I barely knew my mother, whose name was Harriet Bailey. You see I was born into slavery and my father, from what I have heard, was my mother's master. My grandmother and grandfather, Betsey and Isaac Bailey, who were too old to work, lived on the outskirts of the farm. And my grandmother was made to look after young children. When I was but a small baby, I was sent to her to look after me. I can only imagine that this practice was done to keep any bonds from forming between a mother and her child.