Venture Smith

Venture Smith was an African-American farmer and craftsman. Smith was kidnapped when he was six and a half years old in West Africa and was taken to Anomabo on the Gold Coast  to be sold into slavery. As an adult, he purchased his freedom and that of his family. He documented his life in A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa: But Resident above Sixty Years in the United States of America, Related by Himself. This autobiography is one of the earliest known examples of an autobiographical narrative in an entirely African American literary vericas, only about a dozen left behind first-hand accounts of their experiences.

Broteer was born in a place he recalls as Dukandarra in "Guinea"—a term that at the time referred to much of West Africa. Dukandarra, argues Chandler B. Saint, a historian with the Documenting Venture Smith Project, was probably in the Savannah region.

His father was Saungm Furro, the prince of Dukandarra. His mother was the first of his three wives and Broteer was the first of her three children. She left Saungm Furro's village after he married another wife without her permission, although polygamy was not uncommon in that country, especially among the rich, as every man was allowed to keep as many wives as he could maintain. She took her three children with her. Traveling 140 miles over four days the group relied on foraging for food. The young Broteer was left in the care of a wealthy farmer while his mother her home country. While at this farm, Broteer was tasked with caring for the owner's flock of 40 sheep. He remained on the farm for about a year before his father sent an emissary to retrieve him.

Six weeks after he returned to his father's village, Broteer learned that the country of the farmer he had just left had been invaded by a large, foreign army. The nation had not prepared for war in a long time; hence, the villagers had to evacuate. Saungm Furro agreed to give aid in the form of providing a safe haven. Shortly after refugees arrived, an enemy messenger arrived and demanded the payment "of a large sum of money, 300 fat cattle, and a great number of goats, sheep, asses, etc..." The threat of invasion and war was enough for Saugm Furro to agree to the terms.

Smith relays in his narrative that upon the ship's arrival in Barbados, all but four of the enslaved persons were sold to Barbadian planters, on August 23, 1739. Smith and three others sailed on to Rhode Island, arriving early in the fall of 1739. Afterwards, Smith went to live at Mumford's residence on Fishers Island, New York. Once there, he was forced to work in the household. At this time, he showed his loyalty to his enslaver. When he received the keys of trunks, he did not give them others even if the enslaver's father asked him to do so. Because of his work, his enslaver increasingly trusted Smith. He served dutifully and was praised highly after faithfully guarding the contents of his enslaver's chest for an extended period of time. Nevertheless, Smith was subjected to intense and back-breaking labor at a young age, and severe punishments. His enslaver's son, in particular, tormented him and abused him, and one point attempted to beat him with a pitchfork and ultimately tied him up and whipped him for his defiance. As he grew older, he endured more arduous tasks and severe punishments.

In his narrative, Smith recalls his initial experience with his first "white master", who possessed abundant fertile land near the river. He mentions how his landlord had a tender heart and treated him well, and the landlord's son and Smith even had something similar to friendship. At the age of 22, Smith married an enslaved woman named Meg . Shortly thereafter, on March 27, 1754, he made an escape attempt, convinced to take flight by an Irish indentured servant named Heddy and two other people enslaved by Mumford. During their escape, at Montauk Point, Long Island, Heddy reveals his true intentions and attempts to steal their supplies and all their belongings. After discovering this treachery, Smith and his compatriots hunted down and captured Heddy and returned him to his enslaver, receiving a warm welcome and appreciation for their efforts.