"To My Old Master"

AuBricker · **Posted:** Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:58 am

A truly great response by an escaped slave to his former owner's request for him to voluntarily return

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/01/to-my-old-master.html

Somerset · **Posted:** Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:15 am

That's a great letter! Thanks for posting it.

Mikedunford · **Posted:** Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:41 am

Mr. Jourdon Anderson was clearly an amazing individual.

Thanks for sharing this.

Plutodog · **Posted:** Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:51 am

I just hope this ain't a tall tale or internet legend.
:-?

raicha · **Posted:** Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:54 am

Plutodog wrote:

I just hope this ain't a tall tale or internet legend.
:-?

I tracked it back from Facebook to a pdf of the newspaper page it was supposedly printed upon. If it's a hoax, it has, uh, layers.

Mikedunford · **Posted:** Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:01 am

Plutodog wrote:

I just hope this ain't a tall tale or internet legend.
:-?

The letter definitely appeared in multiple newspapers in 1865. There is a Jourdon Anderson in census records for Dayton, Ohio, with details matching those given in the letter. The former master was also identified in Tennessee census records.

http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=45660

Edit: The Andersons do not appear to have ever returned to Tennessee. Jourdon was listed in the census records as illiterate, but the children were all shown to be students. One grew up to become a physician.

Falsehoods unchallenged only fester and grow.

"To My Old Master"

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