Description: Born into slavery in 1853 at Fishdam near the Neuse River, M.L. Latta recounts the extreme poverty of his youth. Following the death of his father and the drowning of his oldest brother, a seventeen-year-old Latta became the primary provider for his mother and twelve siblings. He describes plowing with an ox and studying by the light of pine knots while surviving on corn husks and "dumpings." SEO Keywords: Rev. M.L. Latta, Fishdam North Carolina, Neuse River history, Cameron Quarters, slavery to success, Reconstruction era poverty, self-taught education, early life of M.L. Latta.