But here I will mention a remarkable circumstance: I grew uneasy about my wife and me living together without being married; and while I was studying how to bring it about, a tradition arose in the methodist church, to turn out all free members, that lived together as man and wife without being married: at the same time, preaching being held at her master’s house, the day came round for meeting; after public meeting, the class was called, when to my great surprise, the preacher asked me if I was free? I answered “yes:” he asked “if I had a wife?” I said “yes:” he asked, “are you married?” I answered “no:” he asked “if my wife was free?” I said “no, not properly so:” he asked “who had any claim on her?” the class leader said “Brother Melson:” the preacher asked me “if I was willing to be married?” I answered “yes,” and added, “I had been concerned about it, but did not know how to bring it to pass:” the preacher said, “it is easy driving when we are willing;” and then, before the society, added his reason as above, and said, “I suppose Brother Melson will have no objection.” Melson, her master, answered, “they may be married, and welcome, for what I care:” then said the preacher, “you can just give him an instrument to the clerk of the court, and he can get a licence and be married, and finish your business afterwards:” he then wrote to the same effect, and I went and got a licence, and we were married according to law.
Now the reader may take notice, that when we bargained, her master agreed to free her upon my paying him his money, or give me a bill of sale to empower me to free her; but after I had paid him about sixty-three dollars, he then took pet, and said “he would take her away, without I paid him all,” which was forty dollars and four-pence due: now he had given me receipts for all the money I had paid him, but no bill of sale or freedom. By this time my wife had one child after we bargained: he said he “would have the negroes or money;” but we being married, according to law, it made her mine; and the Judge of the court told me, “that her master could not get her, nor any more money:” but I felt easiest to do according to bargain, if he would fulfil according to agreement: but it was with great difficulty I got him to fix the business; when done, then I paid him, and then she was manumitted free, and I desired rest.