Per the request that I received from several people I am resending (in a
different format) a copy of an old newspaper article that I found while
cleaning out my mother's attic when we were closing out her estate.  My
mother's home was located in Union County, MS, therefore, I have to assume
that this was clipped out of a local Union, or perhaps a Tippah County,
newspaper.  I don't know known the Tate family that is mentioned in the
article, though I am sure that my mother did, or she would not have clipped
the article.  I hope that this will help someone that is researching the Tate
family, or perhaps, seeking info on "Jennie".


Aunt Jenhie was a faithful slave:

Loyal, faithful, efficient, adequate was she, Jennie, the slave. She was born
in York District, S. C., in the year 1800 in the home of my grandfather,
Zachariab Tate's widowed mother. She never went to the field but was made the
house  girl.
My grandfather, Zachariah Tate, was born June 2nd, 1808 and Aunt Jennie became
his nurse and practically raised Mm. Grandfather grew to manhood and married
Margarette Stein. There was born to them five boys and five girls. In 1852 or
1853 after the death of grandmother and the division of the estate, in which~
Aunt Jennie was given to Mm as a part of his inheritance, along with a dozen
or~ more Negro slaves, he moved to Tippah Co. Mississippi and built an old
time colonial home. In that home Aunt Jennie had a room built next to the
kitchen where she reigned as cook. Her room~had a fire place and was well-
furnished.
Two days before the battle of Brice's Cross Roads (twelve or fourteen miles
From here) six or seven hundred Yankees camped in Zachariah Tate's yard, put
I- under arrest, broke the locks on the cribs and smoke house, burned up his
wood pile, and with the stock of musket knocked the lock off mother's room,
who at that time was a girl of twenty, and with bayonet
opened the lock off her trunk, scattered her trinkets to hell and gone, took a
coverlet she had spun and woven, to make a saddle blanket. In the meantime
Aunt Jennie was forced to cook for those officers and leaders of that infamous
scum crew.
Grandfather was under the gun, three young women scared to death, so-called
soldier, tramp, tramp, tramp through that long hall all night - Aunt Jennie
took charge. She said, "Chilluns, you all go to your room and shut the door.
I'll be there soon as I can."  After  she had flled those scalawags to their
goosle.I she went to the room where those three young women were - scared,
trembling and praying. She closed the door and said, "Now~chilluns, you all
lie down and to go sleep. I'se gwine lie right across the door, and they haint
no Yankee coming in there nuther." And when she lay down her butcher knife
rattled on the floor. She had dropped it. Adequate? Yes. Faithful? To the end.
When the war was over and the Negroes freed, grandfather said, "Now Jennie,
you are free. I will help you go where you want to go and set you up to get
started." She said, "Massa, I ain't gwine no whar. I'se gwine stay right
here."  She stayed, thereafter a bond servant, voluntarily serving those she
loved. She now sleeps near those that loved her, under a stone marked Jennie
(the only name she ever had), The faithful slave. And those of us remaining of
the family confidently believe that when the trump of God shall sound she will
be reuni~ted with the family and with them triumphantly enter that city whose
walls are of Jasper and streets are Pure gold.
Incidentally: The night before The Cross Roads fight nine of grandfather's
Nergro men ran away to The Yankees. They got there in time to partially
obstruct the road where Bedford Forrest was exercising his cavalry. As a
consequence, some of them are located over there permanently. Selah.

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