This Tamar Dawley was a colored slave belonging to Colonel John B. Jones, and to Jacob Dawley she was given for a wife.

This Jacob Dawley was a free negro, who, with another free negro named Jacobs (I believe) ran a large establishment of fruits, candies and other sweet meats, tobacco and other notions on the south side of Broad Water Street, Norfolk, on the corner Southwest from the old market square (now commercial place).

This place at that day was one of the best stands in Norfolk. It appeared every body knew and respected old uncle Jacob Dawley, especially the white race, with whom he did a flourishing business, and was a successful merchant. Colonel Jones was a great friend of Dawley, and besides giving him his most trusty slave for a wife also gave Tamar a piece of land near his own residence, whereon her husband erected a comfortable house; here Tamar lived and kept quite a store of goods got from her husband's establishment in Norfolk. She usually went to Norfolk about once every ten days to replenish her stock. This Tamar might as well have been free, like her husband, for the Colonel and his family let her attend to her own affairs, and called on her only to superintend in the kitchens in "big meetings" or when foreign company arrived.

Every Christmas, Dawley would come to the Island with a two-horse wagon loaded up with the good things of the earth. On these occasions the white people of the neighborhood were cordially invited to come and partake of his bounty, and the men and boys went, with Colonel Jones with some of his family in the lead, in order to make it a social and friendly gathering. The table would be literally loaded down with turkey, chicken, Pig' oysters and titbits. Besides this groaning table, there was nearby a case of decanters well filled with all manner of liquors, to sharpen up the appetites of the guests. These Christmas lay-outs were looked forward to as much as Christmas itself. How the boys did fare.

There were never many negroes on this Island. The few born and raised were known by name by all the white people of the Island, and they were well behaved; but let a squad from Morse's Point or Princess Anne come on there at Christmas time, and the women and children were much alarmed for fear of another "Nat Turner war." Knotts Island is no place for negros. Since the war of freedom, what few were left have been going, going, until the last time I had occasion to notice, only two families remained, one a descendant of this Dawley famely. I believe that now that even these are all gone or dead. These two families, being natives of the Island, lived there in peace with the white people. No strange ones can domicile themselves on this Island; the edict has gone forth.

Colonel Jones had also a trusty male slave named Arter, Tamar's brother. He too might as well have been free, for he was allowed all manner of privileges by the Colonel and his family. He was the family marketer and attended to easy chores around the home-stead. It was said the Colonel even trusted Arter with the pocket book, to settle accounts and make purchases for him in Norfolk.

Arter, though, despite this kindly treatment, got an idea in his head, and told his master that if allowed to live in Norfolk and be a drayman he could make lots of money for both his master and himself. Of course master would do anything reasonable to help trusty Arter. So Arter was furnished with the proper turn-out as drayman and was at once doing splendidly financially, which pleased the master much. But, alas, all of a sudden Arter was missing--gone to New York for his freedom. Jones never made an effort to get him back. Let poor Arter go' I am sure he never done so well thereafter.

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