The following letter appears in the September 9, 1927 issue of the Lebanon News. According to the article the letter was written by Samuel Sergent, living in Bloomfield, Indiana to his brother Jesse Sergent, living in Lebanon.
Greene County, Ind.
November 8th, 1844.
Dear Brothers and Sisters and inquiring friends, I once more take my pen in hand to write to you to let you know that we are all well at present hoping these few lines may find you in the same state of health. I can inform you that my old father and family got to my house on the 29th of September well and hearty, and after would return his sincere thanks to God for his kind mercies toward him. He seemed perfectly satisfied with the country, and sold his wagon and one mare for winter provisions, and David Cowan, myself and William began to prepare a house for them to live in. I took them all in my house to live with me until his house was built.
They all seemed well pleased and especially father and the negroes, as they were now free in spite of all their enemies. But alas his stay with me was short; on the 31st day of October he died having but nine days sickness and made but very little complaint of anything being the matter with him only that he had accomplished all the work the Lord had left for him to do; that he had lived long enough for all the good he had done, and he told us not to grieve for him but to prepare to meet him for he was going to rest. We had the house nearly bout finished for him, and when Soo told him the house was almost ready he told hir that hir and William and Esther and the children could live in it, that he never should go to it. He appeared in his perfect senses the most of his time. He was extremely hearty until nine days before he died, and often stated that he felt stouter than he had for several years, that the Almightly had preserved and blessed him in his undertaking, and he had accomplished his ends, in spite of all their threatnings, but he said if the Lord would forgive them he would, and that he wanted them all to try to meet him in Heaven.
A few nights after he took sick after all the family was gon to bed except Soo and myself I went to the bed and asked my father how he felt. He said he felt no particular misery but that he was not long for this life that he had been studying about his will and that it was not to his notion. He then told me how it was and how he wished it to be. I told him I would fix it for him, and immediately put out for two of my neighbors and David Cowan and when I had brought them to my house I then told him I was ready to write his will, and told him to tell these men how he wanted it written. He then told them that he wanted all his personal property after his death to be for William and that the three black children should be bound to William until they were twenty-one years of age, and provided he should die, that they would be left under my control until they were free, and that Soo and Esther should live with them until death, although they are at liberty to do as they please. I do not feel the least doubt but they will do according to his will. They are now living in their own house and seems well satisfied. Esther and hir mother is getting the offers of more work than they can do, and they are daily employed in doing all they can. As you have heard so many different tails about their freedom, I will tell you I made inquiry of one of our smartest lawyers concerning the matter and he told me if they were brought here with the intention of freedom that they were free as soon as they came into the state, but that there was a limited time for slaveholders to take their slaves through the state. He also told me that the children would have to be bound to some one until they were of age. Mr. Lasting and his wife is living about 1 mile from us. Esther and Sosanah wishes to be remembered to all inquiring friends. Tell Ferdenen am well and hope he will not grieve after me. I shall add no more but hope that if we never shall be permitted to see each others faces here on earth that we shall meet around the dazzling throne of God, where sighing and trouble, pain and distress and parting will be no more.
Yours
SAMUEL SERGENT
