From what I can tell, I was born around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland. My mother and father had a small place in the slave quarters on the plantation that belonged to Edward Brodas. He lived in what we called "the big house." My mother's name was Harriet Greene, but they called her Old Rit, and my father's name was Benjamin Ross. They called me Araminta Ross, but mostly Minta or Minty for short. Later on, they started calling me Harriet, after my mother.