Father Henson’s Story of His Own Life · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Father Henson’s Story of His Own Life by Josiah Henson.
Chapter 1
Father Henson's Story of His Own Life
Josiah Henson recounts his early life in slavery, including the brutal punishment and sale of his father after defending his mother, the death of his kind master Dr. McPherson, and his eventual separation from his family at a slave auction. He describes the dehumanizing conditions, the resilience of the enslaved community, and his growing desire for freedom.
Chapter 2
I: My Birth and Childhood
Josiah Henson recounts his earliest memories, including the brutal punishment of his father for striking an overseer who attempted to assault his mother. He describes his father's transformation from a lighthearted man to a sullen, morose figure after receiving one hundred lashes and having his ear cut off, and his subsequent sale to the South. Henson also provides his birth details and the social context of slavery in Maryland.
Chapter 3
My First Great Trial
Josiah Henson recounts his early childhood with the kind Dr. McPherson, who gave him his name and treated him as a pet. After McPherson's death from drowning while intoxicated, the estate is broken up and the slaves are sold at auction. Henson's mother, Charlotte, desperately begs Isaac Riley to buy her youngest son along with her, but Riley violently kicks her away. Henson is sold to a cruel man named Robb, falls severely ill, and is eventually sold cheaply to Riley, reuniting him with his mother.
Chapter 4
My Boyhood and Youth
Josiah Henson recounts his early years as a slave, describing his first jobs, the harsh living conditions, and the meager food and clothing provided. Despite the misery, he recalls moments of joy and youthful exuberance, his competitive spirit, and his acts of chivalry in helping fellow slaves. He eventually becomes overseer of the farm, increasing productivity but receiving only curses from his master.
Chapter 5
My Conversion
Josiah Henson recounts his first exposure to Christian preaching at age eighteen, which leads to a profound religious conversion. Encouraged by his mother, he attends a sermon by John McKenny, a benevolent baker and occasional minister. The sermon on Hebrews 2:9 fills Henson with joy and a sense of divine love, contrasting sharply with his brutal enslavement. He begins to pray, preach to fellow slaves, and becomes an esteemed preacher among them.
Chapter 6
V: Maimed for Life
Josiah Henson recounts a brutal beating by overseer Bryce Litton, which leaves him permanently maimed. He also describes his role as his master's protector during drunken brawls, the legal failure to punish Litton, and his continued service as superintendent despite his injuries.
Chapter 7
A Responsible Journey
Josiah Henson recounts his marriage, his master Isaac Riley's financial ruin, and the desperate plan to save his slaves from auction by sending them to Kentucky. Henson leads a group of eighteen slaves plus his own family on a perilous thousand-mile journey in winter. Despite temptations to escape to freedom along the Ohio River, he honors his promise to his master, driven by a sense of duty, pride, and religious conviction, a decision he later deeply regrets.
Chapter 8
VII: A New Home
Josiah Henson recounts his years in Kentucky under Amos Riley, where he becomes a Methodist preacher and witnesses the heart-wrenching sale of his fellow slaves. Tormented by guilt over his past loyalty to his master, he resolves to seek freedom for himself and his family. With the help of a kind Methodist preacher, he obtains permission to travel to Maryland, begins fundraising in Cincinnati, and embarks on a journey toward self-purchase and liberty.
Chapter 9
Return to Maryland
Josiah Henson returns to his old master's plantation in Maryland, where he is stripped of his freedom and forced back into slavery. He appeals to Master Frank for help in negotiating his freedom, but is ultimately cheated and betrayed by his master, who tricks him into surrendering his manumission papers. Henson returns to Kentucky only to discover the betrayal and faces despair and rage.
Chapter 10
IX: Taken South, Away from Wife and Children
Josiah Henson is forced by Master Amos to accompany his son on a flatboat trip to New Orleans, a journey that threatens to separate him permanently from his family and crush his hopes for freedom. During the voyage, Henson learns navigation and steering, eventually taking over when the captain becomes blind. He stops at Vicksburg and visits old companions who have been sold south, witnessing their horrific suffering from disease, starvation, and brutal labor.
Chapter 11
X: A Terrible Temptation
Josiah Henson, being transported down the Mississippi to be sold in New Orleans, descends into despair and fury, contemplating murdering his master Amos Riley and the other men on the boat. He raises an axe to strike but is stopped by the realization that he would be committing murder as a Christian. He abandons the plan, thanks God, and resolves to submit to God's will.
Chapter 12
XI: Providential Deliverance
Josiah Henson arrives in New Orleans to be sold away from his family. Despite his desperate pleas, Master Amos Riley is determined to sell him. However, Amos falls gravely ill with river fever, and Henson becomes his sole caretaker. Henson nurses him back to health, and they return home. Though Amos expresses gratitude, the Riley family still views Henson as property, and Henson resolves to escape slavery for good.
