An enslaved preacher’s self-written epitaph praised serving his earthly master.

Evidence

Dr. Taylor continued to read: “Below is his epitaph, which Sancho wrote himself: ‘Servant of Thomas Taylor died July 6, 1864 at age 72 years. During a large portion of his life, he was a member of the Columbia Baptist church and for many years a preacher of the gospel. He was humble and laborious and strove faithfully to serve both his heavenly and earthly master in all his relations of his life, as a servant, a Christian and a preacher.’ ” Dr. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 475

Categorization

• DEFINE: Sancho’s own words become the archive’s most ambiguous evidence — self-authored yet shaped by the master relation.
• SEED: The self-written epitaph as a source type: how enslaved people authored records against their own subordination.