My first remembrance of my life begins when I was from 8 to 10 years of age. I was born in North Carolina in 1810, the property of Olser Hye, within 15 miles of the capital of the State— Raleigh. My mother's name was Cherry and my father's, Barney. I was taken away from them when I was small and hired out to Sim Alfred, who lived about two miles from where I was born. My mother was traded for a tract of land and sent to Alabama. My father died about this time. Just at this time I was brought to know right from wrong. I was afraid to plough in the corn-field by myself—always used to working with a large force of hands before that. I promised then and there that if I lived to be a man I would get religion. It occurred to me that if I had religion I would not be afraid of dying. When I was a boy, whichever way I turned it looked as though something was going to catch me. Though I was but a small boy I promised that I would not live the life my father had lived. I knew my father was a desperate wicked man, would get drunk. His associates were all wicked. My poor dear mother, I could not say anything about her religion but she taught me how to pray before she left me. The morning she left I could not bear to shake her hand and bid her good bye. I heard from her. She was the mother of eleven [11] children. She left four little ones of us. I was the oldest one of the four, being only about 10 years of age myself, father dead, and mother gone to the State of Alabama. It has been over 60 years since she left us, and I have never forgotten my mother; have no remembrance of ever having heard from her since. I promised God I would seek my soul's salvation when I got to be a man, and often refreshed my memory that I had promised Him never to live the life of my father. My conscience spoke to me and said I thought you promised never to live the life of your father. You are living the very same life he lived. It startled me and I looked up and cast my eyes towards the Heaven. I had to go out and fall on my face, and prayed to Almighty God. He held me to my promises and pledge until I was a man. You see at once reader how awful it is to sin against God. I was a poor ignorant boy. God had enlitghtened me at that day and supported me down to this day. Young man, young woman, if you have a wicked mother or a wicked father do not pursue the course that they do. Better young men to let your father go down to destruction than for you both to go. Better young woman to let your mother go down to destruction than to let you both go. Young man if the Lord plants the seed of grace in your heart save your father through prayer if possible. Better young woman if the Lord plants the seed of grace in your heart to try and save your mother through the power of your prayers. The Lord made impression on my heart and has since completed the confession in my soul. During the dark times of slavery, ignorant as I was, He called me, and I have believed on Him ever since. No young man or woman has any excuse for sinning against God. If God enlightened me at that day and time what ought you to do with all the advantages you have now. God requires all at your hands.

He requires you to seek Him early while He may be found. That was His language to me sixty years ago. Every young man and boy, God has His eye fixed on you and is warning you every day. Every young woman and girl, God has his eye fixed on you warning you every day. Little boys and girls, God has His eye on you. He is bringing warning to your ears. He intends that none of you shall die with any excuse for not seeking Him. The first text I ever remember in my life was about the rich man and Lazarus. When I was a boy I didn't know a text. God put it in my heart to believe that text. The first minister I ever knew belonged to the Baptist denomination, (colored) his name was Stephen Southerlin. The next was a white minister belonging to the Methodist denomination by the name of David Fowler. Over 60 years since I heard them preach, and they were the first I ever heard. God put it in my heart to believe the Gospel. His spirit has forever found me. Second text was : “It shall be well with the righteous, for they shall receive the works of their hands.” The next text was: “They that have pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord.” In my fancy God had me to believe in this. I say to you young men and young women He is speaking to you as He spoke to me. God lets no man live or die with any excuse. Not knowing his will, he teaches us, through our forefathers' sins, that we are guilty rebels in His sight. I was taught that John said prepare Ye, for the kingdom of God is at hand. If God taught us in that day and time, how much more does he teach you now, that I did not know.

