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This is a photo of a slave boy named John.  The picture was found in an attic in Charlotte, North Carolina,  a nondescript hiding place for such a magnificent, haunting piece of American history.  Along with the photo of John and his companion, was a document detailing the sale of John for $1,150 dollars in 1854.  It was a stark reminder of the harrowing, barbaric nature of the slave trade, and the lives and families it ripped asunder.

I found myself being a bit more reflective about the lives of those Americans who toiled in servitude for years–most of them completely severed from family–or any semblance of the life they once knew.  At the end of the Civil War, about 4 million Black Americans were freed from bondage.  The accounts of most freed men and women were not documented, and very few exist where there is an actual first-hand account of a slave’s existence.  Venture Davis is one of the exceptions.

Venture Davis was one of those slaves who recounted his life as a man, and as a slave:

Venture Smith, born free in Africa but captured and enslaved at the age of eight, became a figure of mythical proportions in New England, where he was known for his great size and strength.

Named Broteer by his father, a “Prince of the tribe of Dukandarra” in Guinea, he wrote that “I was descended from a very large, tall and stout race of beings, much larger than the generality of people in other parts of the globe.” Legend has it that he was a giant, weighing over 300 pounds.

Venture’s great size and unwillingness to suffer insult made him a problem for his owners, and he was sold several times before he was able to purchase his freedom in 1765, at the age of thirty-six. When Venture wrote that he had “lost much by misfortunes and paid an enormous sum for my freedom,” he was referring to far more than his purchase price of “seventy-one pounds two shillings.”

Venture was eventually able to liberate his two sons, Solomon and Cuff, his daughter Hanna, his pregnant wife Meg, and their unborn child. Solomon, the eldest son, died aboard a whaling ship, and the new baby was named Solomon in his honor. Cuff, the middle son, enlisted in the Continental army when he was in his early twenties. After the war, he returned to his family in East Haddam Neck, Connecticut. ..

Venture’s narrative takes you deep into the life of a man in captivity, and sheds light on the American experience during the darkest chapter in the history of the republic. It is a remarkable read– and a fascinating examination into the depths of souls bound by tragedy.

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