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He heard about the Hampton Institute in Virginia, a school for black boys and girls.

Ruffner four years and came to regard her as one of the best friends he ever had. He found being honest always had its reward. He proved his trustworthiness * to her by selling fruit and vegetables to the miners and carefully accounting for all the money he received. She arranged for him to get some schooling. Once he ran away and started working as a waiter for a steamboat captain, but he didn't know how to be a waiter and failed at the job. General Ruffner's wife was very strict with Booker. However, his mother found him another job as a houseboy for the family of General Lewis Ruffner. He soon had to drop out of school to work full time in the coal mine. He later learned from his mother he did have a second name Taliaferro. All the other children gave a first and last name, so Booker chose to take the name "Washington", his step-father's first name, as his second name. When the teacher asked his name he said, "Booker". He said his first day at school was the happiest day of his life. He worked from 4:00 AM to 9:00 AM in the mines, then went to school half a day. Booker's parents permitted him to attend if he worked before and after school. William Davis opened a school for colored children. His step-father, who worked in the salt mines, got jobs for Booker and John in the salt mines. Now there were four children James B., who was the new brother, Booker, John, and Amanda. The trip took about ten days.Īfter the move, his mother took a young orphan into the family. His step-father, who earlier had gone to West Virginia, sent a wagon to bring Booker and his family to their new home. A paper was read to them telling them they were now free. One day the slaves were all called to the house of their owner, James Burroughs. If a sack fell off, he might wait for hours for someone to come along and replace it on the horse's back. One of his duties as a boy was carrying sacks of corn to the mill on the back of a horse. His first pair of shoes had wooden soles and coarse leather tops.

Once his brother John offered to wear Booker's shirt until it was softer. His clothing was made of flax * which would prick the skin like needles until the shirt had been worn for about six weeks. Sometimes to feed her childen, Jane would take a chicken or eggs from the master's flock and cook them during the night. Each night a "pallet" was put on the floor for sleeping. He grew up in a small log cabin with a dirt floor. He was biracial, * but he never knew his white father. His mother Jane was a cook for the plantation. Washington was born a slave in Franklin County, Virginia.