ral Lee Gibson, who was a neighboring
farmer. He saw and met Miss Elizabeth Bidding's maid; they liked each
other so very much, Miss Elizabeth bought him from General Gibson, and
let him have her maid as his wife. The wife lived only a short time,
leaving a little boy.

After the Civil war, a white man, by the name of Luster, was comming to
Ohio, brought John Gibson with him. They came to Indianapolis, and
Gibson liked it so well, he decided to remain; Mr. Luster told him if he
ever became dissatisfied to come on to Ohio to him, but he remained in
Indianapolis until 1872, then went back south, married, came back, and
made Indianapolis his home.

Interviewer's Comment

Mr. Gibson is very old, but does not know his exact age. He fought in
the Civil war, and said he could not be very young to have done that.

His sight is very nearly gone, can only distinguish light and dark.

He is very proud of his name, having been named for his old master.

Submitted January 24, 1938
Indianapolis, Indiana

Submitted by:
William Webb Tuttle
District No. 2
Muncie, Indiana

NEGRO SLAVES IN DELAWARE COUNTY
MRS. BETTY GUWN
MRS. HATTIE CASH, DAUGHTER, residing at 1101 East Second Street
Muncie, Indiana

Mrs. Betty Guwn was born March 25, 1832, as a slave on a tobacco
plantation, near Canton, Kentucky. It was a large plantation whose
second largest product was corn. She was married while quite young by
the slave method which was a form of union customary between the white
masters. If the contracting parties were of different plantations the
masters of the two estates bargained and the one sold his rights to the
one on whose plantation they would live. Her master bought her husband,
brought him and set them up a shack. Betty was the personal attendant of
the Mistress. The home was a large Colonial mansion and her duties were
many and responsible. However, when her house duties were caught up her
mistress sent her immediately to the fields. Discipline was quite stern
there and she was "lined up" with the others on several occasions.

Her cabin home began to fill up with children, fifteen in all. The
ventilation was ample and the husband would shoot a prowling dog from
any of the four sides of the room without opening the door. The cracks
between the logs would be used by cats who could step in anywhere. The
slaves had "meetin'" some nights and her mistress would call her and
have her turn a tub against her mansion door