*Interview with Henry Dant,*
*Hannibal, Missouri.*
_Henry Says He's 105_
Henry Dant, now living with his daughter on Davis Street in Hannibal,
was born in slavery on the farm of Judge Daniel Kendrick, south of
Monroe City in Ralls County. He is about one hundred and five years old,
in possession of all his faculties and is able to move around the house.
He seemed to have only hazy recollections, and it was difficult to keep
him from wandering from the subject. The following is the story that he
told:
"I was married and had three children when we was freed. The only slaves
Mr. Kendrick had was my mother, brother, sister, and myself. Mr.
Kendrick had three boys. Joe carried mail to Paris, and de other two,
Bob and Jerome, was school teachers.
"We was treated fair when we behaved ourselves, but we had to be
straightened out sometimes but we were not mistreated. We worked hard on
de farm. I cradled wheat and plowed corn often till midnight. We often
drove hogs to Palmyra and Hannibal. When dere was no crops in de fields
we made brooms and baskets. My brother died and den I had to do most of
de work. I was de only colored man on de place den. De Stage stopped at
Mr. Kendrick's place and I had to look after de horses and mules. De
mail come dere too, and dere was always a lot of people to be fed.
"Mr. Kendrick was judge of de court at New London and he was away most
of de time. He was a big man in de county in dem days, and I had to go
to town often. Once when I was driving to town with de ox team and wagon
during de war, dere was soldiers on de road like you never did see. I
tell you dem was bad times. I come back a different road because I was
afraid, and I run dem oxen most of de way home. I got dere all right,
but de oxen laid down on me once. De next morning one of the oxen was
dead and in about a week de other one died. Dey just couldn't stand de
running.
"Two of de master's boys got locked up over in New London or some place
during de war. Dey come back after the war was over.
"I played a fiddle for all de weddings and parties in de neighborhood.
Dey paid me fifteen or twenty cents each time and I had money in my
pockets all de time.
"When we was set free dey gave us a side of meat and a bushel of meal.
Dat's all we got. I went on a farm and farmed for myself, later I owned
a farm in Ralls County. We raised corn and pigs and drove de pigs to
Hannibal and Palmyra. When I got too old to farm I come here to live
with my daughter. I get a pension now for about a year. It's not very
much but it helps."