Moving letter from freed slave to old master after he was asked back to work on farm

UK Daily Mail ^ | January 31, 2012 | Louise Boyle

[C19fan]

A fascinating letter has emerged from a one-time slave to his former master in reply to being invited back to work on the farm where he spent more than 30 years in servitude. Jourdon Anderson wrote to Colonel P.H. Anderson in August 1865, explaining that since he had been emancipated, he had moved his family from Big Spring, Tennessee to Ohio, was being paid for his labour and could support his family. According to an edition of the New York Daily Tribune published at the time, Jourdon Anderson dictated the letter to give his weighty and fitting response.

[WestwardHo]

It was a great learning experience to live in South Carolina for six years and hear the other side of the story.
Many slaves did not leave the families, the farms where they had a home, or the work they knew to do.
Praise the Lord, we ended slavery! At the same time, history has been rewritten for political propaganda.
Are we any less slaves to an evil government, and do we know the worse is yet to come? We Americans pay higher taxes than the serfs under evil kings.

[altura]

Could very well be a fraud but remember Nat Turner.

[svcw]

The English and writing style makes no sense. I am suspect.

[miss marmelstein]

Well, if it’s a fraud, it’s a pretty old fraud. It was published in the New York Trib in 1865.

Frederick Douglas was an ex-slave so I don’t buy that a slave couldn’t be as literate as this man is. It’s his enormous sense of humor and irony that strike out - not his vocabulary.

The picture of the slaves in the article is nice, too.

[Leaning Right]

Conveniently released during an election to stir up the reparations, I mean revenge, feelings.

Well, if the letter is to be used for election purposes, I suggest that historians dig a bit deeper. The old master, Col. Anderson, was almost certainly a Democrat.

And the Provost Marshal who gave the ex-slave his free papers was almost certainly a Republican.

Any reparations should be paid using Democratic party funds.

[rawhide]

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,
Jourdon Anderson.

[Liberty Valance]

Great letter! Mr. Anderson sounds like a newly minted Republican voter.

[Georgia Girl 2]

The average slave in the 1860’s could not read nor write. They developed a pidgeon english way of speaking so the white masters could not understand what they were saying. They certainly never spoke like this letter. Perhaps whoever was doing the writing simply put Jourden Anderson’s message in more educated words.

[mac_truck]

My husband thinks it is a fraud, too.

Except it isn't.

[cvq3842]

I could be wrong! thanks.

[passionfruit]

Here's the original letter as published in the New York Daily Tribune in 1865. It may be easier to read here:http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/Cackalacky/Page.jpg

[Madame Dufarge]

Scroll halfway down the page to hear a 1906 partial recording of a speech by Booker T. Washington.

Elegant enunciation.

Booker T. Washington

[stylin19a]

next you're going to tell me wrasslin is fake.

la-la-la-la... I can't hear you.

[count-your-change]

The distrust of a letter that shows an ex-slave could be eloquent in his thought and speech is hardly surprising given the low levels of ability present today in the misnamed “educated”.

No matter who actually set pen to paper the letter is masterful in its irony as the author expresses a charitable lack of bitterness but a deep distrust of the new found concern of the former master.

The former slave asks for what is freely offered now to be recognized as justly earned but not paid in the past as a measure of the sincerity of the ex-master.

Perhaps the Colonel was in a clumsily and roundabout way asking for forgiveness and Jourdon was explaining how difficult that would be for each of them.

[x]

Your mind works funny -- if it works at all.

And not "funny ha-ha."

[x]

It's said that the letter was "dictated" by the slave.

So, sure, there was some collaboration between Jourdon Anderson and whoever wrote it down and sent it in to the Cincinnati paper, from which it was reprinted in the New York Tribune.

There may have been some polishing and refining of the language by that unknown person.

The indications are that the letter is from 1865 and that Jourdon or Jordan Anderson was a real person, though.

[GOYAKLA]

passionfruit doesn’t need my help but others might like this data.

Note the letter was supposedly dictated. Probably with “much” flourish.
1860 US Census
Name: P H Anderson
[Patrick H Sr Anderson]
Age in 1860: 37
Birth Year: abt 1823
Birthplace: Tennessee
Home in 1860: District 8, Wilson, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Post Office: Tuckers Crossroads
Value of real estate: View image
Household Members:
Name Age
P H Anderson 37
Mary Ann Anderson 33
Patrick H Anderson 13
Martha H Anderson 11
Pauldin Anderson 9
Simes Anderson 6
Edgar poe Anderson 3
Mary M Anderson 1

1860 Slave census

Race: Black
Age: 50
Home in 1860: Civil district no 8, Wilson, Tennessee
Name of Slave Owner: P H Anderson
All Slaves Owned:
Age Gender
50 Male
34 Male
35 Male
28 Male
26 Male
23 Male
22 Male
18 Male
16 Male
16 Male
12 Male
10 Male
10 Male
6 Male
6 Male
6 Male
3 Male
3 Male
1 Male
50 Female
50 Female
25 Female
22 Female
18 Female
15 Female
18 Female
12 Female
12 Female
10 Female
8 Female
3 Female
14 Female

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Perdogg. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[RedMonqey]

This is no letter from as a slave. It claims to be is an letter dictated by another person from a slave. A fine point to be sure but one missed by many here.

I notice there is no original document, just a copy of an newspaper And just happens to be printed in an northern abolistists newspaper for an northern abolistist audience.

As an amateur historian I've read many authentic letters and excerpts from historical sources, but something strikes me as very queer about this, it sound too pat, as it addresses all the talking points one would find in a political diatribe from that era with a few chose phrases to ‘mammy it up’ to fit a northern abolitionist appetite that would precieve how a former slave might talk..

There may well have been such an former slave but I have suspecion it hadbeen heavilyedited and rewritten by an overzealous activist editor.

Educated slaves were a uncommon commity, some with approval of their masters but many without the knowledge of their masters. But all took great pride in it and who took to great pains to show their educational level. Just look at the writings of Fredick Douglas. and especialy anyone with the skills who would write to a former master.

However the text in the manner it was written looks as if it was 'dumbed down' to meet what some

Methinks there is an(abolistist) ghost writer involved in this "letter"

[DNA.2012]

It’s fake.

It might be an old fake, but it is a fake all the same.

This was not written - or dictated - by anyone who had been a slave their whole life until just before the letter was written.

It was written as satire by a Caucasian abolitionist.