SLAVE NARRATIVES A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Skives TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS PREPARED BY THE FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT. 1936-1938 ASSEMBLED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROJECT WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPONSORED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Illustrated with Photographs WASHINGTON 1941 VOLUME IX MISSISSIPPI NARRATIVES Prepared by the Federal Writersf Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Mississippi Allen, Jira 1 Kennedy, Hamp 84 91 Baker, Anna 11 Lucas, James Cameron, John Clark, Gus Cornelius, James 18 22 26 McAllum, Sam Moses, Charlie 100 113 Davenport, Charlie 34 Necaise, Henri 119 Emanuel, Gabe 44 Franks, Dora Franks, Pet 49 56 Singleton, Rev. James Smith, ^BerrySnow, Susan Stier, Isaac Sutton, Jane 125 128 135 143 151 Henry, Nettie Hodges, Fanny Smith Holliday, Wayne 61 68 72 Williams, Mollie Wilson, Tom 157 165 Johnson, Prince 76 Young, Clara C. 169 ILUJSTRATIONS Facing page Mollie Williams 157 Tom Wilson 165 Mississippi Federal Writers Slave Autobiographies & <^ <^ Jim Allen, West Point, age 87, lives in a shack furnished by the city* With him lives his second wife, a much older woman. Both he and Jiis wife have a reputation for being "queer" and do not welcome outside visitors* However, he readily gave an inter- view and seemed most willing to relate the story of his life* *Tas, ma9m, I members lots about slavfry time, was old 9 cause I f nough* "I was born in Russell County, Alabamy, an* can tell you bout my own mammy anf pappy an9 sisters an* brudders* "Mammy 9s name was Darkls an9 her Marster was John Bussey, a rag9lar old drunkard, an9 my pappy9s name was John Robertson an9 bflonged to Dr# Robertson, a big farmer on Tombigbee river, five miles east of Columbus* De doetor hisself lived in Columbus* "l^y sister Harriett and brudder John was fine fiel9 hands an9 Marster kep9 9 em in de fiel9 most of de time, tryin9 to dodge other white folks# "Den dere was Sister Vice an9 brudder George* Befo9 I could 9member much, I 'members Lee King had a saloon close to Bob Allen9s store in Russell County, Alabaigy, a^ (my mammy up. John Buasey drunk I means by dat, Lee King tuk her an9 my brudder George Page 2 241 Jim Allen, Clay Co, FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner fer a whiskey debt. Yes, old Marster drinked dem up. Den dey was carfied to Florida by Sam Oneal, an* George was jes a baby, de white folks wouldnt often separate de mammy an* baby, You know, I ain*t seen *em since, r*~^ ' Did I work? Yes ma*m, me an* a girl worked in de fiel*, I carryin* one row; you know, it tuk two chullun to mek one han*. Did we have good eat ins? good, fer I was his pet. Yes ma*m, old Marster fed me so He never Mowed no one to pester meindither. Now dis Marster was Bob Allen who had tuk me for a whiskey debt, too, Marse Bussey couldn*t pay, an* so Marse Allen tuk me, a little boy, out *n de yard whar I was playin* marbles, De law *lowed de fust thing de man saw, he could take, *I served Marse Bob Allen *til Gen*al Grant come *long and had me an* some others to follow him to Miss*sippi, hidin* de mules an* a fine mare, We was in de woods Dis was after Emancipation, an* Genfal Grant was comin* to Missfsippi to tell de niggers dey was free, *As I done tol* you, I was Marse Allenfs pet nigger boy, was called a stray, I slep* on de flo* by old Miss an* Marse Bob, could fa slepf on de trun*le bed, but it was so easy jea to roll over an9 blow dem ashes an* mek dat fire burn* I I Page 3 241 Jim Allen, Clay Co* FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner i - "Ole Miss was so good, I *d do anything fer her. Nobody *posed on me, No, Sir.* She was She was Marse Bobfs secon* so good an* weighed *round 200 poun*s* wife. Q I car*igd water to Marse Bob's sto* close by an* he would allus give me candy by de double han*full, an* as many juice harps as I wanted. dat candy. De bes* thing I ever did eat was Marster was good to his only stray nigger* "Slave niggers didnft fare wid no gardens *cept de big garden up at de Big House, when fielf hanfs was called to wuk out hers (old Kiss,% A31 de niggers had a sight of good things to eat frum dat garden an* smoke house* I kin see old Lady Sally now, cookin* for us niggers, an* Ruth cooked in de white folk*s kitchen. Ruth an* old Man Pleas* an* old Lady Susan was give to Marse Bob when he mar*ieda f come to Sandford, Alabamy* / *No, dere wafrit no jails, but a guard house* When niggers I did wrong, dey was oft*n sent dere, but mos* alias dey vas jes whupped i when too lazy to wuk, an* when dey would steal* Our clo*es was all wove and made on de plan*ation. ever*day ones, we called uns* f hick*ry strips** Our We had a* plen*y er good We was fitted out an* out each season, an* had two pairs of shoes, an* all de snuff an* *ba^co we wanted every month* i \ ^\] Page 4 241--Jim Allen, Clay Co. FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner 4 "No, not any weddin's. It was kinder dis way. Dere was a good nigger man anc a good nigger woman, anVthe Marster would say, I knows you both good niggers anf I wants you to be man anf wife dis \ year an* raise little niggers; den I wonft have to buy 'em,1 *Marse Bob lived in a big white house wid six rooms. He had a couft house an* a block whar he hired out niggers, jes like mules anf cows. "How ma&y slaves did us have? Lesf see.1 Dere was old Lady Sally an1 her six chullun an1 old Jake, her husbanf, de ox driver, fer de boss. Den dere was old Starlin', Rose, his wife an1 fof chullun. Some of dem was mixed blood by de oberseer. I sees 'era right now. knowed de oberseer was nothin* but pof white trash, jes a tramp. dere was me an1 Katherin. I Den Old Lady Sally cooked for de oberseers, seven miles Vay frum de Big House. '*Ever*body was woke up at fof ofclock by a bugle blowed mos'ly by a nigger, anf was at dey work by sun-up. I shof seed bad niggers whuppad as many times as dere is leaves sunset. on dat grounf. called Den day quits at f free,f Not Marse Bobfs niggers, but our neighbors. 'cause Marse Bob treated us so good. We was The whuppin* was done by de oberseer or driver, who would say as he put de whup to de back, Trav sir, pray sir." Page 5 241 Jim Allen, Clay Co. FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner * "I seed slaves sol* oft *ener dan you got fingers an' toes. j You know I tol* you dere was a sellin* block close to our sto*. \ plen*y niggers had to be chained to a tree or post Den f cause he would j run *way anf wouldn* wuk. i Dey would track de runways wid dogs an1 sometiws a white scal*wag or slacker wud be kotched dodgin* duty* deserters as I see corn stalks ober in dat fiel*. I seed as many Dey would hide out in day time anf steal at night* *No*m I didnf learn to read an# write but my folks teached me to be honest an* min1 Old Miss an* Granny. Dey didnf want us to learn how to go to de free country. "We had a neighborhood chu*ch an bofe black anf white went to it. Dere was a white preacher an* sometimes a nigger preacher would sit in de pulpit wid him. white folks on de other. De slaves set on one side of de aisle an* I allus liked preacher Williams Odem, an* his brudder Daniel, de tSlidin* Elder* (l). Bob Allen was head steward. Dey come frum Ohio. Marse I fmembers lots of my favfrite songs. Some of iem was. Am I born to Die. Alas and Did my Savior Bleed, an* Must I to de Judgment be Broufaht. \ The preacher *ov& say fPull down de line and let de spirit be a witnes, workin* fer faith in de \ x ~ future frum on high. f *I seed de patyroilers every week. (1) back slider If de niggers didn* 5 Page $ 241--Jim Allen, Clay Co. FEC Mr8. Ed Joiner get a pass in hanf right frum one planfation to fnother, dem patyrollers would git you. Dey would be six an* twelve in a drove, anf dey woul'd git you if you didn* have dat piece of paper. go down on a pass. No sun could Dere was no trouble twixt niggers den. "We lay down anf res1 at night in de week time.\ Niggers in slavfry time riz up in de Quarters, you could hear Den de cornshucking tuk place. f em for miles. Den we would have singinf. \ When one foun* a red ear of corn, dey would take a drink of whiskey frum de jug an1 cup. We'd get through 'bout ten ofclock. De men didh care if/T* dey worked all night, fer we had the fHeavfnly Banners* (2) by us* "Sometimes we worked on Satfday aHernoon, owinf to de grtapej but women all knocked off on Sat May aHernoon. On SaVday night, we mosfly had fun, playin1 an drinking whiskey an1 beer no time to fool froun* in de week time. *Some went to chu*ch anf some went fishin* oh Sunday. On Chris fmas we had a time all kinds eatin* --wimran got new dresses men tobacco had stuff to las f ftil Summer. in rnos1 ways in slav Vy time. good time. July 4th, we would wash up anf have a We hallowed dat day wid de white folks. cue? big table set down in bottoma# like ants. Niggers had good times We was havin1 a time now. Dere was a barbe- Dere was niggers strollin1 Younf White folks too. died, dere was a to-do over dat, hollerin* anf singinf. (2) women and whiskey When a slave More fuss 7 Page 7 241 Jim Allen, Clay Co, FBC Mrs. Ed Joiner dan a little 'Well, sich a one has passed out an we gwine to de grave to *tend de funfralj we will talk about Sister Sallie.* De niggers would be jumpin* as high as a cow er mule* "A song we used to sing was; Come on Chariot an* Take Her Home, Take Her Home, ^$f' ""** ^ Here Come Chariot, lesf ride, Come on les* ride, Come on lesf ride.f *Yessum we believed ha*nts would be at de grave yard* I didn* pay no *tention to dem tho*, for I know de evil spirit is dere* Iffen you don*t believe it, let one of *em slap you. one, but I*se heard *esu I ain*t seed I seed someone, dey said was a ghos*, but it got *way quick* "When we got sick de doctor come at once, and Mistiss was right dere to see we was cared fer. you grunt he was right dere* A doctor lived on our place* If We had castor oil an* pills an* turpentine an* quinlns when needful, an* herbs was used* I can fin* dat stuff now what we used when I was a boy* "Same of us wore brass rings on our fingers to keep off croup. Really good ~ good now* See mine? Page 8 241 Jim Allen, Clay Co. FEC Mr8* Ed Joiner 8 "Yessum I knows all 'bout when Yankees come* out fer de swamp. Dey got us I was layinf down by a white oak tree #sleep, anf when I woke up anf looked up an* saw nothinf but blue, blue, I said, Yonder is my Bossfs fine male boss, Alfred* He Handed dat horse hisself** He took it to heart, an1 he didn* live long aftefde Blue Coat8 took Alfred* Peace was declared to us fust in January in Alabamy, but not in ia stsippi ftil Grant come back, May 8th* *I ain't seen fey boss since dam Yankees took me Nray* was seven miles down in de swamp when I was tuk. him goodbye* my good boss* I jes wouldn1 of leff him* I wouldnf of tolf No sir, I couldn* have leff He tolf me dem Yankees was comin9 to take me off* never wanted to see him I I cause I would have went back 'cause he pertected me an* loved ne. " Idke dis week, I lef1 de crowd* One day, Capfin Bob licDaniel came by, anf asked me if I wanted to mek fires an1 wuk round de house* I said, l f I d like to see de town whar you want me to go, an* den I come to West Point. It wa*nt not hi n' but eotton rows lot of old shabby shanties, with jes one brick sto*, an' it b'longed to Ben Robertson, an* I hope (l) build all de sto'ei in West (1) helped Page 9 241--Jim Illen, Clay Co, FBC Mrs. Sd Joiner 9 Point since den. *I seed de KuKlux. We would be workin*. Dem people would be in de fiel*, anf must get home ffo dark anf shet de door. Dey wof three cornered white hats with de eyes way up high. breeches off fn me. here by de cemetery. was de same thing. Dey skeered de First ones I got tangled up wid was right down Dey just wanted to scare you. Night riders I was one of de fellers what broke fem up. "Old man Toleson was de head leader of de Negroes. Tryinf y-'" k ^to get Negroes to go fgainst our white people. I spec1 he was a two f faced Tankee or carpetbagger. *We had clubs all fround West Point. Capfin Shattuck out about Palo Alto said to us niggers one day, *Stop your foolishness ~ go live among your white folks an* behave. Have sense an* be good citizens.* His advice was good an1 we soon broke up our clubs. *I ain*t been to no school fcept Sunday School since Sur~ ^render. I A good white man I worked with taught me *nough to spell f comprestibilityf and fcompastibility. I had good *membrance anf I ( l ' 1 \ could have learned what white folks taught me, an dey sees dey manners I in me. """*" *I marfied when I was turnin* 19, an* my wife, 15. mar*ied at big Methodist Chu*ch in Keedmore. now. I Same old chu*ch is dere I hope build it in 1865* Aunt Kmaline Robertson an* Vincent Petty an* Page 10 1() 241 Jim Allen, Ci*y Co. FBC Mrs. Ed Joiner Van McCanley started a school in de northeast part of tcwn two years afte* de War* "Emaline was Mr, Ben Robertsonfs cook, an9 her darter, Callie, was his housekeeper, an9 George an1 Walter was mechanics, George became a school teacher, * Abraham Lincoln worked by 9pinions of de Bible, meanin's from de Bible, fig tree,9 started, He got his 9 Svery man should live under his own vine and Dis was Abraham's commandments, Dis is where Lincoln 9 no one should work for another*9, "Jefferson Davis wanted po9 man to work for rich man. was wrong in one 9pinion, an' right in t'other. of his Xation, He He tried to take care In one instance, Lincoln was destroying us, *I j9ined the church to do better an9 to be with Christians ~ an9 serve Christ, Dis I learned by fsociation an? harmonious livin9 with black an9 white, old anf young, an9 to give justice to all* De fust work I did after de War was for Mr, Bob McDaniel who lived near Waverly on de Tombigbee River, Yes ma9am, I knowed de Lees, an9 de Joiners, but on de river den an9 long afte*, an9 worked for 9em lots in Clay County, rh 241-Anna Baker, Ex-slave, Monroe County EEC Mrs Richard Kolb Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes ANNA BAKER Aberdeen, Mississippi Anna Baker, 80-year old ex-slave, is tall and well built. She is what the Negroes term a "high brown " Her high forehead and prominent cheek bones indicate that there is a strain of other than the pure African in her blood. She is in fair health. "Lemma see how old I is. Well, I tells you jusf lak I tolf dat Home Loan man #hat was here las' week f bout slavery times an1 I 'members a powfful lot f bout ffore surrender I know I was a right smart si den, so's fcording to dat I wks' be frounf 'bout eighty year old. I aint shof 'bout dat an1 I don't want to tell no untruth. I know I was right smart size frore de surrender, as 1 was a-sayin'f 'cause I members Marster comin' down de road past de house. When I'd see 'im 'way off I'd run to de gate an' start singin' dis song to 'im: 'Hers come de marster, root toot tool Here come Marster, comin' my way! Howdy, Marster, howdy dot What you gwine a*bring from town today?' * Pat would mos' nigh tickle him to death an' he'd say, '.LOosa2raa(dat was hi%pet name for me) what you want today?' Ifd say, 'Bring me seme goobers, or a doll, or some stick candy, or anything. y ' bottom dollar he'd always bring me sornp'a1* An' you can bet 12 "One reason Marse Morgan thought so much or me, dey say I was a right peart young'n1 anf caught on to anything pretty quick. Marster would tell me, f Loosanna, if you keep yof ears open an1 tell me what de darkies talk fbout, dey111 be sompfnf good in it for you.1 (He meant for me to listen when deyfd talk fbout runnin* off an1 such*) Ifd stay frounf de old folks an1 make lak I was a-playinf. Fd be a-listenin1* All de time Den Ifd go anf tell Marster what I hearfd. de time I mus* a-had a right smart mind, But all f cause Ifd play frounf de white folks an1 hear what deyfd say anf den go tell de Niggers* ~Donft guess de marster ever thought fbout me doinf dat* *I was born an1 bred fbout seven miles from'Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I was de baby of de famfly. of de road to town. De house was on de right hanf side I had four sisters an1 one brother dat I knows of. Dey was named Classie, Jennie, Florence, Allie, an1 George* B|y aame was Joanna, but dey done drap de Jo part a long time ago* "I donft recollec1 what my mafs mammy anf pappy was named * but I know dat her pappy was a full blooded Injun. I gits my brown color.) (I guess dat is where Her mammy was a full blooded African though, a great big woman. "I recollec? a tale my mammy tol1 me fbout my granT pa. When he took up wid my granfmammy de white man what owned her say, 'If you want to stay wid her I'll give you a home if you111 work for me lak de Niggers do.1 He f greed, 'cause he thought a heap of his Black Woman. (Datfs what he called her*) Ever*thing was all right ftil one o* dam uppity overseers tried to act smart. He say he gwine a-beat him. gran1 pappy went home dat night an1 barred de door* My When de overseer an* 13 some o'.his frien's come after him, he say he aint gwine a-open dat Dey say if he donft dey gwine a-break it in* door. He tell f em to go 'head. "Whilst dey was a-breakin' in he filled a shovel full o' red hot coals anf when dey come in he thfowed it at fanu dey was a-hollerin' he run away* good day. Den whilst : He aint never been seen again to dis Ifse hearfd since den dat white folks learnt dat if dey started to whip a Injun deyfd better kill him right den or else he might git dem. "My mammy's name was Harriet Clemens, IShen I was too little to know anything 'bout it she run off an' lef' us. I don't 'member much 'bout her 'fore she run off, I reckon I was mosf too little. "She tol' me when she come after us, after de war was over, all fbout why she had to run away: Nigger overseers. de plow ban's.) It was on 'count of de (Dey had Higgers over de hoers an' white mens over Dey kep' a-tryin' to mess 'roun' wid her an* she wouldn' have nothin' to do wid 'em. One time while she was in de fiel' de over- seer asked her to go over to de woods wid him an1 she said, I'll go find a nice place an' wait.' de river an' run away. us, but dat was all. She jus' kep'a-goin. 'All right, She swum She slipped back onct or twict at night to see She hired out to some folks dat warnt rich 'nough to have no slaves o' dey own. Dey was good to her, too. (She never lacked for work to do*) "When my ma went off a old woman called Aunt Emmaline kep' me. (She kep' all de orphunt chillun an1 dem who's mamas had been S 14 sent off to de breedin' quarters. When dem women had chillun dey brung f em an' let somebody lak Aunt Snmaline raise 'op.) to me. me. She was sho' mean I think it was 'cause de marster laked me an' was always a-pettin' She was jealous* "She was always a-tryin' to whi|> me for somethin' or not her. One time she hit me wid a iron miggin. made a bad place on my head. was parchin' burn up. ed me up. (You uses it in churainl) It She done it 'cause I l*t some meal dat she After she done it she got sort a scared an' doctor- She put soot on de cut to make it stop bleedin'. Nex' day she made me promise to tell de marster dat I hurt my head when I fell out o' de door dat night he whip Uncle Sim for stealin' a hog. Now I was asleep dat night, but when he asked me I said, 'Aunt Immaline say tell you I hurt my head f allin' out de door de night you whip Uncle Sim.' 'Is dat de truf?' I say, 'Naw sir.' gear house an' wore her out. Den he say, He took Aunt Emma line dom to de He wouldn' tell off on me. He jus' tol' her dat she had no bus'ness a-lettin' me stay up so late dat I seen him do de whippin'. TMy pa was named George Clemens. Marster Morgan Clemens. Master Hardy, his daddy, had give us to him when he 'vided out wid de res' o' his chillun. man. Us was all owned by ^Marster Morgan was a settled He went 'roun' by hisse'f mos' o' de time. He never did marry.) "My pa went to de war wid Marster Morgan an' he never come back. I don't 'member much 'bout 'em goin', but after dey lef I 'member de Blue Coats a-comin'. Dey tore de smoke house down an' made a big fire an' cooked all de meat dey could hoi'. 'cause, dey give us all us wanted. All us Niggers had a good time, One of f em put me up on his knee an' 15 asked me if Pd ever seen Marster wid any little bright *roun* shiny things. (He held his hand up wid his fingers in de shape of a dollar.) I, lak a crazy little Nigger^said, mantelpiece.f *Sho*, Marster draps *em fhind de Den, if dey didnf tear dat mantel down an* git his money, I*s a son-of-a-gunj **After de war was over my ma got some papers from de *progo marshal. She come to de place an* tol* de marster she want her chillun. He say she can have all *cept me. She say she want me, too, dat I was her*n an* she was gwine a-git me. She went back an* got some more papers an* showed *em to Marster Morgan* Den he lemma go. **She come out to de house to git us. o* her, * cause I didn* know who she was. At firs* I was scared She put me in her lap an* she mos* nigh cried when she seen de back o* my head. where de lice had been an* I had scratched *em. Bnmaline *bout dat.) Dey was awful sores (She sho* jumped Aunt Us lef* dat day anf went right on to Tuscaloosa. My ma had married again an* she an* him took turns *bout carrying me when I got tired. Us had to walk de whole seven miles. I went to school after dat an* learnt to read an* write. Us had white Yankee teachers. I learnt to read de Bible well *nough an* den I quit. **I was buried in de water lak de Savior. Ifs a real Baptis*. De Holy Sperrit sho* come into my heart. "I b*lleves in de Sperrit. is sperrits. I b*lieves all o* us when us dies Us jus* hovers *roun* in de sky a-ridin* on de clouds. Course, some folks is born wid a cloud over dey faces. dat *s can*t. I reckon dey sees de sperrits. provost ^ Dey can see things 1G I know 'bout dam Kloo KLuxes. 'bout fem. One night after us had moved to Tuscaloosa dey come after Whilst my ma an1 de res1 went an* hid I went to de door. my step-daddy. I warnt scared. me. I had to go to court one time to testify I says, Wharfs yof daddy?! out for fim. f Marster Will, aint dat you?1 I tolf He say, f im dat he'd gone to town. In de meantime ray masha! had started out, too. f Shof, it's Den dey head She warned him to hide, so dey didnf git fim. "Soon after dat de Yankees helf a trial in Tuscaloosa. A man hel1 me up anf made me pfint out who it was dat come carried me# to our house. say "No", Dey I say, *Datfs de man, aint it Marster Will?1 f cause he*d tolf me twas him dat night. He couldn1 Dey put fem in jail for six months an* give fem a big fine* "Us moved from Tuscaloosa while I was still a young girl anf went to Pickensville, Alabama. Us stayed dar on de river for awhile an1 den moved to Columbus, Mississippi. I lived dar ftil I was old fnough to git out to myseff. "Den I come to Aberdeen an1 married Sam Baker. done well. now. Me anf Sam He feade good money anf us bought dis very house I lives in Us never had no chillun, but I was leff one by a cousin of mine what died. I raised her lak she was my own. I sont her to school anf ever1 thing* She lives in Chicago now anf wants me to come live wid her. But shucks I What would a old woman lak me do in a place lak dat? "I aint got nothin* leff now fcept a roof over my head. wouldn* have dat fcept for de President of de United States. I Dey had loaned me some money to fix up de house to keep it from fallin1 down on me. Dey said I'd have fifteen year to pay it back in. Now course, I .7 knowed Ifd be dead in dat time, so I signed up wid fem. "Las1 year de men dat collecf nearly worrit me to death a-tryinf to git some money from me. I didn' have none, so dey say dey gwine a-take my home. "Now I hear tell o' dat barefoot Niger down at Columbus callin' de president an1 him bain' so good to 'im. an' tell 'im what a plight dis Nigjer was in, but I jusf tolf him plain facts. he sont a man down to see me. So I fcided to write I didir* say nothin *noxious, He writ me right back anf pretty soon He say I needn1 bother no more, dat dey won't take my house fway from me. Anf please de LawdJ Dey aint nobody else been here a-pesterin' me since* "Dat man tolf me soon as de old age pension went thfough Ifd git thirty dollars a montf *stid of de four I's a~gittin' now. dat be gran-? I could live lak de white folks on dat much. "I'se had fligion all my born days. de Bible an' Now won't (I never learnt to read f terpet de Word ftil I was right smart size, but I mus' of b'lieved in de Lawd since fway back.) Ifse gwine a-go right 'long anf keep a-trustin' de good Lawd an' I knows ever'thing gwine a-come out all right. "'Twixt de Lawd an' de good white folks I know I's gwine always have somethin1 feat. over my head." obnoxious instead President Roosevelt done 'tended to de roof JOHN CAMERON Jackson, Mississippi John Cameron, ex-slave, lives in Jackson in 1842 and was owned by Howell Magee* tall, and weighs about 150 pounds* brown with white kinky hair* He was born He is five feet six inches His general coloring is blackish- He is in fairly good health* "I9se always lived right here in Hinds County. Ifs seen Jackson grow from de groun9 up* My old Marster was de besf man in de worlf* I jus* wish I could tell, an9 make it plain, jus* how good him an1 old Mist is was* Marster was a rich man* He owned fbout a thousand an* five hundred acres o9 Ian9 an9 roun9 a hundfed slaves* Marster*s big two-story white house wid lightning rods stand in* all 9bout on de roof set on top of a hill* "De slave cabins, cross a valley from de Big House, was Us was flowed to sing, play de fiddles, an9 have a built in rows* Us had plenty t9 eat and warm clo9es an9 shoes in de good time* winter time* De cabins was kep9 in good shape* Us aint never min9 workin9 for old Marster, cause us got good returns* livin* an9 bein9 took care of right* Dat meant good Marster always fed his slaves in de Big House* "De slaves would go early to de fielfs an work in de cotton an9 corn* Dey had different jobs* "De overseers was made to un9 erst an9 to be 9siderate of ue* Work went on all de week lak dat* Dey got off from de fiel9s 19 early on Satu9d9y evenin9s, washed up anf done what dey wanted to* Some went hunt in1 or fishin9, some fiddled an9 danced an9 sung, while de others jus9 lazed rounv de cabins* of de slaves jus1 to be fiddlers. Dey played for us an* kep9 How us could swing, an9 step-9bout by dat old things perked up* fiddle music always a-goin1 on* always knowed a way* ^ ^< v^ Den old Marster come frounf wid his kin9ly smile anf jovfal sp'rits. When things went wrong he He knowed how to comfort you in trouble* "Now, I was a gardner or yard boy* a slave* Marse had two Dat was my part as I he9ped keep de yard pretty an9 clean, de grass cut, anf de flowers 9tended to an9 cut* pretty flowers* train 9em to win1 I taken dat work 9cause I lak*s I laks to buil9 frames for fem to run on an9 to , roun9* I could monkey wid 9em all de time. "When folks started a-comin9 through talkin9 9 bout a- freein9 us an9 a-givin9 us Ian9 an1 stuff, it didn9 take wid Marster1 s slaves. Us didn1 want nothin1 to come 9long to take us away from him. Dea a tellin9 de Niggers deyfd git Ian9 an9 i cattle an9 de lak o9 dat was all fojalis9nessf nohow. Us was a- livin9 in plenty an9 peace. "De war broke out spite o9 how Marster9s Niggers felt* lhe# I seen my white folks leave for war, I eried myself sick, an9 all de res9 did too* country. Den de Yankees come through a-takin9 de Old Marster refugeed us to Virginny. I can*t say if de Ian9 was his9n, but he had a place for us to stay at* raised fnough food stuff for all de slaves. I know us Marster took care of j 20 us dere *til de war ended* "Den he come to camp late one evenin* an tol* us dat us was free as he was; dat us could stay in Virginny an work or us could come to Mississippi wid him* Might nigh de whole passel bun*led up an9 come back* an* glad to do it* too* stayed *til de family all died* Dar us all De las* one died a few years ago an* lef* us few old darkies to grieve over * em-T "I don* know much *bout de Klu Klux Klan an* all dat. Dey rode fbout at night an* wore long white ghos*-lak robes* Dey whup folks an* had meet in* s way off in de woods at midnight* Dey done all kinds o* curious things* None never did bother 'bout Marster*8 place, so 1 don* know much *bout *em* "After de War it took a mighty a-goin* smooth* Folks an* de Gov'ment, too* seem lak dey was all up-set an* threatened lak* gwine bus* loose ag*in* to de groun*. long time to git things For a long time it look lak things Mosf ever*thing was tore up an* burned down It took a long time to build back dout no money* Den twant de gran* old place it was de firs* time* "I married when I was a young man* git de nex* bes* woman in de worl** I was lucky * no ugh to (Old Mis* was de bes**) Dat gal was so good *til I had to court *er mos* two years vfore she'd say she'd have me* *tJs had six chilltuu can't say much for my chillun* Three of *em*s still livin** I I don* lak to feel hard* but I tried to raise my chillun de bes* I could* 1 educated *emj even bought 21 f em a piano an* give em* music* One of *em is in Memphis, in Detroit, an* de other*n in Chicago* but don* never hear from *em. f nother*n I writes to *em to he*p me, I*s old an* dey is forgot me, I guess* "Dat seems to be de way of de worl* now* Ever*thing an* ever*body is too fas* an* too frivoless dese here times* I tell you, folks ought to be more lak old Marster was* "I^s a Christian an* loves de Lawd. him 'fore long* I expects to go to Den I know I*s gwine see my old Marster an* Mist is ag^n." BIBLIOGRAPHY John Cameron frivolous rh Jackson, Mississippi \ V Mississippi Federal Writers Slave Autobiographies ^ Uncle Gus Clark and his aged wife live in a povertystricken deserted village about an eighth of a mile east of Howison* Their old mill cabin, a relic of a forgotten lumber \ industry, is tumbling down* They received direct relief from ; the ERA until May, 1934* when the ERA changed the dole to work I relief* Uncle Gus, determined to have a work card, worked on j the road with the others until he broke down a few days'later \ and was forced to accept direct relief* \ * Now, neither Gus nor is \ Lisa is abla to work, and the only help available for them is I the meager State Old Age Assistance* Gus still manages to tend Itheir tiny garden* He gives his story* *Ifse gwine on fbout eighty-five* AX'S my age now* I was born at Richmond, Virginny, but lef dere right afte* de War* Dey had done surrendered den, anf my old marster doan have no mof power over us* We was all free anf Bos# turned us loose* *tiy mammy's name was Judy, anf my pappy was Bob* was de Boss's name. I doan fmember my mammy, but pappy was workinf on de railroad afte1 freedom anf got killed* Clark 22 23 "A man come to Richmond an* carried me an9 pappy ah9 a lot of other niggers ter Loos9anna t r work in de sugar cane*. / It shof was I was little but he said I could be a water boy. Dem niggers quarfl an1 fight anf kills one a rough place. f nother< Big Boss, he rich, anf doan Mow no sheriff ter come on his place. -> He hoi9 couft an9 settle all 9 sputes hisself. He done bury de dead niggers an9 put de one what killed him back to work. "A heap of big rattlesnakes lay in dem canebrakes, an9 dem niggers shoot dey heads off an9 eat | niggers. 