A Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, A Colored Man: Written by Himself, At The Age of Fifty-FourDavis, Noah
Religion
A Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, A Colored Man: Written by Himself, At The Age of Fifty-Four
Davis, Noah
Davis, Noah, 1803 or 1804-; Freed persons -- Maryland; Slavery -- United States -- Personal narratives
Suffice it to say, the friends in Boston and its vicinity gave me about
four hundred dollars towards the purchase of my daughter. I had the
privilege of meeting the Baptist ministers in their conference meeting.
Here the Rev. Mr. Tilson, pastor of the First Baptist Church at Hingham,
invited me to spend a Sunday evening at his place, which I did, very
greatly to my own satisfaction and profit. During my stay in Boston, I
visited several of the smaller towns adjacent to it,--Lynn, Cambridge,
Melrose, Malden, Chelsea, and others, and I was kindly received at all
of them. I collected in Lynn something like $50, the most of which was
given to me by the members of the 2nd Baptist Church. Just before
leaving Boston, to my great and agreeable surprise, I met Dr. F. Patten,
surgeon in the U. S. Navy, (my former owner,) in the street, in that
city. I had not seen him for seven or eight years, and had no thought
of seeing him in Boston. He recognized me first, and spoke to me before
I knew he was near; but I instantly knew him. We greeted each other
heartily, and he invited me to visit him at Chelsea. This I did, the
same afternoon, and was kindly treated.
While I sat there with him and his children, and he was looking over my
subscription book, I was constrained to look back for fifteen years,
over all the way the Lord had brought me, since the day this same
gentleman had given me privilege to purchase my freedom, and handed me a
pass, saying, "I am not afraid of you running away, Noah--you may go
where you please." I reflected, suppose I had stayed away, when I was in
Boston, twelve years ago, begging money to buy myself--how would it be
with me and my family to-day? But I have tried to acknowledge the Lord
in all my ways, always asking counsel of Him, and I now feel that He has
kindly directed and kept me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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