House 'boy', 81, drops work to honor liberator, Page 1 |
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House ^Boy^y 81, Drops Work to Honor Liberator
Love for Lincoln, Inspires!
in Boyhood of Slavery,
Deepens With Passing
of Years
In the rude plantation shack it which he was born into slavery S . years ago, John McClure heard the name of Abraham Lincoln whis pered With a deep reverence agaii and again as the old darkies hud died together after the day's work was done.
Talk of approaching war clouds, mumblings of "the day when Abo Lincoln would free the slaves" in¬ spired in the little Negro a love for the man who was fighting their battles, a love he nourished and with which he grew to manhood. Time Deepens Love
The 68 years which have passed since the "Great Emancipator" is¬ sued his historic proclam.ation have dulled many a man's memory ano love. But to John McClure the passing years have brought a great¬ er love for Lincoln, a profoundness ot emotion he can express only by observing Lincoln's birthday', Feb 12, as a holy day rather than a holi day.
Each year—and John is now 81 years old—he drops his work on Feb. 12, dons his full dress suit, and shiney top hat, and spends the day in meditation and prayer for the man who cut away the shackles of slavery into which he was born. He Saw Lincoln
Known to many Madison families, John Is one of the last of the old time "house-boys" who came north after the Civil war. He was born in 1850 on a large plantation near Celount Sterling, Ky., the property of the Gibson family.
The affection in which he was held by his "young miss" is indi¬ cated by the fact that she was his teacher, and the deep feeling of gratitude he holds for her now aft¬ er 50 years of freedom.
"Yes, ma'am, I saw Lincoln, our dear disciple," John will say if you ask about the war president. "I^
was in Hardin, Ky.. and he was in camp there. It was surely a fine privilege."
Industrious Beyond Tears
Industrious far beyonj the strength of his 81 years, John has no specialty in his work. "I do al¬ most any kind of house work," he replied to a question. "I was cook in the old Capital house for a while and at the Kelley restaurant and other places, too. Whatever my families wanted, I generally could do. Heavy rugs are getting a little beyond me now, but i can m^anage a good many tasks still."
"I take care of my own home at
Object Description
| Page Title | Newspaper articles on ex-slaves in Wisconsin |
| Place of Publication | Madison, Wis.; Racine, Wis. |
| Source Publisher | Wisconsin State Journal; Racine Times-Call; Capital Times |
| Source Creation Date | 1929; 1931 |
| Language | English |
| Digital Format | XML |
| Electronic Publisher | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | We believe that online reproduction of this material is permitted because its copyright protection has lapsed or because sharing it here for non-profit educational purposes complies with the Fair Use provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law. Teachers and students are generally free to reproduce pages for nonprofit classroom use. For advice about other uses, or if you believe that you possess copyright to some of this material, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. |
| Electronic Publication Date | 2010 |
| Digital Identifier | TP548000 |
| Description | These three newspaper clippings contain interviews with three former slaves who later settled in Wisconsin. Hattie Pierce and John McClure were born as slaves in North Carolina and Kentucky, respectively, and eventually came to Madison. Sarah Anthony was born in Tennessee and later settled in Racine, Wis. These brief articles discuss how the elderly ex-slaves felt about their childhoods under slavery, liberation during the Civil War, and their later lives in the North |
| Owner | Wisconsin Historical Society Library |
| Format | Text |
| Recommended Citation | Use the headline, newspaper title, and publication date shown on the original clippings; online facsimile at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1754 |
| Document Number | TP548 |
| Size | 6 p. |
| URL | http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1754 |
| Owner Collection | Pamphlet Collection |
| Owner Object ID | 59- 1131a; 59-1131b; 59- 1132 |
| Genre | interview |
| County | Dane County; Racine County; |
| City | Madison; Racine |
| State/Province | Wisconsin |
| Gender | female |
| Race and Ethnicity | African Americans; |
| Sub-Topic | Desegregation and Civil Rights; |
| Event Date | 1929; 1931 |
| Event Years | 1929; 1931 |
| Life Stages | Aging; |
| Social Relations | Slavery; |
| Type | Text |
Description
| Page Title | House 'boy', 81, drops work to honor liberator, Page 1 |
| Place of Publication | Madison, Wis.; Racine, Wis. |
| Source Publisher | Wisconsin State Journal; Racine Times-Call; Capital Times |
| Source Creation Date | 1929; 1931 |
| Language | English |
| Digital Format | JPEG |
| Electronic Publisher | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | We believe that online reproduction of this material is permitted because its copyright protection has lapsed or because sharing it here for non-profit educational purposes complies with the Fair Use provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law. Teachers and students are generally free to reproduce pages for nonprofit classroom use. For advice about other uses, or if you believe that you possess copyright to some of this material, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. |
| Electronic Publication Date | 2010 |
| Digital Identifier | TP548001 |
| Owner | Wisconsin Historical Society Library |
| Owner Collection | Pamphlet Collection |
| Owner Object ID | 59- 1131a; |
| Full Text | House ^Boy^y 81, Drops Work to Honor Liberator Love for Lincoln, Inspires! in Boyhood of Slavery, Deepens With Passing of Years In the rude plantation shack it which he was born into slavery S . years ago, John McClure heard the name of Abraham Lincoln whis pered With a deep reverence agaii and again as the old darkies hud died together after the day's work was done. Talk of approaching war clouds, mumblings of "the day when Abo Lincoln would free the slaves" in¬ spired in the little Negro a love for the man who was fighting their battles, a love he nourished and with which he grew to manhood. Time Deepens Love The 68 years which have passed since the "Great Emancipator" is¬ sued his historic proclam.ation have dulled many a man's memory ano love. But to John McClure the passing years have brought a great¬ er love for Lincoln, a profoundness ot emotion he can express only by observing Lincoln's birthday', Feb 12, as a holy day rather than a holi day. Each year—and John is now 81 years old—he drops his work on Feb. 12, dons his full dress suit, and shiney top hat, and spends the day in meditation and prayer for the man who cut away the shackles of slavery into which he was born. He Saw Lincoln Known to many Madison families, John Is one of the last of the old time "house-boys" who came north after the Civil war. He was born in 1850 on a large plantation near Celount Sterling, Ky., the property of the Gibson family. The affection in which he was held by his "young miss" is indi¬ cated by the fact that she was his teacher, and the deep feeling of gratitude he holds for her now aft¬ er 50 years of freedom. "Yes, ma'am, I saw Lincoln, our dear disciple" John will say if you ask about the war president. "I^ was in Hardin, Ky.. and he was in camp there. It was surely a fine privilege." Industrious Beyond Tears Industrious far beyonj the strength of his 81 years, John has no specialty in his work. "I do al¬ most any kind of house work" he replied to a question. "I was cook in the old Capital house for a while and at the Kelley restaurant and other places, too. Whatever my families wanted, I generally could do. Heavy rugs are getting a little beyond me now, but i can m^anage a good many tasks still." "I take care of my own home at |
| Event Date | 1929; 1931 |
| Event Years | 1929; 1931 |
| Type | Text |