9 em. It didn9 kill de Dem snakes was fat an9 tender, an9 fried jes lak i ! chicken. i *Dere in Loosfanna we doan get no pay 9til de work is i laid by. Denwe9se paid big money, no nickels* I lios1 of de f | cullud mens go back to where dey was raised. ^^~- "Dat was aftef freedom, but my daddy say dat de niggers earn money on Old Boss9 place even durin9 slavery. every other Satfdy fer deyse9ves. w \ wimmens an9 all* wimmens one. He give 9 em Dey cut cordwood fer Boss, Ifcs9 of de mens cut two cords a day an* de f em a dollar a cord. Dey save dat money, fer dey doan have to pay it out fer nothin9. Big Boss didn9 fail to feed us good an9 give us our work clofes. An9 he paid de doctor bills Boss paid Some cullud mn saved enough to buy deyse9ves frum f Boss, as free as I is now. / 24 "Slav*ry was better in some ways *an things is now. We allus got plenfy ter eat, which we doan now. We can't make but fof bits a day workin* out now, an1 fat doan buy nothinf at de sto\ Cofse Boss only give us work clo'es. I got two os'berg (1) shirts a year* When I was a kid I never wof no shoes* I didn* know whut a shoe was made far, *til Ifse tyelve or thirteen. WeM go rabbit huntin* barefoot in de snow. "Didn* wear no Sunday clofes. me, 'cause I had nowhere ter go. Dey wa*nt made fer You better not let Boss ketch you offfn de place, less fn he give you a pass to go. didnf 'low us to go to church, er to pray er sing. My Boss If fen he ketched us prayin* er singin* he whupped us. He better not ketch you with a book in yos han*. I doan know whut de reason was. Didn* Mow it. Jess meanness, I reckin. I doan b*lieve my marster ever went to church in hie life, but he wa*nt mean to Ms niggers, *cept fer doin* things he doan Mow us to. fer nothin* He didn* care f cept farmin*. *Bere wa*nt no schools fer cullud people den. know whut a school was. We didn* I never did learn to read. We didn* have no mattresses on our beds like we has now. De chullua slep* under de big high beds, on sacks. We was put under dem beds *bout eight o'clock, an* wefd jes better not say (1) Osnaberg* the cheapest grade of cotton cloth 25 nothin' er make no noise aftef den/ All de cullud folks slep' on croker sacks full of hay er straw* "Did I ever see any niggers punished? shof has. Whupped an* chained too. Yessum, I Dey was whupped ftil de blood come, 'til dey back split all to pieces. Den it was washed off wid salt, an1 de n gger was put right 3>ack in de fielf. aftef Dey was whupped fer runnin1 away. Sometimes dey run f em fer days an nights with dem big old blood houn's* Heap of people doan bflieve dis. But I does, f cause I seed it myse 'f. "I'se lived here forty-five years, an1 chipped turpentine mosf all my life since I was free. "I *se had three wives. I marfied em 'cordin to law. My fust two wives is dead* leven years. anf hefs dead. I didn1 have no weddin's, but I woan stay with one no other way. Liza an' me has been mar#ied fbout I never had but one chile, an* fat by my fust wife, But my other two wives had been mar'ied befo', an* had chullun. "Simon here," pointing to a big buck of fiftyfive sitting on the front porch, "is Liza's oldest boy." rh 230059 \ Mississippi Federal Writers 26 Slave Autobiographies Janes Cornelius lires in Magnolia in the northwestern part of the town, in the Negro settlement. He draws a Con- federate pension of four dollars per month* He relates events of his life readily. "I does not know de year I was borned but dey said I was 15 years old when de War broke out anY dey tell me I9se past 90 now* Dey call me James Cornelius an1 all de white folks says I9se a good *spectable darkey* "I was borned in Franklin, Loosfanna* My mammy was named Chlo an1 dey said my pappy was named Henry* Dey bflonged to Mr* Alex Johnson anf whil9st I was a baby my mammy, my brudder Henry* an9 me was sol9 to Marse Sam Marry Sandell an9 we was brung to Magnolia to live an9 I niver remember see in my pappy ag9in* "Marse Murry dldm9 have many slaves* His place was right whar young Mister Lampton Heid is build inf his fine house jea east of de town* My mammy had to work in da house an9 in de fiel9 wid all de other niggers an9 I played in de yard wid de little ehulluns* bofe white an9 black* f Sometimes we played toss in1 de ball9 an9 sometimes we played frap-jacket9 an9 some- times 9keteher*9 An9 when it rained we had to go in de house an9 Old Mistess made us behave* 27 "I was taught how to work v round de house, how to sweep an* draw water fruai de well an* how to kin9le fires an1 keep de wood box filled wid wood, but I was craxy to lam how to plow an1 when I could I would slip off an1 get a old black man to let m* walk by his side an9 hold de lines an* 1 thought I was big 9nouf to plow. ff Marse Marry didn9 have no overseer. / He made de slaves / work, an9 he was good an9 kind to 9emf but when dey didn1 do right / he would whip 9em, but he didn9 beat 9em* to whip 9em. Be niver stripped *em Tea mafnf he whipped me but 1 needed it* One day I tol9 him I was not goin9 to do whut he tol9 me to do - feed de i \ mule - but when he got through wid me I wanted to feed dat mule* j %w ~" here* "I ccaae to live wid Ifarse Murry 9fo dar was a town Dar was only fo9 houses in dis place when I was a boy* I seed de fust train dat come to dis here town an9 it made so much noise dat I run frum it. Dat smoke puffed out9n de top an9 de bell was ringin9 an9 all de racket it did make made me skeered* "I heered dem talkin9 9 bout de war but I didn9 know whut dey meant an9 one day Marse Marry said he had jined de Quitman Guards an9 was goin1 to de war an9 I had to go wid him* I Old Missus cried an9 my mammy cried but I thought it would be fun* \ He tuk me 'long an9 I waited on him. so yer could see yer face in fem. I kept his boots shinin9 I brung him water an9 fed an9 28 cur*led his boss an* put his saddle on de boss fer htm. Old Mis* sus tol* ma to be good to him an* I was, (1) "One day I was standin* by de boss an' a ball kilt de (2) boss an* be fell oyer dead an* den X cried like it mout be my brud/ der. I went way up in Tennessee an* den I was at Port Hudson. ; seed men fall down an9 die; dey was kilt like pigs* 1 Harse Hurry \ was shot an* I stayed wid him ftil dey could git him hone* Dey ; leff me behin* an1 Col* Stoekdale an9 Mr* Sam Matthews brung mo \ home. "Marse Murry died an9 Old Missus run de place She was good an* kind to us all an9 den she mar9ied afte9 while to Mr. Gatlin* Dat was afte9 de war was ore re *Whil9st I was in de war I seed Mr. Jeff Davis. was ridin9 a big hoss an9 he looked mighty fine* Ho I niver seed him'eeptin he was on de hoss* "Dey said old man Abe Lincoln was de nigger9s friend, i but frum de way old Marse an9 de sojers talk 9bout him I thought ' he was a mighty mean man* "I doan recollee9 when dey tol9 us we was freed but / i I do know Mr Oatlin would promise to pay us fer our work an9 \ wben de tin* would come fer to pay be said be didn* bare it an* ikep* put tin us off, an* we would work some more an* git notbin* fer it. Old Missus would ery an* sbe was good to us but dey bad no money* (1) (2) killed might \- 991 To da war Marse Murry would wake all de niggers by blow* in9 a big fkonkf an1 den when dinner time would come Old Missus would blow de fkonkf an1 call dam to dinner I got so I could 9 konk9 fer Old Missus but oht it tuk my wind* blow dat Marse Murry would low me to drive his team when he t9 would go to market* I could haul de cotton to Cotln9ton an9 bring back whut was to eat, an9 all de oxen could pull was put on dat wagon* We allus had good eatin afte9 we had been to market* "Every Chris9aus would come I got a apple an9 some candy | an9 mamy would cook cake an9 pies fer Old Missus an9 stack dam i \ on de shelf in de big kitchen an9 we had every thing good to eat* I Dam people sho9 was good an9 kind to all niggers* "Afte de war de times was hard an9 de white an9 black >*^ people was fightin1 orer who was to git de big office, an9 den dare was mighty leetle to eat* kap9 9 way from all dat* Dar was plen9y whiskey, but I9se I was raised right* Old Missus taught ma ter 9spect white folks an9 some of dem promised me land but I Hirer got it* All de land Z9se ever got I work mighty hard fer it an9 Ifse got it yit* "One day afte9 Mr* Gatlin said he couldn9 pay ma I run f way an9 want to New Orleans an9 got a job haulin9 cotton* an9 Le ay 50 cents an9 dinner every day* I sho9 had ma plan9y 29 30 I stayed dere mighty close on to fo9 years an1 den I money dan* went to Tylertown an9 hauled cotton to de railroad far Mr* Ben Lampton. Mr. Lampton said I was de bes9 drirer of his team he erer had caze I kep9 his team fat "Afte I come back to Miss9ssippi I marfied a woman named Maggie Ransom. one time* We stayed together 51 years* I nirer hit her but When we was git tin9 mar9ied I stopped de preacher right in de ceremony an9 said to her, 9 Maggie, iffen you nirer call me a liar I will nirer call you one9 an9 she said, you a liar*9 I said, 9 JTimf I wonft call 9 That9s a bargain9 an9 den de preacher went on wid de weddim9* Well, one day afte9 we had been mar9ied 9bout (1) fo9 years* she ast me how come I was so late eomin9 to supper, an9 I said I found some work to do fer a white lady* an9 she said* that9s a lie*9 an9 right den I raised my han9 an9 let her hare it right by de side of de head* an9 she nirer called me a liar ag9in* No ma9m* dat is somethin9 I won9t stand fer* *Bftr old lady had seren ohulluns dat lired to git grown* Two of 9em lired here in Magnolia an9 de others gone North* is daid an9 I lire wid ay boy Walter an9 his wife Lena* mighty good to me* Maggie Dey is X owns dis here house an9 fo9 acres but dey lire wid me an9 I gits a Confed9rate pension of fo9 dollars a month* Dat gires me my coffee an9 f bacco* X9se proud I9se a old sojer, I seed de men fall when dey was shot but I was not skeered* (1) asked We et 31 bread when we could git it an9 if we eouldn9 git it we done widout. *Afte9 I lef9 Mr* Iampton Ifse eome here an9 went to work fer Mr* Enoch at lernwood when his mill was jes a old rattletrap I work fer him 45 years* of a mill* At fust I hauled timber outfn de woods an9 afte9 whil9st I hauled lumber to town to build houses, I sometimes eollee9 fer de lumber but I niver lost one nickle, an9 dem white folks says I sho9 was a honest nigger* "I lired here on dis spot an9 rode a wheel to Jternwood every day, an9 fed de teams an9 hitehed 9em to de wagons an9 Z was niver late an9 nirer stopped fer anything, an9 my wheel niver was in de shop* I nirer 9lowed anybody to prank wid it, an9 dat wheel was broke up by my gran9chulluns* "Afte I quit work at de mill Ifse come home an9 plow gardens fer de white folks an9 make some more money* I sho9 could plow* "I jined de New Zion Baptist Church here in Magnolia an9 was baptized in de Tanghipoa River one Sunday evenin9 * happy dat X shouted, me an9 ny wife bofe* I was so I9se still a member of dat church but I*s^do not preach an9 Ifm not no deacon; I9se jes a bench member an* a mighty pof one at dat* My wife was buried frum dat church* ff Doan know why I was not called Jim Sandell, but mamay said wy pappy was named Henry Cornelius an9 I reckin I was give 32 my pappyf 3 name* "When I was a young man de white folks* Baptist Church was called Salem an* it was on de hill whar de graveyard now is* It burnt down an* den dey brung it to town, an* as I was goin* to tell yer I went possum huntin* in dat graveyard one night. I tuk my ax an* dog *long wid me an* de dog, he treed a possum right in de graveyard* I cut down dat tree-an* started home, when all to onee some thin* run by me an* went down dat big road lak lightening an* my dog was afte* it* Den de dog come back an* lay down at my feet an* rolled on his back an* howled an* howled | an* right den I knowed it was a sperit an* I throwed down y opossum an* ax an* beat de dog home* sperit - I*se seed plenty of fem* ever seed* I tell you dat was a Bat aln*t de only sperit I I*se seen *em a heap of times* Well* dat taught me niver to hunt in a grave yard ag9in. "No ma*m, I niver seed a ghost but I tell yer I know dere is sperits. Let me tell yer, anudder time I was goin* by de graveyard an9 I seed a man*s head* He had no feet, but he kep* lookin* afte9 me an* every way I turned he wouldn* take his eye of fen me, an9 I walked fast an* he got faster an* den I run an* den he run, an* when I got home I jes fell on de bed an* hollered an* hollered an* tol* my old lady, an* she said I was Jes skeer- ed, but I*se sho9 s*#d dat sperit an9 I ain*t goin* by de grave yard at night by myse*f agfin* 33 "An9 let me tell yer die* Right in front of dis house ~ yer see dat white house? - Well, last 3sbr*ary a good old cullud lady died in dat house, an1 afte9 she was buried de rest of de fambly moved away, an9 every night I kin look orer to dat house an9 see a light in de window* body lires dar* Bat light comes an9 goes, an9 no- Doan X know dat is de sperit of dat woman ccmin9 back here to tell some of her fambly a message? Yes ma9m, dat is her sperit an9 dat house is hanted an9 nobody will live dar ag9in "No ma9mf I can9t read nor writer" lb 30379 v 241-Charlie Davenport, Ex-slave, Adams County FEC Edith TSyatt Moore Rewrite, Pauline Loveless* Edited, Clara E* Stokes CHARLIE Natchez, DAVENPORT Mississippi "I was named Charlie Davenport anf *eneordinf to de way I figgers I ought to be nearly a hundfed years old. birthday, Nobody knows my f cause all my white folks is gone* n I was born one night an* de very nexf mornin1 my pof little mamny died* Her name was Lucindy. My pa was William Davenport. When I was a little mite dey turnt me over to de granny nurse on de plantation. ninnies. She was de one dat ftended to de little picka- She got a i oman to nurse me what had a young baby, so I didn* know no diffence. Any woman what had a baby fbout my age would wet nurse me, so I growed up in de quarters anf was aa well an* as happy as any other chilf* * "When I could tote *taters dey'd let me pick fem up in de fiel1* Us always hid a pile away where us could git fem an* roast *em at night* "Old mammy nearly always made a heap of dewberry an1 *f Simmon wine. "Us little tykes would gather black walnuts in de woods an* store fem under de cabins to dry* according sweet potatoes 34 "At night when de work was all done an1 de can'les was out usfd set frounf de fire an1 eat cracked nuts.an* taters. Us picked out de nuts wid horse-shoe nails anf baked de taters in ashes* Den Mamrpy would pour herseff an1 her old man a cup o* wine. got none of dat *less'n us befs sick. cherry bark. Us never Den she'd mess it up wid wild It was bad den, but us gulped it down, anyhow. w 01d Granny used to sing a song to us what went lak dis: f Kinky head, whar-fore you skeered? Old snake crawled off, fcause hefs afeared* Pappy will smite * im. on de back Wid a great big club - kier whack: Ker whackl1 "Aventine, where I was born anf bred, was acrost Secon* Creek. It was a big plantation wid *bout a hund'ed head o* folks a-livinf on it. It was only one o1 de marster1 s places, 'cause he was one of de riches* ahf highes1 quality gentfmen in de whole country. Ifs tellin* you de trufe, us dldn* b*long to no white trash. was de Honorable Mister Gabriel Shields hisseff. him* De marster Ever*body knowed fbout He married a Surget* "Dem Surgets was pretty devilish; for all dey was de riches1 famfly in de Ian*. Dey was de out-fightin*es*, out-cussinfesf, fastes* ridinf, hardes* drinkin*, out-spendin*es* folks I ever seen. Lawdl Dey was gentfmen even in dey cups. But LawdJ De ladies was beautiful wid big black eyes an* soff white hanfs, but dey was high strung, too. "De marster had a town mansion whatfs pictured in a lot of books. It was called *Montebella.f end o* Shields Lane. It burnt *bout thirty years ago(1937). **I*s part Injun. unless De big columns still stanf at de I aint got no Nigger nose an1 my hair is 3G Ifse often heard my mammy was so long I has to keep it *wropped. redlsh-lookin* wid long, straight, black hair* Her pa was a full blooded Choctaw anf mighty nigh as young as she was. tolf dat nobody *dast meddle wid her. but she shoV was a good wDrker* Ifse been She didnf do much talkin1, My pappy had Injun blood, too, but his hair was kinky. w De Choctaws lived all had cabins lak settled folks. f rounf Secon* Creek. I can 'member dey las1 chief. a tall pow'ful built man named fBig Sam.f 1 cause he was de boss of de whole tribe. He was What he said was de law, One rainy night he was kilt in a saloon down in fNatchez Under de Hill.f rage an1 grief. Some of fem De Injuns weht wild wid Dey sung anf wailed an1 done a heap of low mutterin*. De sheriff kepf a steady watch on feni, do somethin1 rash. f cause he was afeared dey would After a long time he kinda let up in his vigflance. Den one night some of de Choctaw mans slipped in town an1 *stobbed de man dey b'lieved had kilt Big Sam. I members dat well. "As I said Vfore, I growed up in de quarters. was clean an1 snug. too. De houses Us was better fed den dan I is now, anf warmer, Us had blankets an1 quilts filled wid home raised wool an1 I jus1 loved layin1 in de big fat feather bed a-hearin* de rain patter on de roof. "AH de little darkeys h^'ped bring in wood. de yards wid brush brooms* Den sometimes us played together in de street what run de length of de quarters* Us th'owed horse-shoes, jumped poles, walked on stilts, an1 played marbles. arrows. ^wrapped flared *st$febed Den us swept Sometimes us made bows an1 Us could shoot vem,too, jus lak de little Injuns* * "A heap of times old Granny would brush us hide wid a peach tree limbf but us need it# TJs stole *aigs an1 roasted fem. She shof wouldnf stan? for no stealin* if she knowed it. "Us wore lowell-cloth shirts. It was a coarse tow-sackinf. In winter us had linsey-woolsey pants anf heavy cow-hide shoes. was made in three sizes - big, little, an1 *mejum. lef . Dey Twant no right or Dey was sorta club-shaped so us could wear fem on either foot. "I was a teasin*, mis-che-vious chil* an* de overseer1s little gal got it in for me. on gittin* riches. Niggers. He was a big, hard fisted Dutchman bent He trained his pasty-faced gal to tattle on us She got a heap o1 folks whipped. I knowed it, but I was hasty: One day she hit me wid a stick an1 I thfowed it back at her. time up walked her pa. f Bout dat He seen what I done, but he didnf see what she But it wouldnf a-made no diffence, if he had. done to me. "He snatched me in de air anf toted me to a stump an' laid me fcrost it. Qent'manl I didn1 have but one thickness ftwixt me an* daylight. He laid it on me wid dat stick. I thought Ifd die. time his mean little gal was a-gloatinf in my misery. All de I yelled an* prayed to de Lawd ftil he quit. "Den he say to me, From now on you works in de fielf. no vicious boy lak you froun de lady folks.' I aint gwine a-have I was too little for fielf work, but de nex mornin1 I went to choppin1 cotton. I made a reg'lar fielf hanf. After dat When I growed up I was a ploughman. I could shof lay off a pretty cotton row, too, "Us slaves was fed good plain grub. eggs *mediiim f Fore us went to de fielf 37 us had a big breakfas1 of hot bread, corn meal, an1 fried * taters* f lasses, fried salt meat dipped in Sometimes us had fish an1 rabbit meat* VJhen us was in de fiel1, two women fud come at dinner-time wid baskets filled wid hot pone, baked taters, corn roasted in de shucks, oniox^ fried squash, an1 bfiled pork* milk. Sometimes dey brought buckets of cold butter- It shof was good to a hongry man* an1 cold viftals# At supper-time us had hoecake Sometimes dey was sweetmilk anf collards* Tflos1 ever1 slave had his own little garden patch anf was f lowed to cook out of it* tT Mosf ever plantation kepf a man busy huntin1 an1 fishinf all de time. (If dey shot a big buck, us had deer meat roasted on a spit*) "On Sundays us always had meat pie or fish or fresh game anf roasted taters an* coffee* On Chrisfmus de marster fud give us chicken an1 barrels of apples anf orgnges. as free handed as ourfn was. f Course, ever1 marster warnt (He was shof nough quality.) I'se hearfd dat a heap of cullud people never had nothin1 good Veat. "I warnt learnt nothin1 in no book. to it, nowhow. Don't think I'd a-took Dey learnt de house servants to read. never knowed nothinf Us fiel1 hanfs f cept weather anf dirt anf to weigh cotton. Us was learnt to figger a little, but datfs all* I reckon I was fbout fifteen when hones1 Abe Lincoln what called hisse'f a rail-splitter come here to talk wid us. through de country jusf a-rantinf an1 a-preaehin* brothers. secret-lak. De marster didn* know nothin1 f He went all f bout it, bout us be in1 his black f cause it was sort a It sho* riled de Niggers up anf lots of fem run away. sho1 hearfd him, but I didnf pay fim no minf *sweet potatoes 5 I 39 "When de war broke out dat old Yankee Dutch overseer of our'n went back up North, where he b'longed. Us was pow'ful glad anf hoped hefd git his neck broke. "After dat de Yankees come a-swoopinf down on us* pappy took offwid fenu My own He jfined a company what *fit at Vicksburg. was plenty big 'nough to fight, but I didn hanker to tote no gun. I I stay- ed on de plantation anf put in a crop. "It was powfful oneasy times after dat. f bout freedom? But what 7 care Folks what was free was in misery firsf one way an1 den de other. "I was on de plantation closer to tcwn, den. f Fish Pond Plantation.1 It was called De white folks come an1 tolf us we mas' burn all de cotton so de enemy couldn* git it* "Us piled it high in de f ielfs lak great mountains. It made icy innards hurt to see fire Hached to somethin1 dat had cost us Niggers so much labor an1 hones1 sweat. If I could a-hid some of it in de barn Ifd a-done it, but de boss searched everywhere. "De little Niggers thought it was fun. out big armfuls from de cotton house* han's anf jumped in a big heap. deep. Dey laughed anf brung One little black gal clapped her She sunk down an* down Hil she was buried Den de wind picked up de flame an* spread it lak lightenin1. It spread so fasf dat ffore us could bat de eye, she was in a mountain of fiah. She struggled up all covered wid flames, a-screamin*, f Lawdy, hefp melf Us snatched her out an1 rolled her on de grounf, but twant no use. died in a few minutes* fought 6 She 40 n De marsterfs sons went to war. never come back no more* De one what us loved besf Us mourned him a-plenty, an* happy-lak, an1 free wid his chaage. f cause he was so jolly Us all felt cheered when he come f rounf . "Us Niggers didn1 know nothin1 de outside worlf. f bout what was gwine on in All us knowed was dat a war was beinf fit. I bflieve in what Marse Jefferson Davis done. gentfman could a-done. Pussonally, He done de only thing a He tolf Marse Abe Lincoln to ftend to his own busfness an1 hefd ftend to hisfn. But Megrse Lincoln was a fightin1 rn^yt anf he come down here anf tried to run other folks' plantations. Dat made Marse Davis so all fired mad dat he spit hard ftwixt his teeth anf say, I'll whip de socks off dem dam Yankees.1 "Dat's how it all come fbout. TMy white folks los* money, cattle, slaves, an1 cotton in de war, but dey was still better off dan mOsf folks. "Lak all de fool Niggers of dat time I was right smart bit by de freedom bug for awhile. It sounded powfful nice to be tolf: *You don't have to chop cotton no more. You can th'ow dat hoe down an1 go f ishin1 whensoever de notion strikes you. Anf you can roam frounf at night anf court gals jusf as late as you please, lint no marster gwine a-say to you, "Charlie, youfs got to be back when de clock strikes nine.*1 ?TI was fool fnough to Vlieve all dat kin1 of stuff. tell de honesf truf, mosf of us didnf know ourseffs no better off. But to freedom meant us could leave where usfd beea born an1 bred, but it meant, too, dat us had to scratch for us ownseffs. Dem what leff de old plantation seemed 41 so all fired glad to git back dat I made up my minf to stay put* I stayed right wid my white folks as long as I could. "My white folks talked plain to me. Dey say real sad-lak, Charlie, youfs been a dependence, but now you can go if you is so desirous. Deyfs a house But if you wants to stay wid us you can share-crop. for you an* wood to keep you warm an1 a mule to work. We aint got much cash, but deyfs de lanf anf you can count on havin1 plenty of vit'als. Do jusf as you please.* My marster never forced me to do nary thing fbout me, I pleased to stay. it. When I looked at my marster an1 knowed he needed Didn1 nobody make me work after de war, but dem Yankees shof made my daddy work. Dey put a pick in his han1 *stid of a gun. a big ditch in front of Yicksburg. Dey made fim dig He worked a heap harder for his TJncle Sam dan hefd ever done for de marster. "I hearfd tell fbout some Nigger sojers a-plunderin1 some houses: Out at Pine Ridge dey kilt a white man named Rogillio. But de head Yankee sojers in Natcheft tried fem for somethinf or nother an* hung f em on a tree out near de Charity Horspital. Dey strung up de ones dat went to Mr* Sargents door one night anv shot him down, too. All dat hangin* seemed to squelch a heap of lousy goinfs-on. "Lawdl plenty. Dey was shof could devour. Lawd! I knows 'bout de KLoo KLuxes. I knows a- f nough devils a-walkinf de earth a-seekinf what dey Dey larruped de hide of fn de uppity Niggers an1 *driv de white trash fcack where dey bflonged. "Us Niggers didn1 have no secret meetin's* church meet in1 s in arbors out in de woods. All us had was De preachers fud exhort us dat us was de chillua of Israel in de wilderness an1 de Lawd done sont us *imstea& *da*0ve 8 42 to take dis lanT of milk anf honey. But how us gwine a-take lanf what's already been took? "I shof aint never hear'd fbout no plantations bein' 'vid4d up, neither. I hear'd a lot of yaller Niggers spoutin' off how dey was gwine a-take over de white folks' Ian' for back wages. took all dey wages out in talk. Dem bucks jus' 'Cause I aint never seen no Ian' 'vided up yet. "In dem days nobody but Niggers an' *shawl-jstrop folks voted. Quality folks didn' have nothin' to do wid such truck. liy old marster didn' vote an' if any- ed to de Yankees wouldn' a-let 'em. body knowed what was what he did* If dey had a-want- Sense didn' count in dem days. It was pow'ful ticklish times an' I let votin' alone. "De shawl-strop folks what come in to take over de country tol' us dat us had a right to go to all de balls, church meetin's, an' 'tainments de white folks give. But one night a bunch o' uppity Niggers went to a 'tainment in Memorial Hall. Dey dressed deyftsf fs fit to kill an' walked down de aisle an' took seats in de very front* But jus' 'bout time dey got good set down, de curtain *drapped an' de white folks *riz up widout a~sayin' airy word. Dey marched out de buildin' wid dey chins up an' lef' dem Niggers a-settin' in a empty hall. "Dat's de way it happen ever' time a Nigger tried to git too uppity. Dat night after de breakin' up o' dat 'tainment, de Kloo Kluxes *rid th'ough de Ian'. I hear'd dey grabbed ever' Nigger what walked down dat aisle, but I aint hear'd yet what dey done wid 'em. "Dat same thing happened ever' time a Nigger tried to act lak he was white. carpet baggers *rode dropped *ajr ae 9 43 A heap of Niggers voted for a little while. black man what had office. up in Washington. He was named Lynch. He cut a big figger TJs had a sheriff named Winston. Nigger an1 powfful mean when he got riled. Dgy was a He was a ginger cake Sheriff Winston was a slave an1, if my memfry aint failed me, so was Lynch. "My granny tol1 me fbout a slave uprisin1 what took place when I was a little boy. to do wid it. dey lanf. None of de marsterfs Naggers fud have nothinf A Nigger tried to git f am to kill dey whitB folks anf take But what us want to kill old Marster anf take de lanf when dey was de besf frien's us had? Dey caught de Nigger anf hung 'im to a limb. "Plenty folks believed in charms, but I didnf take no stock in such truck. But I don't lak for de moon to shine on me when Ifs a- sleepin1. "De young Niggers is headed straight for hell. All dey think fbout is drinkin1 hard lifcker, goin1 to dance halls, anf a-ridinf in a old rattle trap car. It beats all how dey brags anf wastes things. aint one whit happier dan folks was in my day. apple as dey is to git a pint of likker. Dey I was as proud to git a Course, schools hefp some, but looks lak all mosf of de youngfnfs is studyinf f bout is how to git out of hones1 labor. "Pse seen a heap of fools what thinks f cause they is wise in books, they is wise in all things. "Mos* all my white folks is gone, now* is a doctor fway off in China. Marse Randolph Shields I wish I could git word to Tim, fcause I know hefd look after me if he knowed I was on charity. see fem all when I die." 10 I prays de Lawd to 44. 