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Champaign Times, March 6 1914 Ex-Slave of Homer is dead Homer Ill, March 4. St Frances Jones wife of Wiley Jones well
known colored barber of this village died at 10:50 o'clock this
morning following a paralytic stroke suffered a week ago. Mrs.
Jones was born in slavery in North Carolina 63 years ago and came
to homer from Adrian Mich besides her husband she leaves a
daughter Mrs. Mamie long News Gazette , Oct 3 1920 Former slave dies, last in the County Prince Pickens Negro slave who recollected being sold at least
four times and whose age was questionable died Saturday at the
home of his son Sherman Pickens, 502 east Tremont street. Pickens
age was estimated at 91 years of age. But members of the family
stated there was nothing authentic relatives this number . ( Note:
That is the way it was wrote in the paper) It was known however
that he was sold four times as a slave and his death marks the
closing chapter in the career of living slaves in Champaign
County. Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 o'clock Monday
afternoon at St.Lukas church,fifth street and Park Ave. with Rev
Samples in charge. News Gazette, Feb 28 1824 Former slave taken by death Funeral services for William Alexander aged Negro resident of this city and ex-slave who died Sunday at Kankakee were held there Wednesday and Burial made in that city. Mrs. Lane Lewis 406 east Vine street a daughter attended the services. Mr. Alexander was a familiar figure on the streets here until about a year ago when he was sent to the Kankakee asylum. He became mentally unbalanced from grief over the death of his wife. He was born in slavery in Kentucky more then 80 yrs ago. He never new the exact date of his birth but reckoned his years from the time he was freed. he immediately came north and had never returned. He had lived in Champaign most of his life and had made many friends here. Before he became to old to work he was employed by the stipes building supplies Company. But in recent years his favorite spot was the corner of Walnut and Main street were he had many interested listeners to his stories of the slave market where he was sold to new masters on three different occasions and also his experience during the war although he never attended a school Mr. Alexander learned to read and write after coming to the north and later became a student of the Bible. He was a active member of the Salem Baptist Church up to the time of his illness. [submitted by by Donald Aikman News Gazette, Feb 10 1925 Ed Hines 74, Champiagn Negro, Born a Slave by F.W Hills It has been 61 years since Henry Hines 74 years old a pioneer colored man of champaign left his old home his "Master" and the old missouri plantation in Cape Giradeou county to "go on his own" Yet the memory of those old slave days remain vivid in his imagination. Mr Hines owns his own home at 221 1/2 south water street. Where he and his wife, also born in slavery have lived a number of years. They were married in 1888 in Champaign sixteen years after Mr Hines a freed slave came north. Mr Hines was one of a family of six children , five boys and one girl. All born in slavery, as were there parents. Two brothers, one of them living in Champaign and the sister remain There father died 10 years ago down in the southern part of Illinois at the estimated age of 105 years old. Mother sold at the age of six Henry Hines mother died when he was only 17 and because of poverty he was unable to remain at home longer. It was then that he started out for himself his mother was born in west Virginia and to the best of her recollection had been sold into slavery when she was about six years old. She was sold from plantation to plantation and finely had been sold to a young woman in Missouri. Mr Hines explained that the surname was not that of his own family but of his Master, adopted by his father. He explains that most Negro family names are thus derived. When the civil war broke out Henry his mother and father and brothers and sisterwere at work on the Hines plantation in southern Missouri They ployed the fields and harvested the tobacco. In only one year does Henry remember that a crop of cotton was raised"experimentally" on the plantatiom. Father was overseer, his father was at this time in charge of all the slaves on the plantation and there was 20 or 30 employed there. In addition to white laborers. The white men were paid 8 dollars a day, Henry remembers. The owner of the plantation dealt largely in cord wood for the river steamers as the plantation fronted on the mississippi. Many a rail did this young slave boy split even before he reached his teens. At this labor Henry must have surpassed most slaves for later, after he was freed and was working for another Master He split 285 rails in one day.Henry grew up with hard work he declares and yet all the slaves on the home plantation were well treated, he says by the "Boss" News gazette feb 19 1925 Henry Hines , 74 , ex-slave, dies. Henry Hines 74 aged colored man of champaign died at 5:45 Thursday morning in his home 122 1/2 south water street. He had been ill about 5 days from grip." Born a slave" Mr Hines had been born a slave on a Missouri plantation located in Cape Girardeau county and fronting the Mississippi river After the war he continued to work for his old Master a number of years but when his mother died when he was 17 he left home. Soon afterwords he came to Champaign County where he worked a number of years. He married in 1880 and leaves his widow and three children. Wilson and Frank Hines and Mrs Ella Franklin, the latter of Brooklyn N.Y. He also leaves two brothers, C. L Hines of Champaign and John Hines of Grand Tower and a sister, Mrs Laura Jones of Champaign. [submitted by by Donald Aikman Return to the main Index page for Champaign county
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