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Charles| Florida Slave Narratives: Coates, "Father"
CharlesFederal Writers' Project "Father" Charles Coates, as he
is called by all who know him, was born a slave, 108 years ago
at Richmond, Virginia, on the plantation of a man named L'Angle.
His early boyhood days was spent on the L'Angle place filled
with duties such as minding hogs, cows, bringing in wood and
such light work. His wearing apparel consisted of one garment, a
shirt made to reach below the knees and with three-quarter
sleeves. He wore no shoes until he was a man past 20 years of
age. The single garment was worn summer and winter alike and the
change in the weather did not cause an extra amount of clothes
to be furnished for the slaves. They were required to move about
so fast at work that the heat from the body was sufficient to
keep them warm. When Charles was still a young man Mr. L'Angle
sold him on time payment to W.B. Hall; who several years before
the Civil War moved from R