If He held me responsible then, dose He not hold you so to-day? He is a just God, He deals with all his people alike. He that will come shall come. He has made rich promises for us all. Taught me from a small boy. He is teaching me to day. I ask you young people to remember one thing, do not follow your wicked parents; act, act wise. Go to the Lord while you are young; while you may, as when I came to be a man grown, I was not ready then. I made many attempts to bow and pray to God, but failed to be in earnest. His spirit followed so long I had to give up my work and bow and pray. On one occasion I went out and tried to pray to God and raised up and felt worse than I did before. I bowed down, the Lord spoke to me and said, never can you obtain religion while you continue drinking whiskey. This was in 1851. I then ceased to drink, the devil got with me, told me it was all imagination and that I could take whiskey moderately two or three times a day and seek my salvation too. I did not know it was He at that time, but I yielded to Him. I turned to and drank again as usual. In 1853 I was living in the little town of Lamberton, Robertson Co., N.C., near the line of South Carolina, when the greatest revival broke out that I had ever seen, at a Methodist quarterly meeting, during the months of June and July. The people were going up and confessing their religion by scores[.] God's spirit had been following me until that meeting. I thought at that revival I would seek my soul's salvation. At the revival, Peter Doubt, from Raleigh, preached a sermon. So Martin, of Franklin, preached a sermon. He had formerly been a circuit rider, and was now stationed in Lamberton, they said ruin this revival and the year 1853 will roll some of you into eternity. You may never have another opportunity. Ones' text “Bring my sipirit away from Ephriham for he is joined to his idols again.” Ones' text was, “Go your way, Saul,” says Felix, “and come at a more convenient season and I will hear thee,” and during that revival I felt that I was a lost man. I had been so; I felt like this before. But at this revival I could not feel. I attempted to pray, but could'nt pray. I sat then and found out it was all for nothing, it seemed to me the whole of the subject seemed for me. I was the guilty man. The whole of the argument was that God never let His spirit go back to Ephriham again, but left him there and gave him up to be lost and damned forever. Felix never saw Paul again to talk with him, and that was me; both cases seemed to suit me exactly.

On one occasion during the revival I stood up and shed tears like a child; I felt my sins and asked God to forgive me and I would never sin any more—I thought I was a lost man. I went or for weeks, crying and howling to God, going on that I was a lost man. This was in 1853. I attempted to pray and could not. I would up and go, lie down by a place, get up and try it again; no relief for me yet. I would go out during the dark hours of the night, away in a lonesome place to pray. I asked God if he had drawn His spirit away from me and left me to be damned, to show it to me. He manifested that He had not drawn His Holy Spirit from me. You could hear me cry aloud, I was so rejoiced that I could be saved.

In 1854 I professed religion at my work in the woods. I forget the day of the month. In November, 1855, I was baptized ; many sore trials from June 1853 to 1855. They attempted to whip me in 1854 and backed me down but I continued to pray night and day. A company of men hired me that year—gave Dr. Rogers $300 for me a year. When they did this, I looked at them wistfully, and when they talked of whipping me, I told them to back me down and get their shooting works ready and kill or cripple me and pay for me, for I did not let Dr. Rogers whip me and would not let anyone else do it. I went home to him on or about, the 4th of July, and told him I wanted to leave and must leave. He said that it was a good note, and for me to and stay the year out, as he did not want to take his note in. I answered him and said if he did not want to take his note in I was man enough to take care of myself.

I went back a few days after the 4th of July, but before this time I had professed a hope. I do this to show to men that no devil has the power to keep a man from praying if he is in earnest. In a few days I left them. I had promised I wouldn't stay with them, and I wouldn't. They did all manner of evil to me except put their hands on me. Day after day, while working there, I was praying to God to convert my soul. They destroyd everything of mine they could put their hands on. I never worked another hour after I went back there—they told me they were going to town to hire me out, as I did not want to stay with them. I then went that day past Davis', the overseer, and told him farewell—I was gone.

I concluded to stay out that year until Christmas; this was in July. I staid out for about one mouth, and while out one day, I heard a voice say, “go in, go in, there will be no abuse.” I said, yes, yes, I will go in; “God was protecting me then.

