Maryland
~u/15/37 ~ 19OC~36
Roaer~.
		. ~	(Ex-slave stories)
	‘ 9 ~937		CHARLES COLES, Ex-slave

~eferenCe:	Personal interview with Charles Coles at his home, 1106 Sterling St., Baltimore, i~d.



	‘~i was born near Pis~a1i, a small village in the western part of Charles Count~j, about 1851. 1 do not know who my parents were nor my relatives. I was reared on a large Larm owned by a man by the name of Silas.. Dorsey, a fine Christian gentleman and a member oi~ the Catholic Church. .

	“ivir. Dorse~j was, a x~an of excellent reputation and character, was loved b~r all tho knew him, black arid white, especially his slaves. He was never known to be harshd~ cruel to an~ of his slaves, of which he had more than 75.

	“The slaves were Mr. Dorsey‘s family group, he and his wife were very considerate in all their dealings. In the winter the slaves wore é~ood heavy clothes and shoes and in summer they were dressed in fine clothes.

	ni have been told that the Dorseys‘ farm contained about 3500 acres, On which were 75 slaves. We had no overseers. Mr. and iv:rs • Dor sey managed the farm . They re quired the farm hands to work ~

~	from ~7 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.; after that their time was their own. “There were no jails nor was any whipping done on the farm.

No one was bought or sbld. 1fr. and Mrs. Dorsey conducted regular religious services of the Catholic church on the farm in a chapel erected for that purpose andin which the slaves were taught the catechism and some learned how to read and write and were aaslsted by some Catholic priests who came to the farm on church holidays and on Sundays for that purpose. ~then a child was boxn, it was baptised by
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