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The following very interesting Account of Thomas Anderson,
a Slave, residing near the mouth of Guyandotte, Cabell
County, Virginia, was taken down by J. P. CLARK, who was
intimately acquainted with him—preserving the peculiar
dialect.
Uncle Thomas Anderson's conversion and experience, as given by himself, Twelfth month 24th, 1854, now in his sixty-ninth year. He is known as Uncle Tom where he resides.
I was born a slave in Hanover county, Virginia, and being
very much exposed in my boyhood—no one taking any
interest in my welfare—I became very wicked, and remained so till I arrived at the age of nineteen, at which time I was
singularly led to attend a religious meeting held by the
Baptists (who was a
Now, I would be glad for all the world to know that after I
was awakened, as I have described, that love, in place of fear,
fill my heart. May be I better say here that very often, when I
goin' on in wickedness, something tell me this wicked, and I
feel very bad. At that time I did not know that it was that
good Spirit talking with me; yet I know all the time that I was
doing wrong, 'cause I feel guilty, and that make me afraid.
But when I give all up to serve the Lord, He
promise He help whenever I need Him. And soon
I have to wait
for the Spirit to warm my heart, when I sometimes talk very
free about the love of God, and then they listen
very attentively. About this time the church requested
me to join them; but that I could not do without
my master's consent, (as it is against the laws of Virginia
for slaves to join without consent of their masters.)
And when I ask him, he wrote these words: “That the
church should judge for herself, for he was not a judge;
but if they thought best to receive him he had no objections;
and for his part, he thought if there was a
Christian in the world, Tom was one.” Upon this I
join the church.
My master was an unbeliever, or tried hard to be, and he continue a wicked man to the last moment his life. He was quite intemperate. Before my master die he lost five children, two sons and three daughters; and when they were confined to their sick beds, he sometimes feel very tender, and would often recommend me to talk or pray with them, as I think best. A few days before my master die, I visited his bedside. I ask him how was the state of his mind. He answer: “Some say there is no hereafter.” I ask him what he say for hisseff. His answer, short and crabbed, “I don't know;” and these was the last words he ever spoke, and his countenance looked vicious when he dying.
But throughout a long life we lived together I often had to
suffer a great deal that was wrong, or put up with it. Some time
after I join the church, I sometimes feel that I would have to
preach the gospel. This was a great trial to me, feeling I poor
slave, and at that time did not know one letter. But one day,
when alone, my Heavenly Father speak very plain to me:
For a long time I cry, unworthy to undertake the task; but
God at length prepare, and I promised to do the best I could.
And God prepare me to this day. And when it come, I do the
best I can.
I was twenty-three years old when I did not know a letter;
after that I managed, for two months, to go two nights in a
week to see a black maid who could spell a little, and she
instructed me to spell in three syllables; and that was
all the learning I got from human. After that my
Heavenly Master took me in hand and nursed me, and learned
me to read the Bible to good understanding. He first give me
faith, then He revealed to me. But most other books I have
tried to read is a mystery to me. From the time of my
conversion to this moment, I have never doubted the grace of
God; for I have found all doubting comes from a wicked heart.
I do feel, while I am relating this to you, that I have great
cause to bless the Lord, for he has nursed me through all the
journey of my life, and has been my comforter in distress,
when trouble, like a gloomy cloud, has overshadowed me
by the loss of three of my children—being taken from
my bosom, sold and taken South. But here I got some consolation, reflecting upon
Joseph being sold into Egypt. Like Jacob,
I wait and believe on the
Lord. In pray'r I liff up my eyes, that God might restore
them again; but if not to meet again on this earth,
that we may joyfully meet on that shore where parting,
sighing and selling will be no more. They were sold
eleven years ago, and I have never heard from them
since. My wife has had by me twenty-one children—
seven dead, three sold, and eleven about this country.
My wife is a good, kind-hearted woman; but I sometimes
fear she is too much like poor Martha was, careful
and troubled about many things, and has not so
fully chosen that good part which Mary did, that should
never be taken from her. I have three children, that
are a great comfort to me in my old age. Edmund,
Isaac and Henry have chosen their father's footsteps,
to seek a city of sight. Edmund preaches the gospel;
and it has often rejoiced my heart to hear him explain
the mysteries of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God is
often tongue and utterance, mouth and wisdom. I
wish you could hear him. All my children, as far as I
know, have sustained good moral characters.
Edmund has learned to read the Bible: he saved a little
money and lay it our to buy a Bible; lacked a little,
and that I make up.
Brother Clark, my faith is firm and unshaken that all those who will rely upon God for counsel and direction will never be confounded. Although it may often be our lot to meet with clouds while traveling along in this pilgrimage journey through life, yet He will ever be a wall of defense, and will make a way for our escape through all our besetting troubles here, and will bring us off conquerors and more than conquerors over death, hell and the grave.
But we must put the old man entirely off, with all his deeds, if we ever expect to put the new man on; and when this is done, it prepares us to suffer with Him. And when done with all our troubles and toilings here, we shall reign with Him forever and forever more.
Farewell, Brother Clark, for I feel the time has come that we must part; and if we never meet again on this footstool, I pray God we may meet with the ransomed of all generations— world without end.
Amen!
