She was thirty-two years of age, of good physical proportions, and a
promising-looking person, above the ordinary class of slaves belonging
to Delaware. She was owned by Jane Cooper, who lived near Laurel, in
Sussex county. She had been more accustomed to field labor than
house-work; ploughing, fencing, driving team, grubbing, cutting wood,
etc., were well understood by her. During "feeding times" she had to
assist in the house. In this respect, she had harder times than the men.
Her mistress was also in the habit of hiring Elizabeth out by the day to
wash. On these occasions she was required to rise early enough to milk
the cows, get breakfast, and feed the hogs before sunrise, so that she
might be at her day's washing in good time.
It is plainly to be seen, that Elizabeth had not met with the "ease" and
kindness which many claimed for the slave. Elizabeth was sensible of the
wrongs inflicted by her Delaware mistress, and painted her in very vivid
colors. Her mistress was a widow, "quite old," but "very frisky," and
"wore a wig to hide her gray hairs." At the death of her husband, the
slaves believed, from what they had heard their master say, that they
would be freed, each at the age of thirty. But no will was found, which
caused Elizabeth, as well as the rest of the slaves, to distrust the
mistress more than ever, as they suspected that she knew something of
its disappearance.
Her mistress belonged to the Presbyterian Church, but would have "family
prayers only when the minister would stop;" Elizabeth thought that she
took greater pains to please the minister than her Maker. Elizabeth had
no faith in such religion.
Both Elizabeth and her husband were members of the Methodist Church.
Neither had ever been permitted to learn to read or write, but they were
naturally very smart. John left his mother and one sister in bondage.
One of his brothers fled to Canada fifteen years before their escape.
His name was Abraham.
Charles Connor, the third person in the party, was twenty-seven years of
age--fast color, and a tough-looking "article," who would have brought
twelve hundred dollars or more in the hands of a Baltimore trader. The
man from whom Charles fled was known by the name of John Chipman, and
was described as "a fleshy man, with rank beard and quick temper, very
hard--commonly kept full of liquor, though he would not get so drunk
that he could not go about." For a long time Charles had been the main
dependence on his master's place, as he only owned two other slaves.
Charles particularly remarked, that no weather was too bad for them to
be kept at work in the field. Charles was a fair specimen of the
"corn-field hand," but thought that he could take care of himself in
Canada.
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