CHAPTER<br > An Unexpected Welcome<br > ewis Howard Latimer s childhood experiences were very<br > different from those of many children growing up in the<br >Boston area during the mid-1850s. Events that had taken<br >place years before Lewis s birth on September 4， 1848，<br >helped to determine the kind of childhood he would have.<br > Both of Lewis s parents had been slaves in Norfolk，<br >Virginia. The adventures they had during their escape from<br >slavery and after they arrived in Massachusetts is a story in<br >itself. Lewis Latiiner s father， George W. Latimer， was the<br >son of Mitchell Latimel~ Mitchell Latimer was the brother of<br >the man who owned George s mother， Margaret Olmsted.<br >During his childhood， George Latimer had been a house<br >servant. He was later hired out to do various jobs that<br >included caring for horses， being a laborer， and working as a<br >store clerk. Although George Latimer got to do many<br >different kinds of jobs， there was one thing that never<br >changed: He was always badly treated. Once he was even<br >thrown into jail for his master s debts. For as long as he could<br >