as ever born.

"My father was sold four times during slavery. When he was brought to
Virginia he was put on the block and auctioned off for $4,000. He said
that the last time he was sold he only brought $1,500. He was born in
Alabama. When he was bought he was carried from Alabama to Virginia. It
was Col. Elmore who took him. He wanted to go to Alabama again, so Col.
Elmore let a speculator take him back and sell him. He stayed there for
several years and got homesick for South Carolina. He couldn't get his
marster to sell him back here, so he just refugeed back to Col. Elmore's
plantation. Col. Elmore took him back and wouldn't let anybody have him.

"Pa married twice, about the same time. He married Dorcas Cooper, who
belonged to the Coopers at Staunton Military Academy. I was the first
child born in Camden. She had sixteen children. I was brought to
Spartanburg County when I was little. Both ma and pa were sold together
in Alabama. The first time pa came to South Carolina he married a girl
called Jenny. She never had any children. When he went to Alabama,
Dorcas went with him, but Jenny stayed with Col. Elmore. Of course, pa
just jumped the broom for both of them.

"When pa left Alabama to refugee back, he had to leave Dorcas. They did
not love their marster anyway. He put Dorcas up on the block with a red
handkerchief around her head and gave her a red apple to eat. She was
sold to a man whose name I have forgotten. When they herded them she got
away and was months making her way back to South Carolina. Those
Africans sure were strong. She said that she stayed in the woods at
night. Negroes along the way would give her bread and she would kill
rabbits and squirrels and cook and eat in the woods. She would get drunk
and beat any one that tried to stop her from coming back. When she did
get back to Col. Elmore's place, she was lanky, ragged and poor, but
Col. Elmore was glad to see her and told her he was not going to let
anybody take her off. Jenny had cared so well for her children while she
was off, that she liked her. They lived in the same house with pa till
my mother died.

"Col. Elmore said that negroes who were from Virginia and had African
blood could stand anything. He was kind to ma. He fed her extra and she
soon got fat again. She worked hard for Col. Elmore, and she and pa sure
did love him. One time a lot of the negroes in the quarter got drunk and
ma got to fighting all of them. When she got sobered