While at the distillery, they destroyed my chickens and pigs, and forbid anyone selling me either chickens or shoats, or anything else; so one day a voice said , “Christ died for you; can't you give up a few dung-hill chickens for Him?” I said, “Yes, yes; he could give me more or something more.” Bob Jeffries and Jim Litchfield, who were living at Raleigh, N.C., now shot my chickens down. Sim Rodgers, who was an M. C. from Raleigh that year, and Bill Jeffries, of Franklin Co., N.C., were members of the firm.

I walked all that day and nearly all night to get to old Sim Rodgers' place, which I approached about sunrise. On one occasion, while passing the railroad on my way to see my wife and children at Raleigh (I had the luck in 1854 to get a free man in Raleigh to hire my wife and three children, Hillyard Evans by name,) I passed overseer, section hand, railroad hands, white men and colored together. As I approached them, I cried out to myself, I am a taken man to-day; I am surrounded.“ I promised God before I left the woods to give the matter into his hands, as I was in a deep cut. I could not run back nor climb the walls, so I raised my hatchet and said to myself, “If you put your hands on me I will not save one of you.” My feet burned and I never I felt in such a fix in so short a time, when a voice said to me, “I thought you were going to put your trust in God; you are putting it in your hatchet.” I let my hand fall and walked right on. God would not let them touch me; they spoke very politely to me, although they knew a month before that I had run away—the morning I went to see old Sim Rogers. I had to go and see him first man. I bowed a dozen times when within a mile of his house, to God, asking Him to bless me; I had strong faith in God.

I got there and got into conversation with him and got my breakfast, although not hungry—trouble fills any man. He asked me which I would do—go to Raleigh or to Billy Jeffries. I said to Billy Jeffries. When we got ready to start he saddled four horses; one for himself, one for his little son, one for his servant and one for me, and said, “look here, you are not going down there with me; you are going to leave me.” I said, “no, I will go with you.” I had promised God to follow on. He reached back and draws a rope and said he must tie me. I shed tears, as I must either submit to this indignity or fight him back. I could have whipped him out, but I did not intend to resist, as I had promised God to leave it all in His hands.

We went on down there that day. Of course, they tied me— I either had to be tied or to show to God I would not trust Him. As we rode on I prayed to Almighty God as I sat upon the horse. We had not got very far before they took the ropes all off me. When they got down to Bob Jeffries they sent for his father. I looked for them to whip me almost to death that day, because they hit between four hundred and five hundred licks when they get you fastened. I was loth to go in the gate. They called me in; the flesh was weak; I felt a little uneasy and weak.

I was right at the place where I professed religion. I continued to pray. They treated me very well that day; not a cross word did they give me. 'Twas for my wife and children I gave myself up. I trusted in God and knew he would not forsake me. They gave me a pass to go back to Raleigh that night; we thus made peace that far. They were not satisfied with me—they wanted to punish me. Dr. Rodgers had sent word to Raleigh if they got hold of me to take care of me for him, but not to hurt me, as I was his property.

On Monday morning I met Sim Rodgers, to go to work on the railroad. He concluded that we had better go back to town—about half a mile. I walked on with him until we got to the Court House, when he turned to me and said, “I will have to put you in jail.” I promised God to leave the work in his hands and let Him fight it and when he got me in jail I said to myself, “You never whipped me before, but you will whip me now.” I then waited in jail until the parties that hired me brought false charges against me, saying that I threatened them. They wanted to whip me, but I would not let them do it. While waiting one month in jail and one in the woods, I was of no service, doing no work. God's spirit whispered to me while in those prison walls, “Put your trust in Me and I will carry You through all your difficulties; put your trust in Me.” Just see, kind readers all the struggles from March to August. I was a happy man even in jail, when he said, “Put your trust in Me.”

The parties had me put in jail to be shipped away. I had many friends in Raleigh, and my wife and friends came to see me every day, when I was allowed to speak with them through the grating, and I told them not to be uneasy or troubled, as I was coming out in a few days. I might go away, but I would only take a ride on the railroad and come back again; that I was going no further than Raleigh.

