Brodess Farm

Brodess Farm. Born into Slavery. , Harriet Tubman spent some of her childhood on this farm once owned by Edward Brodess. It was here that she experienced the comforts of family and the cruelties of slavery., Tubman was born a few miles away, on Anthony Thompson's plantation. She never knew her birthday, but evidence suggests it was in March of 1822. Her enslaved parents, Ben and Rit Ross, named her Araminta and called her Minty. By law, Edward Brodess owned Rit and all of her children. He moved them to this farm after Minty was born. Ben had to stay on Thompson's plantation, separating the family., From the age of six, Minty was hired out by Brodess to work on nearby farms. She suffered extreme loneliness and emotional distress during these times away from her family. Like most slaves, Minty always lived with the possibility of being sold. She witnessed the "agonized expressions" of two of her sisters and the "hopeless grief" of her parents when Linah and Soph her handed over to slave traders from the Deep South. She never saw them again. This was the harsh reality of being born into slavery.,

"I grew up like a neglected weed, ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it. Then I was not happy or contented." , , Harriet Tubman to Benjamin Drew, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 1855