But my father told me I was
born since the Civil War. I am seventy years old. They always tell me
when my birthday come 'round it will be in January--the eighteenth of
January.
"My father's name was Abe Franklin and my mother's name was Lucy
Franklin. I know my father's mother but I didn't ever know his father.
His mother's name was Maria Franklin. My mother's father was Harris
Pennington. I never did see her mother and never did see her.
"I was born in Warren, Arkansas. My mother and father were born in
Warren. That is on the outer edge of Warren. My mother's slavery farm
was on what they called Big Creek. It is named Franklin Creek. Two or
three miles of it ran through Franklin's Farm.
"My father's master was Al Franklin. And my mother's master's name was
Hill Pennington. One of Hill Pennington's sons was named Fountain
Pennington. He lives about five miles from Warren now on the south
highway.
"My mother had about three masters before she got free. She was a
terrible working woman. Her boss went off deer hunting once for a few
weeks. While he was gone, the overseer tried to whip her. She knocked
him down and tore his face up so that the doctor had to 'tend to him.
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