In a few days Calvin J. Rodgers, the agent of my master, came down to Raleigh, which was fifteen or sixteen miles off. He turned me out and hired me to Mr. Henry Miller, the agent of the North Carolina Railroad. I saw Miller's hands and asked them what the fare on the railroad was for slaves and to give me all the points. I then went to Calvin Rodgers and told him I was not going to Miller's; he got cross with me, and I told him to set his price for me a month, give me a note and let me pick my own man. He did so, and I got a white man to do it in less than four-and-twenty hours.

In 1854 I hired my wife, children and myself until 1865, in Raleigh, and never left them until quite recently. Now, readers, when Jeffries said “his niggers, should never raise chickens or have any privileges; he never wanted me to eat anything except what he gave me; never wanted me to eat a piece of chicken or buy a pound of butter, if he could help it,” I said, “that the Lord would give me more, or something else, and He did do it.[”] Readers, we are not to the end of it yet. He has given me more than I ever expected. In the course of four years He gave me five horses and two wagons, as a free man, or at least, everybody, thought I was. I made out splendidly. Now, readers, it just shows how important it is to put your trust in God, although things may look dark and gloomy.

From my boyhood up to the time I was twenty-one or twenty-two years of age, I had hard struggling to get bread and clothes. After I was ten years old I knew nothing about going to church. I don't say I did not have the shirt, for I didn't have it; down South the white man wasn't particular about clothing you. It was warm there and the cold could not hurt you. Two pieces, shirt and pantaloons, lasted you until the fall and winter; three pieces in winter, which you generally got by Christmas. A very few people gave woolen clothes—wool was high then.

From sixteen to twenty years of age I desired to go to church. I kept creeping out, the Lord showing me what to do. I looked around at myself. God showed me that I was a young man. I went to work night and day and clothed myself. We slaves would rise between four and five o'clock in the morning, and never get back to bed until nine or ten o'clock that night. Up to that time I refused to serve God, and yet He extended His mercy to me.

I was a young man, near grown, when the stars fell. I then belonged to Col. Tignal Jones, of Wake Co, N.C[.] who had married my young mistress, Emily Hye. I might say that we slaves were under a cloud; we could not see clearly what the duty of a man was at that time, that is, we could not by law, but through the mysteries of God we could.

I wanted a wife, so I went to Col. Jones and told him I wanted to marry. I had been going to see my girl, three miles from home, for three years. 'Twas a pretty hard pill, but mustering up the courage I said, “Master, I want to get married.” I told him who and where my girl was. He answered quick and short, “If you have a wife there, I'll sell you to a trader; I want you to have a wife at home, sir, I'll buy you a wife.” When he said this, my reply to him was, “Go buy her, sir.” I felt very sad, she had troubled me for three long years.

There was a man in my neighborhood by the name of Sandy Hye, who hired hands as fast as he could get them to send them to the gold mines, which was about 200 miles away. I got Hye to hire me without saying anything to Col. Jones. I wanted to go; I did not want to go to a trader, neither did I intend to have a woman I did not want. Rye succeeded in sending me to the gold mines. I went there and never did a days work, and in three weeks time I was back, and wouldn't agree to return any more. That same year I was out of Col. Jones' service and I went to my wife's master, Dr. Rogers, and told him what I wanted. He and his wife were both willing for me to have her, but did not know that Col. Jones was opposed to it. That same year, 1834, we went together, like a goose and gander—no wedding—and we are together yet as man and wife. She has been the mother of eleven children, of which we have raised all but two.

