There had never been a school in that part of Virginia and the folks were very excited about its prospects. The young man from Ohio was too young to be the teacher. So finding one became a problem. But along came a soldier who had found his way into these parts. And he was enticed to become the teacher at the colored school.

There was no free school at that time. So each family agreed to pay a certain amount and to "board" the teacher around. This was not bad at all for the teacher. For each family tried to provide their best when it was their turn to have him as their guest. I looked forward with an anxious appetite when it was our turn to have "teacher's day" in our little cabin.

This was a time when the whole race was trying to go to school. For the older people, their ambition was to be able to read the Bible before they died.