241-Gabe Emanuel, Ex-slave, Claiborne County FEC Esther de Sola Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes G A B E EMANUEL Port Gibson, Mississippi Gabe Buanuel is the blackest of Negroes. He is stooped and wobbly from his eighty-five years and weighs about one hundred and thirty-five pounds. His speech is somewhat hindered by an unbelievable amount of tobacco rolled to one sid# of his mouth. Negro quarters of Port Gibson. He lives in the Like most ex-slaves he has the courtesy and the gentleness of a southern gentleman* "Lawsy! Dem slavfry days done been sflong ago I jusf 'member a few things dat happen den. But Ifs shof mighty pleased to relate dat what I recollec*. "I was de house boy on old judge Stamps1 plantation. He lived f bout nine miles east of Port Gibson an* he was a mighty well-to-do gentfman in dem days. He owned fbout 500 or 600 Niggers. o' money out of his fielfs He made plenty Dem Niggers worked for day keep. I fclare, dey shof did* "Us fud dike out in spick anf span clean clothes come Sundfys. Everfbody wore homespun clofes den. in de Big House made mosf of fem. De mistis an1 de res1 of de ladies De cullud wimmins wore some kin* of dress wid white aprons anf de mens wore overalls an1 homespun pants anf 45 Course, all de time us gits hanf-me-downs from de folks in shirts. de Big House. Us what was a-servinf in de Big House wore de marster1s old dress suits. Now,v dat was somepfnf! Mosf of de time dey didnf fit - maybe de pants hung a little loose an' de tails o* de coat hung a little long. Me bein1 de house boy, I used to look mighty sprucy when I put on my frock tail. "De mistis used to teach us de Bible on Sundfys anf us always had Sundfy school. Us what lived in de Big House anf even some of de fielf hanfs was taught to read anf write by de white folks. "De fielf hanfs sho1 had a time wid dat manf Duncan. overseer man out at de plantation. He was de Why, hefd have dem poor Niggers so dey didnf know if dey was gwJLne in circles or what. "One day I was out in de quarters when he brung back old man Joe from runninf away. Old Joe was always a-runnin1 away anf dat man Duncan put his hdunf dogs on fim an1 brung fim back. Dis time Fs speakin1 'bout Marster Duncan put his han1 on old Joefs shoulder anT look him in de eye sorrowful-lak. you. f Joef, he say,fFs shof powfful tired of huntin1 Ifspect Ifs gwina have to git de marster to sell you some'r's else. Another marster gwina whup you in de grounf if he kAtch you runnin* lak dis. Ifs sho sad for you if you gits sol1 away. f rounf dis plantation.f f way Us gwina miss you After dat old Joe stayed close in an* dey warnt no more trouble out of him# "Dat big white man called Duncan, he seen dat de Niggers b'have deyse'ves right* Dey called him de fBoss Man#f He always carried a big whup an1 when dem Niggers got sassy, dey got de whup 2 f crost dey hides* 46 "Lawsyl Ifs recall in1 de time when de big old hounf dog what finf de run-away Niggers done die wid fits* us gwina holf funfal rites over dat dog* Dat man Duncan, he say He say us Niggers might better befs powfful sad when us come to dat fun'al. Anf dem Niggers was sad over de death of dat poor old dog what had chased fem all over de country. Dey all stanf f rounf a-weepinf an1 a-mournin,# Ever1 now an1 den dey'd put water on dey eyes an1 play lak dey was a-weepinf bitter, bitter tears* more. f Poor old dog, she done died down dead an1 can1* kotch us no Poor old dog. Amen! De Lawd have rnercyj* "De Judge was a great han? for *ftainment. He always had a house full of folks an1 he shof give fem de besf of food an1 likker. Dey was a big room he kepf all polished up lak glass* Ever1 now anT den he'd th'ow a big party anf *vite mosf everfbody in Mississippi to come. Dey was fof Niggers in de quarters what could sing to beat de ban1, an1 de Judge would git fem to sing for his party. ff I fmember how 'cited Ifd git when one of dem shindigs fud come off. I shof would strut den* de likker anf drinks froun* here mint julip, Marster? of de Judge's.1 De mistis fud dress me up an1 Ifd carry f mongst de peoples. f Would you prefer dis Or maybe you'd relish dis here special wine Dem white folks shof could lap up dem drinks, too. De Judge had de besf of everf thing. n Dey was always a heap of fresh meat in de meat house. fairly bufsted wid all kin1 of preserves anf sweetninfs. Lawdyl De pantry I mean to tell you dem was de good days* "I fmeaaber I used to hate ever1 Wednesday. had to polish de silver. *entertainment Lawsyl Dat was de day 1 It took me mosf all day. When Ifd 47 think I was 'bout thfough de mistis was sho' to fin' some o.f dat silver dat had to be did over* "Den de war broke out* De marster went fway wid de sojers an1 gradual' de hardness come to de plantation "Us never knowed when dem Yankee sojers would come spen1 a few weeks at de Big House. Deyfd eat up all de marster1 s vitfals an' drink up all his good likker. "I 'member one time de Yankees camped right in "de front yard. Dey took all de meat outfn de curin' house. Well sir! by myseff dat no Yankee gwina eat all us meat. I done fcide So dat night I slips in dey camp; I stole back dat meat from dem thievin' sojers an1 hid it, good. Ho! Hoi Ho! But dey never did fi&' dat meat. "One time us sot fire to a bridge de Yankess had to cross to git to de plantation. Dey had to camp on de other side, 'cause dey was too lazy to put out de fire. Dat's jus' lak I figgered it. "When de war was over my mammy anf pappy anf us five chillun travelled here to Port Gibson to live. My mammy hirdd out for washin1. I don't know zackly what my pappy done. "Lincoln was de man dat sot us free. I don't recollec' much 'bout fim 'ceptin* what I hearfd in de Big House 'bout Lincoln doin' dis an' Lincoln doin' dat. "Lawdy! I sho' was happy when I was a slave. "De Niggers today is de same as dey always was, 'ceptin' dp#fs gittin' more money to spen'. Dey aint got nobody to make 'em 'have deyse'ves an' keep 'em out o' trouble, now* 4 48 "I lives here in Port Gibson anf does mosf ever1 kinf of work. I tries to live right by ever1 body, but I *spect I wonft be here much longer* "Pse been married three times "When de time comes to go I hopes to be ready* De Lawd God Almighty takes good care of his chillun if dey befs good an1 holy** !g> 2&jiAt ^ 241-Dora Franks, Ex-Slave, Monroe County FJEC Mrs* Richard Kolb Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara 2. Stokes DORA FRANKS Aberdeen, Mississippi Dora Franks, ex-slave, lives at Aberdeen, Monroe County* She is about five feet tall and weighs 100 pounds clined to be curly rather than kinky* Her hair is in- She is very active and does most of her own work* "X was bom in Choctaw County, but I never knowed zackly how old I was, 'cause none of my folks could read an1 write* I reckon I be's 'bout a hundred, cause I was a big girl long time fof Surrender* I was old 'nough to marry two years after dat* w My mammy come from Virginny* My daddy was my young Marster* Her name was Harriet Brewer* His name was Marster George Brewer an1 my mammy always tol1 me dat I was hisfn. I knew dat dere was some dif'ence Hween me an1 de res1 o' her chillun, 'cause dey was all coal black, an1 I was even lighter dan I is now* Lawd, it's been to my sorrow many a time, 'cause de Chilian used to chase me round an' holler at me, f01d yallow Nigger.' Dey didn' treat me good, neither* "I stayed in de house mos' o' de time wid Miss Etamaline* 49 50 Miss J mmalinefs hair was dat white, den? was so good to me* I loved her 'cause she She taught me how to weave an9 spin* 9 Fore I was bigger9n a minute I could do things dat lots o9 de old ban's couldn1 come nigh doin9. She anf Marse Bill had 9bout eight chillun, but mos9 of 9em was grown when I come long. Oey was all mighty good to me an* wouldn9 low nobody to hurt me* "I members one time when day all went off an1 lef9 me wid a old black woman call Aunt Ca'line what done de cookin' place some o9 de time. 9 round de When dey lef9 de house I went in de kitchen an4 asked her for a piece o9 white bread lak de white folks eat* She haul off an9 slap me down an1 call me all kin9 o9 names dat I didn9 know what dey meant* dress 1 had on* My nose bled an1 ruint de nice clean When de Mistis come back Marse George was wid ver* She asked me what on earth happen to me an9 I tolf ft er* Dey call Ca'line in de room an9 asked her if what I say was de truf tell 9em it was, an9 dey sent 9er away* She 1 hear tell dat dey whup her so hard dat she couldn9 walk no mo9* "Us never-had no big fun9als or weddin9s on de place* Didn9 have no marryin9 o9 any kin9 Folks in dem days jus9 sorter hitched up together an* call deyse9ves man an1 wife* folks was buried on what dey called Platnum Hill* no markers nor nothin9 at de graves* All de cullud Dey didn9 have Dey was jus9 sunk in places* My brother Frank showed me once where my mammy was buried* have no preachin9, or singin9, or nothin1, neither* Us didn9 Us didn9 even git to have meetin9s on Sundfy less us slip off an9 go to some other 51 plantation* Course, I got to go wid de white folks sometime an9 set in de back, or on de steps Dat was when I was little* "Lots o9 Niggers would slip off from one plantation to de other to see some other Niggers* back 9 fore daybreak* De wore9 thing I ever heard 'bout dat was once when my Uncle Alf run off to ed goi**r to see a woman* de Nigger hounds after Dey would always manage to git 9 jump de broom*9 Dat was what dey call- He didn9 come back by daylight, so dey put 9 im* Dey smelled his trail down in de swamp an1 foun1 where he was hidin1* "Now, he was one o9 de biggest Niggers on de place an9 a powerful fas9 worker* But dey took an9 give him 100 lashes wid de cat o9 ninety-nine tails* His back was somethin9 awful, but dey put him in de fiel9 to work while de blood was still a-runnin1. work right hard 9til dey lef9 He D0n9 when he got up to de end o9 de row nexf to de swamp, he lit out ag9in* "Dey never foun9 9 im dat time. Dey say he foun' a cave an9 fix him up a room whar he could live. At nights he would come out on de place an9 steal enough t9eat an1 cook it in his little dugout. Whan de war was over an9 de slaves was freed, he come out* When 1 saw him, he look lak a hairy ape, 'thout no clothes on an9 hair growin1 all over his body. Dem was pretty good days back in slav9ry times* had a whole passel o9 Niggers on his place* When any of My Marster 9 em would git sick dey would go to de woods an9 git herbs an roots an9 make tea for *em to drink* Hogweed an9 May apples was de bes9 things 1 52 knowed of* Sometimes old Mistis doctored "em herse9f* One time a bunch o9 us chillun was play in1 in de woods an foun9 some o9 dem Hay Us at a lot of 9em an9 got awful sick* apple8* grease an9 Samson snake root to clean us out* good job* Dey dosed us up on An9 it sho9 done a Ifse been a-usin1 dat snake root ever since* "De firs9 thing dat I 9member hearin9 'bout de war was one day when Marse George come in de house an9 tell Miss jgmmaline dat dey9s gwine have a bloody war* be took away. well* He say he feared all de slaves 9ud She say if dat was true she feel lak jump in1 in de 1 hate to hear her say dat, but from dat minute 1 started prayin9 for freedom* All de res9 o9 de women done de same* "De war started pretty soon after dat an9 all de men folks went off an9 lef9 de plantation for de women an9 de Niggers to run* Us seen de sojers pass by mos9 ever9day. Once de Yankees come an9 stole a lot o9 de horses an9 somp'io9 t9eat* Dey even took de trunk full o9 federate money dat was hid in de swamp* How dey foun1 dat us never knowed* Marse George come home 9bout two years after de war started an1 married Miss Martha Ann* Dey had always been sweethearts Dey was promised 9fore he lef9* "Marse Lincoln an4 Marse Jeff Davis is two 1 9members 9 bout* But, Law*eel Dat was a long time back* Davis de bee* on de place* Us liked Marse Jeff Us even made up a song 'bout him, but, I 9clare ffore goodness, I can9t even 9member de firs9 line of dat song* You see, when I got sligion, I asked de Lawd to take all de 53 other songs out o' my head an9 make room for his word* "Since den it's de hordes' thing in de worl1 for me to 'member de songs us used to dance by* I do 'member a few lak 'Shoo, Fly', 'Old Dan Tucker'* an' 'Run* Nigger, Run, de Pateroller Catch You.' I don' 'member much o' de words* 'Old Dan Tucker*' I does 'member a little o' It went die way: Old Dan Tucker was a mighty mean man, He bsat his wife wid a fryin1 pan* She hollered an' she cried, w I's gudneter go, Dey's plenty o' men, won't beat me so. Git out of de way, Old Dan Tucker, You come too late to git yof supper* 'Old Dan Tucker, he got drunk, Fell in de fire, kicked up a chunk, Red hot coal got down his shoe Oh, Great Lawd, how de ashes flew* 'Git out o9 de way, Old Dan Tucker, You come too late to git yo1 supper*' "IBhen de war was over, my brother Frank slipped in de house where I was still a-stayin1. come out wid de res'* de place* He tol1 me us was free an' for me to 'Fore sundown dere warnt one Nigger lef on I hear tell later dat de Mist is an' de gals had to git 54 out an1 work in de fiel9s to he*p gather in de crop* "Frank foun* us a place to work an* put us all in de fiel** I never had worked in de fiel* before* I'd faint away mos9 ever*day bout eleven o'clock* Some of 'em would have to tote me to de house* fiel** It was de heat* I'd soon come to* Den I had to go back to de Us was on Marse Davis Cox18 place den* "Two years later I met Pet Franks an* us married* was good folks an* give us a big weddin** All de white folks an* de Niggers for miles a-round come to see us git married* had a big supper an1 had a peck t*eat* aint but three of *em livin* De Niggers Us had eight chillun, but Me an* Pet aint been a-livin* together for de las* twenty-three years* so us quit* Be Cox*s Us jus' couldn* git *long together, He lives out at Acker's Fishing Lodge now an* does de cookin* for *enu "I never will forgit de Klu Klux Klan. Never will tffor- git de way dat horn soup9 at night when dey was a-goin* after some mean Nigger* Us'd all run an* hide* Us was livin1 on de Troup place den, near old Hamilton, in one o* de brick houses back o* de house whar dey used to keep de slaves* Marse Alec Troup was one o* de Klu Klux9s an* so was Marse Thad Willis dat lived close by* plans together sometime an* I'd hear *em* Dey*d make One time dey caught me lis*nin,t, but dey didn* do nothin* to me, * cause dey knowed I warnt gwine tell* Us was all good Niggers on his place* "Lawd, Miss, dese here young folks today is gwine straight to de Devil* All dey do all day an* all night is run * round an* 6 55 drink corn likker an* ride in automobiles* here, an1 she's dat wil1* I9se got a grand-daughter I worries a right smart 'bout her, but it don't do no good, 'cause her mammy let her do jus9 lak she please anyhow* "Den I tells you, de one thing 1 worries Ybout mos1; is de white folks what lives here 9mongst de Niggers* Tou know what kinda folks dey is, an9 it sho9 is bad influence on 9em* You knows Niggers aint s9posed to always know de right from de wrong* aint got Marsters to teach fem now. Dey For de white folks to come down here an9 do lak dey do, I tells you, it aint right* folks ought-a do somethin9 Dat De quality white 9 bout it* H 9 I s had a right hard life, but I puts my faith in de Lawd an1 X know ever9thing gwine come out all right* life an9 will soon be a hundred, I guess* over, 9cause de Bible don9t say nothin* good Christian* 9 I9s>lived a long I9s glad dat slavfry is bout it bein right* Ifs a I gits sort-a res*less mos9 o9 de time an9 has to keep busy to keep from thinkin9 too much." 2tM)iA2 241-Pet Franks, Ex-Slave, Monroe County FEC Mrs* Richard Kolb Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes PET FRANKS Aberdeen, Mississippi Uncle Pet, 92 year old ex-slave, is the favorite of Ackers1 Fishing Lodge which is situated 14 miles north of Aberdeen, Monroe County. He is low and stockily built* His ancestry is pure African* Scarcely topping five feet one inch, he weighs about 150 pounds* Though he walks with the slightest limp, he is still very active and thinks nothing of cooking for the large groups who frequent the lodge* He has his own little garden and chickens which he tends with great care* "I knows all 9bout slav9ry an1 de war* on de spot when it all happened* I wish to goodness I was back dere now, not in de war, but in de slav9ry times* Niggers where I lived didn* have nothin1 to worry fbout in dem days* sense now-a-days* I was right dere Dey aint got no All dey bflieves in now is drinkin1 an' carousin9 Dey aint got no use for nothin1 but a little corn likker an1 a fight. I dont b*lxeve in no such gwine-on, no sir-ree* stays out here by myse'f all de time* to do wid vem* Dat9s de reason I 1 don't want to have nothin9 I goes to town 9bout once a mont9 to git s9pplies, but I don1 nearer fool 9roun9 wid dem Niggers den. I gits 9long wid 56 57 my white folks* too* All de mens an* wimmens what comes out to de club is pow*ful good to me* "I was born up near Bart ley's Ferry right on de river* De way I cal*elates my age makes me 9bout 92 years old* Marster was name Mr* Harry Allen* don9t member much 9bout him* He died when I was a boy an9 I Oe ULstis, dat was his wife, married ag9in an9 dat husband18 name was Marse Jimmy Tat urn* good white folks* Franks* My firs9 Dey was shof My mammy an9 pappy was name Martha an* Martin Marse Harry brung *em down from Virginny, I thinks* else he bought 9em from Marse Tom Franks in Vest Point* Or Anyways dey come from Virginny an9 I don't know which one of 9em brought *em down here* Dey did b9long to Marse Tom* *Bartley*s used to be some place* hotel down on de river bank* bank, too* lef9* I knows dat* My folks had a big Dey was a heap o9 stores right on de De river done wash * em all *way now* Dey aint nothin9 But Lavdy! When I was a kid de boats used to come a-sailin9 up de river *bout once a week an9 I used to know de names o* all de big ones* Mobile* Dey would stop an* pick up a load o* cotton to carry to When dey come back dey would be loaded wid all kin* o* gran9 things * *Us chillun had a big time playin* 9 roun* de dock^ ed 'Hide de Switch9 an9 * Goose and Gander* in de day time* Us playDen at nighttime when de moon was shinin* big an* yaller, us*d play f01e Molly Bright*9 9 bout her* Dat was what us call de moon* Bat was de bee* time o9 all* join in an* tell tales too* Us'd make up stories Sometimes de old folks would Been so long I forgits de tales* but I know 58 dey was good'ns* H When I got big fnough to work I he*ped ,rounf de lot most- ly. Fac* iA Ike worked right f rounf white folks mos1 all my days* did work in de fiel' some, but us had a good overseer* I His name was Marse Frank Beeks an1 he was good as any white man dat ever lived. I do*ft never member him whippin1 one of de slaves, leastways not real whippin1s. I do member hearin' gittin1 whipped sometimes. f bout slaves on other places I guess Niggers lak dat wished dey was free, but I didn1 want to leave my white folks, ever. "Us had preachin* an1 singin1. meetings on de place. us ever had. Dey was some mighty good Old Daddy Young was f bout de besf preacher Dey was plenty o* Niggers dere, 'cause it was a power- ful big place. Old Daddy could sho make fem shout an* roll. have to hoi* some of em dey*d git so happy. Us I knowed I had 'ligion when I got baptized. Dey took me out in de river an1 it took two of em to put me under. When I come up 1 tolf 'em, 'turn me loose, I bflieve I can walk right on top o1 de water. Dey don* have no ligion lak dat ndw-a-days. "All de Niggers on de Tatum place had dey own patches where dey could plant what ever dey wanted to. Satu'd'y** Dey'd work When dey sol1 anything from dey patch Mist is am keep de money. f em on 9 ud let When de boats went down to Mobile us could sen* down for anything us want to buy. One time I had $10*00 saved up an1 I bought lots o1 pretties wid it. Us always had plenty tfeat, too* All de greens, eggs, wheat, corn, meat5 an1 chitlins dat anybodyfd 59 want. When hog killin9 time come us always have some meat lef9 over from de year, befo9* Us made soap out of dat* "When de war broke out I went right wid de Marster up to I stayed up dere in de camp for do longes9 time a-waitin9 Corinth* I never seen much o9 de real on de sojera an* nussing de sick ones* fightin9 But I heard de cannons roar an9 I waited on de so jars what got wounded* "After dey moved camp de Marster sont me back home to hefp look after de Mist is an* chillun* De 9 Federates had some cattle hid 9way in us pasture an1 I looked after * em. One night when I was comin9 home I met bout a hund9ed Yankees comin9 over a hill* Dey saw de cattle an9 took 9bout ha9f of 9am* I skidooed. Dey aint koiched me yet. "After de war de Yankees called deyse9ves fPublicans* Dey come down here an9 wanted all de Niggers to vote de fPublican ticket* Den, leiame tell you, I went to work for my white folks. Dey was a* ho Id inf big meetin9s an9 speakin's, but 1 was workin9, too* On 9 lection day I brung in 1500 Niggers to vote de Democrat9 ticket* De folks what saw us comin9 over de hill say us look like a big black cloud* 1 reckon us sounded lak one wid all dat hollerin9 an9 shoutin9. 99 All my folks was dead soon, an9 I went fbout lak I was in a trance for awhile* I went firs9 one place an9 den 9 not her. "When I was on de Cox place I met Dora an9 us married* Dat was a big weddin9 an9 a big feas9* Den us moved over to de Troup place an9 stayed dere for a long spell* While us was dere I 60 member de Klu Kluxers anv all de carry in1 on* Dey would dress up in white sheets anf come 9roun9 anf scare all de Niggers* whip heads* Deyfd Some of 9em would git cow horns an9 put on dey de bad ones* One time dey chased a Nigger plumb under de house jus* a- playin9 wid 9im. Dey was a-bellowin9 jus4 lak bulls* "I canft read an9 write* wid a little education. I aint got much use for a Nigger I went to school twict* De firs9 teacher I had, dey come an1 carried to de pen for signin9 his old Marsterfs name* De nex9 teacher, dey put in jail for stealin9* So I jus9 *feided twas jus1 better for me not to know how to read9n write, lessfn I might git in some kinda trouble, too* "Dora an9 me is got three out o9 eight chillun livin9 * Dora an9 me don9 live together no more* She likes to stay in town an9 I aint got no patience wid city slickers an9 dey ways* stays wid us gal, Nanny* I stays out here* She I goes in to see her 9 bout once a mont9* "1 don9t git lonesome* Lawdee, no9mt Den de white folks-is always a-comin9 out here* Ifs got my two dogs* Dey is good to me* Dey is one right pert Nigger woman what lives down de road a-piece. Her name is Katie, an1 I goes down dere when I gits tired o1 eatin1 my own cookin9 * She sets a plumb good table, too*" &3G008 i-. NETTIE HENRY Meridian, Mississippi Nettie Henry, ex~3lave, 19th Street, Meridiem, Lauderdale County, is 82 years old* She is five feet tall and weighs one hundred pounds "De'Chil's place was at Livingston, Alabama, on Alamucha Creek* Datfs where I was born, but I jus1 did git borned good when Miss Lizzie - she was Marse Chilfs girl - married Marse John G* Higgins an1 moved to Mer-ree-dian. Me an* my mammy an1 my two sisters, Liza an1, Tempo, was give to Miss Lizzie* "I aint no country Nigger; I was raised in town* My mammy cooked an1 washed* an*, ironed an1 done ever'thing for Miss Lizzie. She live right where Miss Annie - she was Miss Lizzie's daughter live now. But den de house face Eighth Street 'stead o* Seventh Street ,lak it do now* Bey warnt any other houses in dat block* Fore de Surrender, dey turnt de house to face Seventh Street fcause de town was growin** an* a heap of folks was buildin1 houses* you somp^tn1 *bout Seventh Street in a minute. I tell Couldn1 nobody dat lived in Mer-ree-dian right after de Surrender ever forgit Seventh Street an1 where it head to. - <*|^ |i #py didn1 go wid tie to Mer-ree-diaa. He b*lolged to 6a alt ^;'''irtii^'e;;^ei&^ie,;'i''3r^tt1' see, aa* fcy vwmi& Vloaged to fcaotaer. 'i^ft*^ (y^.%ofcgWa^^' 41ii:'; i ,'^^ slajrfll^tea fats" felfci 3us%,%.&dar; 61 62 went to Texas. I don' know why zackly 'cep' maybe it warnt so healthy for 'em 'roun' Livingston. Dey didn' go to de War or nothin'. I 'spec' nice white folks talked 'bout 'em an' wouldn' have nothin' to do wid 'em. So dey took an' went to Texas an' took my pappy wid 'em. But after de War he come back to us, walked mos' all de way frum Texas. He rented some Ian' frum Mr. Ragsdale. My pappy built us a shack on dat Ian'. It's tore down now, but it was built good. Us all he'ped. I pulled a cross-cut saw an' toted de boards up on de roof on a ladder. De chimley was built out o' mud an' rocks. Den us moved in an' started growin' us somp'in feat. Us didn' have no horse an' plow; Yankees done carried off all de horses an' mules an' burnt up ever'dthing lak plows. Us dug up de groun' wide a grubbin' hoe an' raised pun-kins an' plenty o' chickens an' ever'thing. "Us lived nice. My people was smart. My white people was good white people. Dey warnt brutish; never whupped us or nothin' lak dat. I don' know nothin' 'bout no meanness. "Mr. Higgins he died pretty soon an' Miss Lizzie went to teachin' school. Her chillun - Miss Annie an' dem - would try to teach us. Den us carried Blue Back Spellers to Sund'y school an' a old Baptist cullud preacher would teach us out o' it. He say, 'de same words is in dis book what's in de Bible. You chillun learn 'em de way dey is fixed for you to learn 'em in dis here Blue Back Speller, den de firs' thing you know you can read de Bible.' Use went to de white folk's church endurin' o' de War an' right after. Any o' de 2 63 white folks can tell you fbout Mr. Preacher Hamlin. preacher an' a school teacher mixed. school for young ishite ladies. Street right now. He was a He had de firs' boardin1 It's standin* rignt dare on Eighth I 'members de firs' one to *gragurate frum it. Well, Mr. Hamlin 'nitiated my pappy right dere in de white folks's church, de Firs1 Baptis' Church; it burnt up long time ago. pappy was Isam Allbrook. My He was de firs' cullud deacon ordained in Mer-ree-dian. "I was ten years old at de Surrender, but I took notice. Dem was scarey times an' when you is scared you takes trigger-notice. It was nex' to de las' year o' de War 'fore Sherman got to Mer-reedian - not Sherman hisse'f but his sojers. Dey burnt up dat big house on Eighth Street hill an* built camps for de sojers in de flower garden. De cap'ns went an' live at Marse Greer's house. Marse Greer had done sunk all de silver in de duck pond an' hid out de horses an' cows in de big cane-brake what used to be on dis side o' Sowashee Creek. But, Lor! it didn* do no good. dat time 'bout how to fin' things. Marse Greer*s barn. Sherman done caught on by Dey got ever'thing an* burned Dey lef de house an* didn* bother de fam'ly 'cause dey called deyse*fs company. De good Lord knows Marse Greer didn* *vite 'emI But de Cap'ns bein' dere kep1 de *rip~rap sojers frum tearin* up ever*thing. "When word come dat dey was comin' , it soun* lak a moanin' win' in de quarter. Evar'body was a-sayin', 'Be Yankees is comin' I De Yankees is comin* I* ^graduate *riff-r&JE* Us chullun was scared, but it was lak Sund'y, 64 too, - nobody doin' nothin'. Us march* 'roun* de room an' sorter De Yankees is comin1 1' sing-lak, 'De Yankees is comin' I wouldn' let us out in de big road. Well, dey come. seventy houses an' all de stores. I don' un'erstan1 nothin' Us aint done nothin1 to 'em* "Well things kep' gittin* worse an' worse. Dey didn' have no better sense. nobody to take care of 'em. Cal. Dey forgot wouldn1 be Things warnt healthy an1 my mammy an* me kep' close to de white folks. could do what she please. After de Sur- Mos' of 'em was glad jus1 to render Niggers got mighty biggity. feel free. Dey burn up Dey tore up de railroad tracks an1 toted off ever'thing dey couldn' eat. 'bout how come dey act lak dat. Dey i \ 'Course, Tempe she was grown an' She sho* done somp'in' when she married Dat was de meanes1 Nigger'. He nail up a board over de gate pos' what say, 'No visitors allowed*. Sho' 'nough didn' no visitors want to go to his house'. M I don1 know how come things got so unnatchel after de Sur- render. inten' Niggers got to bein all kin' o* things what de Lawd didn* f em for, lak bein' policemen an1 all lak dat. 