I had pleasure with my wife and little ones for about four years, when my troubles commenced. Col. Jones was a white Southern man who believed in parting slaves and sending them where he pleased. He had four men—I was the youngest—and he parted all of them. I was out of his employ for four years, working for the Government of North Carolina, after which I fell back in his hands, working on his farm and on the Raleigh & Gaston R. R. He set out to part my wife and I, as he had threathened to do. I could not suit him, I could not get along with him; he was always abusing me and threathening to sell me; he aggrivated me and tried my very soul. I was raised poor and hard as any slave, but the Lord had elevated me and made me feel that I was more of a man. I had all the craves for a wife and children, and I feel to day that God gave me that woman to take care of her, for fifty-two or fifty-three years tells mighty well about us. Col. Jones rebuked me on one occasion—I was dressing my wife finer than he was his wife. I answered, him, “Master, that is my money; I work for it. If I don't give it to my wife and children, what am I to do with it?” The troubles between he and I still increased, and on one occasion, when I got home in the morning from my wife's house, we met and had words[.] I replied, “Sir, I love my wife—you love yours; if you don't want me to go to see my wife, just send me as far away as you can, by land or water, for I am going at the risk of my life.” He jumped and struck at me and we had a regular warfare that day. He tried to tie and whip me but I would not let him. His wife came crying and begging me to submit to my master and to cross my hands and let him whip me, just to save his word. I would not submit and they sent off after the neighbors—he, his wife and myself were shut up in her bedroom. By this time I had got very mad; I was not going to hurt the old people, but I caught up a couple of heavy chains and stood up behind the door, making up my mind to drop them—knock them down as they came in. They sent a messenger, telling them not to come in. God was in the midst. They turned me out and we got along very well for about a year, when another trouble broke out. He intended to sell me because I told him I would never serve him. Whenever there were traders in the country, I never felt safe with my wife and children.

He landed me in jail for sale during this time. My wife's master had a friend who was a trader in Raleigh. He sent word to the jail to keep quiet; he had a man, a trader, who would buy me and carry me back to my wife and children. I staid in jail one month when Col. Jones' brother-in-law, Dick Smith, of Raleigh, turned me out. The next trial he gave me was with Keith & Wooley, of South Carolina, speculators, who were traveling through that section of the country buying up negros. I was always on the lookout when there were any speculators in the country. He was trying for three days, unbeknowing to me, to trade me off.

One Sunday I went down to what is known as Rogers' Crossroads, when two traders, came riding along, whom none of us knew. There were a good many of us colored men standing together and we got a little excited, not knowing who they were. I mistrusted something and stepped across the road and bowing to them, called them “Master.” I thought it was Mr. Wade and Guy, railroad men from off the river, and I asked them if I was right. “Oh yes!” said they, “that's who we are; to whom do you belong?”

“To Col. Jones,” says I.

“What's your name?”

I told them my name was Friday Jones. They were on rather spirited horses, and I walked along with him for about half a mile. I was then very near my wife's house, where I met little Ben Rogers, who said, “How do, Mr. Keith, how do, Mr. Wooley, how do, Friday; Mr. Keith, how do you and Mr. Wooley come along buying the niggers?” They remained silent and winked at Ben Rogers not to say, anything about speculators; so they told it next day, for fear I would run away. We parted and I went on.

I had not gone more than a hundred yards before I had to stop. Sunday night I rested bad—I was troubled. I went on home as usual Monday morning and went to my work. I worked until Monday evening on Panta Creek, and when night came, I said to an old man named Jack, “This is my own axe—I will hide it here; if I never come back, give it to my wife and children.” Jack was astonished at me: it made him feel bad to have me talk so to him. I was satisfied in my mind that there was trouble at hand.

We had to go about a mile-and-a-half or two miles to the home house, where we stayed all night. When I got home, about seven or eight o'clock, I concluded to go down to the same neighborhood where I was on Sunday. Just before I started, I heard some one call Jack; it was Col. Jones himself. I answered him and told him and said Jack wasn't there. He stepped in with his gun in his hand and collared me immediately and said, “You are a soldier, sir.” I told him, “No sir, I was not.” He said “Walk with me, sir.” We went on to his house and into his bedroom ; he then called for a rope to tie me, which I let him do. He told his wife he had sold me to Keith & Wooley, and was to deliver me next day at eleven o'clock, at Raleigh, N.C. jail and receive his money. I concluded to either let him tie me or whip him out, and it would not do to whip him as my wife's master would have got down on me then, and he was my friend; so I said to him, “Sir, let me go by and bid my wife and children farewell?”

“No sir, you shall never go by there again until I send you away.[”]