Chapter 13
Escape from Bondage
Josiah Henson, after months of planning and overcoming his wife's fears, orchestrates a daring escape from slavery with his wife and four children. They cross the Ohio River on a dark night, travel through Indiana for two weeks, and face near-starvation before reaching Cincinnati, aided by a kind woman who gives them food.
Chapter 14
Journey to Canada
Josiah Henson describes the final leg of his family's escape to freedom, including encounters with kind strangers and Indians, a harrowing journey through the wilderness, and the overwhelming joy of reaching Canada on October 28, 1830.
Chapter 15
XIV: New Scenes and a New Home
Josiah Henson describes his early days as a free man in Canada, securing work and shelter from Mr. Hibbard, gradually acquiring property, and resuming his preaching. His son Tom learns to read at school and then teaches Josiah to read, a transformative experience that deepens his faith and his resolve to help others still in bondage.
Chapter 16
Life in Canada
Josiah Henson describes his life in Canada after escaping slavery, his work for Mr. Riseley, and his efforts to organize fellow Black settlers to improve their condition by purchasing land and becoming independent proprietors. He explores the region between Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron, selects a settlement site, and successfully appeals to the legislature to free settlers from unfair rent. The chapter concludes with Henson hinting at his future plans to help liberate other enslaved people.
Chapter 17
Conducting Slaves to Canada
After gaining his freedom, Josiah Henson feels a deep obligation to help other slaves escape. He meets James Lightfoot, a free man who is desperate to free his family still in Kentucky. Henson undertakes a dangerous journey alone to find Lightfoot's relatives, but they are unable to travel. He then leads a group of about thirty fugitives from Bourbon County, Kentucky, through Ohio and Indiana to Toledo, and finally to Canada, successfully bringing them to freedom.
Chapter 18
Second Journey on the Underground Railroad
Josiah Henson embarks on a second mission to free slaves, this time aiding the Lightfoot family. The journey is fraught with danger, including a narrow escape from slave hunters, a treacherous river crossing, and the illness of one of the party. With the help of a Quaker and a white stranger, they ultimately reach Canada, where Henson experiences the joy of reuniting a sick boy with his family and reflects on having helped 118 people gain freedom.
Chapter 19
Home at Dawn
Josiah Henson describes the economic struggles of freed blacks in Canada, his efforts to educate and uplift them, the formation of a convention, and the establishment of a manual-labor school at Dawn settlement.
Chapter 20
Lumbering Operations
Josiah Henson describes his initiative to build a sawmill in Canada to convert the abundant forest resources into lumber, which would improve the economic condition of the settlers. He travels to Boston, secures funding from philanthropic gentlemen such as Amos Lawrence and Samuel Eliot, and constructs the mill. After initial financial difficulties, he returns to Boston for additional support, completes the mill, and successfully sells lumber in Boston. He also recounts a humorous incident at the Custom House where he identifies himself as a fugitive slave and is treated with respect.
Chapter 21
XX: Visit to England
Josiah Henson travels to England to raise funds for the Manual Labor School in Dawn, carrying letters of recommendation and black walnut lumber for the World's Industrial Exhibition. He is warmly received by prominent British abolitionists and clergymen, but faces accusations of being an impostor. A committee of twelve distinguished gentlemen, including Samuel Gurney and Lord Ashley, investigates the charges and clears Henson's name. The slander is publicly refuted, and Henson returns to England in 1851 to successfully cancel the institution's debt before being recalled to Canada due to his wife's illness.
Chapter 22
The World's Fair in London
Josiah Henson recounts his participation in the Great Exhibition in London, where he displayed polished black walnut boards from Canada. He describes a conflict with the American superintendent over where to exhibit his lumber, which he resolves by painting a bold inscription identifying himself as a fugitive slave. The boards are eventually moved to the Canadian section. Henson notes the attention he received, including a visit from Queen Victoria, and reflects on being the only black exhibitor. He later receives a bronze medal and other honors, and returns to Canada content after fulfilling his mission.
Chapter 23
Visits to the Ragged Schools
Josiah Henson describes his time in England, where he spoke at Ragged Schools and public meetings about the condition of slaves. He recounts a confrontation with a Pennsylvania speaker who boasted about Sunday Schools in the US, an offer from Lord Grey to go to India, a moving interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a memorable day with Lord John Russell and Sabbath School Teachers.
Chapter 24
Closing Up My London Agency
Josiah Henson concludes his agency in London, publishes his narrative, and receives a letter about his wife's critical illness. He immediately returns to Canada, where he is reunited with his family and spends his wife's final weeks by her side before she dies peacefully.
Chapter 25
Closing Chapter
Josiah Henson provides an account of the fugitive slaves in Canada, describing their growth from a few hundred in 1830 to thirty-five thousand, their improved economic conditions with farms, schools, churches, and trades, and their peaceful coexistence with white neighbors, while encouraging free people of color in the Northern States to join them for a better life.
Chapter 26
List of Illustrations
A listing of illustrations included in the book, featuring Josiah Henson.