'Course, it was de Yankees what done it. forty acres o' lanf an1 a mule. sense dan to believe 'em. tell 'em. It was scan'lousl Dey promise to give ever'body A lot of 'era didn' have no better Dey'd go 'head an' do what de Yankees fud Well, dey didn1 give 'em nothin', not even a rooster, Didn1 give 'em nothin' but trouble* *I don' know how come Mr. Theodore Sturges1 brother was a Yankee. But after de Surrender he come to Mer-ree-dian an' got to 65 be Mayor. Didn' none o* de white folks lak dat. Mr. Theodore didn' lak it hissed, but nothin' he could do fbout it. Things got so bad de *Kloo-Kluxes started ridin1 at night an* *sposin' o' bad Niggers. Den one Satu'd'y night Mr. Theodore's big sto1 got set fiah to an' de Mayor he tried to blame it on de Kloo-Kluxes. de Yankees done it. 'Course everybody knowed You see de Yankees was a-tryin1 to git de Gov'nor to run de Kloo-Kluxes out. Dat was one awful fiah. Near fbout de whole town burnt up down town an1 ever1 nice white man"was down dare a-fighiirt1 de fiah. "Plenty of Niggers was out, too, doin' devli3hment. . of 'em got 'rested an' dey had de trial Monday. Three In de meantime, all de Yankee-lovin1 Niggers had a big meetin* an' de loudes1 mouf dere was dat big buck Nigger Bill. He all time call hisse'f Dennis when he don* call hisse'f Clopton. Here dey goes, all het up frum makin1 speeches an' a-drinkin', an1 packs de courtroom full. got up on de stan* an' say, he feo4 done hear Bill Dennis say somp'in', Bill he holler out, 'Dat's a lie'.* say. When Mr. Patton Only he say a bad word dat I wouldn' Den Mr. Patton raise up his walkin* stick an' start toward Bill. 'Bout den Bill jerk out his pistol an* shoot at Mr Patton. Mr. Patton an' hit Judge Jbramlette. He miss Yes'm, kilt him corpse-dead right dere on his high pulpit chair1. "Bout dat time ever'thing bus' loose. Near 'bout all de white gent'mun in de court roo take a shot at Bill. he aint dead yet. white men wid him. *Klu Klux *disposing He falls, but Dey put him in de sheriff's office an' lef two But things was a-happeninf so fas' by dat time dey 66 couldn1 stan' it. Dey thfowed Bill out of dat two-story window an* run down to git in de fight. De white folks was plumb wof out by dat time wid all de devilishment o1 de Yankees an1 de fool Niggers. Even a mean Nigger got sense fnough to know when he done gone too far. Dey all git away as fas1 as dey could an1 scatter over town, den after dark dey come a-creepin* back to de quarters. sho1 de wronges1 thing to do. Dat night, all de sho1 Dat was f nough white men came a-marchinf out Seventh Street on dey way to de quarters* "I had did up Miss Lizzie's parlor curtains dat very day an1 de boy was puttin1 up de mouldin* frame frounf dat trompin1 soun*. f em when us hear It didn1 soun1 lak no ever'day marchin1. soun1 lak Judgement Day. It De boy fell off de ladder an* run an1 hid bfhind de flour barrel in de pantry. Miss Lizzie was peepin1 out 'twixt dem white lace curtains an1 I was right b'hin* *er. I 'spec* Seventh Street was lined wid wiinmin-folks doin' jus1 what us doin1, cause dey husban's, sons, an* sweethearts was out dere in dat marchline. "Well, dat night ended all de troubles. De line done stop at Mr. Theodore Sturges1 house ffore it git out far as us. 'Course, everfbody know Mr. Theodore an1 Miss Allie was sho1 'nough folks, but dey was bound to have dat Yankee brother of hisfn. *De yard was plumb full o1 white men ready to burn de house right down on Miss Allie*s head lessen dey'd give up dat Yankee Mayor* Mr* Theodore come to de door an1 say, fGent,mun, he aint here*1 Mnt nobody believe dat. Dey ym.8 a-fixin1 to bus1 on in anyhow, when 67 Miss Allie come out. She come right down dem steps 'mongst all dem mad folks an* say, calm an' lady-lak, 'Gent'mun, my brother-in-law is here, cert'ny. house? Where would he go for safety 'cepn to his brother's But I give you my word dat he gwine stay right here 'till you put him on de firs' train headin' nawth* spilled ' Den no mo' blood will be An1 dat's what dey done. "Yes'm it was all mighty bad, but plenty good things done Ifse seen dis town grow frum nothin1. happen in Mer-ree-dian, too, When us come here 'fore de War, dey was hitchin' dey horses to little oak bushes right in de middle of town where de bigges1 stores is now. I was a grown girl by den an* could make horsemint tea for chills an* mullen leaves for fever good as anybody; an' horehound tea for colds, bitter as gall. I jus1 now caught up how to cook an' sew. "I married when I was nineteen years old. chillun an1 five of 'em's still livin*. too* I had nine Dey looks after me right nice, My son in Chicago gimme dis house an' I lives here by myse'f. I keeps it nice an1 clean jus' lak I learnt how to do frum de white folks where I used to work. I aint never work for no common folks. I tries to live lak a Christian an1 do jus' lak Old Mistis say. when I die I can go to Heaven. Den \ . h Mississippi Federal Writers CtQ Slave Autobiographies Fanny Smith Hodges lives in Berglundtown, in the northern part of town, in the only Negro settlement within the corporate limits of McComb* "My name1a Fanny Hodges* mar9ied. I was Fanny Smith befo9 I was My mammy was Jane Weathersby, anf she bflong ter old man weathersby in Amite County* He was de meanes9 man what ever lived* ky pappy was solf befo9 I was bom. I doan know nothinf 9bout him* I had one sister - her name was Clara - and one brudder - his name was Jack* Dey said my pappy9s name was George* 1 doan know* "Mammy said when 1 was jes big 9nough to nuss an9 wash leetle chulluns, I was sol1 to Marse Hiram Uaseedy an' dat man give me ter his darter* Miss Mary* to be her maid* good people* De Cassedys sho9 was I was big f no ugh to draw water, an1 put it in a tub an* wash Miss Mary, Miss Annie, an9 Miss July* I had to keep 9em clean* I had to comb dey hair an9 dey would holler an9 say I pulled. I was tol9 not to let anything hurt dem chulluns* ^"^" M I slep9 in de Quarters wid de other niggers. I had to git to de Big House ter dress dem cnulluns. kind of bed I had, but reck in' it was good* fed fine. I an9 taters* ^ Befo9 sunup I doan fmember whut I et in de kitchen* Dey I et whut de white folks lef9, an9 sometimes dey had 9possum Dey was good* w Marse Cassedy was a big Judge* He went to all de cou9ts, an9 rode in a fine carri9ge with two big horses hitched ter it, an9 a driver. He wore fine clo9es an9 ever9body said he was a mighty big man. He had 69 Page 2 241-Sttlty Hodges, Ex-slave, Pike County FEC Mrs* W. F. Holmes lots an* lots of money. I doan know how many acres in his plantation, but he had more*n 50 slaves* *Wben Karse Cassedy was gone, his oberseer would be hard on de slaves, but Marse Cassedy would tell him not to be too hard* He never f lowed his driver to draw de blood when dey whupped* his slaves. Dey all had gardens and he tuk care of us* in every one of us* He fed He had money De oberseers was white men workin* fer wages* *I was never whupped aftef I went to Marse Cassedy* was whupped when dey wouldn't work right* Slaves Sometimes dey was lazy* De oberseer blowed a horn every mornin1 and de slaves knowed to git up, an* when dat horn blowed agin, dey knowed dey must go to de fielf* ed de horn at dinner an* night. Afte* supper, we set Dey blow- f bout an* sing an Sometimes de men would steal off an1 go ter other plantations, go places* an* when kotched dey got a whuppin** kotched it. If de pataroller got em, dey sho* Dey was whupped an* brung back* c *De white folks had big dances in de Big House and de niggers played de fiddle. Day was fine times* I allus got some of whut was leff. ; I could shof shuffle my feet* *~" Dey had good things ter eat, anf Christmas time de slaves had dances* Shucks, folks doan dance like dat any more* ,i When slaves was sick, dey *%nt to de woods and got roots an* herbs ter doctor em wid. If dey had runnin* off of de bowels, dey got red oak barks an* boiled it an* made 'em drink it* right now to cure runnin* off of de bowels. It's de best thing If young gals had pains in dey stomachs dey made tea out*n gum bark and dat would bring *em *round. babies was born, dey had good midwives to wait oii *em* When Dat was good money* Page 3 241-Snrity Hodges, Ex-slave, Pike County FEC Mrs* W. F* Holmes '" When Miss July got mar'ied dey had two cooks in de kitchen makin' pound cake fer more'n a week, anr pies, an* chicken pie, anf dey killed a hog* Dey had ever'body in de country savin* butter an' eggs fer a long time* I didn1 see de weddin1 but de yard was full and we had everfthing to eat* "My folks was rich* was a Wg n&n dare* Sfarse Cassedy went to de War anf he He was gone a long time* Dey kep' tellin' us de Yankees was cominf and Miss Fanny had her silver put in a bag and hid* Dey had de money put in a wash pot and buried, an* dey ain't found dat money yet. was rich? thing* Oh, dey had more money I Didn' I tell you dey No raam, dey wasn't po' when war was over* Dey had ever'- When de Tankees come, dey carried off all de meat in de smoke- house, anf de blanket anf quilts, anf every thing dey wanted, dey hefped deyse'ves* None of de slaves went wid *em* "When Harse Cassedy come home he had de oberseer blow de horn 'bout ten o'clock and tolf 'em all dey was freed* He said herd work r em fer wages, anf nearly ever'one of 'em stayed fer wages* wid Miss Mary 'bout ten years* Den I mar'ied* horse back an* went to Magnolia an' got mar'ied. I stayed No, Jake an* me rid I doan know who mar'ied us - somebody in de cou't house* "Ife an' Jake went to Summit ter live*. hard* We had to work mighty Sometimes I plowed in de fiel* all day; sometimes I washed an' den I cooked, an1 afte' 'while, we moved down to de new town* when dis town fust started* I come here I cooked fer Mrs. Badenhauser, while he was Page 4 241-Soity Hodges, Ex-slave, Pike County FEC Mrs* W* F* Holmes mayor of de town^joley worked me hard. ups an* downs* *7J[ Me*n Jake's had some hard I had fo* chullun, none of dem livinf dat I know of* ; I / I ndght have some grandchulluns but if I do, dey live up North* "T*m old anr can hardly git about* I*se got a cancer* De doctor done cut my lef* brest clear offen me, but dat hurts me somtimes Tit. *T niver jined any church *til *bout 20 year ago, right here in Beirglundtown* My ehurch is Flowery Mount Baptist Church, anf my Brudder Washington is JBJt pastor, anf he is de best preacher what ever lived. Wo, Barse C&ssedy didnrt have no church fer de slaves* Dey went to de white folks* church* *How do I livef Well I gits a pension of for dollars a month, an* I try to wash a leetle fer de colored folks, an1 den I beg* stay here long but God W ft*t l r me to starve* fer me some day.* JI I can't Bless tfod, he*s comin* VA7 72- Mississippi Federal Writers Slare Autobiographies "I was born an' raised in Aberdeen an* I*se been a railroad nigger fo* BOS' of my days. I*ae retired now 'cause dey say I too old to work any longer, but shucks, I ain't half dead yet. I was born in 1853 right here close to whar 1 live now. My folks b'longed to de HOllidays you know de grand folks of Miss Maria Evans? An* we stayed right dere in de lot whar de white folks lived. "My pa an* my ma was named frank an* Sarah Holliday an* de Cunel brung dem wid him frum North Car'line. Dey was lot niggers an* never worked in de fiel* or lired in de Quarters. pa was one of de best carpenters in de country. My I was too young to work anon but sometime I he*pad him *roun* de house but mos* of de timei I jes played wid my brudders an9 sisters an9 de white chullun what lired aroun9. We played marblesf ridin9 de stick boss, an9 play house jes lak de chullun do now days, but 1 think we had mo9 fun* Dey was fo'teen of us in our family an9 we allus had somebody to play wid. An9 den li9l Harse Ben, he wa9nt much older dam us* "Our marster9s name was Cunel John Holiday* dat title in a war before de slar9ry war* Be got He was too old to fight in dat one i or I speet he9d got another title 9 lak Gen9ral or some thin9 He am1 Hiss Julia - dat was his wife - was mighty Page 2 241 Wayne Holliday, Ex-slave Monroe County EEC Mrs. Richard Kolb 73 good to us anf so was Marse Tom and Marse Ben, anf Miss Maria an1 all* When de Cunel fust come to Mississippi he bought a plantation in de prairies an1 lived dere for a while. later he But f cided to build him a house in town so he got my pa to hefp him build it an1 it was one of de purtiest houses in Aberdeen. It look jes lak it allus did to me now. Cofse dey is worked on it several times since den, but dey ainft changed it at all. "My xaarsmy did de cookin1 for de white folks dere* all thought a lot of her. bout, to tell de truf. Dey I never knowed much whut slavfry was De folks never treated us wrong an* chullun in dem days didnf get to run aroun1 lak dey do today anf we didn1 get to hear no gossip f bout de other niggers. didn* live in no quarters we didnf hear nQthin. Our folks never f said nothin* Since we cause day was very well satisfied lak dey was. never hear of ho whuppinfs, or runaways either, We f til afte1 de War anf when we got older. "I Van Dorns. brave. f member de War thof. Marse Tom, he went fust, wid de He was made a capt*in or somethin1 'cause he was so He fought long wid de fust an1 was one of de fust to get hit.. Dey brung his body all de way from Richmond, or Virginny, I fergit which, and lawzy, if de Cunel an* de Miss didn1 take on Page 3 241 V/ayne Holliday, Ex-slave ,Monroe County EEC Mrs. Richard Kolb some thin1 awful* niggers* 74 Dey sho1 loved dat boy an1 so did all of de Afte1 dey buried him dey took his sword an1 hung it on de wall of de parlor* I reckin it still dar. "Marse Ben went afte1 dat. He was jes old fnough to go but he went an1 fought jes de same. He come back when de war was over an1 dey was shof some rejoicin1. r "Time wafnt much diffrunt den dan it was ffo de War* We stayed on wid our folks for a long time. Den my pa started gettin1 a lifl work here an1 da anf purty soon he got all his chullun started out purty well. We all went to de colored school what dey had down whar de railroad crossinf is now, an* dat was whar I l'arned to read an1 write. I f*idnf marry for a good while an1 den I went to work on de I*C* Railroad* heaver anf den a coach porter. I was fust a coal I was faithful to my job an1 made good money an* soon built me a house of my ovm whar I raised my family. I sent all my chullun to school an1 dey is doin* well. My wife worked right 'long wid me. She died f bout two years ago. "I^se thankful I ainft got no sad memfries fbout slav'ry times an* dat I an' my folks is done as well as dey have. Tfis de work of de Lawd.tf Wayne Holliday, who lived in slavery times, and whose father *as a slave, is 84 years old, a dried-up looking Negro of 75 Page 4* 241 Vfeyne Holliday, Ex-slave, Monroe County EEC Mrs* Richard Kolb light tan color, approximately 5 feet three inches high and v/eigh- ing about 130 pounds, he is most active and appears much younger than he really is# He is slightly bent; his kinky hair is inter- mingled white and grayj and his broad mouth boasts only one visible tooth, a particularly large one in the extreme center of his lov/er gura. Wayne has the manner of a Negro of the old South and depicts, in his small way, the gallantry of an age gone by# lb 30058 '6 241-Prince Johnson, Ex-slave, Coahoma County FBC Mrs. Carrie Campbell Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes PRINCE Clarksdale, JOHNSON Mississippi yes mam, I shof can tell you all fbout it dere when it all happened. f cause I was My gran'pa, Pfcter, gran'ma, Millie, my pa, John, anf my ma, Jnrances, all come from Alabama to Yazoo County to live in de Love famfly. Dey names was Dennis when dey come, but, after de custom of dem days, dey took de name ov Love from dey new owner. Me an' all of my brothers an1 sisters was born right dere. Dey was eleven head o9 us. I was de oldes1. Ben come Harry, John, William, Henry, Phillis, *olly, Nellie, Virginny, Millie, an* de baby, Ella. *TJs all lived in de quarters anf de beds was home made* Dey had wooden legs wid canvas stretched Ycrost fem. I can't f member so much fbout de quarters fcause 'bout dat time de young miss married Colonel Johnson an1 moved to dis place in Carroll County. She carried wid her over one hundfed head of darkies. *Den us names was changed from Love to Johnson. marster was sure a fine gent'man. He lived in a big two-story white house dat had big white posts in front. set it off. My new De flowers all 'roun1 It jusf 77 "Marster took me for de house boy* He9d say to me, head high. for?f An1 I9d say to him, Den I shof carried my f Prince does you know who you is named f Yes sir. Prince Albert.9 9 Well, always carry yofseff lak he did.9 say to me, Anf den hefd To dis good day I holds myseff lak Marster said* "On certain days of de week one o9 de old men on de place took us house servants to de fiel1 to learn us to work. up to know how to do anything dat come to hanf Us was brought Marster would let us work at odd times for outsiders anv us could use de money for anything My gran1 ma sol1 'nough corn to buy her two feather beds. us pleased. "Us always had plenty t9eat. De old folks done de cookin9 for all de fiel9 han9s, fcept on Sundfy when ever1 famfly cooked for dey ownse9fs* Old Mis9 an9 white flour. or coons. 9 ud come over ever9 Sundfy mornin9 wid sugar Us 9ud mos9 ingen9ally have fieh, rabbits, Lord, chil9! Dem fpossums was good eatin9. 9 poss\misf I can tas9 9 em now. "Folks dese days don9t know no thin9 *bout good eat in9. My marster had a great big garden for ever9body an9 I aint never seen such Dey was so sweet de sugar 9ud bus9 'taters as growed in dat garden. right th9ough de peel in9 when you roasted 9em in de ashes. "Old Aunt Itoily cooked for all de chillun onde place. Ha9f a hour by de sun, dey was all called in to supper. Dey had pot likker an9 ash cake an9 such things as would make vem grow* "Chillun den didn9 Know nothin9 what chillun have now* 9 bout all de fancy ailments Dey run an9 played all day in dey shirt tails 2 78 in de summer time* When winter come dey had good warm *cloYes same as us older ones* "One day Marfcterfs chillun an1 de cullud chillun slipped off to de orchard* Dey was jus1 a-eatinf green apples fasf as dey could when flong come de master, hissevf* an9 white alike, an1 cut a keen switch* didnf git a few licks. He lined fem all up, black Twant a one in dat line dat Den he called de old doctor woman an1 made ver give fem ever1 one a dose of medicine. Dey didnf a one of *em git sick. "Marster an1 Old Mis1 had f ive chillun* anf gone now, an* Ps still here. Dey is all dead One of his sons was a Supreme Judge f fore he died* "I4y folks was shof quality. Marster bought all de little places frounf us so he wouldnf have no pof white trash neighbors. sir! Yes He owned fbout thirty-five hundfed acres anf at leas* a hundfed an1 fifty slaves. "Ever1 mornin1 f bout fof f clock us could hear dat horn blow for us to git up an1 go to de fielf. sun went down anf never worked at night* Us always quit work ffore de De overseer was a irtiite man. His name was Josh Neighbors, but de driver was a cullud man, Henry*f He wasn't 'lowed to mistreat noboby. call his hanf, right now. be sol1. f 01d Man If he got too uppity deyfd De rale was, if a Nigger wouldn* work he mus* f Nother rule on dat place was dat if a man got dissativfled, he was to go to de marster an1 ask him to put fim in his pocket. Dat meant he wanted to be solf an1 de money be brought put in de marsterfs pocket* I aint never known of but two askin* to be*put in de pocket.1 clothes 3 79 Both of fem was sol1. "Dey had jails in dem days, but dey was built for white No cullud person was ever put in one of fem ftil after de folks. war* Us didnf know nothinf f bout dem things. "Course, Old Mis1 knowed 'bout 'am, thing. f cause she knowed ever' I recollecf she tolf me one day dat she had learnin1 in five diffe'ent languages. "None o' us didn' have no learnin1 atall. have no book learnin1. Twant no teachers or anything lak dat, but us shof was taught to be Christians. stockinf Presbyterian. an1 went to church. Dat is us didn1 Everfthing on dat place was a blue When Sundfy come us dressed all clean an1 nice Us went to de white folks' church an1 set in de gal'ry. "Us had a fine preacher. sho' give out de words of wisdom. His name was Gober. He could Us didn' have big baptisins lak was had on a heap of places, 'cause Presbyterians don't go down under de water lak de Baptis' do. gran1 Christian fun'al. If one of de slaves died he was sho' give a All o' us mourners was on han'. Services was conducted by de white preacher* "Old Mis' wouldn' stan' for no such things as voodoo an' ha'nts. When she * 'spected vs once a week, you better not have no charm 'roun' yof neck, neither. o' *asfittidy. She wouldn' even 'low us wear a bag Mos' folks b'lieved dat would keep off sickness. called such as dat superstition. She say us was 'lightened Christian Presbyterians, an' as such us mus' conduc' ourse'fs. inspected allow _ asafetida She 80 "Nobody worked after dinner on Satufdfy. Us took dat time to scrub up an1 clean de houses so as to be ready for fspection Sundfy mornin1. Some Satufdfy nights us had dances. played for us dat played for de white folks. De same old fiddler An1 he sho1 could play. When he got dat old fiddle out you couldnf keep yof foots still. "Christfmus was de time of all times on dat old plantation. Dey donft have no such as dat now. Ever1 chil1 brought a stockinf up Dey all wanted one of de inistis1 stockinfs, to de Big House to be filled. 'cause now she weighed nigh on to three hundfed pounds. was put in piles for ever1 one. got it. Candy an1 presents When dey names was called dey walked up an1 Us didn work on New Year1 s Day. Us could go to town or anywhere us wanted to* Dey was two captains an1 "De mos* fun was de corn shuckin'. each one picked de ones he wanted on his side. Den de shuekin* started. You canft make mention o nothin good dat us didn1 have tfeat after de shuckin*. I still studies 9bout dem days now. "Dey was big parties at de white foSffcs1 house, me, all dressed up wid*taller on my face to make it shine, a-servinf de*gues,$s. "One time, jus1 when everfthing was a-goin1 fine, a sad thing happened* My young mist is, de one named for her ma, ups anf mine off wid de son of de Irish ditch digger an* marries fim. if deyfd a-let fer marry de man she wanted. f nough for her. She wouldn* a-done it Dey didn1 think he was good So jus1 to spite fem, she married de ditch digger1 s son. "Old Mis1 wouldn1 have nothin1 more to do wid fer, same as if she warnt her own chil1. tallow guest8 But Ifd go over to see fer anf carry milk an1 81 things out o* de garden* n It was pitiful to see my little miss poor. When I couldn1 stanf it no longer I walks right up to Old Mis1 an1 I says, does you know Miss Farrell aint got no cow*1 Yes xnanu1 01d Mis1, She jus1 act lak she aint hearfd me, an1 put her lips together dat tight. hut walk off anf leave her. f I couldn1 do nothin1 Pretty soon she called, f Prince!f I says, She says, Seein1 you is so concerned fbout Miss Farrell not havin1 no cow, you better take one to fer*f I foun1 de^rope anf carri- ed de besf cow in de lot to Miss Farrell* "Shortly after dat I leff wid Old Marster to go to North Carolina. Jusf f fore de war come on, my marster called me to f im an1 tolf me he was a-goinf to take me to North Carolina to his brother for safe keepin1. Right den I knowed somethin1 was wrong. from de bottom of my heart dat de Yankees I was a-wishinf f ud stay out of us business anf not git us all fsturbed in de minf* Things went on at his brotherfs place bout lak dey done at home* I stayed dere all four years of de war. I couldn1 leave cause de men folks all went to de war an* I had to stay anf pertee1 de women folks* "De day peace was declared wagon loads of people rode all through de place a-tellinf us fbout beinf free* killed in battle anf his wife had died* De old Colonel was De young marster called us in anf said it was all true, dat us was free as he was, anf us could leave whenever us got ready* He said his money warnt no good anymore anf he didnf have no other to pay us wid* I can*t recollee1 if he got new money an1 paid us or not, but I do fmejaber ever1 lasf one o* us stayed. 82 "I never leff dat place ftil my young marster, Mr. Jim Johnson, He was a-livinf in South de one dat was de Supreme Judge, come for me. Carolina den. He took us all home wid fim. for Govfnor Wade Hamilton. Us got dere in time to vote TJs put fim in office, too. De firsf thing I done was join de Democrat Club an1 *hoped fem run all of de scalawags away from de place. f country an* My young marster had always tolf me to live for my had seen fnough of dat war to know jusf what was a-goinf on. *Ifse seen many a patrol in my lifetime, but~dey dassent come on us place. Now de*Kloo ELuxes *as difffent. I *rid wid fem many a f time. Twas de only way in dem days to keep order. "When I was fbout twenty-two year old, I married Clara Breaden. I had two chilluns by her, Diana an1 Davis. My secon' wifefs name was Annie Bet Woods. Mary, Ella, John D , Claud I had six chillun by her: William, an* Prince, Jr. Three boys an1 two gals is still livinf. I lives wid my daughter, Claud, what is farmin1 a place fbout five miles from Clarksdale. I has fbout fifteen head of granfchillun an1 ever1 las1 one of femfs farmers. "Things Is all peaceful now, but de worlf was shof stirred up when Abraham Lincoln was flected. f im. I 'member well when dey killed Us had a song fbout fim dat went lak dis: Jeffarson Davis rode de milk white steed, Lincoln rode de mule. Jeff Davis was a mighty fine man, An* Lincoln was a fool.1 "One of de little gals was a-singin1 dat song one day an1 she mixed dem names up. She had it dat Marse Davis was de fool. ed fbout dat many a time. When Mist is finished wid Ter she had she9 Whelped *imm Umax's Fse laugh- 7 broke her from suck in* eggs. "I knows all 'bout what slave uprisinfs is, but never in my life has I seen anything lak dat. Never! Neverl Where I was brought up de white man knowed his place an* de Nigger knowed*hls'n* Both of fem stayed in dey place. We aint never had no lynchin's, neither. "I know all fbout Booker T. Washington. He come to de state of Mississippi once an1 helf a meetin1 in Jackson; gran* talk. He made a He made mention 'bout puttinf money in de bank. of darkies made 'membrance of dat an1 done it. Lots He tolf us de firs1 thing us had to learn was to work anT dat all de schoolinf in de worlf wouldn* mean nothin* if us didn1 have no *mother wit. It's a pity us aint got more folks lak him to guide us now dat us aint got no marster an1 mistis to learn us "I's a Nigger what has been prosperous. I made a-plenty cotton an* I teached my chillun to be good blue stockin* Presbyterians. All frounf de country I was knowed an1 ever1 body bflieved in me* Maybe things is better lak dey is today. so anyway. But if Old Marster were a-livinf Mosf folks says Ifd be better off. I know dat to be so* I can hear fim say to me now, named for? f Prince Albert, who is you Well den holf yof head high so folks can see you is quality.1 * his ^energy & common sense lflL fJ *|j*l Federal Writers b020 " Slave " w . * Autobiographies ** ^> Uncle Hamp Kennedy, a farmer, 78 years old, weighs about 135 pounds, and is about 5 feet 9 inches high. His head is bald with a little gray fuzfc over his ears and growing low toward the nape of his neck* smoke a pipe* He does not wear spectacles nor His face is clean shaven* Physically active, he does not use a crutch or cane and his hearing, eyesight* and mind appear alert* The old Negro cannot read or write* but he has a remarkable memory* He seems very happy in his little cabin where he and his wife live alone* and his eyes beam with interest when he remembers and discusses slavery times* "I was jes a little nigger when de War broke out - 'bout fo* years ol9* my white folks say* brudders* I had a sister an9 three My mammy an1 pappy was Mary Kennedy an1 Lon Kennedy* My mammy was Mary Denham befov she marf led* raised at Mahned, Mississippi* I was born an* Old Miss Bill Griffin was my missus* *De Yankees shof come to our house - yes sir, dey did. De fust time dey kotched our hogs an9 cut off de hind part anf take hit wid fem. De front part dey lef* in de fielf Dey carries corn in de saddle bags an9 throwed hit out to de chickens* &&& Den when v o1 84 85 de chickens come up to eat dey kotched fem by de head anf /ing bit off an* take all de chickens wid fem. "Our white folks buried all dey silver in de groun* an* hid dey hosses in de deep gullies near de plantation* Even dey clo*es an* meat dey ride, an1 de soljers didn* find nothin* capin* de bosses, an* dey lef* dey tired ones an' tuk our fresh ones wid 'em* Dey burned de fiel*s an* orchards so our white folks couldn* hefp feed our soljers none* "One time 1 'member when Aunt Charity an* Winnie Mdnnis, two niggers on our plantation* tried to swim some of our hosses cross de riber to save 'em from de soljers an9 dey rode 'cross in a little boat* Well* when de hosses got in de middle of de water, up comes a 'gator (1), grabs one hoes by de ear, an' we ain't neber seed him no mo9* 1 VI "When niggers run *way frum de plantation dey was whupped, but dey had to go to de sheriff to be whupped* De sheriff, he would tie de nigger to a tree an9 whup him till de blood run out* " Bout da only recr9ation us niggers had in dem days was candy pullin's. We all met at one house an* tol* ghost stories, sung plantation songs, an* danced de clog while de candy was cookin*. Dem was de good old days* mo** (1) us; alligator Dey don't do dem things no 86 "When a nigger died, we had a wake an1 dat was diffrunt too frum whut 'tis today. Dey neber leff a dead nigger 'lone in de house, but all de neighbors was dere an' hoped (l). Dey turned de mitftors to de wall fcause dey say once a long time ago, a nigger died an' three days afte'wards his people looked in a mititor an' dere dey see d e dead nigger plain as day in de mirror. "At de wake we clapped our han's an' kepf time wid our feet - Walking Egypt, dey calls hit - an' we chant an' hum all night 'till de nigger was funeralized. \y^ "If we heerd a little old shiverin' own (2) we'd th'ow salt in de fire an' th'ow a broom 'cross de do' fer folks say dat 'twas a sign of bad luck, an' a charm had to be worked fas1 to keep sumpin' terrible frum hfiippenin*, an' if a big owl hollered, we wasn't 'lowed to say one word. "Fire was -'bout de hardes' thing fer us to keep. Dere wa'rit no matches in dem days, an1 we toted fire frum one plantation to 'nother when hit burned out. We put live coals in pans or buckets an' toted it home. "Sometimes we put heavy waddin' in a old gun an' ehot hit out into a brush heap an' then blowed the sparks 'til de fire blazed* Ever'body had flint rocks too, but few niggers could work fem an1 (1) (2) helped screech owl 87 de ones dgt could allus had dat job to do* "My gran'mammy come frum South Ca'lina an9 libed fust at New Augusta, Mississippi. She used to pick big Catena leaves an1 roll her dough in 'em anf bake hit in a log heap, pilin' ashes over hit. Some called hit ash cakes an' hit sho' was good* No thin' lak hit dese days - no sir* "We had plen'y to eat - smoke sausage, beef, home made lard, an' - yes sir* possum when we wanted hit* "We didn9 git any pay fer our work but we had plen'y to eat an' clo'es to wear* our clo'es was coarse but good. Most of 'em was wove on de looms an' our socks an' stockings was knitted by de wimmin* De white folks though, dey wear linen an' fine silk clo'es fer de big times* We made blankets coverlets, too* p*-"^"**" WW* had 'bout 60 slayes on our place, an1 if a nigger man on Jpfcne plantation fall in love wid a slave girl on 'nother place, dey jus1 come to her plantation m9 jump ober de broom an' den dey is t liaar'ied* De slabes never had preachers lak dey do at wed din's pose days* If de girl didn't love de boy an' he jumped ober Me broom an' she didn't, den dey wa'nt mar'ied* "Dere was no schools in dam days either, an' I can't read an* writ today. Sow of de white folks taught de younger aiggers 88 an9 den dey tuk dey lessons an" studied at dey cabin of nights aftef dey had finished work. "We had prayer meetinfs in each others houses durin9 de week* One plantation owner built a little church on his place an9 de niggers, dey go in de back do9 an9 sit in de back, an9 white folks dey come in de front of de church an9 sit. byterin chufch was de ohly one De Pres- f round dere an9 dey sprinkled ever9body - jes poured water ober dey heads frum a glass an9 den patted hit hit'in (demonstrated). "Twas funny - one time Joe an9 Green, two niggers on our place, et dey supper an9 run 9way at night an9 afte9 dey was kotched, dey tolv us dat when dey was passin9 through de woods dat night a great big old gran9daddy owl flopped his wings an9 Joe said 'we'd better turn back*9 I allus heard hit was bad luck fer to hear a owl floppin9 lack dat, but Green said 'twant nothin9, jes a old owl floppin9, but he jes naturally flopped diffrunt dat night, an9 Green walked on \ shot him d*ad 9 bout 15 ste^s an9 somebody Joe said he tufned back an9 run home* "All our niggers had to have passes to leave de plantation an9 when de pataroller kotched whupped. 