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UNCLE BEDFORD’S DEATH.
A good Old Colored Man
and Former Slave Passes Away.
James Bedford, or
Bedford Mobley, as he was perhaps better known, a colored man, whose age
is somewhere between 65 and 75 years of age, died at the home of his
son-in-law, in this city this forenoon. Uncle Bedford has quite a
history, and is known by almost every old citizen of Nevada and Vernon
county, he having lived here since the year 1850. Bedford was formerly
the property of Squire H. P. Mobley, of this city, who perhaps knows his
history better than any other person. A reporter of the Mail
hearing of the old colored man’s death sought Judge Mobley, who gives
the following history of Uncle Bedford’s life:
“Well,” said the Judge,
“I bought Bedford at auction from a block in Hickman county, Ky., in the
year of 1850, at a public administrator’s sale, paying $770 cash in
hand. There were several others sold at the same time—I think about a
dozen. He was a native of Virginia and was taken to Kentucky in his
early youth. He was a married man when he came into my possession, and
when I got ready to leave Kentucky and come to this state, I told
Bedford if he liked he could pick him out a master, and I would sell him
to anyone he might choose, as I did not want to take him away from his
wife. This he refused to do and I brought him out here, leaving his
wife behind. I did not want to sell him against his own will, and
brought him to this county in the year of 1857. A little later on he
married a woman belonging to Richard Butler, who now lives in Badger
township. By this marriage he was the father of eight children, I think
most of whom now live in this county. He had no children by his first
wife. His second wife died later on, and he has since lived among his
children. He belonged to me till set free by Lincoln’s proclamation in
1863, and lived at my house as usual for three years after this. He
then went to work for himself and saved enough money to buy 40 acres of
land in Badger township, which he still owned at the time of his death.
The land is worth considerable now.”
“How old was Uncle
Bedford?” asked the reporter.
“According to the
record of his former owner, I should judge he was about 65 years old, or
about 7 years younger than myself.”
“He was a good negro,”
continued the Judge, “and I never would have sold him against his own
will.”
Frank Moore, who has
known Bedford ever since he (Moore) can remember said, on hearing of his
death: “When I was 4 years old, which is now forty-five years ago,
Uncle Bedford let me smoke his pipe, which made me so sick my mother had
to send for the doctor, who charged four dollars for his visit and the
medicine furnished. I can remember it very distinctly, and considered
Uncle Bedford an old man then.”
There is considerable
speculation as to his exact age, but Judge Mobley is certain it is not
more than 70 years. His remains will be buried to-morrow.
The
Nevada Daily Mail,
Nevada, Vernon Co., Missouri. Thursday, September 15, 1887.
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