A Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, A Colored Man

A Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, A Colored Man is a classic American slave biography by Noah Davis. I was born a slave, in Madison county, Virginia, March, 1804. My father, John Davis, and his family, belonged to Robert Patten, Esq., a wealthy merchant, residing in Fredericksburg--who was also owner, in connection with Mr. John Thom, of a large merchant mill, located on "Crooked Run," a stream running between Madison and Culpepper counties. My father was the head miller in that large establishment, in which responsible station he was much respected. John Frederick Weishampel Jr. (Baltimore, Maryland, April 22, 1832 - 189?) was an American printer and publisher based at 484 West Baltimore Street in Baltimore. Weishampel was a third-generation Prussian-American and son of Rev. John Frederick Weishampel. In 1859 Weishampel published A Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, a Colored Man, a slave narrative and autobiography written by Noah Davis, a Baptist minister who had bought his freedom from slavery. Davis had been born into slavery in Madison County, Virginia and learned various trades. In 1818 he moved to Fredericksburg, where he learned to read and write. In 1831 he was baptized into the Fredericksburg Baptist Church. Davis married a fellow church member and eventually purchased his own freedom using funds raised while working as a missionary in Africa. By 1851, Davis purchased his wife's freedom and continued working in order to purchase the freedom of his several children. He thought to raise money by writing an account of his life, and Weishampel's publication of his work assisted in this effort. From the sales of the book and money raised by himself and his wife, Davis was able to free five of their seven children.