Before Black History Month ends, I need to tell a story of a slave born in 1790. The memory of this man needs to be kept alive. For the past month, I have thought much about his life and his example. He was not famous, did not do anything the world would consider significant, and few have heard of his life. I read his story in the hand written journal of Elkanah Beard that lies deep in a vault of the archives in Richmond, Indiana. The journal began in 1860 when Beard was 24 years old. He did not start the journal thinking that one day he would be famous or the journals published, but he wanted the journal to be a future reference to the working of the Holy Spirit in his life.

The first entries told about his life, his family and his leading to travel to Mississippi from Indiana during the Civil War where he and his wife spent several years as relief workers for freed slave encampments near the Mississippi River. On June 29, 1863 in Helena, Arkansas Elkanah met and befriended a 73-year-old gray-headed ex slave named Uncle Abram Brown. Uncle Abram’s story was recorded in Elkanah’s journal and it speaks to my tired soul these days.

Born into slavery in 1790 to a kind master, Abram’s life changed when his owner fell into debt. Sold and chained to a gang of slaves, the strong, robust 24-year-old was marched to Tennessee and sold to a cotton planter named Brown. Abram found life difficult, but he began to think of ways to make his life better and more comfortable. He was encouraged to use the female slaves for his own pleasure by his master with the hopes of breeding more slaves. Abram said he soon decided that he wanted to keep himself entirely free from that sin. “Not that I had a regard for the laws of God or the welfare of my soul, but secretly felt that I wanted no children to trouble my head about who would without doubt be sold at the age of 10 or 12 and shipped south. I hated the religion of the Slaveholder and was disgusted at the prayers I heard from my Master. He told us we had no soul and the prayers of a black man never went higher than the braying of a mule.”

A few years later Abram had an opportunity to go to a camp meeting in the neighborhood with the Brown family. The meeting awakened his soul and he became convinced there was a religion for the black man as well as the white man. Abram was changed and sobered about his own life and his eternal life. Mr. Brown observed during the meeting that Abram looked thoughtful and sad and he feared his slave caught a spark of light from the ministry. In Mr. Brown’s eyes, that would render Abram useless as a slave. Mr. Brown resolved Abram would not attend any more camp meetings and this good Methodist plantation owner told all of his slaves that it was preposterous for them to assume to be religious or even attempt to call upon the high and holy name of the God who made heaven and earth. That was a privilege of white men only. A Negro’s highest attainment was to obey his master’s orders and revere him.

In spite of that warning, the light of God was awaken in Abram’s soul and later that night, Abram met God in a powerful way alone in his cot. As he told this story to Elkanah, he said that his soul filled with a Godly fire and he rose from his cot and vocally magnified the name of Jesus. He thanked God for giving him evidence that his sins were forgiven. Abram said “before I got up off my knees I prayed to the good Lord that he might bless the colored people everywhere and free them from all their sins and from their yoke of bondage.”

God heard Abram’s prayers, as did Mr. Brown. The next morning Mr. Brown ordered Abram stripped of his clothing and tied to receive 250 lashes for “trying to pray and for asking the Lord to set them free from their bondage”. Abram never opened his mouth and bore the pain with courage, but this event stopped Abram from vocalizing his prayers. He continued to pray in his heart and day by day he drew near to God in the secret of his soul. He occasionally slipped away into deserted places in the woods where he cried out and told Jesus all of his longings. Abram said “I always went mighty hungry out there, but the blessed Jesus filled my soul brim full before I came away.”

Not too many years after this flogging, Abram decided to marry a wife. He hoped and prayed the woman he chose would be modest and moral. Several years after the marriage she proved not to be and left Abram and took up with another man. He remained single and childless until the end of his days.

Life for Abram seemed mostly peaceful until Mr. Brown and all his slaves moved to Mississippi in 1859. In his 69th year, he was silver haired and could not see well but was permitted to stay in a small cabin to himself where he spent his time basket weaving, a trade he learned at night when he was a boy. One day Mr. Brown ordered a basket made for his wife and Abram worked hard on the basket. He hoped his master would offer him praise for his work as all the other slaves had done when they saw the basket he made for the Misses. On the morning that the basket was complete, Mr. Brown came to Abram’s door and took the basket, turned it over in his hand looking for a defect. He found a small split on the bottom of the basket that stuck out 1/2 inch and Mr. Brown took his faithful servant to account for this mistake.

Abram pleaded “Master, I’ve gotten old and my eyes are failing so, I didn’t see the mistake!” Mr. Brown replied, “Abram, I’ve been watching for a chance to give you a whipping for a long time, now strip your clothes.” Mr. Brown used a used a cowhide whip to lash him 40 times. At the end, Abram exclaimed “O Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.” This only angered Mr. Brown and he ordered the lash given to Abram with even greater determination until he received over 300 lashes. (Elkanah wrote in his diary that the gashes had not healed at the time he met Abram 3 years later.) Mr. Brown ordered Abram to ask him for forgiveness for calling upon the name of the Lord, but Abram’s faith was not shaken. He received too many blessings at the hand of the Lord in answer to prayer to withdraw his trust or allegiance to God. Mr. Brown ordered another 100 lashes. Before the thongs could be untied that held the bloodied Abram to a log, in a weak yet firm voice Abram said, “Now master, I prayed to God all the time you had me beaten to forgive you all your sins and I expect to keep praying and praising the blessed Jesus long as I lives.”

Abram was too weak to walk or stand and was carried to his house, washed in salt and water, greased and rolled up in a blanket where he lay several weeks almost helpless. Several who were present as Abram told this story to Elkanah Beard witnessed the beating. Elkanah asked Abram if he felt those who bought and sold human beings would ever know the mercy of the Lord. Abram replied: “I expect God has a mighty big store of mercy and lets a heap of folks repent just before they die,” Elkanah then asked how could Abram pray for those who treated him so cruelly? Abram explained that if Christ could forgive those who crucified him, he believed Christ knew what was best and he “never felt no happier than when I could in truth pray for my baddest enemy.”

I struggle with forgiveness. Events from the past month highlight the fact I harbor resentment and hard feelings about things I should have forgiven long ago. God speaks to me through this story about a little known man and his simple, deep faith and trust in God and his incredible willingness to forgive.

I believe Quakers give a gift to the world through journaling. From George Fox and John Woolman to Elkanah Beard, Quaker men and women, published and unpublished, record the workings of the Holy Spirit in the world and in their lives. I pray Friends today are as faithful to keep record of these stories and to keep the memory alive of people like Uncle Abram.