years when I wus married and dat wus 42 years ago the 12th day of last May. I hed all dis down on papers, but I hab been stayin' in different places de last six years and lost my papers and some heavy insurance in jumpin' round from place to place.
"My mudders name was Jane Perry. Father's name wus Sid Jemison. Father died and William Perry was mudders second husband.
"My mudder was a Virginian and my father was a South Carolinian. My oldest brudder was named Sebron and oldest sister was Maggie. Den de next brudder was William, de next sister was named Artie, next Susie. Dams all of dem.
"De hol entire family lived together on the Cakhoba river, Perry County, Alabama. After dat we was scattered about, some God knows where.
"He chillun played 'chicken me crow'. We go out in de sand and build sand houses and put out little tool s and one thing and another in der.
"When we was all together we lived in a log hut. Der was a porch in between and two rooms on each side. De porch was covered over - all of it was under one roof.
"Our bed was a wooden frame wid slats nailed on it. We jus had a common hay mattress to sleep on. We had very respectable quilts, because my mudder made them. I believe we had better bed covers den days den we hab des days.
"My grandmother wus named Snooky and my grandfather Anthony. I thought der wuzn't a better friend in all de world den my grandmother. She would do all she could for her grandchildren. Der was no food allowance for chillun that could not work and my grandmother fed us out of her and my mudders allowance. I member my grandmudder giving us pot-licker, bread and red syrup.
"De furst work I done to get my food was to carry water in de field to de hands dat was workin'. De next work after dat, was when I wus large enough to plow. Den I done eberything else that come to hand on de farm. I nebber earned money in dem slave days.
"our general food was such as sweet potatoes, peas and turnip greens. Den we would jump out and ketch a coon or possum. We ate rabbits, squirrell, ground-hog and hog meat. We hed fish, cat-fish and scale fish. Such things as greens, we boil den. Fish we fry. Possum we parboil den pick him up and bake him. Of all dat meat I prefer fish and rabbit. When it come to vegetables, cabbage was my delight, and turnips. De slaves had their own garden patch.
"I wore one piece suit until I was near grown, jes one garment dat we called at dat time, going out in your shirt tail. In de winter we had cotton shirt with a string to tie de collar, instead of a button and tie. We war den some these on Sunday, excepting dat mudder would wash and iron dem for dat day.
"We went barefooted in de summer and in de winter we wore brogan shoes. Dey were made of heavy stiff leather.
"My massa was named San Jemison and his wife was named Chloe, Dey had chillun. One of the boys was named
San after his father. De udder wus Jack. Der wus daughter Nellis. Den was all I know bout. De bed a large six room
building. It wus weather boarded and built on de common order."Dey hed 750 acres on de plantation. De Jemisons sold de plantation to my uncle after the surrender and I heard himsay ever so many times that it was 750 acres. Der was bout 60 slaves on de plantation. Dey work hard and late atnight. Dey tole me dey were up fore daylight and in de fields til dark.
"I heard my mudder say dat the mistress was a fine woman, but dat de marse was rigged."De white folks did not help us to learn to read or write. De furst school I remember dat was accessible was foh 90
days duration. I could only go when it was too wet to work in de fields. I was bout 10 years when I went to deschool."Der was no church on de plantation. Couldn't none of us read. But after de surrender I remember de furst preacher I
ebber heard. I remember de text. His name was Charles Fletcher. De text was "Awake thou dat sleepeth, arise from de dead and Christ will give you life!" I remember of one of de baptizing. De men dat did it was Emanuel Sanders. Dis was de song dat dey sing: "Beside de gospel pool, Appointed for de poor." Dat is all I member of dat song now.
"I heard of de slaves running away to de north, but I nebber knew one to do it. My mudder tole me bout patrollers. Dey would ketch de slaves when dey were out late and whip and thrash dem. Some of de owners would not stand for it and if de slaves would tell de massa he might whip de patrollers if be could ketch dem.
"knowed one colored boy. He was a fighter. He was six foot tall and over 200 pounds. He would not stand to be whipped by de white man. Dey called him Jack. Has was after de surrender. De white men could do nothin' wid him.
En so one day dey got a crowd together and dey shoot him. It was a sensation in de country, but no one was arrested
for it."De slaves work on Saturday afternoon and sometimes on Sunday. On Saturday night de slaves would slip aroundto de next plantation and have parties and dancin' and so on.