9 em wid out9n 4 pass, de nigger was Sometimes de plantation owner did hit an9 sometimes de 89 sheriff* Dey used a long leather strop cut at de ends* "We used snake root, hohound weed, life everlastin9 weed, horse mint, an' sassafras as medicine. "When de War was right on us, grub was scarce an' sometimes little nigger8 only had clabber milk an' dey et it in de trough wid de pigs, an' sometimes dey only had pie crusts an' bread crusts at night when dey et on de cabin flo'. Oem was herd times afte' de War. w9 Nother time one nigger run 'way frum our plantation anf hid by day an9 traveled by night so de nigger dogs wouldn't git him an9 he hid in a hollow tree* Dere was three cubs down in dat tree an' hit was so slick inside an' so high 'til he couldn't dim9 out, an' afte9 while de ole bear came back an' throw in half a hog. Den she go9way an9 come ag'in an9 throw in de other half. 'Bout a hour later,* she came back an' crawl in back'ards herse'f. De nigger inside de tree kotched her by de tail an9 pulled hisself out. Hit scared de bear so 'til she run in one direction an9 de nigger in 'nother. But de nigger, he run in de direction of his marster's place an9 said he'd neber run off again as long as he libed* "I can't 'member de old songs but dese niggers today can't 90 sing lak dat neither 'cause dey ain't libed back dere, anf dey can't feel hit lak us old folks. anf dey was hard days too." Dem was de good old days allright, 230005 " J AMES Natchez, 9* LUCAS Mississippi James Lucas, ex-slave of Jefferson Davis, lives at Natchez, Adams County. Uncle Jim is small, wrinkled, and slightly stooped. His woolly hair is white, and his eyes very bright* grizzled mustache. He wears a small He is always clean and neatly dressed. "Miss.you can count up for yofseff. I was born on October 13y young Marster give me my age when he heired de propefty 11, 1833. of his uncle, Marse W. B. Withers. He was a-goinf through de papers anf a-burninf some of *em when he founf de one *bout me. Jim, dissenfs fbout you* Hen he says, It gives yof birthday.* ,f I recollec1 a heap fbout slavfry~times, but Irs gill by All o* my frienfs has leff ise. myse'f now. passed on. Even Marse Fleming has He was a little boy when I was a grown man. ,f I was born in a cotton fielf in cotton pickin* tim&, an* de IT wimmins fixed my mammy up so she didnf hardly lose no time at all. mammy sho* was healthy. Her name was Silvey an* her mammy come over to dis country in a big ship. twant her right name. My Somebody give her de name of Bettyf but Folks couldn* unferstanf a word she say. It was some sort of gibberish dey called gulluh-talk, an* it soun* dat funny. &Ey pappy was Bill Lucas. "When I was a little cha# I used to wear coarse lowell- cloth shirts on de week<*a-days. Dey was long an* had big collars. * When de seams ripped de hide would show through* Y&en I got big enough to wait f rounf at de Big House an1 go to town, I wore clean rough clofes. De pants was white linsey-woolsey anf de shirts was rough white cotton what was wove at de plantation. In de winter de sewin1 wiinmin3 made us heavy clothes anf knit wool socks for us. De wimmins wore linsey-woolsey dresses an1 long legginfs lak de sojers wear. Dis was a long narrow wool cloth anf it wropt f rounf an* f rounf dey legs an1 fasfn at de top wid a string. tf I never went to no church, but on Sundfys a white man would preach an* pray wid us anf when he*d git through us went on fbout us own business. "At Chrisfmus de Marster give de slaves a heap of fresh meat an* whiskey for treats. . But you better not git drunk. No-sir-reef Den on, Chris fmus Eve dey was a big dance an1 de white folks would come an* see de one what dance de besf. kill at de capers us cut. Marster an1 Mistis laugh fit to Den sometimes dey had big weddinfs anf de young white ladies dressed de brides up lak dey was white. dey sont to JT'awleans 'for a big cake. same ^testimony dey use now. some cake. Sometimes De preacher married fem wid de Den everfbodyfd have a little drink an* Den everfbodyfd git right. It sho* was *larrupin*. could dance near fbout all night. Us De old-time fiddlers played fas1 music an1 us all clapped han*s an* tromped anf svray*d in time to de music. Us sho* made de rafters ring. ff Us slaves didn* pay ho ceremony *v j?y good : 'A^Spt$k~'r '- zr?%$ &}*/':% : f tent ion to who owned us, leastways 93 de young ones didn1. lanfs. I was raised by a inarster what owned a heap o* Lemme see, dey is called ^rtonish, Lockdale, an1 Lockleaven. Dey is plantations raised. Dey is all f long de river in Wilkinson County, where I was f long together. ,T f I s shof my firs1 raarster was Marse Jim Stamps anf his wife was Miss Lucindy. She was nice an1 sof*-goinf. Us was gl d when she stayed on de plantation. "Nex1 thing I knowed us all bflonged to Marse Withers. was from de nawth an1 he didnf have no wife. (Marsters wid-out wives I knows a-plenty wh.-t I oughtn1 tell to ladies. was de debbil* de marsters whut was so mean# agents. a big diffefnce. inf after fem. Yesfm, wives made Dey was kinf an* went fbout mongst de slaves a-lookDey give out food an1 clo*es an1 shoes. de little babies.) Dey doctered When things went wrong de wimmins was all de time puttin* me up to tellin1 de Mist is. Marse D# D. Withers was my young He was a little man, but everfbody stepped when he come "Don1 rightly know how it come fbout. f Lemme seel warnt no pres'dent den. an9 he shof let her have her way. f em bofe. rounf Only he He was jus1 a tall quiet gentfman wid a pretty young wife what he married in Natchez. eyes ever seed f De besf I member my nexf Marster was Presfdent Jefferson Davis hisseff boat. Twant Twas dem pof white trash overseers an1 Dey was mean; dey was meaner dan bulldogs. marster. He Her name was Miss Yarina Howell, I spec Ifs de only one livin* whose I talked wid her when dey come in de big steam- f Fore us got to de big house, I tolf her all fbout de goinsf~on on de plantations. She was a fine lady. When I was. a boy * bout thirteen 94 years old dey took me up de country toward Vicksburg to a place call Briarsfield. It mus'-a been named for her old home in Natchez what f de Briars.1 was called I didn1 bflong to Marse Jeff no great while, but I aint never fofgit de look of 'im. savin1 on his words. He was always calm lak an* His wife was jus* de other way. She talked more dan a-plenty. ft I bflieves a bank solf us nex' to Marse L. Q,. Chambers. I was a house-servant an1 de overseer dassent I 'members him well. hit me a lick. Marster done lay de law down. dey plantations jus1 a part of de year. an1 places up nawth. Mos' planters lived on Dey would go off to Saratogy Sometimes Marse L. Q,. would come down to de place wid a big wagon filled wid a thousan' pair of shoes at one tirae. He had a nice wife. One day whilst I was a-waitin? on de table I see old Marse lay his knife down jus* lak he tired. his chair, kinda still lak. Q.?' Den he lean back in Den I say, 'What de matter wid Marse L. Den dey all jump an* scream an', bless de Lawd, if he warnt plumb dead. "Slaves didn' know what to 'spec from freedom, but a lot of 'em hoped dey would be fed anf kep' by de govfment. diffe'nt ways 6' thinkin' 'bout it. Dey all had Mos'ly though dey was jus' lak me, dey didnf know jus* zackly what it meant. It was jus' somp'n dat de white folks an' slaves all de time talk 'bout. Datfs all. Folks dat ain* never been free don' rightly know de feel of bein' free. know de meanin* of it. Dey don* Slaves like us, what was owned by quality-folks, was sati'fied an' didn'.^sing none of dem freedom songs. 4 I recollec' 95 one song dat us could sing. It went lak dis: T Drinkinf o* de wine, drinkin1 of de wine, _,^ Ought-a been in heaven three-thousan1 yeahs / A-drinkin* o* dat wine, a-drinkin1 of dat wine.1 Us could shout dat one. Tf I was a grown-up man wid a wife anf two chillun when de War broke out. You see, I stayed wid de folks *til flong cum de Dey took me off anf put rae in de War. Yanks. Firs1, deyrshipped me on a gunboat anf, nexf, dey made me hefp dig a canal at Vicksburg. I was on de gunboat when it shelled de town. folks a-tryin1 to blow each other up. It was turrible, see in* Whilst us was bull-doggin1 Vicksburg in front, a Yankee army slipped in behinf de Rebels anf penned fem up. an1 I *fit at Fort Pillow an1 Harrisburg anf Pleasant Hill f fore I was haff through wid it I was in Ba'timore an1 Yirginny* W I was on han* when Ginfl Lee handed his sword to Gin'l Grant. You see, Miss, dey had him all hemmed in an1 he jusf natchelly had to give up. I seen him stick his sword up in de ground "Law! It shof was turrible times* more people crippled an1 dead. saws* Dese old eyes of mine seen Ifse even seen fem saw off legs wid hack- I tell you it aint right, Miss, what I seen. "Den I was put to buryin1 Yankee so jars. in* I stript de dead of dey money. day bodies* Den I come a-tramp- JSy folks didnf have no money but dat wuthless kin1. w$$ all dey khowed *bout* It When I grabbed some if it anf throwed it in \ ^00$$;:, When nobody was look- Sometimes day had it in a belt a-rounf Soon I got a big roll o1 foldin1 money* in* back home. It aint right atall. 96 de blazin1 fiah, dey thoughts was crazy, money; itfs no fcountJf f til I tolf *em, f dat aint Den I give my daddy a greenback an1 tolf him what it was* n iiftah de War w&3 over de slaves was worse off dan when dey had aarsters. Some of f em was put in stockades at Angola, *Loosanna, anf some in de turrible corral at Natchez* de Yankees fed fem. Dey warnt used to de stuff Dey fed fem wasp-nes1 bread, anf hoe cake, anf all such lak. hundfeds, jus1 lak flies. f stead of corn-pone Dey caught diseases anf died by de Dey had been fooled into thinkin1 it would be good times, but it was de wors1 times dey ever seen. Twant no place for fem to go; no bed to sleep on; an* no roof over dey heads. Dem what could git back home set out wid dey minfs made up to stay on de lanf#, Mosf of dey mistis* took *em back so dey wuked de lanf agfin. I means dem what lived to git back to day folks was morefn glad to wukl Dey done had a sad lesson. Some of fem was worse?n slaves after de War. "Dem Ku KLuxes was de debbil# f De Niggers sho1 was scared of em, but dey was more after dem carpet-baggers dan de Niggers. right in fmongst f em, but I wouldn* tell. Mo Mafm! I lived I knowed 'em, but I dasnf talk* Sometimes dey would go right in de fielfs an* take folks out anf kill fem. &1&* none of fem leff now. but dey sho* was rabid den. Dey is all dead anf gone, I never got in no trouble wid I tended my business an* kepf out o* dey way. f em, f cause Ifd*-a been kilt if Ifd-a run frounf anf done any big talkin*. n I never, knowed l&arse Una* urn, but I heard he was a powfful good man. I Ambers plain as yesterdfj: when he got kilt an1 how all 97 de flags bung at haff mas1. anf blamed ever1 body else. Some of fem even tried to blame de killinf I fit wid de Yankees, but I thought a mighty heap of on Marse Davis. Marse Davis. De ptwth nearly went wilf wid worryin1 He was quality. ff I guess slavfry was wrong, but I members us had some mighty good times. time. Some marsters was mean an1 hard but I was treated good all One thing I does know is dat a heap of slaves was worse off after de War. a boss. Day suffered fcause dey was too triflin1 to work widout Now dey is got to work or die. rested an1 knowed youfd be fed. In dem days you worked an* In de middle of de day us rested an1 waited for de horn to blow to go back to de fielv Slaves didnf have nothin1 turrible to worry fbout if dey acted right. Day was mean slaves de 3axoe as dey was mean marsters. "Now-a-days folks dont live right. In slavery times when you got sick a white docter was paid to git you well. some no-count paten* medicine. You is ffraid to go to de horspital, *cause de doe tars might cut on yof stummiek. easier dan de War* I think slavery was a lot Dat was de debbilfs own business, for war don* kn year Ifll git $125 a mont*. If I lives *til nexf It shof comes in handy. I paid |800 for my house an1, if I*d~a thought, I*d~a got one wid mo1 Ian*. donf wan* to plant nothin1. I do want to put a ii*on fence a-roun* it anf gild it wid silver paint. f'Yestm. Den when Ifs gone, dar it will be. I*se raised a big fambly. some of *em looks as old as I does. jus* lak my own chilluft. I Dem what aint dead, I got one gran-ehil* I loves I don1 rightly *member dis minute how many chillun I had, but I aint had but two wives. De firsf one died long *bout seventeen years ago, an1 I done what de Good Book say. It say, *when you goes to de graveyard to bury yo* firs1 wife, look over de crowd an* pick out de nex* one#* n Dat*s jus* what I done. aint never been married bffore. I picked Janie McCoy, *cause she She*s a good cook, even if she does smoke a pipe, an* don* know much * bout nothin'. *I sho* don* live by no rules. I jus* takes a little dram when ever I wants it, an* I smokes a pipe . *eeptin when de Mistis give sief m^teegar. *cig&r I can*t chew tobacco-on 'octant my teeth is gone. I slant 99 been sick in bed but once in seventy years. "I is five feet, five inches tall. I used to weigh 150 pounds, but dis old carcass of mine done losf fifty pounds of meat. "Now-a-days I has a heap of misery in my knee, so I can't ride *rounf no mof. Durin1 de War I got a muskit ball in my hip an1 now dat my meai*s all gone, it jolts a-rounf an1 hurts me worse. still right sprightly though. I can jump dat drainage ditch in front of de house, an1 I shof can walk. stof on Union Street. wid my neighbors. Ifs Mosf every day I walks to de lit:le Dar I rests long enough to pass de time-o-day 'My eyes is still good, but I wears glasses for show anf for seein1 close* "De longer I lives de plainer I see dat it ain* right to want mof dan you can use# but shucks I De Lawd put a-plenty here for everTbody, Us donf pay no min1 to his teachinf. Sometimes I gits lonesome for de frienfs I used to know, *cause aint nobody leff but me. I*s shof been leff a *fur piece bfhinf. De white folks say, Old Jim Is de las* leaf on de tree,f an* I 'spec dey's 'bout right." *long way StfOCOl ,100 v. X\ v 241-Sam McAllum, Ex-slave, Lauderdale County F1C Marjorie Woods Austin Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes SAM McALL^M Meridian, Mississippi To those familiar with the history of "Bloody Remper" as recorded, the following narrative from the lips of an eye-witness will be heresy. But the subject of this autobiography, carrying his ninety-five years more trimly than many a man of sixty, is declared sound of mind as well as of body by the Hector Currie family, prominent in Mississippi, for whom he has worked in a position of great trust and responsibility for fifty years or more* While this old Negro may be mistaken at seme points (the universal failing of witnesses), his impressions are certainly not more involved than the welter of local records* Mrs* Currie states that if Sam said he .saw a thing happen thus, it may be depended upon that he is telling exactly what he really saw* Sam McAllum, ex-slave, lives in Meridian, Lauderdale County* Sam is five feet three Inches tall and weighs 140 pounds* "De firs1 town I ever seen were DeKalb in Kemper County. De Stephenson Plantation where I were born warnt but fbouF~thirteen miles north of DeKalb* I were born de secon1 o September in 1842* My mammy bflonged to de Stephensons an1 my pappy bflonged toMarster 101 His plantation wasnft so -very far from Stephenson. Lewis Barnes* De Stephensons an1 Barneses were kin* white people* My pappy were a old man when I were born - I were de baby chilf. After he died, my manmy marry a McAllum Nigger* "Dey were fbout thirty slaves at Stephenson. My manmy worked in de fielf, an1 her mammy, gillie, were de yard-woman* She looked after de little cullud chillun* "I donft recoilecf any playthings us had fcept a ball my young marster gimme* f He were Sam Lewis Stephenson, bout my age. De little cullud chillun *ud play fBlinf Man* ,fHidinf ,anf jus' whatever come to han*. "My young marster learned me out of his speller, but Mist is whupped me* She say I didnf need to learn nothin1 sofs I could feed de mules widout colicin* years of corn to de mule* an1 deyfd die. f em* f cept how to count You give fem ten If you give fem more, it fud colic1 Dey cos1 morefn a Nigger would* f em Dat were de firs1 whuppin1 I ever got - when me an1 my young marster were a-spellinf* "I stayed wid him special, but I waited on all de white folk's chillun at Stephenson. I carried de foot tub in at night anf washed dey foots, anf Ifd pull de trunfle bed out from under de other bed* All de boys slepf in de same room. "Den I were a yard boy anf waited on de young marster anf mistis. Hadn1 been to de fiel1 den - hadn1 worked yet. "Mr. Stephenson were a surveyor an1 he fell out wid Mr* McAllum anf had a lawsuit. ears He had to pay it in darkies. Mr.McAllum 102 bad de privilege ov takin9 me anf my mammy, or another woman anv her two* He took us* So us come to de MfcAUum plantation to live* It were in Kemper, too* Y endurin9 of de war* Dat were when my mammy marry one of de McAllum Niggers* bout eight miles from Stephenson* Us come dere My new pappy went to de war wid Mr* McAllum an1 were wid v im when he we ire wounded at Mamassas Gab Battle. He brung fim home to die - an1 he done it* "Den de Yankees come th'ough DeKalb hunt inf uprcannona an9 guns an1 mules. Dey sho9 did eat a heap* Us hid all de bes9 things lak silver, an9 * driv9 de stock t de swamp. Dey didn9 burn nothin9, but us hear9d tell o9 burnin9s in Soooba an9 Meridian. a mule an9 de Yankees made me take him out* ! I were a-plowin9' De las9 I seen oY dat mule, he were headed for Soooba wid three Yankees a-straddle of 9im "Times were tight,- not a grain o9 coffee an9 not much else* : When us * clo'ee were plumb wore out, de mistis an9 de Nigger wimmins made us some out o9 de cotton ua had raised* room all de time* weavin9. My granny stayed de loom- ; De other wixnains done de spinnin9 an9 she done de / She were a 9good9n9. "De M&O(Mobile & Ohio Railroad) were a-burnin9 wood, den* Dey couldn9 git coal* Dey used * taller pots 9stead o9 oil. had to climb out on de engine hisse9f an9 De engineer 9 tend to dam taller pots* Dey do diffe9nt now* "Day were such a sca9city o9 men, dey were a-puttin9 9 em in de war at sipty-fivf * But de war end 9fore dey call dat list* "Mistis didn9 have nobody to he9p her endurin9 de war* had to do de bes9 she could* * drove She 103 "When she hearvd de Niggers talkinf wore fsm out wid a cowhide. f bout beinf free, she She warnt a powfful-built woman, neither* She had to do it herse'f, 'cause twant nobody to do it for fer* Bey warnt nothin* a Nigger could do but stanf up an1 take it. "Some folks treated dey slaves mighty bad - put Nigger dogs on 9enu All my white folks were good to dey slaves, good de Niggers bfhaved deyseffs. v cordinv to how Course, you couldn1 leave no planta- tion widout a pass, or de paterollerfd git you. I aint countin1 dat, * cause dat were somthinf ever1 body knowed fforehanf. "Dey were a heap of talk 'bout de Yankees a-givinf ever1 Nigger forty acres an1 a mule. it* It jus1 kinda got aroun1. I donft know how us come to hear fbout I picked out my mule. "Times were mighty tough. durinf de war* Umnm-m! All of us did* Us thought us Imowed trouble en- XJs didnf know nothin1 f bout trouble* "Dey were so many slaves at McAllum's, dey had to thin fem out* Mist is *put us out. She sent me to Mr. Scott close to Scooba* I were mosf a grown boy by den an1 could plow pretty good. surrender, Mr. Scott say, you no more* free.1 no pay. Come de f Sambo, I donft have to pay yof mistis for I have to pay you if you stay* I didnf b'lieve it. Tou is I worked dat crop out, but I didnf ask for Dat didnf seem right. I went home to my old mistis* Niggers is free. I didn1 unferstanf She say, f bout freedom, so f Sambo, you donft bflong to me now.1 "Dey bound us young Niggers out. Dey sent me an1 my brother to a man dat were goin1 to give us some learnin* name were Over street* long wid farmin1 His Us worked dat crop out, but us aint never seen no speller, nor nothinv* *hl$td us out f 4 104 "Den us went back to Stephenson1s, where us were born, to git us age. Old mist is say, "She cried, I didn1. v f Sambo, you aint twenty-one yet.f cause I had to go back to Mr. Overstreet. But My mammy anf me went back to McAllumfs anf stayed until a man give us a patch in *turn for us he1 pin1 him on his farm. "I know fbout de *KLoo KLuxes. time I seen fem were de las1. KLuxes. war. I seen fem. f Bout de firs1 Aint nobody know *zackly fbout dem KLoo Some say it were a sperrit dat hadnf had no watetr since de One rider would drink fof or five gallons at one time - kepf us a-totinf buckets fasf as us could carry fem. It were a sperrit, a i evil sperrit. ' "But folks dat aint acted right liable to be found mosf anytime tied up somefrfs: De Niggers were a^havin1 a party one Satu'd'y night on Hampton's plantation. of scare-face on fem. were *kivered up, too* Hampton Niggers. 1 Come some men on horses wid some kin Dey were all *wropped up, disguised. Dey call for Miler Hampton. He been up to something but dey say he done somethin1 bad. De horses / He were one of de I I donft know what he done, Dey didnf have no trouble gittin1 him, tcause us were all scared usfd git kilt, too. Dey carried fim off wid f em a f kilt him dat very nigjit# "Us went to DeKalb nexf day in a drove an1 ask de white folks to hefp us. ITs buy all de ammunition us could git to take de sperrit, cause us were a-havinf f nother party de nexf week. Dey didn1 come to dat party. "I donft know i&y dey donft have no Kloo KLuxes now. sperrit still have de same power. *feturn ^^||pE s *^sa6tly ^wrapped *e^ifered I / 5 De 105 Den I go to work for Mr. Ed McAllum in DeKalb ~ when I aint workin1 for de Gullies. Mr. Ed were my young marster, you know, anf now he were de jailor in DeKalb. "I knowed de Chisolms, too. an1 know what aint never been tolf. Datfs how come I seen all I seen I couldn1 tell you dat. Maybe lfs de only one still livin1 dat were grown anf right dere anf seen it happen. I aint scared now nothin1 f ud happen to me for tellin1 - Mr. Currie*d see to dat - I jus* aint never tolf. scared to tell. Dem dat bflonged to my race were Maybe it were all for de bes1 Dat were a long time ago. Dey give out things den de way dey wanted fem to soun1, an1 datfs de way d$rdone come down: "f It started wid Mr. John Gully gittinf shot. Now Mr. Gully were a leadin1 man fmong de white democratic people in Kemper, but dey aint had much chance for fbout seven years ( I disremember jus1 how long) on fcount of white folks lak de Chisolms runnin1 everfthing. Everfbody were shof it were some1 of de Chisolm crowa, tout some folks knowed it were dat Nigger, Walter Riley, dat shot Mr. Gully* tolf de sho* wt people. (But aint nobody ever f nough reason why Walter shot Mr. John Gully,) De Chisolms warnt Yankees, but dey warnt white democratic Dey do say de Chisolms an1 folks lak fem used to run frounf wid de Yankees* Maybe datfs how come dey was diffe'nt. Even ffore de Yankees come a-tall, when Mr. Chisolm were on us side, he were loud *moufed fbout it. *f Mr. John Gully hefp Mr. Chisolm git to be judge, but he turnt out to be worse dan dem he had to judge. made fim resign. mouthed Mr. Gully anf de others I reckon maybe datfs why he quit bein1 a Democratic 106 anf started ructions wid Mr* Gully. 199 Come de surrender, Mr. Chisolm, lie got to be a big leader on de other side. An9 he seen to it dat a lot of de white democratic men got ke9p from votin9 an1 a lot of Niggers step up anf vote lak he tolf 9 So de Chisolms kep9 gittin9 all de em( dey were scared not to). big places. 9,9 A lot of widders an1 folks lak dat what couldn9 he9p dey- seffs losf dey homes an1 ever'thing dey had. De papers dd gran1 jury f bout it were stored in de sherifffs office*. make out De sheriff give out dat his office done been broke open an9 all dem papers stole. 999 Den Mr. Chisolm1 s brother got hisseff *p9inted sheriff anf make Mr. Chisolm deputy. Datfs when he started runnin9 things, shof Nexv thing you know, Mr. Chisolm is de shof 'nough. Y nough sheriff, hisseYf. 999 Den he gather all his kin1 o9 folks frounf make out a black lis9. de Chisolms didn9 need. im an1 dey De folkses* names dat were on it were de ones It were talked vrounv dat de firs9 name on dat lis9 were Mr. John Gully1 s name. A heap o9 ELoo ELuxes9 names were on Mr. Chisolm send de ELoo ELuxes9 names to de Gov9nor an9 spec9 it, too. him to do somethin9 nothin9 f f bout dat, 9 bout runnin9 9 em out. cause it were a sperrit. body what9s name were on dat lis9 199 9 But, course, he couldn9 do But ever9 now an9 den some- 9 ud git shot in de back* Afore de 9lection come in November (it mus9 a-been in 975) de Niggers had been a-votin9 an9 doin9 ever9thing de Chisolms say. Dey were still a-harpin9 back to dat forty acres an9 a mule dey were promised what dey aint never got. appointed It were tuminjt9 out to be jus9 de same wid 7 107 ever1 thing else Mr. Uhisolm had been a-promisinf to give 'em. never got none of it. Dey aint De white democratic folks won dat 'lection. "' Soon Mr. Uhisolm nan for somthin' or Ynother an1 got beat bad. Den he were mad sho' f bout it. v nough. He went to Jackson to see de Gov9nor Soon a heap of white democratic men in Kemper got arrested for somethin' or nother. Wf Den Mr. John Gully got shot anf everf body were shof de Ever1 body were dat mad. Chisolms done it. to court. Chisolm an1 dem had to go But dey were slippery as eels anf Walter Rileyfs name come out* (He were a Niggert) Dey give out at de trial dat Walter were hired to shoot fim by de Chisolm folks. Dat were not de reason, but dey was blood f fore folks1 eyes by dat time. "' It got worse dat Satu'd'y when Mr. Gully were buried. Folks all over Kemper done hearf d fbout it by now, an1 by nine o'clock Sundfy mornin', people were a-cominf in over ever1 road dat led to DeKalb. all had loaded guns. Dey It were on a Sundfy when all de kill inf happened - I mean, de windin'-up killin1. I were dere ffore a gun were fired. I were dere when de firs1 man were wounded. t De cullud people had gathered in DeKalb at de Methodis1 Church. Dey hada' a gun fired yet. people1 s church. head. Mr. Henry Gully goes to de cullud He walked in at de front door an1 took his hat off his Dey were a-paeked in de house for preaehin*. He walked down de aisle 'til he got ih front of de preacher anf he turn sideways anf speak: "I want to ask you to dismiss yo' congregation. Dey is goinf to be some trouble take place ri#it here in DeKalb an1 I don't want any cullud person to git hurt.