My parents, John and Susan Hitchcock were born and reared in North Carolina. I do not know whether they were married In North Carolina or Georgia. They emigrated with their parents to Georgia. I do not know the date but my grandfather, David Hitchcock, was one of the early settlers In Hancock County. I do not know whether my mother's father, Demcy Baker, first settled in Hancock or some other county in Georgia. He was one of the few men who fought through the Revolutionary War, and came home alive, though with many wounds, and lived somewhere in Southwest Georgia and died at the advanced age of 111 years.

I was born the fourth child of my parents, October 9th 1812 in Hancock County, Georgia. When about two years old, my mother was left a widow almost penniless, to struggle through life, and raise her children the best she could. When I was five or six years old my mother moved to Putnam County, where the most of her people lived, but none of them were able to help her much. So when I and my brothers were old enough to work, we were hired out for what we could get. I then thought my lot was a hard one, and I think so yet; for it did seem that my lot was to get with the worst families in the neighborhood, and that cared nothing for me, are my future welfare. They hired me to work, and work I must, going as the Negroes went, and living the same way. Though my lot was hard. I always bore it the best I could, and done the work assigned me to please my employer if I could. I never had any trouble in finding work; but no time to go to school until I was about 19 years old. I went to school about two months. I have given you a few of the outlines of my life from my birth to the 19th year of my life; thinking that some poor fatherless boy will be able from his own life to fill up the vacan't spaces, and grant me sympathy for my poverty; and excuse me for my ignorance. I wish now to turn back to my youth and write a few lines in reference to the dealings of the Lord with me. From some cause, I had some serious thoughts about death and the awful consequences after death, as a sinner. These thoughts began to trouble me when about ten years old; though at that time I never went to meeting, and heard no preaching; my fears seemed to increase; I became so serious that I could not hide it from others. Sometimes I would be sitting and thinking about death and the devil and judgment, and I could not keep from trembling with fear. Those feelings followed me for three or four years. About this time I went to live with a Methodist Class Leader; his wife seeing that I seemed at times to be very serious, for the first one, seemed to take an interest in my future welfare. She would give me a short lecture every night. It seemed that she had but one text, and that was the devil and judgment, the very things that I feared. But she soon got me into her church as a probationer, and intimated that with their help. I could get religion quick. I was told to pray, which I had been trying to do for some time: but I tried to pray better and oftener; and as I thought the Lord did not have a very large account against me, I could soon pay it off; as I thought I was not half as bad as many others. But after two years trial I found that I had got more delusions than religion. At almost every meeting I was asked if I had religion? I answered no. They would reprove me sharply for not getting it before that time. But I thought I did the best I could according to their plan, and failed. But at meeting the minister asked again, "have you got religion yet?" I answered, "I hope so;" as one of the Class leaders had told me that no doubt I was a Christian, and did not know it. The minister said, "thank God! I knew that you would get it as soon as you would pray right and give your heart to God." He then began to exhort others to do likewise, and some of the sisters began to shout. But in a moment, it seemed to me that God was looking me right in the face: and something seemed to say, "come to judgment for that falsehood, you are no Christian, but a hypocrite and a deceiver." I felt that I was sinking down beneath God's righteous judgment. I tried to pray to God for pardon for it. My prayers were quite different now to what they had been; and my feelings and views were different. I had been fearing that judgment would come and find me not ready; but now it seemed I was summoned to come to judgment. Oh, my soul! What a change in my feelings! And what a change in my prayers! What a change in my views! Before this time I was looking for judgment to come to me; but now I felt that I had been summoned to come to judgment. My feelings of condemnation were such that I prayed God to spare my life until I could get away from that place, and I would never go there again. I got away, and have never returned to that place. But there was no good place for me; no peace of mind. I now lost all hope of pardon on the ground that I was better than others. All my morality and good prayers now seemed to be nothing but deception and hypocrisy proceeding from a wicked and treacherous heart, uttered by a lying deceitful tongue, and was only an abomination in the sight of God. I had often thought that when I could pray a good prayer, God, would hear me. But it now occurred to my mind how can a good prayer proceed from such a corrupt fountain? I had often heard preachers say if you would keep the commandments and do the best you can, God in justice is bound to save you. But when I had a view of God through the law, He looked upon me with a frown, and as an angry God. And all I would hear from the law was, "pay what thou owest. I then found that I was bankrupt and had nothing to pay, for "When to the law I trembling fled, it cursed me and pronounced me dead, I fell beneath its weight." It seemed to be whispered in my ear, that "God heareth not sinners, so make yourself contented." This I could not do. I said to myself, "you see that the day of grace is passed; so you had just as well go on and take your pleasure in sin." Oh my soul! I cannot!

How can I take pleasure in a thing that has been the cause of my banishment from God, and makes me a companion of devils and damned spirits? Thus having lost all hope in my prayers, I was such a sinner that God could not hear me. But, "if any man be a worshiper of God, him He heareth:' Well maybe if! can get some of the righteous good people to pray for me, God will hear them and grant me pardon. But this seemed to fail also: as everything else had done. So I passed a period of about four years of trouble and anguish of soul. About the 1st of June, 1834 my troubles were so great I could not hide them. I tried to be alone as much as possible. One evening I was standing looking at the setting sun. It occurred to me look well at it, it is the last sight of it; when it sets it seals your condemnation. When it went 'Out of sight I had to say farewell sun and all earthly things; this night thy soul shall be required of thee. I will not try to write all that transpired that night, it was a night of darkness, mourning and grief to my poor burdened and condemned soul. "His anger endureth but a, moment: in His favor is life." "Weeping may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning:' -Ps. 30, 5; But God through, great mercy spared my life through the night; and long before day I was up looking for the sun with greater anxiety than, ever before. I walked the yard round--and round, trying to praise God for sparing my life to see another day. I was for a few moments with my back towards the East, and turning, there was the sun with all its brightness and glory! and in a moment was revealed to my poor soul, this is Christ, the Son of God, rising for your justification. He was delivered for your offences and raised again for your justification! And there is the righteousness you have been trying to work out: "and He shall be called the Lord our righteousness." I cried out, "Glory to God in the highest:' Peace was in my soul! Had I have had ten thousand tongues they all would have been engaged in praising God's holy and blessed name. -Oh that consoling thought, -"thy sins are all forgiven thee;" yes, I felt that my sins were, all forgiven; and I was so separated from them, they would never trouble me again, or be a burden to my soul anymore.

But I soon found that I was mistaken, another burden soon got on my mind and whispered, "you ought to go to the church and be baptized."