"When I was a child I played, 'chicken me craner crow' and would build little sand houses and call dem frog dens and we play hidin' switches. One of de play songs was 'Rockaby Miss Susie girl' and Sugar Queen in goin' south, carrying de young ones in her mouth."
"I remember several riddles. One was:"My father had a little seal,Sixteen inches highHe roamed the hills in old Kentuck,And also in sunny Spain.If any man can beat dat,I'll try my hand agin.'"One little speech I know:"I tumbled down one day,When de water was wide and deep I place my foot on the de goose's backAnd lovely swam de creek."
"When I was a little boy I was foolin' wid my father's scythe. It fell on my art and nearly cut if off. Dey got somethin' and bind it up. Eventually after a while, it mended up.
"De marse give de sick slaves a dose of turpentine, blue grass, caromel and number six.
"After de surrender my mother tole me dat the marse told de slaves dat dey could buy de place or dey could share de crops wid him and be would rent dem de land.
"I married Lissie Perry, in Perry County Alabama. A preacher married us by the name of John Jemison. We just played around after de weddin' and hed a good time til bedtime come, and dat was very soon wid me.
"I am de father of seven chillun. Both daughters married and dey are housekeepers. I have 11 grandchillun. Three of dem are full grown and married. One of den has graduated from high school.
"Abraham Lincoln fixed it so de slaves could be free. He struck off de handcuffs and de ankle cuffs from de slaves. But how could I be free if I had to go back to my massa and beg for bread, clothes and shelter? It is up to everybody to work for freedom.
"I don't think dat Jefferson Davus was much in favor of liberality. I think dat Booker I. Washington was a man of de furst magnitude. When it come to de historians I don't know much about dem, but according to what I red in dem, Fred Douglas, Christopher Hatton, Peter Salem, all of dem colored men - dey was great men. Christopher Hatton was de furst slave to dream of liberty and den shed his blood for it. De three of dem play a conspicuous part in de emancipation.
"I think it's a good thing dat slavery is ended, for God hadn't intended there to be no man a slave.
"My reason for joining de church is, de church is said to be de furst born, the general assembly of the living God. I joined it to be in the general assembly of God.
"We have had too much destructive religion. We need pure and undefiled religion. If we had dat religion, conditions would be de reverse of that dey are.
(Note: The worker who interviewed this old men was impressed with his deep religious nature and the sinner in which there would crop out in his conversation the facile use of such words as eventually, general, accessible, etc. The interview also revealed that the old men had a knowledge of the scripture. He claims to be a preacher and during the conversation gave indications of the oratory that is peculiar to old style colored preachers.)
Jamison, Rev. Perry Sid -- Additional Interview
Mr. Jamison is about 5' 2" and weighs 130 pounds. Except for a slight limp, caused by a broken bone that did not heal, necessitating the use of a cane, he gets around in a lively manner. He takes a walk each morning and has a smile for everybody.
Mr. Jamison is an elder in the Second Baptist Church and possesses a deep religious nature. In his conversation there crops out the facile use of such words as "eventually", "general", "eccessible", and the like. He has not been engaged in manual labor since 1907. Since then he has made his living as an evangelist for the colored Baptist church.
Mr. Jamison says he does not like to travel around without something more than a verbal word to certify who and what he is. He produced a certificate from the "Illinois Theological Seminary" awarding him the degree of Doctor of Divinity and dated December 15, 1933, and signed by Rev. Walter Pitty for the trustees and S. Billup, D. D., Ph. D., as the president. Another document was a minister's license issued by the Probate court of Jefferson county authorizing him to perform marriage ceremonies. He has his ordination certificate dated November 7, 1900, at Red Mountain Baptist Church, Sloss, Alabama, which certifies that he was ordained an elder of that church; it is signed by Dr. G. S. Smith, Moderator. Then he has two letters of recommendation from churches in Alabama and Chicago.
That Mr. Jemison is a vigorous preacher is attested by other ministers who say they never knew a man of his age to preach like he does.
Mr. Janison lives with his daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Cookes, whose husband is a WPA worker. Also living in the house is the daughter's son, employed as a laborer, and his wife. Between them all, a rent of $28.00 a month is paid for the house of six rooms. The house at 424 S. Seventh Street, Steubenville, is in a respectable part of the city and is of the type used by poorer classes of laborers.
Mr. Jenison's wife died June 4, 1928, and since then he has lived with his daughter. In his conversation he gives indication of a latent oratory easily called forth.
(K. Osthimer, Author, 242 Folklore, Stories From Ex-Slaves, Lucas County - Dist. 9, Toledo, Ohio)