* De preacher rise to his feet, everf Nigger in de house 8 108 were up, an* he dismiss *enu (Mr* Henry Gully were Mr. John Gully* s brother an* a leadin* man o* de right,) ** De town were a-millin* wid folks from ever*where. Chisolm an* dem done got in de jail for safety an* Miss Cornelia Chisolm went back*ards an* for*ards to de jail* Dey thought she were a-carryin* ammunition in her *clo*es to her father* of *em - were wid her twict. Mr* McClendon - he were one He were on de right-hand side* ed he were de one dat killed Mr. John Gully. Dey tolf Some b*liey- f imk.dey*d burn his house down if he stay in it. but if he*d go on to jail, dey*d give f im a fair trial. "* Well, Mr* McClendon were shot down fside Miss Cornelia* seen him when he fell on his face* I De man dat fired de gun turn him over an* say, "Veil, us got *im*" Miss Cornelia run on to de jail where de bounce o* de fam*ly were* ** Dem outside say, "Boys, it111 never dol dere yet* Dey aint all in Let*s sen* to Scooba an* git Charlie Rosenbaun an* John Gilmore to come help dey frien*s. Dgy b*longs to dat Chisolm crowd an* we want dam, too." "* So dey come* Somebody say, "Let's commence right here." I never seen a battle b*fore, but I sho* seen one den* It were lak dis: Mr, Cal Hull was de only democratic white frien' Mr. Rosonbaum had. stood twixt his white democratic frien* s an* Mr. Rosenbaum. arms over Mr. Rosenbaum an* say, "Boys, he's a frien* o* mine. kill him, you kill me." He put his If you Mr. Rosenbaum orawled over to de courthouse wall, an* squatted down, an* stayed dere. clothes balance He 9 Mr* Hull stood over *im, pertectin* 'im. 109 But Mr. John Gilmore make for de jail an', when day open de door for *im, de shootin' start. Right den were when Mr. Gilmore got his. were struck in de wris'. Miss Cornelia It mortified an* after while she died from it.' "I know I aint tol' de sho' 'nought reason Mr. John Gully got killed. Maybe de time done come for de truf to be tol'. Hope won't no- body think hard o me for tellin': "* Mr. John Gully had a bar-room an* a olerk. de name- o' Bob Dabbs *walked b'hin' dat counter. A white man by Dis Nigger, Walter Riley, I was a-tellin' you 'bout awhile ago, were a-oourtin' a*yaller woman. (Dey warnt so many of em in dam days.) Mr. Dabbs say, "Walter, if I ever kotch you walkin wid (he called dat yaller woman's you de worst beatin' ever was." name) I'll give Walter were kotch wid *er ag'in. Irid'y night he come a-struttin' into de bar-room. he'p move dese boxes here in de nex' room." Dat Mr. Dabbs say, "Come Walker walked in lak a Nigger will when you ask im to do somethin', anf Mr. Dabbs tumt de key. crost dat goods box," he say. "Git "I'll give you what I promised you." Mr. Dabbs got 'im a piece o' plank an? burnt Walter up. " AH dis here were a-goin' on 'bout de time Niggers were avotin' an' doin' things 'roun' white folks. Dey thought dey were pertect- ed by de Chisolm crowd. " De nex* Frid'y night Walter walked right into dat bar#room ag'in. Mr. Dabbs say, "What you doin' here, Nigger?" member what you done to me tonight one week?" to it?" Walter say, "Tou A he say, "Well, what's Den Walter say, "Well, I oome to settle wid you." Mr. Dabbs say, "Let me see if I can't hurry you up some," an' he retch his han1 back *oJ.erked yellow cateh reached 10 ' 110 his hanf to his hip. to de door. But ffore he could*draw out, Walter done run back Day were a chinaberry tree close to de door an1 Walter got bfhinf it anf fired a pistol. Mr. Dabbs were hit wid his arm a-layinf 'crost de counter wid his pistol in his hanf "f Me an1 Mr. Bd ('cause he were de jailor), we put him on a mattress in de room back of de bar. An1 he died dat night. De word jusf kinda got frounf dat some of de Chisolm crowd done killed Mr. Gully1 s clerk* "f Walter run off to Memphis. f im to ketch fim. Mr* Gully were pursuin1 after Walter shof got tired of him pursuin1 after fim* were de evidence Walter give out Dat f fore dey put de rope on his neck an1 start him on his way to de gallows, but twant nobody dere to put it down jus1 lak it were* "f Mr. Sinclair were sheriff by dis time, an1 my young marster an* me went wid fim to git Walter to take fim to de gallows* say, "Ed, you goin1 to de jail-house now? Give it to Walter, make Vlieve it*" f Mr. Id say, Here's a haff pint of whiskey* im happy, den if he talk too much, nobody will w Come on, Sambo, go wid me." an1 got a hanfful of goobers anf put fem in his pocket. fem on de way down to de jail-house* sent you a dram." Mr* Sinclair He retched down We were eatinf He say, "Walter, Mr. Sinclair done Walter say, "Mr. McAllum, I see you an1 Sam eatin1 pea- nuts cominf along. Jus1 you give me a hanfful an1 Ifll eat dem on de way to de gallows. 1 don*t want no whiskey*" 111 Den us got on de wagon. (I can see Walter now, standin* dere wid his cap on de back of his head ready to pull down over his eyes after *draw his gun U Ill Dey were a pow'ful crowd frounf dat wagon* he git dere.) 199 Den come a rider from Scooba, pull a paper from his pocket, an1 han' it to Mr. Sinclair. to de gallows. He read it an1 say, "Let de people go on De wagon turn frounf anf go back to de jail." had stopped de hangin9 v til de case were f De Govfnor (De people stand in1 vest i gated. dere a-wait in1 for Walter to be hung didn9 know what were de matter,) 199 Dey placed Walter back in jail an1 his coffin flong wid fim. De lawyers would visit v lm to git his testimony. Deyvd show 9im his coffin all ready anf ask him did he do dis killin9 or not. to say he were hired to do it. Dey fixed it all up. Dey want fim Twant nobody to tell jus' how it were*9 ^1 were married by dis time to Laura. to Mr. 3\ H. Currie. She were de nurse maid She9s been dead twenty years, now. When de Curries come to Meridian to live, dey give me charge o9 dey plantation. de leader an* stayed an1 worked de plantation for Yem. in Meridian twelve years. I were Dey been livin1 Ifs married now to dey cook. "Mr. Hector tol9 me if Ifd come anf live wid 9em here, he9d gimme dis house here In de back yard an9 paint it an9 fix it* all up lak It9s mighty pleasant in de shade. you see it# Folks used to always set dey houses in a grove, but now dey cuts down more trees dan dey keeps. Us don9t cut no trees. TJs porches is always nice an9 shady. I se got fo9 boys livin9 w f One son were in de big strike in de automobile plant in Detroit an9 couldn9 come to see me las9 Chris9mus. He911 come to see me nex9 year if I9s still here* Maybe folks goin9 a-thimk hard o9 me for te|}ia9 what aint IS .112 never been tol* b*fore. I been asked to tell what I seen an* I done it. Dafs tellin' what I never thought to tell." 13 2 <)003 113 \ 241-Charlie Moses, Ex-slave, Lincoln County FEC Esther de Sola Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes CHARLIE MOSES Brookhaven, Mississippi Charlie Moses, 84 year old ex-slave, lives at Brookhaven. He possesses the eloquence and the abundant vocabulary of all Negro preachers* He is now confined to his bed because of the many ailments of old age. His weight appears to be about 140 pounds, height 6 feet 1 inch high* *Ihen I gits to thinkin9 back on them slavery days I feels like risin1 out o1 this here bed an1 tellinf ever9body 9bout the harsh treatment us colored folks was given when we was owned by poor quality folks* My marster was mean an* cruel* I hates him, hates him! God Almighty has condemned him to eternal fiah. The Of that I is certain* Even the cows and horses on his plantation was scared out o1 their minds when he come near fem* Oh Lordyt things he done to us poor Niggers* o* hie houn1 dogs* I can tell you plenty 9bout the We was treated no better than one Sometimes he didn9 treat us as good as he did them* I prays to the Lord not to let me see him when X die* He had the devil in his heart * ' His name was Jim Rankin an9 he lived out on a plantation over in Marion County* I was born an9 raised on his place* I spec X was 114 9 bout twelve year old at the time ov the war* "Old man Rankin worked us like animals* He had a right smart plantation an1 kep9 all his Niggers, *cept one house boy, out in the fiel9 a-workin9. Hefd say, f Niggers is meant to work* That's what I paid my good money for *em to do*f "He had two daughters an9 two sons* all the work in the house to do, to help 9em out* Them an9 his poor wife had 9 cause he wouldn9 waste no Nigger His family was as scared oY him as we was* lived all their lives under his whip* No Sir I No Sir* They There warnt no meaner man in the world than old man Jim Rankin* "My pappy was Alien Rankin an9 my mammy was Ca*line. was twelve o9 us chillun, nine boys an9 three girls* There My pa was born in Mississippi an9 sol1 to Marster Rankin when he was a young man. My mammy was married in South Carolina an9 sol9 to Marster Rankin over at Columbia* She had to leave her family* But she warnt long in gittin9 her another man* "Oh Lordyl The way us Niggers was treated was awful* would beat, knock, kick* kill* We was worked to death* Marster He done ever1 thing he could 9oept eat us* We worked all Sunday, all day. all night* whipped us 9til some jus9 lay down to die. It was a poor life. it aint right to have hate in the heart, but, God Almighty I to be forgivin* when I think of old man Rankin* He I knows It9s hard 115 "If one ov his Niggers done something to displease him, which was moe9 ever1 day, hefd whip him ftil hefd mos9 die anf then he9d kick him froun in the dust. Hefd even take his gun an9, before the Nigger had time to open his mouth, herd jusf stan9 there anf shoot him down* *We*d git up at dawn to go to the fiel9s* We9d take our pails of grub with us an* hang fem up in a row by the fence* pork anf beef an9 greens to eat* We had meal an1 That was mos'ly what we had* Many a time when noontime come an9 we9d go to eat our vittals the marster would come a-walkin9 through the fiel with ten or twelve o9 his houn9 dogs. If he looked in the pails an9 was displeased with what he seen in 9em, he took 9em an9 dumped 9em out before our very eyes an9 let the dogs grab it up* We didn9 git nothin9 to eat then %il we come home late in the evenin9* left an9 eat After he left we9d pick up pieces of the grub that the dogs 9 em. Hongry - hongry - we was so hongryi "We had our separate cabins an9 at sunset all of us would go in an9 shut the door an9 pray the Lord Marster Jim didn9 call us out* *We never had much clothes 9ceptin9 *hat was give us by the marster or the mistis* nough to eat* Winter time we never had 9nough to wear nor We wore homespun all the time* The marster didn9 think we needed anything, but jus9 a little* "We didn9 go to church, but Sundays we9d gather 9roun9 an9 listen to the mistis read a little out o9 the Bible* The marster said we didn9 need no religion an9 he finally stopped her from readin9 to us* "Ken the war come Marster was a captain of a regiment* away an9 stayed a year* He went When he come back he was even meaner than before* liG "When he come home from the war he stayed for two weeks. The f fore he was a-*fixin9 to leave to go back he come out on his night He was a-standin9 leanin9 up agfinf front porch to smoke his pipe. a railin9 when somebody sneaked up in the darkness an9 shot him three times. Oh my Lordl done it. He died the nexf morninf. He never knowed who I was glad they shot him down. "Sometimes the cavalry would come an* stay at the house an* the misti8 would have to f tend to iem an1 see that they got plenty to eat an9 fresh horses. "I never seen no fightin9. war was over. "I don9t I stayed on the plantation ftil the I didn9 see none of the fightin9. 9 member nothin* man that set us free. 9 bout Jefferson Davis. Lincoln was the He was a big general in the war. *I fmember a song we sung, then. It went kinda like this: Free at las9, Free at las9? Thank God Almighty 1*8 free at las9. Mnnnnrcn, nmunmrc? yiraiuwftni.f "I only seen the Klu Klux Klan onct. streets here in Brookhaven. They was a-paffe&n* the They had a Nigger that they was a-goin9 to tar an9 feather. "When the mistis tol9 us we was free (my pappy was already dead, then) my mammy packed us chillun up to move. wagon to Covington, Louisiana^ a year. We travelled on a cotton We all worked on a farm there 'bout Then all 9cept me moved to Mandeville, Louisiana an9 worked on a farm there. I hired out to Itr. Charlie Duson, a baker. Then we moved to a farm above Baton Rouge, Louisiana an9 worked for Mr. Abe 117 Manning* We jus* travelled all over from one place to another* "Then I got a letter from a frien9 o1 mine in Gainesville, Mississippi* He had a job for me on a boat,hsulin9 lumber up the coast to Bay St* Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, an1 all them coast towns* I worked out o9 Gainesville on this boat for 9bout two year. I lost track o9 my family then an* never seen fem no more* "In the year 1870 I got the call from the Lord to go out an* preach* I left Gainesville an1 travelled to Summit, Mississippi where another frienf of mine lived* I preached the words o9 the Lord an1 travelled from one place to another* In 1873 I got married an1 decided to settle in Brookhaven. preached an* all my flock believed in me* two on each side of it* Lord* I I bought up this house an* the Here I raised seven chillun in the way o9 the They is all in different parts o9 the country now* but I sees one of *em ever* now an9 then* Las* April the Lord seen fit to put me a-bed an9 I been ailin1 with misery ever since* "The young folks now-a-days are happy an* don*t know 9bout ^r an* slavery times, but I does* They don9t know nothin1 an1 donft make the mark in the worlf that the old folks did* roads In Mississippi* plantation* Old people made the first The Niggers today wouldn* know how to act on a But they are happy. We was miserable* "Slavery days was bitter anf I can*t forgit the sufferin*. God! I hates 'em, hates 'em. to be like animals* God Almighty never meant for human beings Us Niggers has a soul an1 a heart an9 a min9* aint like a dog or a horse* We If all marsters had been good like some, the slaves would all a-been happy* been allowed to own Niggers* Oh, But marsters like mine ought never 118 *I didn9 spec nothinf out o* freedom vceptin* peace an9 happiness an9 the right to go my way as I pleased* I prays to the Lord for us to be free, always* "That's the way God Almighty wants it*19 aaooio 119 241-Henri Neoaise, Jtix-Slave, Pearl River County FEC Mrs. C. S. Wells Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara Stokes HENRI NECAISJ Nicholson, Mississippi Henri Necaise, ex-slave, 105 years old, lives a half-mile south of Nicholson on US U* cabin enclosed by a fence* of land* pounds. Uncle Henri lives in a small plank He owns his cabin and a small piece fie is about five feet ten inches tall and weighs 120 His sight and hearing are very good* "I was born in Harrison Countyf 19 miles from Pass Christian, 9 long de ridge road from de swamp near Wolf River* Ity Marster was De Mistis9 name was Popone* Us was all French* My father was a white man, Anatole Necaise* I knowed he was my Ursan Ladnier* father, * cause he used to call me to him an9 tell me I was his oldes9 son* "I never knowed my mother. 1 was a slave an1 my mother was sol9 from me an9 her other chilluns* Dey tol9 me when dey sol9 9er my sister was a-holdin9 me in her arms* She was standin9 behin* de Big House peek in1 v I seen her go, too* Dey tell me I used to go to de gate a-hunt in1 for ray mammy* roun9 de corner an' seen de las9 o9 her mother* I used to sleep wid my sister after dat. 120 "Jus1 lemme study a little, an1 I111 tell you 9bout de Big House* De floors was made o9 clay parts. den* It was 9bout 60 feet long, built ov hewed logs, in two dey didn1 have lumber for floors Us lived right close to de Big House in a cabin* To tell de truf, de fac9 o9 de business is, my Marster took care ov me better1n I can take care o9 myse9f now* "When us was slaves Marster tell us what to do. Henri, do dis, do dat.9 An9 us done it* He say, Den us didn1 have to think whar de nex9 meal comin9 from, or de nex9 pair o9 shoes or pants* De grub an9 clo9es give us was better9n I ever gits now* 99 Lemme think an1 count. slaves* My Marster didn9 have a lot o9 Dere was one, two, three, fo9, yes9m, jus9 fo1 o9 us slaves* I was de stockholder* 1 tended de sheep an1 cows an9 such lak* Marster didn9 raise no big crops, jus9 corn an9 garden stuff* had a heap o9 cattle* so could de sheeps* My He Dey could run out in de big woods den, an* He sol9 cattle to *Nfawlins an9 Mobile, where he could git de bee9 price* Dat9s de way folks does now, aint it? Dey sells wherever dey can git de mos9 money* "Dey didn9 give me money, but, you see, I was a slave* Dey sho9 give me ever1 thing else 1 need, clofes an9 shoes* had a-plenty t9eat, better*n I can git now* 1 was a slave dan I is now, den* I always 1 was better off when f cause I had ever9thing furnished me Now I got to do it all myse'f* *lfy Marster was a Catholic* One thing I can thank dem godly white folks for, dey raise9 me right* *New Orleans Dey taught me out o9 121 God*s word, f Our Father which art in Heaven.* Ever*body ought-a know dat prayer." (Note. In this Wolf River territory in Harrison County, where Uncle Henri was born and raised, all the settlers were French Catholics, and it was the scene of early Catholic missions*) "I was rais* a Catholic, but when I come here twant no church an* I joined de Baptis* an1 was baptised. folks lejnme go to dey church. so*s I can go. Now de white Dey aint no cullud church near fnough I spec1 its all right* I figgers dat God is ever*- where. "My Mistis knowed how to read an6 write. bout de Marster* in dem days. He could keep sto9 anyway. I don* know Us all spoke French I near 'bout forgit all de songs us used to sing. Dey was all in French anyway, an* when you don* speak no French for bout 60 years, you jus* forgit it* "Ifse knowed slaves to run away, an* I*se seen fem whupped* 1 seen good mar stars an4 mean ones* mean ones* Dey was good slaves an* But to tell de truf, if dey tol* a slave to do anything, den he jus9 better do it* "I was big 'nough in de Civil War to drive five yoke 0* steers to Mobile an* git grub to feed de wimmins an* Chilians. o* de mens was a-fight in* an9 some was a~runnin' an1 hidin1. a slave an* I had to do what dey tol* me* Some 1 was I carried grub into de swamp to men, but I never knowed what dey was a-hidin* from." (This may be explained by the fact that Uncle Henri was 122 owned by and lived in a settlement of French People* Many of whom probably had no convictions or feeling of loyalty, one way or the other| during the War Between the States*) "My old Marster had fov sons, an* de younges9 one went to de war an* was killed* "De Yankees come to Pass Christian, I was dere, an9 seen 9 em* Dey come up de river an9 tore up things as dey went along* "I was 31 years old when I was set free* tell us bout bein9 free* My Marster didn9 De way I foun9 it out, he started to whup me once an9 de young Marster up an9 says, right to whup him now* hefs free*9 f Tou aint got no Den Marster turnt me loose* "It was dem Carpetbaggers dat 9stroyed de country* Dey went an9 turned us loose, jus9 lak a pass el o9 cattle, an1 didn9 show us nothin9 or giv9 us nothin9* Dey was acres an9 acres o9 Ian1 not in use, an4 lots o9 timber in die country* Dey should~a give each one o9 us a little farm an9 let us git out timber an9 build houses* Dey ought to put a white Marster over us, to show us an9 make us work9.only let us be free 9stead o9 slaves* I think dat would-a been better 9n turnin9 us loose lak dey done* "I lef9 my Marster an* went over to de Jordon River, anf dere I stayed an9 worked* I saved my money an9 dat giv9 me a start* I nevw touched it 'til de year was winded up* To tell de truf, de fac9s o9 de matter is, it was my Mar stars kinfolks I was work in1 for. "I bought me a schooner wid dat money an9 carried char* 123 coal to Nfawlins* I done dis for 'bout two years an9 den I los9 my schooner in a storm off o9 Bay St* Louis* "After I los9 my schooner, I come here an9 got married* Dis was in 1875 cm9 I was 43 years old* marry* I9se got dat same wife today* Dat was my firs9 time to She was born a slave, too* I didn9 have no chillun, but my wife did* She had one gal-ehil9* She lives at Westonia an9 is de mammy o9 ten chillun* She done better9n us done* I9se got a lot o9 grari-chillun* call de nex9 den? Lemme see, great gratiiehillun, dat18 it* What does you "I never did b9lieve in no ghos9 an9 hoodoos an9 charms* "I never did look for to git nothin9 after I was free* I had dat in my head to git me 80 acres o9 Ian9 an9 homestead it* As for de gov9meitt making me a present o9 anything, I never thought 9 bout it* But jus9 now X needs it* *I did git me dis little farm, 40 acres, but I bought it an9 paid for it myse9f* I got de money by workin9 for it* When I come to dis country I dug wells an9 built chimneys an9 houses* (Once I dug a well 27 feet anf come to a coal bed* de coal an1 foun' water* I went through Oat was on de Jordon River*) chimney an9 dis here house has been built $2 years* in 9em* Bey9s mine* an9 a churehhouse* Ifs still livin9 One acre, I giv9 to de Lawd for a graveyard I wants to be buried dere myse9f "A white lady paid my taxes dis year* an9 gits de Old Age Bat clay f Si stance. I raises a garden It aint ,nough to buy grub an9 clones for me an9 de old woman an9 pay taxes, so us jus9 has to git 9long 124 de bes9 us can wid de white folks he9p* "It aint none o9 my business 9bout whether de Niggers is better off free dan slaves* ter off den* I dont know 9cept 'bout me, I was bet* I did earn money after I was free, but after all, you know money is de root o9 all^eyil* Dat what de Good Book say. When I was a slave I only had to obey my Mar star an9 he furnish me ever9 thing* One a in a while he would whup me, but what was dat 7 You can't raise nary chile, white or black, widout chastisin9. De law didn* low dam to dominize over us, an9 dey didn9 try* "I9* gittin9 mighty old now, but I used to be pretty spry. I used to go 60 miles out on de Gulf 0* Mexico, as Herpreter on dam big ships dat come from France. Dat was 'fore I done forgot my French talk what I was raised to speak* "Be white folks is mighty good to me. De riches9 man in Picayune, he recognizes me an9 gives me two bits or fof bits* sho9 has plenty o9 good frien's* I If I gits out o9 grub, I catches me a ride to town, an9 I comes back wid de grub* "De good Lawd, he don9t forgit me*91 |V, * r* Mississippi Federal Writers ^ Slave Autobiographies ""My name's James Singleton. I'se a Baptist preacher. was born in 1&56, but I doan -know zactly what date* Harr'et Thompson. I My mammy was Her marster was Marse Daniel Thompson over in Simpson County on Strong River at a place called Westville* My pappy, he come frum South Ca'lina - Charleston - an' was give to de old folks' darter* His name was John Black an' he was owned by Mr. Frank Smith over in Simpson. He was brought dowq^ frum South Ca'lina in a wagon 'long wid lots mo'* "Me, I was sol* to Marse Harrison Hogg over in Simpson when I was 'bout six years old, and Marse Hogg, he turn right 'roun1, and sol' me an' sister Harr'et an* brother John nexf day for fo' thousan* Two thousan' fo' John, 'cause he's older an' bigger, an* a thousan' fo' Harr'et an' me. Miss Annie an' Marse Elbert Bell bought us* "Marse Elbert had three mo' 'sides us - mekin' six* Us slep' on pallets on de flo', an' all lived in one long room made out of logs, an' had a dirt flo' an' dirt chimbly* There was a big old iron pot hangin1 over de hearth, an' us had 'possum, greens, taters, and de lak cooked in it* Had coon sometimes, too* "Marse Elbert, he lived in jes a plain wood house made Ualifo'nia style, wid a front room an' a shed room where de boys slep'* Dey had two boys, Jettie an' William* "I reckin dere was 'bout a hun'erd an* sixty acres planted in taters an' corn, an' dey made whiskey too* Yessum, dey had a 'stillery il) hid down in de woods where dey made it* (1) distillery 126 *My mammy anf pappy was fialf hanfa, anf I was mighty litlie to do so much. I jes minded da cow pen, made fires in da Big House, an9 ewep9 da house. Whan I made da fires, if fan dara wafnt any live coals lef9, we had to use a flint rock to git it sta'ted. *Dere was a ball ringin9 every mornin9 f bout fof far to call de slaves tar git up anf go to da fiel9e* v til sundown. 9 clock ., Day wuked Day was fed in de white folks' kitchen, and Cook cooked far ua jes lak she done fer de whites* Da kitchen was built off a piece frum de hous1, y9know* *Marse never did whup any of us lifl chullun. Hiss Annie, she tried onca to whup ske cause I ohuuked rocka at her li'l chickens, but mighty little whuppin9 she dona* Dara wa9nt no 0V9TBe*r H Chris,mas time, we had two or three days to play, an9 had extry food* -I seen 9pattyro11ere1 ridin9 runnin9 9 roun9 widout passes* f bout to keep da darkies frum I never seen fem whup none but day tol9 ua we9d git twenVy*nine licks iffen wa got caught by 9em* I aaan darkies git whuppin9a on other plantations - whup 9em half a degr sometimes, gen9ly when day triad to run away. "We didn* have no dancia9 dat X fmember, but had plan*y lag rolli 9e* Bed fiddlin9! an9 all would jiae in aingin9 songs, lak, m Rm sii#g]*r zm$ fNatlyrellars ketci* you, run nigger run, it9a break! 9 days.* I still fiddle dat chune (1)V Wall, you see, day Jea rolled up 127 all da old dead logs an9 trees in a big pile, and burned it at night* "I seen de Yankee sojers when dey passed our house but day didn9 bother us none* None didn9 even stop'in* Dey was wearinV blue jackets an9 had gold buttons on caps an9 jackets* But when de Confed9rate sojers come along* dey stopped an9 killed a fat cow er two, an9 taken de fat hoss anf lef9 a lean one, an9 taken ever1thing else dey seen dey wanted* "No1!**, didn9 none of de slaves run off wid dem dat I knows of, anf de Yankees didn9 try to bother us none* Well, afte9 de War, Marse Elbert tol9 us dat we was free now, an9 pappy come an9 got us an* taken us to live wid de cook on lir* Elisha Bishop9s place* an9 he paid Mr* Barren Bishop to teach us* He taught us out of Webster9s Blue Back Spellin1 Book* "My pappy, he had a stolen education - vat was cause his mistress back in South Ca*Line hoped him to learn to reed an9 write 9 fo he lef9 there* You see, in dem days, it was ag'inst de law fer slaves to read* K I was glad to be free whuppiri9 peoples is right* 9 causa I don't b9lieve sell in1 an9 I certainly does think religion is a good thing, 'cause I9se a Baptist preacher right now* and I live * bout six miles from Grystal Springs* I farm too. aao(;<;4 12a 241-Berry Smith, Ex-slave, Scott County FEC W.B. Allison Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes BERRY SMITH Forest, Mississippi "Uncle Berry* Staith is five feet two or three inches tall. He is scrupulously neat* He is very independent for his age, which rv is calculated at one hundred and eixteeri years figure to be correct. He believes the His mind is amazingly clear. W I was born an1 bred JLn Sumpter County, Alabama, in de prairie lanf, six miles from Gainesville. Cat's where I hauled cotton. It was close to Livingston, Alabama, where we lived. "I was twelve years old when de stars fell. in de night an' dey lighted up de whole earth. Dey fell late All de chaps was a-runnin ? 'rotm' grabbin1 for fem, but none of us ever *kotched one. wonder some of fem dldn' hit us, but dey didnf. It's a Dey never hit de groun' stall. "When day runned de Injuns out de country, me anv another chap kotched one ov dem Injun's ponies an *hung him up in de grape vines. He said it was his pony an* I said it was mine. "Marse Bob's boy tol' us his daddy was gwine a~whup us for stealin' dat pony, so we hid out in de cane for two nights. Marse Bob an' his brother whupped us 'til we didn' want to see no more Injuns or caught *ti*aMiiip 129 day ponies, neither* "I was born a slave to Old Marse Jim Earper an1 I fell to Marse Bob* Marse Jim bought my pa anv ma from a man by de name of Smith, anf Ba kepf de name. Datfs how come I is Berry Smith. "Dey didnf have no schools for us anf nothinf but work* got. didn* teach us De bull-whip an1 de paddle was all de teachin1 we De white preachers used to preach to de Niggers sometimes in de white folks1 church, but I didn1 go much. 7 "We had fun in dem days in spite of everything. De pranks Sometimes we tied ropes fcrost we used to play on dem paterollers! de bridge anf de paterollersfd hit it an1 go in de creek. :..