Written by
Hall, Samuel, American, born 1818
Elder, Orville, American, born 1866
Date
1912
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 9 x 5 7/8 in. (22.9 x 14.9 cm)
Description
The autobiography of Samuel Hall with a forward by friend Orville Elder. The book has 45 pages and is saddle-stitched with a paper cover. The cover was printed on hand-made paper with black serif typeface and border design element. The front cover reads [THE LIFE OF Samuel Hall / WASHINGTON, IOWA / A Slave for Forty-Seven Years / BORN 1818]. The inside cover features an oval-shaped black-and-white photographic portrait of Hall. The title page reads [SAMUEL HALL / 47 YEARS A SLAVE / A BRIEF STORY OF HIS LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER FREEDOM CAME TO HIM]. The narrative story tells of Hall's life enslaved on a plantation in Iredell County, North Carolina where he received an education and religious instruction before being sold away from his wife and children to William Wallace, a plantation owner in Tennessee. The narrative also shares Hall's experience during the Civil War first with the Confederate Army and then with the Union after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. He later became a successful farmer in Washington, Iowa, where he settled with his second wife and nine children.
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Books and Published Materials
Type
narratives
Topic
Agriculture
American South
Emancipation
Families
Fatherhood
Literature
Slavery
U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2010.76
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd58888ee30-7cf7-4860-bcf0-5ddd061c0c0c

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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