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~ ~	~L~V~kYHJLô ~r~N~4~‘ Ith.NRT BL~ ~ £~Ö1AY~


	iie~ry Bland is one of the tes living ex-slaTes w~o sas ~or~ on s plantation n~r eitOfl, Ga. ‚ in l6~]. I~ie parents were Nartl* end ~ Coxton. In this f~ily group e t~ree other cnildr.n, two girls and one boy, sr~ vas the oldest. ~t~en qussticned L~ing the birthplace and t~e movi~ente of tAis T*rsnts, W~z. BLand stated that lUs tu r ~‘a5 born in }It~ncook Co~unty, Ga. His mother along with lier mother sas brought

	eorgi~i by the speculator sith a drove of other 3lavs:. The first thing t litt he ~e~)Cr or ~~ie t~erente is when he ~s quite sznall and was allowed to ruin in the ster‘& kitchen in the “big house“ where Lis mother ~4B cook.

	r, ~xton, ~bo ~ the einer of M~. 3land and ils fsmily~ •as lesorjbed as being very rich ~nd influential ii~n In the o~rsaunity where he lived. bs~ys ~r. BuM, 18 only fault ~s that of drinking tco much of th. whisky that tie di~ti1l.d on the

an~.~tion~‘ Unlike •oa~e of the other slave owners in tbaQ isotlon., Mr. Cozton was very rkl t~j :~i s slaves. His plantation ~s a lt~rge or~s and on it cas rais~ cotton~, corn, p vegetabl ~a ‚ a nci live stock. More co tton ~a groin tbs.n anything ales.

	~•rozn the time hi las I ye~r and 6 x~ionths of age until he ~a 9 y~rs old he lived

I tlie „ o1~ housSe‘ ~ lais mother. At night he slept on the floor there. In spite ot

~1e, ~ ~ 1;is mother‘ a tre*te~ent u.s considerably better than tr~i t received by those

~	.v~.o ?~crked in the fields. ~hile t:~ir food consisted of the ean~ tnings as did

~t oc the field slaves, •o~ietirice choice ~iorss1s oem. back to the kitchen t~m~ the

~~ter‘~ table. He ~7i thi~i t ala mother‘s clothes were of better quality tk*n the other

:~ç. ~‚ Y~.efl ( those wno care not employed in the house).

	‚;: a oUl~i fis first job sea to cut wood for the 8tove, pick up chips, ana to drive

~e cr~~ to ~ nd from the m stur•. ~hen ~ y&~r~ old ne w~s sent to the field *~a a

~ys ~ ere ~ie ~0 rked W ith a la rge uU~ ~‘er of otuer el~ves (lie does not know the .~ot

~•~r ~ ~ were diTided into two groups, the piciw group and the hoe group. }L1~ tether

~r‘enc~ to be the fore~an of the hoe gang. His brothers and sisters also ~ rked here

I th~ ~11eld5 being req~xired to noe as sell as ploy. ~.hen pickinc time cerne, everyone iae