tions in general on the plantations where he
lived:

"I was born in the year of 1843 near the present site of what is now
known as Clinton, Georgia. The names of my parents were Patsy and
Raleigh Ridley. I never saw my father as he was sold before I was old
enough to recognize him as being my father. I was still quite young when
my mother was sold to a plantation owner who lived in New Orleans, La.
As she was being put on the wagon to be taken away I heard her say: "Let
me see my poor child one more time because I know I'll never see him
again". That was the last I ever saw or heard of her. As I had no
brothers or sisters or any other relatives to care for me my master, who
was Mr. Robert Ridley, had me placed in his house where I was taught to
wait tables and to do all kinds of house work. Mr. Ridley had a very
large plantation and he raised cotton, corn, oats, wheat, peas, and live
stock. Horses and mules were his specialty--I remember that he had one
little boy whose job was to break these animals so that they could be
easily sold. My job was to wait tables, help with the house cleaning,
and to act as nurse maid to three young children belonging to the
master. At other times I drove the cows to and from the pasture and I
often helped with the planting in the fields when the field hands were
rushed. Out of the forty-odd slaves that were held by the Ridleys all
worked in the field with the exception of myself and the cook whose name
was Harriet Ridley." Continuing, Mr. Womble says: "I believe that Mr.
Ridley was one of the meanest men that ever lived. Sometimes he whipped
us, especially us boys, just to give himself a little fun. He would tie
us in such a way as to cause our bodies to form an angle and then he
preceeded to use the whip. When he had finished he would ask: "Who do
you belong to?" and we had to answer; "Marse Robert". At other times he
would throw us in a large tank that held about two-thousand gallons of
water. He then stood back and laughed while we struggled to keep from
drowning."

"When Marse Robert died I was still a small boy. Several months after
his death Mrs. Ridley gave the plantation up and took her share of the
slaves (ten in number) of which I was one, and moved to Tolbert County,
Georgia near the present location of Talbottom, Georgia. The other
slaves and the plantation were turned over to Marse Robert's relatives.
After a few months stay in this place I was sold to Mrs. Ridley's
brother