My Grandfather was born in 1880, in the former slave shantie his parents, siblings, and Grandparents shared. His parents and Grandparents were slaves. He told many stories about his life in GA. He ran away at age 16 travelled North to Iowa to work in the Coal Mines. He told my siblings and I stories about Florence, GA. where he was born. One of the stories he told us, he said was told to him when he was a child by

his Grandfather (b. 1818); that his father was from Africa; that when he was a child he was taken away to from his father and mother and never saw him again. Grandfather said that his parents all of whom were slaves. lived most of their lives at place where he was born. After slavery his family, my ancestors, shared cropped with the same family who owned them. He said that two brothers owned two plantations located in Florence Township, Stewart County, GA. He said the town was mostly slaves then former slaves; that between the two brother whom he called by their names, owned

about 300 slaves in the "early years". In 1992, fourteen members of my family traveled to Georgia to visit the homesite of my ancestors I was able to interview my Grandfather's cousin and his wife. He was 96, and she was 90. He had a very sharp memory, he directed our family group to the place where a marker bears the name of the Plantation. He said his grandfather always talked of seeing his father and mother again, and as he grew older in age, he "talked to him". The story was repeated by Grandfather's cousin.