\ Maybe we'd be fiddlin1 anf dancin1 on de bridge (dat was de grown folks, but de chaps fud come, too) anf deyfd say, we'd put out* f Here come de paterollers!f Den If we could git to de marster's house, we was all right. Marse Bob wouldn1 let no pateroller come on his place. wouldn1, neither. Marse Alf Dey said it was all right if we could git home wid- out beinY kotched, but we have to take dat chance. "At de Big House dey had spianin1 wheels anf a loom. made all de *clo'es on de place* Dey Homespun was flhat dey called de goods. My ma used to spin anf weave in de loom room at de Big House. "Dey was two plantations in de marsterfs lanf an1 dey worked a heap of Niggers* I was a house boy anf didnf go to de f ielf much. "We had overseers on de place, but dey was jusf hired men. Dey was pof white folks an1 only got paid 'bout three or fof hundred dollars a year. clothes 2 130 When we leff Alabama we come to Mississippi. place near Gerlandsville. We went to de Denham We brought eighteen Niggers* a hund9ed miles an* it took five days an1 nights. We walked De women an1 little chaps *rid on de wagons (dsy had five mules to de wagon) an1 de men an1 de big chaps walked* My pa an9 ma come along* "We stayed on de Denham place 9bout three years. moved to Homewood anf stayed five years* Den we I hung de boards for Marse Bob1 s house in Homewood* "Den we come to Forest* all my brothers anf sisters* two I 'members. owned us. Dey brought all de famfly over here - Dey was five of fem - Wash anf East is de All o9 us bflonged to de Harper fam'ly. Marse Bob My ma an9 pa both died here in jforest* "I he9pad to build dis house for Marse Bob* Ian9 an9 lef9 de trees where he tol9 me. I cleaned de He lived in a little old shack whilst we built de Big House. "Mr. M.D. Graham put up de firs9 store here an9 de secon9 was put up by my marster* "I worked in de fiel9 some, but mosfly I was a house servant* I used to go all over de country a-huntin9 eggs an9 chickens for de fam9ly on 9count dey was so much company at de house. "A heap of white folks was good to dey Niggers, jus9 as good as dey could be, but a heap of f em was mean, too* to us an9 so was Marse Jim Harper. My mist is was good He wouldn9 let de boy* 9buse us while he lived, but when he died dey was wild an9 cruel. taskmasters. rode D *y was hard We was fed good three times a day, but we was whupped too 3 131 much. Dat got me. I couldn9 stan' it* De old marster give us good dinners at Chris fmus, but de young ones stopped all dat* "De firsf train I ever seen was in Brandon* to carry some horses for my marster* gine. I went dere It shof was a fine lookin1 en- I was lookin1 at it out of a upstairs window anf when it whistl- ed I'd a-jumped out dat window if Captain Harper hadnf a-grabbed me* "I didn1 see no fightin1 in de war* When Genfl Sherman come Marse Bob didn1 go o de war. th'ough here, he come by Hillsboro. He *flisted, but he come right back anf went to gittin1 out cross ties for de railroad* He wamt no sojer* Colonel Harper, dat was Marse Alf, he was de sojer. He warnt scared of nothin1 or nobody* "De Yankees ask me to go to de war, but I tolf f em, f I aint no rabbit to live in de woods* JBy marster gives me three good meals a day an1 a good house anv I aint a-goln9*9 fine an1 he was good to us* Marse Bob used to feed us He wouldn* let no overseer touch his Niggers, but he whupped us, hisseff* "Den de Yankees tol9 me I was free, same as dey was. I come an1 tolf Marse Bob I was a-goin* * He say, Nigger, you gwiae a-git whupped*f So I run away an1 hid out in de woods. De nex1 day I went to Meridian* f If you donrt go to work, I cooked for de sojers two months, den I come back to Forest anf worked spikin1 ties for de railroad. "I hearfd a heap of talk fbout Jeff Davis an1 Abe Lincoln, but didn1 know nothin* fbout fesu We hearfd fbout de Yankees fijgfctin* to free us, but we didnf b'lieve it ftil we hearfd fbout de fight in1 at Vioksburg. enlisted 4 132 "I voted de f publican ticket after de surrender, but I didnf bother wid no politics* I didn1 want none of fem* "De *ELoo Kluxers was bad up above here, but I never seen any. I haarfd tell of fem whuppin' folks, but I donft know nothin1 fbout it, much* "Bfos1 all de Niggers dat had good owners stayed wid fem, but de others lef1* Some of fem come back an1 some didn1* "I hearfd a heap of talk fbout ever1 Nigger gittin forty Dey had us fooled up fbout it, but I never seen no- acres an* a mule* body git nothin V. "I hope dey wonft He no more war in my time* turrible. Dat one was Dey can all go dat wants to, but I aint a-goinf n I seen Genfl Grant at Vieksburg after de war. little short man,) f em. (He was a All de Niggers went dere for some thin1 - me fmongst I don't know what we went for* "I took to steamboatin1 at Vicksburg f cause I could *cut cotton so good. (I could cut cotton now wid a cotton hook if I warnt so oldi) *I steamboated % rixt New Orleans anf St. Louis on de fCommonwealth,1 a freight packet, way up yondey in St. Louis. what country dat was in* I donft know But de roust ers had a big fight one night in New Orleans, shootin1 an1 cuttin1, so I lef1* When I got back to Yieksburg, I quit. *I picked cotton in de Delta awhile, but de folks, i&ite an* black, is too hard* Dey donft care 'bout nothin 1 *Eu Ktafs place for storage or shipment I was in Greenville 133 when de water come. Niggers, f I hear'd a noise like de wind anf I asked dem Is dat a storm?1 Dgy said, f No, datfs de river comin1 th ough anf you better come back ffore de water *ketch you.1 f If it ketch me it gwine a-ketch me on my way home.1 I say, I aint been back since. "Den I come back here an1 went to farmin1 anf I been here I bought forty-seven acres an1 a nice little house. ever since. house burnt down, but de white folks built me a better one. good anf kinf to me. Marse Alf, but we was free when we married. Mos1 of fem lives frounf here. She bf longed to We had sixteen chillun. Some in Newton, some in Scott, anf My wife died two years ago las1 March. "Marse Bob died right here in dis here house. pof man. Deyfs Dey say I*s a good man. *Wy wife was six year old at de surrender. some in Texas. De He died a If my old mist is had a-been here she wouldn1 a-let fem treat him like dey done. If Ifd a-been here I wouldn1 a-let fem done like dat, neither. "I been arlivin* by myse'f since my wife died. 14y son, Oscar, lives on de lanf anf rents it from me. "I dohft know whatfs gwine a-happen to de young folks nowa-days. Dey know better, but deyfs wild an* donft care fbout nothin1 I aint got no time to fool wid f nu Looks like dey don't care fbout workin1 at nothin1. "I been a-workinf all my life, anf Ifse seen good times an* bad times. *cateh Ifs gwine out now soon*0 I git my I loves to work yet. 6 134.. dinner an1 hefp finish pickin1 dat patch of cotton. I can pick two hund'ed pounds a day anv I's one hund'ed anT sixteen year old. picks wid both han's anf donft have to stoop much. never ache me atall. My back donft My mammy teached me to pick cotton. a pole to me if I didnf do it right. I She took I been a-pickin ever since. Ifd ruther pick cotton dan eat, any day. "But Ifse seen enough. meet all my folks in Heaven. Ifs jus1 a-waitinf for de call to Deyfs a better place dan dis an1 Ifs a-tryinf to treat ever1 body right sofs I can git to go to it. *Ifs listenin1 hard for dat call an1 I long a-comin1." LAOW it wonft be 2.'io:/0tt - .105 241-Susan Snow, Ex-slave, Lauderdale County PEC W. B. Allison Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara 2. Stokes SUSAN SNOW Meridian, Mississippi n Aunt Sue* Snow, a rather small and profusely wrinkled 87-year-old ex-slave, lives in the Negro quarters of the South Side in Meridian* In spite of her wild escapades, her reputation for honesty and reliability is high and she carries and exhibits with pride numerous letters attesting that fact# She often finds it necessary to stand and act the story she is telling. Her memory is amazing and she turns with equal readi- ness to copious quotations from the Scripture and other pious observetions to amusing but wholly unprintable anecdotes of her somewhat lurid past* "I was born in Wilcox County, Alabama, in 1850. was my old marster. W.J. Snow He bought my ma from a man named Jerry Casey. Venus was her name, but day mosfly called her Y7enie#9 *Ifs workin1 now for one of my old folks. much - jusT carries things to fer anf such. I can't work She's my old mist is1 own daughter anY shefs got granfchillun grown an1 married. All de chillun datfs livin1 is olderfn me# "When her pa bought my mammy, I was a baby. Her pa owned 136 a heap of Niggers. Ifs de only one still hanginf arounf. ff My ma was a black African an' she sho' was wild an1 mean* She was so mean to me l couldn' b'lieve she was my mammy. whup her widout tyin' her up firs'. Dey couldn1 Sometimes my marster would wait f til de nex' day to git somebody to hefp tie her up, den hefd forgit to whup fer. of fer. Dey used to say she was a cunger an* dey was all scared But my ma was scared of cungers, too. "All de Niggers on de place was born in de famfly anf was kin fcept my ma. She tol' me how dey brought her from Africa. You know, like we say 'President1 in dis country, well dey call him 'Chief1 in Africa. Seem like de Chief made 'rangements wid some men an' dey had a big goober grabbin' for de young folks. Dey stole my ma an' some more an' brung 'em to dis country. "I don't 'member nothin' 'bout havin' no pa* You know, honey, in dem days husbands an' wives didn' b'long to de same folks. My ma say her husband was so mean dat after us lef' Alabama she didn' want to marry no more. "A man didn' git to see his wife 'cept twict a week. Dat was Wednesday an' Satu'd'y night. "De women had to walk a chalk line. I never hear'd tell o' wives xwinin1 'roun' wid other men in dem days. "I was raised in Jasper County. Marster bought Ian' from ever'body *roun' 'til he had a big plantation. mules, cows, hogs, an' chickens. He had Niggers, horses, He was a rich man, den* *Sver' Nigger had a house o' his own. V& xaa never would 137 have no board floor like de res1 of only dirt. f eta, on f count she was a African - (Dey say she was 108 year old when she died,) "Us went to church wid de white folks if us wanted to* Dey didnf make us. I didn' go much, 'cause I didn1 have 'ligion, den. Us didnf have no schoolin*. Us could go to school wid de white chillun if us wanted to, but didn1 nobody teach us* Ifs educated, but I aint Ifs educated by de licks anf bumps I got. educated in de books. "Kjy white folks was good people an1 didn1 whrfj) nobody, dey needed it. Some of de Niggers was siho1 f nough bad. take de marsterfs horses out at night anf ride fem down. f less Dey used to One Nigger, Sam, got dat mad at a mule for grabbin1 at cotton he cut his tongue out. Course, Marster whupped him, but when he went to look for fim fbout a hour after, he foun* f im sounf asleep. Said he ought to kill fim, but he didn1. "When we was sick dey had a doctor for us jus1 like dey done for deysefves. Dey called fim in to fscribe for us. bit when I was eight year bid. I was snake- Dey used to be a medicine named flobelia.1 De doctor give me dat anf whiskey. My ma carried me up to de Big House ever1 momin1 an1 leff me, an1 carried me home at night. .Old Misf f ud watch over me in de day time. n Uy young marster tolf me dat when I got to be ten year old, Ifd have a snake coiled up on my liver. Dat scared me mosf to death f til I was past ten year old. *Dey made all de Niggers9 *olof es on de place. dey called it* clothes Homespun, Dey had spinnin1 wheels anf cards anf loons at de Big 3 138 House. All de women spinned in de winter time* "I never knowed what it was to wear more dan one garment, A f til I was mosf grown. I never had a pair of shoes of my own. Mis1 let me wear hej?fn sometimes. Old Dey had shoes for de old folks, but not for de chillun* "I got morewhuppin's dan any other Nigger on de place, f cause I was mean like my mammy. wid white anf black* Always a-fightinf an* scratchin1 I was so bad Marster made me go look at de Niggers dey hung to see what dey done to a Nigger dat harm a white man* "Vs gwine tell dis story on myseff* De white chillun was a~singinf dis song: Jeff Davis, long anf slim, Whupped old Abe wid a hickory limb. Jeff Davis is a wise man, Lincoln is a fool, Jeff Davis rides a gray, an1 Lincoln rides a mule f 1 was mad anyway, so I hopped up anf sting dis one: f 01d Genfl Pope had a shot gun, Filled it full of gum, Killed fem as dey come* Called a Union band, Make de Rebels unferstanf To leave de Ian1, Submit to Abraham*v "Old Mis1 was a-standinf right bfhinf me. de broom anf laid it on me* She made me submit. She grabbed up I caught de feathers, donft you forgit it* "I didnf know it was wrong. Ifd hearfd de Niggers sing it an1 I didn1 know dey was a-singinf in dey sleeves* thin1 f I didnf know no- bout Abe Lincoln, but I hearfd he was a-tryinf to free de Niggers 139 anv my mammy say she want to be free. *De young folks used to make up a heap of songs, den# Deyfd ^decompose dey own songs an1 sing fem. one song dey sung when dey buried anybody. Mistis, an1 all of f em cry. I never will forgit It made Old Marster, Us chillun cried, too* It went like dis: f My mother prayed in de wilderness, In de wilderness, In de wilderness. My mother prayed in de wilderness. Anf den Ifm a-goinf home. Chorus Den Ifm a~goinf home, Den Ifm a-goinf home. Wefll all make ready, Lawd, Aaf den Fm a-goinfhome. She plead her cause in de wilderness, In de wilderness, In de wilderness. She plead her cause in de wilderness. Anf den Ifm a~goinf home.1 (Repeat chorus) "Old Aunt Hannah fell to my marster from his daddy. had twelve chillun a-workinf on de place. an1 de littlest was named Eve. Rachel an1 Leah. She De oldes1 was named Adam She had two twins what was named Dey nussed my mistis1 two twins. Dey kepf one a- nussin1 mos* all de time. "IBy ma was de cause of my marster a-firinf all de overseers. (Dey blamed ever1 thing on her fcause she was de only bought Niggert) Marster say she was a valuable Nigger, but she was so mean he was afraid deyfd kill her. compose He ssifr, 5 f She111 work widout no watchin' an' 140 overseers aint nothin9, nohow.f "Dey was a white man - I aint lyinf - I know him anf I He had Nigger hounfs an1 he made money a-huntin' runaway seen him. Niggers. His own Niggers kilt fim. Dey hung fem for it* Two was his Niggers an* one bYlong to somebody else. "My young marster used to work in de f iel' wid us. boss de Niggers. Hefd Dey called fim Bad, but us all called fim fBabe.f Honey, I sho' did love dat boy. "When de war come dey used to tease him an* say, don't you go to de war?1 f Bud, why Dey laughed anf teased 'im when he went. But twant no laughin1 when he come home on a furlough an1 went back. Dey was cry in' den. An1 well dey *mought cry, 'cause he never come # back no more'. He was kilt in de war. "Itodurin' de war, de white folks made dey clo'es same as de Niggers. Old Misf made dye an' dyed de thread. She made pretty cloth. "M&r ma was de firs' to leave de plantation after de surrender. All de other Niggers had a contrac' to stay, but she didn'. to Newton County an' hired out. nohow. She went She never wanted to stay in one place, If she had a crop ha'f made an' somebody made her mad, she'd up an' leave it an' go some'r's else* "You know, dey was mighty strict, 'bout den, wid cullud folks, an' white people, too. De ICLoo Kluxes was out nights. bout 'em whuppin' people. I hear'd tell But dey never bothered me. *Dey was speakers gtfine aroun', tellin1 de Niggers what dey was gwine a-git. might Dey never got nothin' to my knowledge, f cept de 141 gov'ment let f em homestead lanT. My ma homesteaded a place close to Enterprise, Scott County, but she got mad an1 leff it like she always done* "She was a-gittinf long in years afore she got fligion. (She was good to me after dat.) but she used to pray, Thy name* f Our Father, which are in Heaven; Hallowed be Thy mercy, Lawd, Youfve showed to others; That merey show Amen.f to me* She couldn1 learn de Lawdfs Prayer, She went to res1 in it, too* "I went to Enterprise, den to Meridian, nussin* (wet-nussinf when I could) anf workin1 out. could hefp it* I never worked in de fielf, if I (Old Mis* hired me out as a nuss firs1 when I was eight year old.-) "When I come to Meridian, I cut loose. Ifs a woman, but Ifs a prodigal. Ifs tellin1 de truft I used to ba a old drunkard* My white folks kepf tellinf me if I got locked up one more time dey wouldnf pay my fine* But dey done it ag*in an1 agfin. "De Niggers called me fDevil.1 f ligion. I warnt baptized 'til 1887* I tolf it to a white lady an' she say, you.1 Den I foun1 peace. I had a vision, f Susie, dat's 'ligion a-callinf (But you know, honey, white folkd1 fligion* I was a devil ftil I got f ligion aint like Niggers1 I know a woman dat couldn1 'member de Lawd's Frayer, an1 she got fligion out of prayinf, f January, February, March I. j de church ftil 1891, after I had a secon1 vision* standin? now. I done put all my badness bfhinf me, I even got dat under more control* I didnf join Ifs a member in good f cept my temper* 142 "I didnf used to be scared of cunjers. cause I had it done to me. I want to bed well an1 healthy an1 de nex' iTiorninf I couldn' git up atall. man done it. I's scared now, Ifs tellin de truf. A cullud He was a crippled man, an' mean as he could be* good to him, too. I was He tolf me fbout it, hisseff: "' He went to de graveyard an1 got some o' de meanes1 dirt he could fin'(I donft laiow how he knowed which was de meanes1 grave) an1 put it under my doorsill.1 He shof fix1 me, he done it to me anf I been so good to him. I ask him how come He smile kinda tickle- lak an1 say, *It's a good thing you was good to me, 'cause, if you hadn1 a-been you'd a-been dead an1 in yof grave by now,1 "I aint got nary soul what's kin to me dat I knows of, I donft want none of 'em cominf to me now an1 a-sayin', 'Don't you member yof own cousin?' My white folks he'p me when I needs it, "Dese young folks. was, only dey's more slyer. Shucks! Chile, dey's worse'n what I Dat's all* n f I s glad I'se got 'ligion, 'cause when I dies I's gwine to de 'Good Place.'" 8 230CG9 143 241-Isaac Stier, Ex-slavef Lauderdale County FSC Edith Wyatt Moore Rewrite, Pauline'Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes ISAAC Natchez, STIER Mississippi ?? Miss, ray name is Isaac Stier, but folks calls me f Ike#f I was named by my pappyfs young Marster an1 I aint never tolf nobody all of dat name. It's got twenty-two letters in it. wrote but in de famfly Bible. years old if I lives son County Datfs how I knows Ifll be one hund'ed ? til de turn of de year. f tween Hamburg anf Union Church. I was born in JefferDe plantation joined de Whitney place anf de Montgomery place, too. Jeems Stowers. Itfs I belonged to Marse I donft rightly 'member how many acres my Marster owned, butftwas a big plantation wid eighty or ninety head of grown folks workin1 it* No tellin* how many little black folks dey was, "My mammy was Ellen Stier anf my pappy was Jordon Stier. He was bought to dis country by a slave dealer from Nashville, Tennessee. afoot* Dey traveled all de way through de Injun Country on PQy coxne on dat Trace road. Twant nothin1 but a Injun Trail. "When dey got to Natchez de slaves was put in dp pen Cached to de slave markets. an1 de Liberty road. lak race bosses. It stood at de forks of St. Catherine Street Here dey was fed anf washed an1 rubbed down Den dey was dressed up an* put through de paces 144 dat would show off dey muscles. My pappy was solf as a twelve year old, but he always said he was nigher twenty. "De firs' man what bought him w^s a preacher, but he only kepf f im a little while. Den he was solf to Mr. Preacher Robinson* He was a Methodis1. "De slaves was well treated when dey got sick. had a standin1 doctor what he paid by de year. My Marster Dey was a horspital building near de quarters an* a good old granny woman to nuss de sick. Dey was five or six beds in a room. Us doctor was name Richardson anf he tended us an* one for wimmins. long after de war. One room was for raens He shof was a gent1man an1 a powerful good doctor. "TJs had a overseer on de place, but he warnt mean lak Pse heard of other folks havin*. He was Mr. William Robinson. good to everfbody, both white an* cullud. for him, poor. f cause, he spoke kinf. Folks didn* rain1 workin1 But dey dassenf sass *ira. My pappy bflonged to his pa, Mr. John* Robinson. nice famfly wid shof f nough 'ligion. He was He was Dat was a Whilst dey warnt rich, dey had learning "As a little tike i wore long slip-lak shirts. When dey sont me to town I put on britches anf stuffed de tail o* my slip in f em so's It passf for a shirt. played wid de white chillun. f em to school. huntin1. de slaves. I always lived in de Big House anf I sorta looked after fem. I carried ) Den whilst dey was in school I roamed de woods a- Sometimes Ifd git a big bag o"f game, aios'ly used to feed 145 "My mistis was Miss Sarah Stowers anf she teached rae how to read. She teached me how to be mannerly, too. I *drivf de carriage. On church days I was proud to take my folks to meeting I always set in de back pew anf heard de preachin* de same as dey did. n De bes* times I can of July. f member always come f rounf de Fourth Dat was always de beginnin* o1 camp-meetin'. Aint nothin? lak dat in dese days. "Ever1 body what had any standin1 went. Dey cooked up whole trunks full of good things t'eat anf driv1 over to de camp grounfs. De preacher had a big pavilion covered wid sweet-gum branches anf carpeted wid sawdust. men-folks slepf Folks had wagons wid hay an* quilts whar de De ladies slepf in little log houses anf dey took dey feather beds wid fem. folks. I always drivf de carriage for my white Whilst dey was a-worshipinf Ifd slip frounf an1 tasf out of Ever* day Ifd eat dey basket. f til I was ready to bus*. got so sick I thought Ifd pop wide open. One day I I crawled down to de spring anf washed my face in col* water, but I kepf gittinf worse anf worse. Den somebody called out: 'Captain Stier, yof Nigger*s a-dyinfJf marster called de doctor. He sho* was shamed in public, knowed posftive Ifd been a-piJLferin* in dem baskets. good old days. My f cause, he Dem shof was I'd love to live 'em over agfin. ft IJs slaves mos'ly sung hymns an *safms. one song fbout a frog pond an1 one f bout f But I fmember Jump, Mr.Toad.1 wordless to sing fem now, but dey was funny. Fs too Us danced plenty, too. Some of de men clogged anf pidgeoned, but when us had dances dey was drove 14G real cotillions, lak de white folks had. Dey was always a fiddler an', on Chris'mus an' other holidays, de slaves was 'lowed to fvite dey sweethearts from other plantations* I use to call out de figgers: Ladies, sasshay, Gents to de lef, now all swing,' Ever'body lak my calls an' de dancers sho' moved smooth- an' pretty. Long after de war was over de white folks would 'gage me to come Touri' wid de band an' call de figgers at all de big dances. Dey always paid me well. "Old Mis' 'ud let us cook a gran1 supper an' Marse 'ud slip us some likker. Dem suppers was de bes' I ever et. Sometimes dey'd be wil' turkey, fried fish, hot corn pone, fresh pork ham, baked yams, chitlins, pop corn, apple pie, pound cake,raisins, an' coffee. Law, Miss! de folks now-a-days don't know nothin' 'bout good eatin', nowhow. "When de big wnr broke out I shof stuck by my marster. *fit de Yankees same as he did. I went in de battles 'long side o' him an1 bottf fit under Marse Robert E. Lee. heard 'bout him. I I reckon ever'body has I seen more folks dan anybody could count. 'em was all tore to pieces an' cryin' to God to let 'em die. water to dem in blue de same as dem in gray. Heaps of I toted Folks wouldn' b'lieve de truf if I was to tell all I knows 'bout dan angodly times. "Fore de war I never knowed what it was to go empty. marster sho' set a fine table an' fed his people de highes*. hongriest I ever been was at de Siege o' Vicksburg. I'd lak to forgit. *fought De Dat was a time De folks et up all de cats an' dogs an' den went to devourin' de mules an' hosses. was a-starvin'. My Even de wiramin an' little chillun Dey stummicks was stickin' to dey backbones. 4 Us 14? Niggers was sufferin1 so us took de sweaty hoss blankets anf soaked f em in mudholes where de hosses tromped. f Den us wrung buckets anf drunk dat dirty water for pot-likker. em out in It tasted kinda salty anf was strength*ninf, lak weak soup* H I tell you, dem Yankees took us by starvation. fair fight. Dey called it a victfry anf bragged f Twant a bout Vicksburg a-fallinf, but hongry folks aint got no fight lefT in f em. Us folks was starved into surrendering "De slaves spected a heap from freedon dey didnf git. Dey was led to bflieve dey would have a easy time - go places widout passes - an have plenty o? spendin' money. Mosf of But dey shof got fooled. f em didnf finf deysefves no better off. Pussonally, I had a harder time after de war dan I did endurin1 slav'ry. "De Yankees passed as us frienfs. but dey was poor reliance. dey was mistol' Some of *em meant well towards us, but T bout a heap of things. forty acres o* Ian*. Dey made big promises, Dey promised us a mule anf Us aint seen no mule yet. rigiht, but twant no'sex^vice. where nothinf *ud grow. Us got de lanf all Fac* is, 'twas way over in a territory I didnf know nothinf 'bout farmin', nowhow, Ifd always been a coachman an* play companion to de white chillun. "De war was over in May 1865, but I was captured at Vicksburg an1 helf in jail I figgered dat was f til I f f greed to take up aims wid de Nawth. bout all I could do, at Yicksburg anf dat was over. f cause dey warnt but one war I was all de time hopin1 I could slip 148 off anf work my way back home, but de Yankees didn' turn me loose 'til 1866. "Den I worked in a saloon in St. Louis* all I knowed to do. Dat was f bout All de time 1 was a-cravin' to come back to It sho' suits my tas' betterfn anywhere I'se ever been. Mississippi. "Vlhen I landed back home my white folks welcome me. awhile I married a gal what was real smart raisin'. f bout farminf an1 chicken So us share-cropped an' raised a fam'ly. ways scrapped along. After Somehow us al- Sometimes it was by de hardes1, but us always had plenty t'eat. "All de cullud folks what lived to git back home took to de Ian' ag'in. If dey marster was dead dey went to his frien's an' offered to share-crop. ongodly business. Dey was all plumb sick o' war. Is sho* is I never will forgit de fearsome sight o' seein* men die 'fore dey time. War sho' is de debbil's own work. "De Klu Klux Klan didn' bother me none. Course, I was feared of 'em at firs', but 1 soon learnt dat long as I b'haved myse'f an' tended my business dey warnt after me. dera what meddled wid de white folks. a-dojie dat. bus'ness. Dey sho' disastered Nobody but a smart Alec would Only Niggers huntin' trouble mixed into white folks Onct or twict I seen Klu Flux's ridin' by, but dey always traveled fas' an' I kep' my *mouf shut. "After de war ray marster come back home. De fences was gone, de cattle was gone, de money an' de Niggers was gone, too* On top of all dat de whole country was over-run an' plumb took over *mouth 6 149 by white trash. It was cautious times. "After awhile, robbers anr low down trash got to wearin1 robes an* pretendin1 dey was Klu Klux's. caps.1 Folks called dem derwhite Dey was vicious, an1 us was more scared of been of de Klan. f em dan us'd ever When dey got likkered up de debbil shof was turnt loose. "Mr. Jefferson Davis was pretty good f bout some things. But if he hadn* a-been mulish he could-a fcepted de proposition Mr. Abe Lincum made f ira. Den slav'ry would-a lasted always. But he flew into a huff an1 swore dat hefd whip de Yankees wid corn stalks. Dat made Mr. Lincum mad, so he sot about to free de slaves. "Mr, Lincum was a good man, but dey tells me he was poor anf never cut much figger in his clothes. unferstanf how us felt f Dat's why he never did bout us white folks. It takes de quality to unferstanT such things. "Right now, I loves my marster an1 his wife in de grave, Dey raised me anf showed me kindness all dey lives. em. I was proud of At de present time Ifs under treatment of young Dr. Stowers, my marsterfs granfchilf. I trusts him an1 he is shof good to me. "I rents a place on Providence Plantation 'bout three miles south of Natchez. De trip to Natchez in a rickety old wagon is mosf too much in de hot weather. My heart's mosf wore out. I canft las1 long, 'cause If s had a heap * sposure. "Ifs jus1 a bag o1 bones now, but onct I stood nearly six feet in my stockings anf weighed ''exposure f bout one hundred anf eighty / 150 pounds* 1 was well muscled, too. gittinf bald-at de same time. Now Ifs gittin1 kinda gray anf Black folks lak me donft hardly ever git bald. *Ifs gittinf real feeble. De doctor gay I got a bad heart. Sometimes I jus1 has to set on de curb an? resf rayseff a spell* I gits kinda windless when I thinks fbout all 1 been through. "My wife is been dead fbout seventeen years anf my chillun is so scattered dat I donft know where dey is. Be folks stays wid is powerful good to me anf sees af0ter me same as dey was my own. I reckon I donft need nothin else. n Dis generation aint got much sense. somewheres too fasf. Dey's tryin1 to git None of fem is satffied wid plain livin1. wants too much. "Nobody needs more dan dey can use, nowhow." Dey 23QG07 151 JANE SUTTON Gulfport, Mississippi Jane Sutton, ex-slave, is 84 years old. 