Father Henson’s Story of His Own Life · Chapter
XIV: New Scenes and a New Home explained
Josiah Henson describes his early days as a free man in Canada, securing work and shelter from Mr.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Education and Self-Improvement
Josiah's son Tom learns to read at school and then teaches his father, illustrating the transformative power of literacy and the determination to overcome ignorance.
Faith and Religion
Josiah resumes preaching despite his illiteracy, and his emotional response to Psalm 103 deepens his spiritual gratitude and understanding.
Resilience and Survival
Josiah cleans a pigsty for shelter, endures his family's illness, and gradually builds a stable life through hard work and perseverance.
Characters to notice
- Josiah Henson
Arrives in Canada as a stranger, finds work with Mr. Hibbard, cleans a pigsty for his family's home, acquires property, resumes preaching, and learns to read from his son Tom.
- Charlotte
Josiah's wife, who falls sick along with the children after their arrival but later appreciates their new home.
- Mr. Hibbard
Josiah's employer in Canada, who provides work, a shanty, and later gives Tom two quarters of schooling.
- Little Tom
Josiah's eldest son, who learns to read at school, reads Psalm 103 to his father, and teaches Josiah to read by firelight.
Key passages
“I was a stranger in a strange land, and had to look about me, at once, for refuge and resource.”
Josiah felt alone and unfamiliar in Canada, needing to quickly find shelter and a way to support himself.
Captures his initial disorientation and urgency upon arriving in a new country.
“I found a lodging for the night; and the next morning set about exploring the interior for the means of support.”
After securing a place to sleep, Josiah began searching the countryside for work.
Highlights his proactive approach to survival in an unfamiliar land.
“I begged some straw of Mr. Hibbard, and confining it by logs in the corners of the room, I made beds of it three feet thick, upon which we reposed luxuriously after our long fatigues.”
Josiah asked Mr. Hibbard for straw and used logs to create thick beds, which felt luxurious after their exhausting journey.
Shows his resourcefulness and the family's relief at having a home.
“I remained with Mr. Hibbard three years, sometimes working on shares, and sometimes for wages; and I managed in that time to procure some pigs, a cow, and a horse.”
Over three years of working for Mr. Hibbard, Josiah saved enough to buy livestock, gradually improving his family's condition.
Demonstrates his steady progress toward economic stability.
“It was a great advantage, not only to him, but to me; for I used to get him to read much to me in the Bible, especially on Sunday mornings, when I was going to preach; and I could easily commit to memory a few verses, or a chapter, from hearing him read it over.”
Tom's reading skills benefited Josiah too, as he would have Tom read the Bible aloud so he could memorize passages for his sermons.
Illustrates the mutual benefit of literacy within the family.
“I recalled, with all the rapidity of which thought is capable, the whole current of my life; and, as I remembered the dangers and afflictions from which the Lord had delivered me, and compared my present condition with what it had been, not only my heart but my eyes overflowed.”
Hearing Psalm 103 made Josiah reflect on his entire life, feeling overwhelming gratitude for God's deliverance from past hardships.
Shows the emotional and spiritual impact of scripture on Josiah.
