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Smith, Venture

"A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa, but Resident above Sixty Years in the United States of America, Related by Himself"

I hired myself
out at first to Timothy Chapman, for five weeks, the earnings of which
time I put carefully by me. After this I wrought for Abel Bingham
about six weeks. I then put my money together and purchased of said
Bingham ten acres of land, lying at Haddam neck, where I now reside.
On this land I labored with great diligence for two years, and shortly
after purchased six acres more of land contiguous to my other. One
year from that time I purchased seventy acres more of the same man,
and paid for it mostly with the produce of my other land. Soon after
I bought this lot of land, I set up a comfortable dwelling house on my
farm, and built it from the produce thereof. Shortly after I had much
trouble and expense with my daughter Hannah, whose name has before
been mentioned in this account. She was married soon after I redeemed
her, to one Isaac, a free negro, and shortly after her marriage fell
sick of a mortal disease; her husband a dissolute and abandoned
wretch, paid but little attention to her in her illness. I therefore
thought it best to bring her to my house and nurse her there. I
procured her all the aid mortals could afford, but notwithstanding
this she fell a prey to her disease, after a lingering and painful
endurance of it.
The physician's bills for attending her during her illness amounted to
forty pounds.


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