While I was a slave I had no schooling whatsoever. But there were times when I had to carry books for my young mistresses when they went to school. Seeing the picture of those young boys and girls in that schoolroom made a deep impression on me. I felt that getting into a schoolhouse and studying like I saw them do would be the next thing to going to heaven.

The first time I recall learning that we were slaves was when I was awakened by my mother kneeling over us praying for the freedom of herself and her children. She prayed hard that Lincoln and his armies would win the Civil War and set us free.