ABSTRACT
Daniel Benson was a slave to Perry Boots of Newcastle County, State of Delaware. His master for several years hired him to the neighboring farmers and received his wages. Benson was married to a free woman, who mostly supported herself and children, of whom they had several, by her own industry, while the earnings of her husband were appropriated to the support of his master. Benson’s mother was also a slave to Perry Boots-she was old and entirely incapable of doing any kind of labor, so that her master was obliged to support her-this he found rather burdensome, and proposed to Benson to take charge of his mother, and pay him forty dollars a year and go where he pleased. This offer he gladly accepted, and in the year 1805 or 6 removed to Philadelphia and took his ancient mother and his family with him; here he followed sawing wood for a livelihood-he was honest and faithful in his business and soon had many friends and customers among the white citizens, and when those wanted wood Benson was employed to purchase and saw it;–and he regularly paid his master twenty dollars every six months.
