-
Birth of Henry Dupuy
Today, I was born into the world as Henry Dupuy. My parents are Bethany Dupuy and Dion Dupuy. I was born in Floyd, Virginia. -
First Day of Work
I just turned four the other day! My first day of work as a slave was to wash and dry the dishes. Also, I played with marbles with some of my neighbors in my free time. -
Amanda Dupuy Joined the Family
My sister, Amanda was born today. -
First Day in the Real World
I turned 12 today and worked with my father in the tobacco field. It was very tiring! I am going to sleep well tonight. -
Planted Tobacco
I helped to plant tobacco today. Hopefully, it will rain soon or we will not have any tobacco. Working everyday has been exhausting, but I am sure it will be worth it when we harvest the tobacco! -
Harvest!
The gods have been very generous with the rain. The tobacco looks great! It's now time to harvest the tobacco and make our owner happy. -
Christmas!
For my Christmas present this year, my father made me a banjo out of a gourd. He also made my sister a pair of drums using gourds. He will probally regret making the banjo when I play it at night.. -
Holiday Break
Every year we get a break from work between Christmas and New Years. The break always seems to go too fast! During the break, we visit with family and I play marbles with the neighbors. This year, my sister and I started a little musical band. We hope to some day be able to leave the tobacco farm and start a world tour. -
A Day to Relax
Due to our very hard work and all of the tobacco production, our master granted everyone a day off on Sundays to hang out with our families and friends. Also, we are allowed to go to church if we would like. -
Little Sister is now helping me out
Amanda turned 12 today. She began working alongside me in the tobacco field. I think we are a very good tag team. -
Took a Walk
I went for a long walk on my day off. I walked about a mile or two away from my home when I spotted a very pretty girl working in a tobacco field. I Introduced myself. She seems very nice and intelligent. She said her name was Ashaki. -
Going Well
Things have been well. Ashaki and I have met about twice a month for the past 2 years. Her master only allows her to have off work every other Sunday. I plan on proposing to her soon. -
The Best Day of the Year
We all got new shoes today! I needed shoes very badly as mine were just a few days from falling apart. Also, we received new pants and a shirt. We are given these items once per year. The shoes may not be very comfortable, but they are better than not having any at all. -
The Wedding
I proposed to Ashaki about two months ago and she said yes! Today is our wedding day, nothing that spectacular, just family, a few neighbors, and my master. My master gave me the gift of a small section of the farm to start a garden. I plan on planting a few crops and selling them for a little money. -
My Father Passed Away
Father had passed a few months ago. The cause is unknown, but he died peacefully. One of the neighbor's masters has been gracious enough to lease us one of his slaves to help us for a bit. -
New LIttle Helpers
Ashaki gave birth to a pair of twins! Their names are Anna Dupuy and Henry Jr. Dupuy. Although we live on different farms, my master allows me to take Sunday walks over to visit them. Ashaki is off from work for a while so she can raise our children. -
Great day!
My master is allowing us to work on expanding the cabin so my family can live with my mother, my sister, and I. I will work hard on this project with all the free time I have. -
Project Finished
The expanded cabin looks great. Also, with the side money I earned from the garden over the years, I bought new beds made out of straw for everyone in the cabin. -
Efficient Family
With the twins turning 12 a few days ago and helping us out on the farm, we are very efficient and most days finish our daily work a little before sunset. The twins don't seem to mind working from sunrise to sunset. -
Family Band
For Christmas this year, I made a banjo for Henry Jr. and a pair of drums for Anna. All of us in the cabin love playing music together in our free time. -
Freedom
The Emancipation Proclamation was passed and our time as slaves is now over. We tried to make the best of working the tobacco farm. We are planning to pack up our neccesities and move north. -
Life is Good
We were all able to find a job up north. The jobs do not compare to Slavery, as being a slave was much harder. Since my master did not teach me how to read and write, a neighbor has offered to teach me. It is a wonderful thing! I should write about my past...
