...The second passage is a description of the wedding ceremony of a woman named Tempie Durham. What is particularly disturbing is that the master also had fun at the expense of his slaves and that after an elaborate wedding, complete with food, drink, and formal ceremony, the groom had to leave to go back to his owner's plantation nearby. The couple was never allowed to live together. They did have eleven children, which prompted Tempie to write, "I was worth a heap to Marse George, 'kaze I had so many chillun." Here's her version of jumping the broom:

After Uncle Edmond said de las' words over me an'E xter, Marse George got to have his little fun. He say, "Come on, Exter, you an' Tempie got to jump over de broomstick backwards. You go to do dat to see which one gwine be boss of your househol'." Everbody come stan' roun' to watch. Marse George hold de broom 'bout a foot high off de floor. De one dat jump over it backwards an' never touch de handle gwine boss de house, an' if bofe of dem jump over widout touchin' it, dey ain't gwine be no bossin'; de jus' gwine be 'genial.

I jumped fus', an' you ought to seed me. I sailed right over dat broomstick, same as a cricket. But when Exter jump, he done had a big dram an' his feets was so big an' clumsy dat dey got all tangled up in dat broom, an' ke fell headlong. Marse George, he laugh an' laugh, an' tole Exter he gw'ine be bossed till he skeered to speak less'n I tole him to speak.

Done