H. H. Edmunds was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1859, but several years after his birth, his master took him to Mississippi. Before moving to Elkhart, he lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Edmunds, who served as a minister for many years, was very religious, but he felt that religion had greatly changed from the “old time religion.” He said that in slavery days, the blacks were so subjugated and uneducated that they were especially susceptible to religion, and they poured out their religious feelings in their spirituals.
Edmunds was convinced that the superstitions of the blacks, such as their belief in ghosts, were due to the fact that their emotions were worked upon by slave drivers to keep them in subjugation. He said white people often dressed as ghosts and frightened the blacks into doing many things, for ghosts were feared far more than slave drivers.
Edmunds could not remember the Civil War, but he clearly remembered the period of Reconstruction that followed. Blacks were very happy when they learned they were free. A few took advantage of their freedom immediately, but many, not knowing what else to do, remained with their former owners. Some remained on the plantations five years after they were free. Gradually they learned to care for themselves, often through instructions received from their former owners, and then they were glad to start out in the world for themselves. Of course, there were exceptions, for the slaves who had been abused by cruel slaveholders were only too glad to leave their former homes. Edmunds related the following account of his own freedom from slavery:
As a boy, I worked in Virginia for my master, a Mr. Farmer. He had two sons who served as bosses on the farm. An older sister was the hand boss. After the war was over, the sister called the colored people together and told them that they were no longer slaves, that they might leave if they wished. The slaves had been watering cucumbers, which had been planted around barrels filled with soil. Holes had been bored in the barrels, and when water was poured in the barrels, it gradually seeped out through the holes, thus watering the cucumbers. After the speech, one son told the slaves to resume their work. Since I was free, I refused to do so, and as a result, I received a terrible kicking. I mentally resolved to get even someday. Years afterward, I went to the home of this man for the express purpose of seeking revenge. However, I was received so kindly and treated so well that all thoughts of revenge vanished. For years after, my former boss and I visited each other in our own homes.