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Excerpt from Lunsford Lane slave narrative

Lunsford Lane was born into slavery in Raleigh in 1803. He began earning money when he was very young -- selling fruit, tobacco, and pipes, and cutting wood -- and eventually made enough money to arrange for his freedom and a new life in the North. In this excerpt from his memoir, Lane describes his early money-making ventures. From Lunsford Lane, b. 1803 The Narrative of Lunsford Lane, Formerly of Raleigh, N.C. Embracing an Account of His Early Life, the Redemption by Purchase of Himself and Family from Slavery, and His Banishment from the Place of His Birth for the Crime of Wearing a Colored Skin. Published by Himself. Boston: J.G. Torrey, Printer, 1842.Original source available from UNC Libraries / Documenting the American South.