CENSUS

OBITUARIES

We some time since noticed that there was but one slave left in this county, of the number manumitted under the act abolishing slavery in Pennsylvania. That, the last relic of the "civilized barbarism" of our fathers, is now no more. He died on the 5th, inst, at a very advanced age, supposed by many to be the oldest person in the county. His name was Abram Kirk, and he was the slave of Stephen Porter, of Drumore Township, by whom he was manumitted.

His exact age is not known, the slave record of the Court of Quarter-Sessions, in which the date of his birth and other particulars were no doubt registered, not being among the other records of that office. The index is there, in which it appears that Stephen Porter had a slave registered in Book No. 1, the missing record referred to. It has been ascertained, however, from the other dates, that Kirk was over 103 years old when he died, and the presumption is, that he was still of a more advanced age. He was in many respects, a remarkable Negro. His memory, and indeed all his faculties, were unusually sound to the last, and eh seemed to pass away in the easy natural sleep of a dissolution by old age. He could remember many incidents of the Revolution, some of which he related with an interesting minuteness of detail. One in particular, which seemed to have made a deep impression upon his mind, referred to the services rendered by Lafayette in the struggle for American l! iberty. When a young man, in 1781, he assisted in rowing that General and his troops across the Susquehanna, at Ball Friar, and was often heard to relate an incident which then occurred, and the remark it called forth from the French patriot. That boat in which Abram was rowing having accidentally run on the rocks in the stream, Lafayette called out to those in charge of the boat, "Do not drown any of my noble men; I expect to have need of them all at Yorktown."

This old slave had a scrupulous regard for honesty and the truth. On one occasion, some two or three years ago, he was called to give testimony in a case then trying in our court. He told a straight forward story of what he knew, and all present were struck with his simplicity of manner and evident candor; but the attorney interested on the other side felt called upon to ply the old fellow with a pretty crooked cross examination, which induced the old man to think the lawyer was trying to induce him to depart from the truth-a conclusion in which he was doubtless not far astray. Looking the limb of the law full in the fact with an earnest gaze, he said, "Do you think I came here to tell a lie!" This satisfied the questioner that old Abram had told the truth honestly, and would not in the least allow himself to be led away from it.

This old African's funeral was largely attended, for while living he had been highly respected in the neighborhood, as a honest and inoffensive man. His remains were interred at Penn Hill, in Fulton Township.

The last slave! That solitary figure under the head of "Slaves' which he find in the census of Lancaster County for 1850, will disappear from the new census."

NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS

OTHER MISC FAMILY NOTES