[I became acquainted with the subject of the foregoing narrative in the year 1848, and have met with him frequently since that time. At the date of this narrative, I was on business in his neighborhood, and Tom, learning where I stopped, called at the Hotel to see me. And, as on the former occasions, I became very much interested, when a thought came over my mind, that a history from himself would be interesting; when I asked him if he had any objection to my writing it down he assured me he had none, and added that he had often thought if it could be the means of doing good he would be glad for all the world to know what the Lord had done for his poor soul. I then took it down in his own language, which is very nearly verbatim. The last account I took down from recollection, a few hours after he related it to me (circumstances preventing his being present), and if not verbatim, it is substantially correct. I had no idea when writing either of them, that they would ever be published, but many of my friends becoming deeply interested with the account, as well as myself, has encouraged its being printed. Much might be added to the interesting account already given, in fact it has seldom fallen to my lot, to meet with those more interesting, more especially when I take into view his limited opportunity of acquiring information (he being a slave) compared with mankind in general. And although he is what would be considered a poor reader, and cannot write at all, yet I think there are but very few who practically understand the scriptures better, or that are better versed in them; and I have thought in giving this narrative circulation, some might meet with it, who also may have had but a very limited opportunity to acquire knowledge, and these I have thought might meet with encouragement, and feel that they too are equally the objects of Divine regard with those who may be considered the more highly favored. And I also feel that there is a deep lesson couched in it to all classes and conditions in life. As I am not a member of any religious society, I suppose no one will charge me with having sectarian notions in view. But the little narrative being so original and seeming to savor so much of what I conceive to be the true spirit of Christianity, I have consented to is publication.
The following Communication from Uncle Tom Anderson
was taken down by J. P. Clark, some weeks after, at
another time.
Of late I have often had presented to my mind a large
field of labor; and there has also been presented, in the
visions of light, a great many unfaithful laborers, who are
goin' about trying to establish their own righteousness
instead of the righteousness of God. Who are the blind
leaders of the blind? and woe be to these except they repent;
and I have thought these words will apply, “Woe unto you,
Scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites, for you are graves that
appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware
of them; and so long as this spirit has the rule,
so long the true Church will remain in the wilderness, and his
servants will have to suffer.
Being as I am confined to a small field of labor in God's
vineyard, I know but very little of what is goin' on in the
world, as I have no means of informing myself, only as I catch
a little here and there, and then judging from that and what
comes within my own knowledge, I have thought I could come
at a pretty correct conclusion how the matter stands. For, in
the first place, I hear the subject of North and South talked a
good deal about, and I also hear it discussed in the pulpit by
the professed Ministers of the gospel; and of late it has taken a
deep hold on my mind. And as some of the well disposed
citizens of this neighborhood
In the course of my discourse, I told them I did not think
more of one party on account of the mere name they bear
than of the other; but I did believe it was a dangerous subject
for honest and well disposed Christians to enter into the
spirit of, which I had discovered has lead into strife and great
confusion; instead of begetting love, it has begotten hatred;
and when this feeling is indulged in by both parties, one, in my
opinion, in the sight of God, is as bad as the other. And I
strongly urged them to have no fellowship with such a spirit.
And, although it was a great cross to me to warn
them to beware of some of their leading men in the church,
and told them so, and asked them if they could bear the
whole counsel of God. And they said, “Yes, Tom, the whole counsel,” and I then pointed out to them the danger, and told them if they lacked wisdom ask it of God, and not of man, and that if they asked in faith, believing, they would never be deceived. And
I further told them the reason why I believed so,
I think God has begun a good work in this part of his
heritage, in which he has and continues to sow the seed of
his kingdom; and while I am aware there is much that falls on
the stony ground, I feel encouraged in the belief that there
has some fallen on good ground, and I often pray God to
prosper it, that it may bring forth fruit to his praise, and that
the stony heart of man may be subdued. The Lord has lately
been showing a small field of labor, which I believe it is his
will that I should enter into, although the time it is to be
accomplished, and the manner in which it is to be brought
about, is yet hid from me; although, not long since,
there came a delegation from the very place, inviting me to
go and see them on a gospel mission. I told
them that a mere call from man was not sufficient to set off on
such a work; and I also told them that if the Lord had put it in
their hearts to call me to their neighborhood, he would
probably renew it, when one of them, a very humble-hearted
Christian, said that he felt before leaving
home that it was the will of God. I then informed
them how I had felt about it, and I
further told them that forty odd years had now passed away
since the Lord first call me to this work; and when I excuse
myself, saying, “I, poor slave,” and so on, he promise he help
whenever I need him, and his promises are yea and amen
forever; and at that time I did not know A from B, and I know
but very little now, except what the Lord teach me, neither do
I desire to, for God has said he will teach his people hisself,
so that if a man lack wisdom he should ask it of God, and not
of man, whose breath is in his nostrils,
The Lord lay out a little work, not long since, for me to do in Ohio, about twelve miles distant; and though I did not see at first how it was to be done, I wait patiently his time to remove the mountains out of my way, and when he did remove it, he make the path of duty very plain, and all opposition was remove out of the way, and then I perform the little labor to the peace of my soul, and, I trust, to the glory of God.
I am sorry to say it, but it is no less true, that the greatest opposition I meet with is the opposing spirit of those who profess the Christian religion. And, poor things, they not only deceive themselves, but one another. And many of these are very shy of me, and I think I should say the truth if I should say they are afraid of me, or are afraid to meet the truth; for they know Tom does not deal in cunningly devised fable, for his Heavenly Master has always learned him to tell the truth, and not daub with untempered mortar, and cry Peace where there is no peace to be felt.
A very great professor came to me not long since,
and he talk a great deal before I say much, and when
I began to talk I ask him could he bear the truth, for I
told him when I talk I could not dodge around it; and