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She is 5 feet, She is what the Negroes them- selves call a "brown-skin.'1 MI was born in Simpson County, near old Westville, on a big farm v/hat b'long to Marse Jack Berry. de surrender come, so my ole Mis' say. Her name was 'Mis Ailsey an' all us cullud folks call her f01e Mis.* twelye chillun: I was 12 years old when She an1 Old Marster had Marthy, 'Lizabeth, Flavilia, Mary, Jack, Bill, Denson, Pink, Tally, Thomas, Albert, and Frank. "My pappy1 s name was Steve Hutchins. Hutchins what live dov/n near Silver Creek. night an* us.don1 see much of 'im He b'long to de He jus1 come on Satu'd'y Us call him fdat man. V Mammy tolf us to be more 'spectful to 'im 'cause he was us daddy, but us aint care nothin' 'bout *im. He aint never brung us no candy or nothin1. *My mammy was name Lucy Berry. folks name what she live wid. boys an' three girls. Anderson, an' Pleas. She always go* by de white She aint never marry. She had fo' Dey was name Delia, Sarah, Ella, Nathan, Isom, She work in de fiel1 an Old Marster say she's de only woman on de place what could plow lak a man. *I 'members my gran'ma, too. Us always call her 'Granny*! 152 She say dey stole her back in Virginny an1 brung er to Mississippi. an1 sol' her to Marse Berry. mammyfs Mammy, Her name was Hannah, I don1 'member nothin1 She was my f bout my pappy1 s folks fcause I never seen none of 'em. "Old Marster was a rich man for dat day. a cotton gin, an1 a gris1 mill. Ke had a sawmill, Us always had plenty t'eat an1 wear. Dey spun an1 weaved dey own cloth an1 made us clo'es out-a it. lf I can jus1 see de white folk's house now. house, nice an' clean, but twant painted. Iirwas a big It had a row o* rooms 'cross dis way an* a-nother row dat way wid a hall between. plenty o' rooms for all dem boys an' gals. Some of 'em was 'bout De ^quarters was in de back o1 de house. grown. Dey had De cook's house was closes' to de Big House, den nex' was Granny's house where us stayed. Den come a long row way down to de back fence. "Dey didn' have no overseer or driver. Dey was 'nough o* dem boys to look after de work an' Old Marster say he don' need no overseer to look after his slaves. "My white folks was all Baptis1 an1 dey made us go to church, too. De church was called de Strong River Church. big baptisinfs. I 'members when I joined de church. Dey had De white folks preacher baptised us in de creek what run from Marse Berry's mill pond. I was dressed up in a white lowell slip. in Sund*y clo'es us had *caliker dresses. When us dress1 up Dey sho* was pretty. 'members a dress now dat Old Marster bought for my granny. white an1 yaller, an1 it was de prettiest thing I ever seen. *slave quarters *calico I It was 153 lf Us white folks was good to us* anf a-knockin* us 'roun1 nary one of us* Dey warnt always a-beatinf De truf is you couldn1 fin1 a scar on Course, sometimes dey whup us, but dey didn* gash us lak some o1 de old n&rsters did dey Niggers. "When Old Marster died I didn1 know nothin1 sick. f bout him bein1 He took a cramp colic in de night an1 was dead ffore mornin1. I hear somebody a-cryin1 at de Big House an1 Granny tol* us dat Old Marster done die in de night. come. Dey had a big funsal an' all de folks De men carried him to de graveyard by de church. have no hearses dem days* Dey didn1 1 Twant far to de graveyard so dey jus de coffin to whar dey buried fim. toted Dey put flowers in cups an1 vases on de grave, so's dey wouldn1 wilt. "Us was all sorry when Old Marster died. I said, f Now us won* git no more candy.- when he went to town* I cried 'cause He used to bring us candy Usfd be lookin1 for fim when he come home* He*d say, 'Whar's all my little Niggers?1 Den usfd come a-runnin' anf hefd han* it to us out-a his saddle bags. It was mos'ly good stick candy* 11 1 fmembers de paterollers. Whenever de cullud folks would slip off an1 have dey frolics dout gittin1 a pass from Old Marster de paterollers would come. Lcts-a time dey'd come while us was a- dancin1 an1 a-havin* a big time* room lak a lot o1 bees. at de mens. Dem paterollers would swarm in de Fore anybody knowed it, deyfd begin grabbing If dey didn1 have dey pass wid em dey took fem down in de woods an1 whup 'em for runnin1 off wid out asking dey white folks. i i 154 Dey didn* bother de wLramins much* De wimmins mos' always got av/ay while dey was cat chin1 de mens. "Onct I slipped off wid another gal an' went to a party dout asking Old Mis'. When dem Night Riders come dat night, de Nig- gers was a-runnin' an1 a-dodgin1 an' a-jumpin' out-a winders lak dey was scairt to death. I runs too, me an' dat other gait an1 tore my dress, but I warnt studyin1 dat dress. I fell down I knows dat dem white folks had dat strap an1 I's gittin' 'way fas' as I-could. "TBhen Miss fLizabeth got married to Mr. Ras Laird, dey had a big weddin' an' all dey folks come to see 'em married. dey went to live in Rankin County an1 took me wid 'em. Den Old Marster had give me to Miss 'Lizabeth. 11 1 'members when de Yankees come to de house. Us heard dey was comin', so us hid all de hams an' shoulders up in de lof1 o' de Big House. Dey didn' git much. Dey was so mad dey jus' tore up some of Old Mis1 clo'es what v/as inde wardrobe. Us was sho' scairt of 'em. "I 'members dey promise to give de cullud folks all kin1 o1 things. Dey never give 'em nothin1 dat I know's about. jus1 turnt loose to scratch for us ownse'ves. on wid de white folks, Us was Us was glad to stay f cause dey was de bes1 frienfs us had. I don' know nobody what got a thing fcept what Old Marster an' Old Mis' give 'em. "After freedom I went back to 'Old Mis'. way back from Rankin County. I walked all de It was a long way, but I wanted to see 155 Old Mis1 an1 my Mammy an1 my brothers an1 sisters. "When de surrender come by pappy come to git me* wan1-a go. I tol1 f im I's gwine stay wid Old Mis1. gits de sheriff an1 t*dces me anyway. back to Old Mis1. So he goes an1 I runned away twict an1 come He whupped me de firs1 time, but de nex1 time I hid from him an1 he couldn1 catch me. 'lone. I didn' He went back home an1 'lemme Den I went wid my mammy to live wid Marse Tally Berry. was one of Old Marster's sons. He Dey used to come an' tell me dat dat old Nigger was gwine kill me if I didn1 come wid him. But I jus1 stayed hid out till he went away. "I tepee1 all my white folks is dead now. go back to 'em now. was over. Dey he!p me. I.wish I could Dey was good to us after de War Dis one would want me to live wid dem, den de other one would want me to live wid dem. de other one. Sometimes I quit one an1 go live wid All of 'em sho* did treat me good. harder time now dan I ever had in slav'ry times. Ifs havin' a heap I sho' is. "Dey raised de young folks better dem days* 'em to work. Dey didn1 min' work. but havin1 a good time. Dey learnt Today dey don' care 'bout nothin1 Dey ain' studyin1 'bout no hereafter, neither, "De Relief give me a little somethin' feat an* wear one time, but dey aint never give me no money. I*s old an1 needy, but 1*8 trustin1 de Lord an1 de good white folks to he'p me now* All de white folks I used to work for has moved away from town now. don1 have nobody to look to but my daughter. bes1 she can. I She looks after me de Dey is some neighbor wimmins dat comes an' sets wid 150 me sometimes* "I's gittin1 deaf an1 I aint got a tooth lef1 in ray head* Ifs too feeble to he'p make a livin1, but maybe 1*11 git dat Old Age Pension 'fore I die* " Mississippi Federal Writers lff K Slave Autobiographies Hollie Williams, who lives two miles west of Terry, QO^ H> Miss., tells her story: ^ "Iffen I lives ftil nex' September 15, 1*11 be eighty fofJ I was born 'bout three miles frum Utica on de Newsome.place. Nev/some. Me an1 brudder Hamp bflonged to Marse George Marse Gieorge was named afte1 George Washington up in TFirginny whar he come frtmu My mammy? Misa Margurite was our mistiss. Well, Ifll have to tell you now 'bout her. "You see, Marse George come off down here frum Vir- ginny lak young folks venturin1 f bout, an1 marfied Mis* Margurite an* wanted to start up livin* right over th&r near Utica whar I was born. But Marse George was po*, an* he shof foun1 out ye canft make no crop widfoutfn a start of darkies, so he writ home to Virginny fer to git some darkies. All dey sont him was fof mens anf old Aunt Harriet fer to cook. *- "Gne day Marse George anf his Uncle, Mr. John Davenport - now thar was a rich man fer ye, why, he had two carrifge ^^^ drivers - dey rid over to Grand Gulf whar day was a sellih1 slabes of fen de ftiawft.., #* Mr. John tol1 Marse George to pick hisself out a pair of darkies to mate sofs he could git hisself a start of darkies fer to chop his cotton an1 like* So Marse George pick '^Mi&M^K&M 158 out my pappy fust* My pappy come frum North Ca'lina. Den he seen my Biaiainy an1 she was big an1 strengthy anf he wanted her powfful bad. gut lak I tolf you, he didn* have f nough money to buy fem both, so his Uncle John say hefd buy mammy anf den he would loan her over to Marse George fer pappy. Anf de fust chile would be Mr. John's, anf de seconf Marse George's, anf likewise. Missourian name Marylin Napier Davenpoft. Mammy was a An* pappy was name Mar- tin Newsome. "Darkies libed in lifl old log houses wid dirt chimbleys. Dat is, de rest of de darkies did. bein1 mammyless lak. Dey kep* me up in de Big House, Mosfly I slep* in de trunfle bed wid MisS Mary Jane till I got so bad &y had to mek a pallet on de flo* fer me. Dey was Mr. Bryant, Mr# A.D., MisS Marthe, Miss Ann, Miss Helen, Miss Mary Jane, an* Mr. George, all b'longin1 to Marse George an1 Misd Margurite. "Mammy was a fielf han*. She could plow an* wuk in de fiel's jess lak a man, an1 my pappy, he done de sama. hated house wuk - lak me. r<5uaf in de fielfs anf Mammy, she I jes natuflly loves to be out runnin1 f bout. I neber lakfd to do wuk rounf de- house none fall* n e wof lowell clo'es an* brass toed brogans* Miss Margurite made our dresses an1 lak, anf aftef Aunt Harriet died, she done de cookin1 too fer all de slabes an* de fambly. She fix up 159 dinner fer de fiel1 hanfs, an* I taken it to fem. Marse George had old powder horn he blowed morninfs fer to git de darkies up ffo day good, an1 dey come in fbout sundown* f \/e growed corn an1 taters an1 cotton plentiful, an1 we had gran1 orchids (1) an1 panders (2). Den, sheeps an1 hogs an* cows an1 lak. "Miss Margarita had a piany, a 'cordian, a flutena, an1 a fiddle* She could play a fiddle good as a nan. Law, I heerd many as three fiddles goinf in dat house many a time, /-ja1 I kin jes see her lifl old fair hanfs now, playin* jes as fast as lightninf a chune (3) / f bout f ]&y father he cried, my mother she cried, |! 0, Captfin Gink, my hoss me think, But feed his hoss on co'n an' beans j 0 I J \/ I wasn1 cut out fer de army. An s'port de gals by any means I I i i 'Cause I'm a Capt'in in de army.1 \ \ \ "All us chullun begged ter play dat an1 we all sing an1 dance - great goodness1 "One song I fmember mammy singinf; (1) (2) (3) orchards peanuts tune ^ / 160 r * f Let me nigh, by my cry, Give me Jesus ^T% You may hnve all dis v;orld, \ But give me Jesus.1 "Singin1 an1 shoutin1, she had fligion all right. She bflonged to Old Farrett back in Missouri. "'tie didn1 git sick much, but m^rnrny made yeller top tea fer chills an1 fever an* give us. 1 Den if fen it didn1 do no good, Miss Margurite called fer Dr. Hunt lak she done when her own chullun got sick. "None of de darkies on dat place could read an1 write. Guess Miso Helen an1 Miss iom would^ learned me, but I was jes so bad an1 didnf lak to set still no longerfn I had to. "I seen plenty of darkies whupped. Marse George buckled my mamvny down an* whupped her 'cause she run off. Once when Marse George seen pappy stealin1 a bucket of flas^es an1 totin* it to a g 1 on fnother place, he whupped him but didn1 stake him down. Pappy tol1 him to whup him but not to stake him - hefd stan* fer it widfout de stakin1 - so I f member he looked jes lak he was jumpin1 a rope an* hollerinf, Tray Marser*, ever time de strop hit f im. ,f I heered fbout some people whut nailed de darkies (2) years to a tree an1 beat fem but I neber seen none whupped dat way* (1) (2) ' dog fennel ears -\ 161 tf I neber got no whuppins frum Marse George cause he didn' whup de chulluns none. wid white chullun. Lifl darky chullun played 'long Iffen de old house is still thar I f spec you kin fin1 mud cakes up under de house whut we made outfn eggs we stole frum de hen nests. Den ue milked jes anybody's cows we could ketch, an1 churned it* We's all tiroe in ter some mischief. "Thar was plenty dancin* George's place an' on ones nearby. f mongfst darkies on Marse Dfey danced reels an' lak in de moonlight: Mamma's got de whoopin' cough, i ] Daddyfs got de measles, Dat's whar de money goes, Pop goes de weasel.' JT* ~J< 1/ / H\ \ 'Buffalo gals, can't you come out tonight, l f 5 i Come out tonight, an* dance by de light of de moon?' 3 '(Jennie, put de kettle on, Sallie, boil de water strong, Gennie, put de kittle on An' le's have teal' *Run tell Coleiaan, Rim tell everbody Dat de niggers is arisin'I' 162 'Run nigger run, de prtterrollers ketch you Run nigger run, fer hits almos' day, De nigger run; de nigger flew; de nigger los' His big old shoe*' "When de Yifar ccine, Marse George vent to fight back in Virginny. Us all thought de Yankees was some kin' of debils an' we was skeered to death of 'em. "One day Miss Mary Jane, Helen, an' me was playin' an' we seen mens all dressed in blue coats wid brass buttons on dey bosoms ridin' on big fine hosses, drive right up to our po'ch an' say to Aunt Dalia whar she was sweepin': " 'Good morning, Madaia, no men's about?' "When she tol' 'em wa'nt no mens 'bout, day ax fer de keys to de smokehouse an' went out an' hap'ed deyse'ves an' loaded dey wagons Den dey went out in de pasture 'mongst de sheeps an' killed off some of dem. Nex' dey went in de buggy house an' all together shuck down de ttaiTl'ge so we neber could use hit no mo'* Yessum. dey done right smart of mischief 'roun'thar. ft Sorae of de darkies went off wid de Yankees Howard did, an' we ain't heard tell of him since* 'bout it* My brudder I'll tell you You see, Mr* Bavenpo't owned him an' when he heard 'bout d# Yankees comin' dis way, he gront his white driver an' Howard in de sarri'gfMd all his valuables to de swamp to hide, 163 an* while dey was thar de white driver, he went off to sleep an* Howard was prowlin* *roun* an* we all jes reckin he went on off wid de Yankees. ^ou xuean hoo doo? mainmy. Dat*s whut m,, pappy done to my You see, dey was allus fussin* *bout fust one thing, den *nother, an* mammy got mad *causfn pappy slipped her clo*es outfn her ches* an* taken over to de other gals fer to dancse in, an* when he brung *em back xaammy would see finger prints on *em whar vr he been turnin* *em !roun* an* she sho* be mad an* fight him* could lick him too caus*n she was bigger. She One day pappy come in an* say to mamiay: f,, Does you want to be bigger an* stronger dan whut you already is?* An* mammy say she did. So nex* day he brung her a li*l bottle of somethin* blood red wid somethin* looked like a gourd seed in de middle of it, an* he tol* her to drink hit iffen she want to be real strong. Frum de fust drink she fell off. | Place of walkin* off, she jes stumbled an* got wo*ser an* wo*ser till she plum los* her min*. I to a tree. Fer a long time, dey had to tie her Den afte* de War, she lef* Mr. Davenpo*t*s an* jes traveled *bout over de country. I stayed on wid Miss Margurite he*pin* her jes lak I*d been doin*. One day mammy come afte* me an* I run an* hid under a pile of quilts an* laked to smothered to 164 death waitin1 fer her to go on off* n Nexf time she come, she brung a written letter to Miss Margurite frum de Free Manfs Board an1 taken me wid her. Sfe jes went frum place to place ftil I got married an1 settled down fer myself. now." Mi^SMM^i^^MS^&MM^MW^i^k I had three chullun, but ain't none livin1 Mississippi Federal Writers K>5 Slave Autobiographies c^ ^ name i Tom Wilson an1 I9se eighty fo9 years old* My mammy was name Cafline an* ray pappy was Jeff Wilson, Us lived right out on de old Jim Wilson place, right by New Zion Chu9ch* I lives thar now owns me a plot of groun9 anf farms* Well, us bflonged to Marse Jim an* Miss Nancy Wilson. I was born right out tharf but my mammy was brung down frum Ten9see* She come by heir to Marse Jim but for ten hun9erd dollars* 9 fo that her was sol9 My mammy was a big sportly woman anf brung a lot er money anf my pappy, he brung nine hun9erd. Marse Jim bought him of fen de block, but I donft know jes whar frum. I jes 'members f bout hearin9 him tell *Bofe of dem was fiel9 han9s* f bout beinf sol9* Law, mammy could plow jes lak a man all day longj den milk twen9y head er cows aftef she quit de flel9 at night* "De Big House was made out fn logs anf reckin hit had f bout seben er eight rooms in hit, an1 de kitchen sot a piece frum de mainest house* Thar was one brick chimbly an9 one dirt one to hit, an9 a great big wide po9ch fcross de front of de house I f member Mis Nancy an9 white folks 9 ud set out thar of an evenin9 an9 mek us li9l cullud chullun dance an9 sing an9 cut capers fer to 9 muse f em. Den dey had a trough, built 'bout lak a pig trough, an9 dey would mek de cook bake a gre9t big slab er co9n bread an9 1G6 ; put hit in de trough an* pof milk er lasses over hitf anf tu9n us lifl cullud chullun loose on hit* An9 Ifse tellfn y9 as much of hit went in our hair anf eyes anf years (l) as went in our moufa# (2) "I reckin thar was Uarse Jimfs place* f bout two er three hunferd acres in Us raised cotton, tatera, anf hogs* slaves didn9 have no plots er dey own* rashinsf every week* Marse Jim give us Well* mosf er de cullud people dey victuals over de fire place in dey own houses* have No9m, our f ud cook Us shof did f pos8um an1 tat ere* "My mammy wuked in de loom room at night by light of a pine knot* In de Big House dey had taller (3) can'les cause I member my mammy moulded 9 em* in de kitchen of de Big House* No9m, de spinnin9 wheels was kep9 Hit had a dirt fie9* Us jes wo9 li9l old suits made outfn low ell cloth whut mammy wove loom* on de I dean 'member wear in9 no shoes* *I jes played roun9 f cleanin9 up an9 dish washin9* bout de place an9 hefped wid de Kinder house boy* I was* *fhen us got sick, mammy made us pills outfn herbs* She taken May apple roots an9 bailed hit down to a syrup; den she let dat dry out an9 rolled hit inter pills* os9 anything we might have* (1) ears (2) mouths (3) tallow Dey sho9 was fin9 fof 107 M Chria*mus was a mighty glad time fo* ua. Yessura, us got extra ra8hias* an* had time off ter play an* kick our heels. Gen'ly (1) had *bout a week off. / when Chris 'mus come 'rour. *. Tell you whut Marse Jim *ud do He 'd sen' one er de cullud mens out | to git a log an' say, *Now long as dia log burn, y*all kin hare | off'n wuk*. Co'se ua'd hunt de blggea* gum log an* den soak hit i in de stream so hit wud burn on a long time. Dey*d put hit on ! back er de fire an* hit wud las* moa* a week* "Couldn* none of ua read er write, an* us wa'nt neber learned *til afte* us was set free. Den some went to li*l schools fer de cullud people. "I sho* has aeen m* mammy an* lota mo' git whuppins. Marse Jim, he had a atrop er leather etuck in de slit end of a staff, an* he aho* did whup *em layed *croaa a barrel. Once* m* pappy run away an* Marse Jim got de blood houn'a afte' him, an* catched him up *fo he could git fur, an* dat day he lay him *cross de barrel, an* whupped him frum sun up til sun down. When he quit off, m' pappy couldn* talk no more'n a whisper sca'cely. "Pattyrollera, I heard of *em allright 'cause dey sho* would git you if fen y * went abroad widout a pass frum Marse Jim. "One day ua li*l cullud ohullun waa frollicin* out in de front yard an' Mia* Nancy an' some mo' waa aettin' on de po'ch an' all of a sudden I see somebuddy coadn' down de road an* I says Look, whut's dat?' (1) generally 168 "An1 white folks run to de woods an1 hid out caze dey seen hit was CalvVy f bout a mile long comin* down de road* Sojer rid right up to me an* stuck his bayfnet at me anf says, Boy* wh&r de tater house?1 Dem sojers hof was starved* An' I shof did show him whar 'twas* Dey take thirty tater punks, fif- teen er twenty chickens, and five hams* Den dey went in de smoke house an* grabbed off five er ten poun9s er sausage* middling, and sides* Dey take *nough grub to load three wagons an* take hit over to New Zion Church # bout er mile frum us* An9 right thar dey camped that night* "That was afte* de Siege er Vicksburg* Marse Jim didnf keer* but he sent us ober nex* mo'nin1 to git de leavings* anf thar was a wagon load er jes de leavin'e* / \ I "I f member8 when us was sot free allright* T5was in de middle of de winter y9 know* an9 Uarse Jim was so mad 'bout hit \ he went off down to a 11'1 stream er water an* broke de ice an' jumped in, an* he died 'bout two weeks afte* of de pewmonia. U) \^- *I was glad to git a* freedom 'cause I got out'n frum under dem whuppins. "Afte* dat us bought Ian' frum de Wilsons whut was lef' an* I been a fa'min' thar ever since * (1) pneumonia rh 130018 Mississippi ftderal Writers Slare Autobiographies ^4 C^r Clara C* Young, ex-slave, Monroe County, is approximately 95 years old, about five feet two inches tall, and weighs 105 pounds* She is a frail, dark skinned Negro, with the typical broad nose and the large mouth of the southern Negro. Her physi- cal condition is especially good for a woman of her age. She is very talkative at times, but her memory appears to come and go, so that she has to be prompted at intervals in her story-telling by her daughter or granddaughter, with whom she lives. Familiar- ly known as "Aunt Classie," she is very proud of her age and more especially of her long line of descendants* "Law, Miss, I doan know when I was born, but I do know dat Ifse sebenteen years old when I was fust sol1* Dey put me anf my brudder up on de auction block at de same time* He brung $1400 but I dis'members zactly what dey paid fer me. Wafnt dat much, thof, far big strong mens brung mof danwi&men3 anf gala** Long pauses accentuated the quavery voice of the old Negro, whose head resembled a nappy patch of cotton, and who was so enthusiastic over remiaisoing about the days when she was young and carefree "I was born in Euntsville, Alabamy, an* my mammy an1 pappy was name Silby an1 Sharper conley* frum de old marster dat owned fexsu Dey tuk de las1 name I lived dar wid em ftil de chullun drew dey parts an1 us was fvided out* While I was wid 170 old inarster, he let Miss Rachel - dat was his wife - have me fer de house. She lamed me how to cook an1 wait on de table, an1 I deelar', she call me her ver' smartest gall Sometimes, thof, I wouldn1 come right quick lak when she ring de bell fer me, anf shefd start ringin1 it harder an1 harder* I knowed den she was mad. When I'd get dar, she'd fuss at me an' tu'n my dress up an' whup me - not hard 'cause she wa'nt so strong - but I'd holler softie 1 / "Dey had a nigger woman to teach all de house darkies how |to read an' write an' I lamed how to sign my name an' got as fur as |b-a-k-e-r in de Blue Back Speller. "Marse Conley an' Miss Rachel had fof chullun, Miss Mary, Miss Alice, Miss Willie, an' Marse Andrew, an' when de time come, dey give me to Marse Andrew. .He ear'ied me an' de rest out to Texas fwhar he thought he would go an' git rich. We neber stayed long, jjtho*, fer lots of de niggers runned 'way to de Free State an' Marse x lAndrew didn' lak dat* \Qr ^ n _ ! It was when he brought us back to Huntsville dat I was " I sol'. All de white folks was a gittin* scared dey was gwineter lose f dey slaves an'dsre was a pow'ful lot er nigger sellin' goin' on den. Marse Iwing bought me frum him an' ear'ied me to his plantation near Aberdeen, Mississippi. rest of de hands. Den I started to workin* in de.fiel' wid de De oberseer dat we had was right mean to us when 171 we didn1 work our rows as fas1 as de others, an1 sometime he whup us, wimmen an1 all. When he did dat some of us most nigh allus tell de marster an1 he would jump on de oberseer an1 tell him to lay off de wimmen anf chullun. Dey was allus sort of thoughtful of us an1 we loved old marster. ft I heerd tell one time, thof, of de hired man (he v/as a nigger) ah1 de oberseer whuppin1 one of my cousins. ftil she bled; she was Jes* sebenteen years old an1 was in de fambly way fer de fust time, an1 couldn1 work as hard as de rest. | ruawnin aftef dat she died. \ Nex1 De hired man tolf de rest if dey said \ anything fbout it to de marster, hefd beat dem to death, too, so ever'body kepf quiet anf de marster neber knowed. "We worked hard in de fiel1 all day, but when dark come we would all go to de; carters an1 aftef supper we would set frounf an1 sing an1 talk. Mosf of de time we had good food to eat fcause mosf of us had our gardens, an1 de Quarters cook would fix what we wanted if we brung it to her. Durinf de last yearsffo de surrender, we didn1 have much to eat thof; an1 made out de best we could. "De mosf fun we had was at our meet in1 s. / ever1 Sunday an1 dey lasted way into de night. | de bes1 was name Mathew Swing. De preacher I laked He was a comely nigger, black as 1 night, an1 he shof could read out of his hanf. 1 We had dem rnos1 He neber larned no real readin* anf writ in1 but he shof knowed his Bible an1 would hoi* his han* out an1 mek lak he was readin1 an1 preach de pur~ tiest preachin1 you ever heered. y f de xoawnin* til late at night. De meetin*s last frum early in When dark come, de men folks would hang up a wash pot, bottom upfards, in de little brush '\\r church-house us had, so*s it would catch de noise an1 de oberseer wouldn* hear us singin* an1 shoutlnf. Dey didn1 min* us rQeetin, in de day time, but dey thought if fen we stayed up ha*f de night we wouldn1 work so hard de nexf day - an* dat was de truf* "You should1a seen some of de niggers get fligion. De best way was to carry fem to de cemetery anf let *em stand ober a grave* Dey would start singin1 an1 shoutinf f bout seein1 fire an1 brimstone; den dey would sing scan mo9 anf look plum sanctified, "When us had our big meetin*s*dare would allus be some darkies frum de plantations arouni to come* Dey wonild have to slip off *cause day marsters was afraid dey would git hitched up wid some other black boy er gal on de other plantation an* den dey would either have to i*agr er sell a nigger rfo you could git any woi& <*ut of him* w We neber knowed amah fbout de Way, *eept dat we didn* ^AMM^&^^^^MM^SMMA ^$3$Mfi$t& ftiilltll 133 have as much to eat er wear, anf de white men folks was all gone. Den, too, Old Miss cried a lot of de time. "De Yankees come frounf afte* de War an1 tolf us wefs ^V / P ? frea an* we shouted an1 sang, an* had a big celebration fer a few i> I ^ d&ys. Den we got to wonderin' f ! bout what good it did us. It didnf feel no diffrunt; we all loved our marstei* an' missus anf stayed on wid fem jesf lak n^thin1 had happened. \T \ De Yankees tried to git some of de men to vote, too, but not many did 'cause dey . was scared of de Ku Kluxers. Dey would come at night all dressed up lak ghosts an1 scare us all* . v/e didn1 lak de Yankees anyway* / Dey Wafrit good to us; when dey leff we would allus sing dat \ leetle song what go lak dis: f ^ gj? O \ ^ Mister Yankee, think lie is so grand, \ Wid his blue coat tail a draggin1 on de ground!1 "I stayed on wid Old Marster afte1 de surrender, wid de res1, ftil I met Joshua. Joshua Young was his naiae anf he bflonged to de Youngs whut lived out at Waverly. dar wid him aftB1 we inar'ied* I moved out V/e didn* have no big weddin* 'cause dere wa*nt much money den. We had a preacher thof, an1 den went along jesf lak we had allus been marfied. "Josh, hefs been daid fer a long time now but we had a good life out at Waverly an* many a night stood outside de parlor <^\ 1?4 dof anf watch de white folks at day big dances an1 parties* De folks was powfful nice to us an1 we raised a passel er chullun out dar. All of fem fceptinf three be daid now, oldes1 of those leff. Hefs a bricklayer, carpenter, preacher, an' iaos anything else he *cides to call hisseff. or 20 chullun, I disfaeiubers which. She live up North. George is de He*s got 19 Edith ainft got so ioany. I lives wid my other darter anther gal. I naraed her aftef my sisters. Her name is Anna Luvenia Hulda Larissa Jane Bell Young McMillan. Dere may be more'n dat now, but anyways dere is five generations livin1. "What I think fbout slavfry? ( I tell you, I wish it was back. Idays dan we is now. I been a lot happier. tfell, leetle Miss, I Us was a lot better off in dem If dem Yankees had leff us flone we'd We wouldn1 been on flief an1 old age pen- ! \ sion fer de las1 three years. An* Janie May, here, I bflieve, l sure as goodness, wouldfa been de Missus1 very smartes* gal, : anf wouldfa stayed wid her in de Big House lak I did." Note: This autobiography is exactly as related by the Negro to the field worker with exception of a few changes in spelling* Phraseology is the same. B.Y.