From the Archives: Letters:
Joseph Taper to Joseph Long, New Town, Virginia

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St Catharines U C, Nov 11^th 1840

Dear Sir, 

            I now take this opportunity to inform you that I am in a land of liberty, in good health.  After I left Winchester I staid in Pennsylvania two years, & there met some of your neighbors who lived in the house opposite you, & they were very glad to see me; from there I moved to this place where I arrived in the month of August 1839.

            I worked in Erie Penn where I met many of our neighbors from New Town.  I there received 26 dollars a month.

            Since I have been in the Queens dominions I have been well contented, Yes well contented for Sure, man is as God intended he should be.  That is, all are born free & equal.  This is a wholesome law, not like the Southern laws which puts man made in the image of God, on level with brutes.  O, what will become of the people, & where will they stand in the day of Judgment.  Would that the 5^th verse of the 3d chapter of Malachi were written as with the bar of iron, & the point of a diamond upon every opprossers heart that they might repent of this evil, & let the oppressed go free.  I wish you might tell Addison, John & Elias to begin to serve the Lord in their youth, & be prepared for death, which they cannot escape, & if they are prepared all will be well, if not they must according to scripture be lost forever, & if we do not meet in this world I hope we shall meet in a better world when parting shall be no more.

            And now I must here inform you that I was forced away in consequence of bad usage; Only for that, & I should be in America, though I do not regret coming, & if I had known how easy I could get along I should started 10 years sooner, for it would have been better for me.  Besides having a good garden, this summer I have raised 316 bushels potatoe, 120 bushels corn, 41 bushels buckwheat, a small crop of oats, 17 Hogs, 70 chickens, I have paid 50 dolls rent this year, next year I expect to build.  The Queen of England, has granted 50 acres of land, to every colored man who will accept of the gift, & Become an actual settler, also a yoke of oxen, & plough for every two families.  This a very great encouragement to those who have come here for the liberty which God had designed for them.  Some have already gone, & others are going to take up the said land.

            When I was coming to this place I stopped at Somerset, & worked there two weeks; There was an advertissment put up there for me, 200, dolls reward while i was there.  I met James Mac Near in Butler Co, Penn where I staid five months.  I was in Pittsburg at the time that George Cremer was in pursuit of runaway servants.  I was ostler for Isaac H. Brittner in Containion 5 Months, & in that time earned 60 dolls.  I harvested while there at 115 dozen a day & then went home & attended the stable, was counted the greatest cradler in Penn. there was no cradler known to cut that much in that part.

            There was Chase Gatewood who expected to take me to the Rocky mountains, got Sadly disappointed and lost his 700 dollars.

            We have good schools, & all the colored population supplied with schools.  My boy Edward who will be six years next January, is now reading, & I intend keeping him at school until he becomes a good scholar.

            I have enjoyed more pleasure with one month here than in all my life in the land of bondage.  And now you may believe me though unwelcome as the news may be, but it is true Joseph Taper has a commission from Col Clarck of this place, & is Capt of 40 men.

            After you read this I shall be very grateful to you if you will sent this to Bryan Martin Stevens.  I send my respects to mrs Stevens.  I thank her for her kind usage to me in time of Sickness.  She acted more like a mother than a mistress.  Respects to all who know me.  I hope this letter will find them all well & as for old Milla, I expect she is dead & gone to the devil long ago, if she is not, I think the imps are close at her heels, & will soon put her where there are nothing else but nasty, stinking black dogs a plenty.

            My wife and self are sitting by a good comfortable fire happy, knowing that there are none to molest or make afraid.  God save Queen Victoria, The Lord bless her in this life, & crown her with glory in the world to come is my prayer,

                                                            Yours With much respect

                                                            Most obt, Joseph Taper 

Source:  Joseph Taper, St. Catherine’s, Upper Canada, to Joseph Long, New Town, Virginia, 11 November 1840, Joseph Long Papers, Special Collections Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina