Slave narratives, a folk history of slavery in the United States from interviews with former slaves. Alabama Narratives, Volume I: a machine-readable transcription.

Untitled Section 001

VOLU ~ I AlABAMA NARRATIVES Prepared by the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Alabama

002

INFORMA~fl~S . l~7 144 145 148 154 15? 165 168 171 174 176 178 181 185 188 190,195 201 211 215 218 220 224 227 231 233 236 238 241 242 244 248 251 255 258 260 263 268 272 275 278 282 286 Aarons, Charlie Abercrornbie Anthony Arr~nond (Arnrriond~), Molly Anderson, Charity Askew, G-us Baker, Torn Barnes, Henry Beauchamp, Nathan Bell, Oliver Birdsong, Nelson Bishop, Ank Bonner, Siney Bowen, Jennie Bradfield, Nannie Bradley, Martha Brown, Allen Brown, Gus Galloway, Walter Casey, Esther King Cha~vian, Amy Cha~nan, Emma Cheatam, Henry Clark, Laura Clayton, Hattie Clemons, ;~adley (Shorty) Colbert William Collins, Tildy Colq.uitt, Sara Cosby, Mandy McCullough Crockett, Emma Cross, Cheney Daniel Matilda Pugh Davis, Carrie Davis, Clara Dillard, George Dullard, Ella Dirt, Rufus Eppes, Katherine Fi tzpatrick Reuben Ford, Hey Wood Frederick, Bert Garlic, Delia Garrett, Angie Garry, Henry 6 Georgia 9 GIbson, Fannie 12 Gill, Frank 15 Gillard, Jim Grandberry, Mary Ella Green, Esther Green, Jake Grigsby, Charity Hayes, Charles Hill, Lizzie Hines, Gabe Hodges, Adeline Holland, Caroline Holloway, Jane Holmes, Joseph Horn, Josh Howard, Emma L. Ingram, Everett Irwin, Hannah Jackson, Martha Jane Johnson, Hilliard Johnson, Randolph Jones, Abraham Jones, Enirna Jones, Hannah Josephine, Aunt Jurdon, Lucindy Lawrence Kimball, Lucy King, Ellen Leslie, Mandy Lewis, Dellie Lightnin Longslaughter, Billy Abraham Louis, Uncle MeAlpin, Tom Maddox, Anne Mandy Menefee, Frank Morgan, Isaarn Mo rgan Tony 17 20 25 27 33 35 39 42 44 46 48 49 51 55 58 62 66 72 76 78 81 83 87 90 92 95 103 105 109 111 113 117 119 122 123 126 129 133

003

Mose, Uncle Murphy, Sally Stewart, Theodore Fontaine 356 Strickland, George . 359 Taylor, Cull Taylor, Daniel Taylor, George Tellis, Aniaiida Thomas, Ellen Thomas, Elizabeth Tiliman, Mollie Toombs, Alonza Fantroy Towns, Williar~i Henry Underv~ood, Stepney 394 Van Dyke, Charlie 39 ? Walker, Lilah Walker, Simon ~ashington, Cindy White, Eliza White, Mingo Whitess, Abe Williams, Caille Witherspoon, Silvia Nettles, Hattie Anne Northcross, Rev. W. E. Owen5, Rev. Wade 306 Parker, Molly Patton, Lindy Phillips, Simon Pitts, Roxy Pollard, Carrie Poole, Irene Pugh, Nicey Reynolds, Salue 326 Rice, Mary Robinson Cornel la Rogers, Gus (Jabbo) Scott, Janie Shepherd, Maugan Suas, Allen Smith, Frank Smith, John Stanton, Annie 289 294 29? 299 363 36 ? 3 ?O 374 376 380 381 383 385 309 311 312 316 318 320 323 329 331 334 401 404 407 411 413 423 425 429 33? 340 342 345 349 353 Young, George 432

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Facing page Frontispiece g 12 15 25 27 35 39 42 46 48 49 51 55 58 66 72 72 78 8 . 87 92 92 ILLUSTRATIONS A Slave Cabin in Barbour County near Eufaula Molly Arninond (A~nmonds) Charity Anderson Gus Askew Nathan Beauchamp Oliver Bell Ank Bishop Siney Bonner Jennie Bowen Martha Bradley Allen Brown Gus Brown Waiter Calloway Esther King Casey Aniy Chapman Henry Cheatam Laura Clark Laura Clark s House Wadley (Shorty) Cleions William Colbert Sara Colqultt Emma Crockett :~nma Crockett s House

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Fac ing page ~ 103 105 111 126 129 133 137 168 171 171 176 178 188 211 215 220 233 233 233 242 268 272 278 282 Matilda Pugh Daniel Carrie Davis George Dillard Bert Frederick Delia Garlic Angie Garrett Henry Garry Jake Green Charity Grigsby Charity Grigsby s House Lizzie Hill Gabe Hines Jane Holloway Emma L . Howard Evex~ tt Ingram Hannah Irwin Martha Jackson Abraham Jones Abraham Jonesr Back Yard Abraham Jones House Lucindy Lawrence Jurdon Torn McA.lpin Anne ~addox Frank i~~ene fee Isaam Morgan

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Facing page 297 306 309 311 312 318 323 329 331 340 342 345 356 359 367 376 383 385 394 404 407 423 432 Hattie Anne Nettles Rev. Wade Owens Molly Parker Lind.y Patton Simon Phillips Carrie Pollard Nicey Pugh Mary Rice Cornelia Robinson Maugan Shepherd Allen Sims Frank Smith Theodore Fontaine Stewart George Strickland Daniel Taylor Ellen Thomas A.lonza Fantroy Toombs William Henry Towns Stepney Underwood Simon Walker Cindy Washington Abe Whitess George Young

Charlie Aarons, ex-slave, says he loved young Marster John. 007 001

\ \ ~ ~ ~ ~ -.-~ .~ -~ ~ . ~- ~-~-~ Week ending Aug.6, 93~7. ~ ~ ~ooie, s-~26O ~ ~ \ Identification No.0149-4366 S-200 ~ Federal Writers Project,Dlst.2. . ~ WPA Project 3609,Mobile, Ala. CHARLIE AARONS EX~SLAVE SAYS HE LOVED YOUNG MARSTER JOHN. (Written by Mary A. Poole.) Some friends driving to Oak Grove, Ala., gave the writer the opportunity on August 4th to Interview ~n old ex-slave, Charlie Aarons, who is quite venerable in appearance, and who, when asked his age, replied: Madazu I dont know but I sure been round here long tiiue , and when asked how old he was at the tine of the Surrender he answered: I was a man able to do a man s work so I speots I was eigh~een or twenty years old. Uncle Charlie as he is known ~nong his ~n color and the v~1 ite people who knows him, told the writer he was born at Petersburg Va., and his parente, Aaron and Louisa, were owned by a Mr. ~J.H.White, who had a store in the city, but no plantation. His parents had three children, two boys and o~ girl, and when Uncle Charlie was about ten years of age, he waa sold by Mr. White to a speculator named J~ones who brought hini to Mobile. He recalled being placed on the block, at the slave mart on Royal and State streets, and the anxiety of hearing the different people bidding for him, and being finally sold to a Mr. ~ason Harris, who lived near Newton Station in Jasper County, Miss. Uncle Charlie never saw or heard of his parents or brother end sister again and never knew what became of thexa. Uncle Charlie sai d Mr. Harri s was a pretty rough master, and s iewhat close, kil rations Were wei~ied out and limited. He

008 002

Week ending Aug.6, 1937. Mary A. Poole, 2 2 S-260 Identification No.O149~4366 S-200 Federal Writers Project,Dlat.2. . ~ . WP Project 3609,.Mobile, Ala. CHARLIE AkRONS EX~.CLAVE SAYS HE LOVED YOUNG MARSTER JOHN. (Written by Mary ~L Poole.) had. a white overseer and a negro driver, who was the riieanest of ail. Mr. Jason Harris had about sixty slaves, and a large plantation of a hundred acres, the n~n and ~n~n worked in the fields from six to six, except on Saturday, ~en they had half day holiday to clean up generally. The home of t1~ Harris family was a large two story house and the quarters were the regular log cabins with clay chimneys. They cooked in their cabins, but during the busy season in the tields ~heir dinners were sent out to them each slave having his own tin pail n~rked with his na~ Water would be sent out in a barrel mounted on an ox cart. The old men and wc~nen looked after the children of the slaves ~iile their parents worked In the fields. When the writer asked Uncle Charlie, it his master or mistress ever taught hirn. to read or writes he aulled and said: ~No, Mada~i, only to work . . When asked if they had. any special festivities at Christmas or any other holiday, he replied: No, ~ had. no special jolifications . Sat~urday nights they could sing and dance in the quarters end have prayer meetings, then on soi~ Sundays, they could2hitch up the mules to a big wagon and aU go to the v~iite folks church: and again there would be eeinp meetings held and the slaves from all the surrounding plantations would attend, going to saine in

009 003

Weekending Aug.G, 1937. Mary A. Poole, 3. 3 S .260 : Identification No.0149-4366 S~2QQ Federal Writers Project,Diat.2. . WPA Project 3609, Mobile, Ala. CHARLIE J~ARONS ~X~-CLAVE SJ~YS I1~ LOVED YOUNG MARSTER JDHN . (Coinp i .e d by Mary A Po oie.) these l8r~e wagons sone tizne~ having four mules to a wagon. They then would have a jolly time alone the way, singing and. calling to ox~ another, and n~king friends. Uncle Charlie, said, he drove i~ieny a load o~ cotton In the 1ar~e mule wagons from Newton Station to Enterprise Miasissippi When asked if that wasn t a chance to ruii away he replied: Git away, why Madam, those nigger dogs would track you and all you got was a beating. Uncle Charlie seemed to look off in the distance and said, you know, Madam, I never saw a slave rebuked until I caine to &ississippi, and I just couldn t understand at first, but he grinned end said: Lordy, Madam, sont of those niggers were onery, too, and a nigger driver was a driver sure anough. When the Master s son John Harris went to war, Charlie went with his as his body guard, and when asked what his duties were, he replied: I looked after Iviarster ~Tohn, tended the horses end the tents. I recalls well, Madam the siege of Vlcksburg. The writer then asked him if he wasn t afraid of the sliot end shell all around him. No Madam he repl le d I ke pt way In t he ba ek w1~ re the ce~nip was, far I didn t like to feel the earth trembling neath my feet but you see Mad&a I loved young Marster John and he loved

010 004

Week e ndin g Aug E 1937 . Mary L. Po oie, S~26O Identification No 0149-4366 S 200 Federal Writers Project,Dlst.2. .WPA Project 3609,. Mobile, Ala. OEIARLi~ ~ R0NS EX-SlAVE SAYS I~ LOVED YOUNG MARSTER JDB~N. (Compiled by Mary A. Poole.) me end I juat had to watch over that boy, and be caine through ~1l right. Uncle Charlie said. when they were told the Yankees were coining tI~rough from their headquarters In Meridian, Mississippi, and warned of their raids, they ail made to the SWamps and staid until they had passed on, but that the Yankeea did not disturb t1~ Jason Harris plantation. After the Surrender Charlie cane to Mobile and worked at the Yankee Camp, 1ivix~g in the quarters located in Hollyls Garden. Ee drove their wagons and was paid ~l4.0O a month and his keep. ~fter his discharge he worked on steamboats and followed different lines of work, bein employed for several years at Mr. M.L.Davis saw mill, end is at present living on the Davis.p .ace at Oak Grove, ~.1a,, an old Southern hori~, with quarters originally built for the eraployees of the null and still known as the quarters , and like other ante-beilu, homes they have their private burying ground on the place. Uncle Charlie was married four times, but now a widow~. He had four children, two boys who are dead, and two girls, one Carrie Johnson, a widow, living in Kushla, Ala., and the other, Ella s~arons, a gr~s widow, living in Mobile ~1a. Uncle Charlie says he saw Jeff. Davis as &i old man, after the war at Mississippi City Miss. and then his face lit up, end he said; Wait a minute, Madam I saw another president, ie4e

011 005

Week ending Aug.6, 1937. Mary A. Poole, 5. S-260 ~ Identification No.0149i4366 S-200 Federal Writers Project,Dist.2. ~~ Project 3609, Mobile, Ala. CHARLiE A&RONS EX- SIAVE SAYS ~. LOVED YOUNG MARSTER JOIU~T. (Conipiled by Mary 4LPoole. ) think, Yes Madam saw President Grant. He cerne through Mobile from New One an s and. my~ there was a big parade t hat day . When asked about Abrah~n Lincoln, Uncle Charlie thought awh 11e an d a~were d: According to what was issued out in the Bible there was a ~ in~ f or s lave ry pa ople h ad to be puni shed for the ir s in and then there was a time for it not to be, and the Lord. had opened a good view to Mr. Lincoln, and he prc*noted a good Idea. When he was asked about Booker T. Washington he replied: It was traversed out to him until the white folks took part with him and helped him carry on. Uncle Charlie thinks the present day folks are bad. an~ wicked, and dont realize anything like the old folks. Charlie Is a Baptist, becanie o when he sought the Lord and thinks all people should be religious~. BIBLIOGRkPhrY: Personal contact with Uncle Charlie Aarons, Oak Grove, Ala.

Old Joe can keep his two bits. 012 006

6 Alabama ~ 10234 Susie R. O Brien, . : Uniontown, Aiaoama. w. s. Jordan~ Editor. OLD JOE CAN KEEP HIS TWO bITS. ANTHONY BI~, EX-~SLAVE. Uncle Ant nv sat dozinE~ in the early morning sunshine on his f:~. c~ety front i~orch. He is a thin little old man with patches of white ~ool :~T.ere and tiere on his bald head, and an. er:)ression of hIndness and ~e:~tleness on :is wrin :led old face. As J~ went cautiously up the steps, which aire~red none too ~ i1i~S cane ~hich had been leanin~ a~air~st his c~ air, fell to the ~Thor ~~ith a clatter. He av~ohe with a start and be~an fUflhhl % arq nd :~or it With his trembling: and bony hands. Uncle Ant~ny, yOU don t see so well, do yo~?~I I ashed as I re~ cDvered the stick for him. No ma am, I sho don t, he replied. I rii~~ t seed none outen one of my eyes in near bout sixty years, and de ~ctor say I ~ot E~ cata1~c on de~uther one; but I hnows you is whIte ~ ..~ hs. I always is been PUn:T, but ~ reckon 1 does nurty well considerin L~ ~ a hundred years old. H~~ do you know you are ti:at old? I in~red of hin. Without ~ ~itation 1~e answered, 1~ ~ hnows Is dat old c~e rw mistis put it down i. , de Bible. I w~s born on de fourth day and I w~.s a full growed. ~ian . en de vr~r~ue on in CI. II~:rassu::;, :~y ~~nd hinder comes and r~oes, but I can always member I~ )T)~ slave :r time . lits de t~in~s what ha7ren in ciese da~rs tht s so ~ 7.~r for : C tO diSre~eL~ber. I b lori~ed to :.~rstei~ Jim Abercronihie. His :~t~tion ~ bout si~teen miles north of ~rion in 3ihb county. When ~ c: ~on ~ ~oun~ Jir~~, ~ led, old ~-arse J~ c4ve me to Mm and he fotcbed to Perr~y count~,r. I~ ~ old :2~irster didn t ~o~oD war c~~se ~Te W25 corrunted; te

013 007

~ a~ dear jfl bof~ ~ears and OOUidfl ~& see good nuth~r., ~ ut. ~ care~ ~ ~:uc:~ bout -me caze I was puny. .Iik~e ~.fl~ afl~ Warfl1t~mucht~Ouflt~ ~in~e ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Y 1~i~ti8~ JLiSSLOU, was ra~sin 4# UP to~~be a~8 X~8~ ~ driver, en she was jes as good to rue as she could .be. ~ up. v~i( castoroil, jims.Qn ~1~oot, md dogwoodtea when 11d be feelin ~Otl~) ~rid she d always take up ~or ~ 1~ars~ Jiluget ifl behi.nd me bout %~o~ep fl. I ~ though I was apirtyworrisome.nigger in~m days;. ai- v r~~ g gettin in some kifldOf mischief. ~ ~ IQ ~ I usetag. to meetin . Us niggers didn t haveno E~eetin house on de plantation, but 1~arse Jim. 1lowed1~~ bu~ld a bresh~ ~ Denb~ro years atterk~ surrender I took consIderation and fined up ri~ de Lawd. Dat s1ow~me I live so lone. De Lawd done tpidme, l~fl~flly,~yQ~ gotahuridred and twenty miles toirabel. Dat mean you swine to live a hundred and twenty ~ i~ you stay on de straight ari~ narrow ro~. ~~ti1 you ~ ~QU gotter go jes de same as alide yuthers ~ tTell me something about your master s slaves and his overseers, I ~~ed of him. ~ Weil he said, Marse Jim had bout ~ and he ~N:~ one mighty.had overseers But he ~got killed down on de bank of de Cree ~ one night. Dey never did. f~nd outvho killed~ him, but k~arse Jim ~1~ ra~5 b lieved. de field han s done it. F. ore~.t usztggers~seta go 5~orrn to de creek to wash ourselves, but atter de overseer got kill d down g ~m.,n dar, us jes leave off dat washin , cause some of em seed de over s e e r s ha r~t down dar f b at n ov er de cre ek . . Dar was another ha nt on de plantation, too. Marse Jim had some ~r~uble wid a big double-j ~nted nigger named doe. One day he turn on 4~rse Jim wid a fence rail, and i~arse Jim had;to pull his gun an kill ~ Well, dat happen in a skirt of woods what I get my lightwood what ~: Alabama

014 008

8! -3-. I u~e to start a fire. One ~ay I went to dem same woode to get eome elmiaone. M~other nigger went wi d. me and he dumb d.e tree to ehake de elamone down ~hi18t ~L be pickin em up. Fore long I heared another tree ihakin every Urne U~ shake our tree, dat other tree shake too, and down corne de ~ from it. I !ay to myeelt, Date Joe, cauee he likee elmaone too, Den I grab up my basket and holler to de boy In de tree, nigger turn looee and drap ~down from dar, and ketch up wid me if you can. I e leavin ~ flere rlg it flow, cause Old ~oe j~ over dar gettiI~ ~imaone too. Den another time ~ wae In de woods choppin llghtwood. It wae bout sundown, and every tiiae my ax go whack on de lightwood knot, I hear another ~aok ~sidee mine. I itopa and Iieene and dont hear nothin . Den i etarts onoppin ag in I bears de yuther whacke . By dat tliie my houn dog was crouchixi t my i eet e wid de hair etandin up on hi a back and I cou ldn t make him ~1t up nor budge. . Dis time d,idn etop for nothin . I jee drap my ax right dar, ~n rae and dat houn dog tore out for home lickety eplit. When ue got dar ~ar~e Jiji wae aettin on de porch, an he eay Nigger, you been up to O~ep~n you got no bueineee. You le all outen breath. Who you runnln from? en I ~ay Maree Jim, somebody eides me le choppin in yo woods, an I an t ~ee h1m~ And Maree JIm, he eay h~ dat ain t nobody but Oie doe. i~ he owe you anythin ? An I eay Yaeeafl, he owe me two bite for helpin ~ shuck corn. ~ Well, ~aree Jim say, don t pay him no mind it jee Old. ~e come back yo pay you. Anyhow, i~ didn go back to dem woods no mo . ~ .d Joe can jee have e twO...bit5 what he owe me, cause ~ don t want him follerin rouf atter e. When he do I an t keep my mind on my bue i nee e ~ ash, Copy, /28/3 ? s H,

"Jesus has my chillun counted." 015 009

~ .. .~ ; ertha Couric, ~ ~ J~h~ Morgan Smith, 9 ~ ~ ~4 ~ . / ~ ~ j~US~~HAS I&Y . ~ ~ ~ ! ~ ~ ~ j . ~ t \~ ~ ~ CHILLUN COUNTED. . ___ __________ I walked along a dusty road under the blazing sun. In the shade ~ of a w llow tree a Negro man was seated with his legs drawn up and his ar~S crossed upon his knees. His head rested face downward upon his arms, ~s he had the aspect of one in deep slumber. Beside him munching on a fe~7 straggly weeds, a cantankerous mule took little notice of his sur roundings. ~Cafl ~fOU tell me where Aunt Molly Aramond lives? 1 I asked in a loud v.Jice. The Negro stirred slowly, finally ~aising his head, and display ~ ing; three rabbit teeth, he accompanied his an$wer with a slight gesture of his hand. Yassuh, dar her house raght across de road; de house wid. de ciirabin1 roses on hit. I Thank you I s ai d. Yassuh, was the drawled response, and the Negro quickly resumed ~ hi~s former posture. Aunt kolly Amrnonds is as gentle as a little child. Her voice is soft and each phrase measured to the slow functionings of her aged mind. Honey, she said, you ain t gw neter believe dis, out I is de :~a::~y of thirty chilluns. Jesus got em counted an so is me. CE~fl ifl a log cabin dat had a loft, ant it~ on Marse Lee Cato s plan :&t~on five miles wes of Eufaula. My pappy s name ~J)T0~~ Cato afl my ~NZ~A ~ ~ :a:i~y s ~z~Sophia. I had one sister, Marthy, an two brothers, ~ ~ a~d Toge. My pappy made all de furniture dat went in our house an it rere rnight~ good furniture too. Us useta cook on de fi~place. Us would ~cook ash cakes. Dey wuz made outen meal, water and a little pinch of i1ar~ on Sundays dey wuz made outen flour, buttermilk an lard. Mammy ~~ould rake all de ashes out de fi~p1ace, den kivver de cake wid ~ ia oama ~ ~1 4

016 010

Alabama ~e hot ashes an let it cool till lt ~~ done. Yas M1~5y, she continued,~ I recoilects dat I ~ bout twelve or~fo teen when de s render come, kaze a little atter dat I ma ied Pastor Ammonds. We walked ober to G-eorgetown an it ~ de fus time I eber had shoes, and 1 got dem furn oie Massa. I remember~dat I ma ied in a striped calico dress. Aunt Idolly, I said, you re getting a little ahead of your storyQtell me something about your plantation life before the war. ~ Well, honey, Massa Lee s place was bout three miles long ant two miles wIde, and we raised cotton, cawn, taters and all sorts of ve~etab1es. We had a mean ~berseer dat always wanted to whup us, but :qassa wouldn~t ~Liow no whuppin . Sometimes de massa would ride over ~e place on a hoss, an when he corne up on de oberseer a4ussin at a nigger, Massa say, Don t talk rough to dat nigger when he dom de ~:est he My pappy had a little garden of his own back of his cabin, ant he raised some chickens for us to eat, an we had algs nearly ev y ~iornin ~ . ~ I rrz&i~I ~De only work I done on de plantation w~z to nussorne little n~c:~ers when dere mammy an pappy wuz in de fiel s. Twarn t hard. Nawsuh! I ain t never seed no slave in chaIns. Lassa Lee :1~z a good man. He had a church built called de brush house, dat I:~a~ a f~Q~ and some seats, an a top madeorten pine boughs, an massa s ~ ~:.E Lir . Cat o would preach eve y Sunday . We sung songs lak 6 ~eere~ ~ ~e Voice ~ 3esus s~, n~i se Gwine Hone to Die rio LO~( ~Te ~ ~ ail babtized in de creek, but none of us ~ taught to read or write. ~ ~ ain t never seed no slave run away. Us ~ treated ~ sine. Our folks ~ quality. We had plenty som n t eat, but dem ~ S18ve8 hadcla work powerful hard though. Atter dey come home furn de

017 011

Alabama ~ wbAJ fiel s dey ~ so tired dat dey go raght to sleep, except when d~ massa ~ . vvz~J w~QJ .:~ad oarbecues. Chr~strnas ~ de big time; dere --~-- several days to res an make merryin an lote of dem no count ni~ggers got drunk. Vlhen Us slaves ~ sick, Liassa Lee would send to Eufaula to fetch Dra Thornton to give us eome medlc ne. We had de bes1 treatment ever. Yassuh, white folks, dem days is long ago. All my chilluns done cUed or wandered away an my oie man been dead goi& on twenty ~ears. I been here a long time by myself. ~.- ~ lit : Aunt I~tolly, I Interrupted. There s one thing I ve always been wanting to ask one of you ex slaves, and that is: what you thought ~of ~eopie like Abraham Ljncoln,Jefferson Davis and cooker T. Washing ~tOfl.~ ~ . A puzzled expression came over the face of the old Negro. White ~folks~, she said after a moments deliberation, ~I don t believes I is ~:.ad de pleasure of meetin dein gent mens. ! lash. Copy, ~ 5/25/37. .. ~. :i.

"Aunt" Charity Anderson. (Ex-slave). 018 012

4 . ~ Alabama ~ ~i.JL ~7) . fla B. Prine. . ~ . Ira~S, ~fordan M&bfle~ ~. Aunts CharityAnderso.n. (!~~ay!) Charity Anderson, who believes s}ie is 101 years old, was born ~t Bell s Landing on the Alabama River, vthere her owner, Leslie Tohnson, operated a wood yard, which supplied fuelto the river steaniers, and e tavern where travelers whiled away. the delays of ~ dubious riverboat schedule. ~ Rheumat I o and weak she no longer ventures from her . house ~n Touirninville, on the outskirts of Mobile, but sits with her turbaned head and bespectacled eyes,~rooking the long hours away ~.n a creaky old che ir ~nd kni.tti. rig or sewing or Just gazing into E~ east p~dnted by the crackling flames in the fireplace. I has So much trouble gittin up and down de steps and ober ~ ~roun , I ~Tist makes myself happy heah, c~3use,~thank de Lawd~ r?se on Zionts March, is her resIgned conmient. Missy, reoples don t live now; and niggers ain t got no ~nners and doan know nothin bout weit in on folks ~ I kIn remember de days w~ n I was one of de houseservaiits. Dare was ~x of us in de oie Massa s house~ne, Saral, Lou, Hester, Jerry ~ JOC. Us clid n know nothin but good tir~s den. My job was lookin atter d e corriertable whar nothint but de desserts set. ~~oe and rerry, dey was ~e table boys. Dey neber tetched nothin ~d dere hen s, but used de waiter to pass things wid. My oie Massa was a good man. He treated eU his sieves kind, and took g od kere of em. But, honey, all de white folks 1,yrnvt good to dere slaves. I s seen po niggers mos tore up by ~ end whupped teli deybledw en dey did n do lak de ~friite

019 013

13 Al ~bama folks say. B~t, thank de Lawd, I Md good white folks ~nd dey sho ~1d trus me, too~ I had charge of ~11 de ~ys to d house~ and I ~&~a1ted on de M1ssi.s ~ and de ohillun. I laid out all de: elo se on Sat ~dy night, and den &unday mawnin s I d pick up all de dirty things. Dey did n h~ve a thing to do~ Us house servants h~d a hahd job keepin de pickaninnies out ~ r de dinin rooruwbar oie ~assa et, cause w en dey would slip in and stan by his cheer, w en he finished eatin he would fix e plate for em and let ein set on the hearth~ . No main, Missy, I ~1n t neber worked~ in de fields. 01e ~!assa . -V he neber planted no cotton, and I ain t seen,none pl~nted tefl, 9fter I was free. Bat, honey, I could sho~ nuff wash, iron and ~ . knit and weave. ~onietinies I weaved six or seven yahds of cloth, ~ ~ ~ - . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -~ ~ r~nd do my house work too. I larnt the chill~nho~ to weave, and wash, and iron, and knit too, and l s waited o~de fo th generation of our fambly. I J s wish I could tell dese young c1~1llun how to ~o. Iffen dey w~u1d only suffer me to talk todem: I d tell dem to be more spectful to dere tn~mm1es and to dere white folks and say yes main end no mam , instid of yes and no lak dey do o~. All d1~ generationthinkso~j~s~ment. I neber had seen ~ show in my whole life tell jes dis pas yeah when one ~f dem ~rn1val things wid de swings, and lichts, and ~ll de dein s dey h~ve stop ri~ht in front of our house heah~ ~ nd I ~n t neber been th no trouble in all my life.~ain t been in no lawsuits, ~nd I ain t been no witness eben. I allus treat ebrybody as good es I kin, and I uses my manners as good as I knows how, and de Lawd sho h~s took good keer of me.~ ~Vhy, w en

020 014

labama my house burnt up, de white folks helped me ~o~dat in no time you couldri ~t tell I ebber los e thin~0 But, honey, de good oie days is now gone ~oreber~ De oie ~ys wa~ railly de good ti~es0 How I wish I could go back to ~e deys w en we lived at J~ohnson s landing on de riber, when de folks would come to ketch de steaithoats and we neber knowed how ~1i~ny to put on breakfas , dinner or supper to , ca~e de boats mought. be behin times . I a th t rieber had to pey. a fare to ride q steamboat needer. I was a good looklntyalier gal in dem days ~d rid free wherever I wanted to go. But whut s de use dreaaln bout de oie times? Dey s gone, ~nd de world is gettin w.icked er and wlcked. er, sin grows bolder ~nd bolder, and liglon colder and eolder~ ~ ~ ~ Copy R.L,D. ... 4~.~23-~37

Uncle Tom Baker. 023 017

Alabanta 1 (1 T:~~ )~~9 Susie R. O 13rien~ ~ ~ ~ .. -~t- J~, I . J ohii Morgazi Sm! th, ~. ~ Uncle Tom Baker,~ ~ . ~ ~ t : ~ I recollects about de slabery days, said. uncle Tom as ne whittled shavings from a soft piece of white pine. I lived on a plantation down in Perry County an I reniembers a story bout somp n dat happen to me a way back dar.~ III was a water boy for fifty fiel han s dat worked in de ~- - ~ -~ ) 4~iy~ sUn all day long, an I ha da carry many a bucket 4~ de ~ p t~ ~ ~/ ~ ~ CI da4~-was one fiel ober4~i w~ mos1~ of dein was workin De spring run down between some willow trees an it was powerful cool down dere in de shad.e. I use I~lie on de moss an let my bare belly git cool an put my face in de outlet of de spring ~ an let de water trickle over my haid. Jus about de time I ~its a little rest one of denj n1~ers would caii:Twater ~oy~ Ering dat bucketi~ Den I grab up de bucket an rw~ back out S indehotsun. ~ One d8~~3T, on my las trip, I was mighty tired an I flop ~ I ~ ?~ ~ down on dat moss wid de swe&t a~dripoin froni i~y body, an ~ I knowed lt I done fell slap to sleep. Then I woke up, it was a1nos~ ~rk, an I couldn t hear de slaves a-sln~ln in de fiel s, so I knowed dat dey had pone home. I shake my haid, an look ~bout rue, an my eyes came to res on a little black bear cub a drinkin outen de sprin;. He so was a cute little boo~ar an I made up my mind. rl~ht den to try an kotch him. I was jus a little nigger bout ten year old an didn t have no sense, but I

024 018

Alabama ~2-. 18~ sh& wanted dat little bear. He ain t seed me a settln ~ so I snuck up real cautiou~ like, an~ afore he knowed it I had dat little debil a-.squealin in ~ about to start home wid him, when I hears a rustlin in de bushes an afore I went ten feets, here come a big, black bear a-lopin aIon~ r1~ht outen dem willow trees. I drop ctat little critter ~aze I knowed dat wu~~iis mammy ~n she was ravin mad. When I let de little feller ~Lk~t~ fall it mustt hurt him sotnp n awful gaze he how1~ie4 dan eber, an went a limpin up to his mammy. Well, suh, dat oie woman she got . ~1~)L~? ~~I/ so mad sh made ~e4 me ~l~~~ two bolts of iightnin 1~ut dese here feets of mine be~1n a-~doin dere stuff. I knowed she was a~gainin on me so I lets out a whoop for help. S he chased rne~c~oss dat empty fiels an bout dat time I seen big Jim a eo~nin through a ~ 4P~1~ ir row of ~ Hurry Big Jim, I calls, a bear is ~4 e~ met Big ~im was de biggest nigger on our place. He must have weighed as uuc~1 as a half a bale of cotton. ~ was jus bout gittin to de ~ 2O-7~MJ ~II ~ a~ of de ~e ivn when dat bear ~ me. He give nie a slap wid. . ~ his paw an I goes down wid. ray ~ i up de dus . L~y back felt like somebod~y done put~ a. hot iron on it. Dat bear was a mean one. I was expectin her to ehaw rae up an I drawed my body up in a knot and. kivered. my haid wid. my hands an waited. But dat bear neber touch me ~ . ~I kinda snuck my eye aroun an I saw big Jim havin it out wid her. Jim, he had a long knife an dey was a tumblin an a rollln in de dust, while I sot dere wid my eyes apoppin outen my h~id. an my back feelin like it was broke. Jim he wrap hi s less un dat bear an 1fore you knowed it he had. done stuck dat oie critter a dozen times wid. dat knife. About fifteen minutes later me an Jim was a~walkin back

025 019

Alabama 3 ~ j9 Ui~& . thi~ou~h de~&wn fiel an I r~uess we looked a sight, daze I was all tore up an Jim he looked like he done niese up wid a farnbly of wildcats. He was bleedin 44m haid to foot. Then we walked into de big house to git s me treatments an medicine for our hurts, ~.~istis was a standin derer ~~t~ 1en she seed me an Jjm, she almost faint. She say: Thut done happen to my niggers? ~Atter me an Jim got rixed up I was just as happy, kaze I done seed de bes fight dere eber was)an I had me a little orphan bearS cub. 7~?Tash. Copy R.L.D. r- ~ _.1_ ~:L ~7

He misses dem "set-down hawgs." 026 020

Alabama :~uI/99 ~ ~ , lia B e PMfl6, Mobile 20 Dernps A. Oden, Editor HE MISSES D~V1 SET DOWN HAWG~S ~ In Prichard, a suburb of Mobile, lives an old, blind Negro, ~ UncIe Henry Barnes, who says he was born in 1858, near Suggsville, Clarke County, Alabama. ~ Cose I was borned a slave, but I don t member much bout lilt, tcaze I was 11 l. Dere Is one t lng I does member, an dat was when dey cut w~ermelons at de oberseer s house an1 dey want us ~j,~ niggers run races to g t our piece. I ~es wouldn t run an my mammy she whup ni e ~ ~ z e I so ~tubbo rn an when I gi t my L piece o~ melon, I fly down de Ian~ whar our log cabins was. Dem c ab ns was daubed wid cl~Cy, an de chtmbleys wa~ built outten clay 9,fl stick. Our beds was homemade an1 had t ree legs wid de yuther side nail to de wall. I member atter I got a big boy, my thamrny had a bed made outten lumber an I slep in dat bed twel I was ~. rowed ant ma ed. UI members uss 01e Mistis, Miss Dell. lilss Dell was a good :~ st s ant she useter hab Sunday School ebher~ &md y morni~t at de 31g House an all us li l niggers ~reflt up dar for her to teach us ~bout de Bible an Jesus. ~ John was good to all he slaves an he wouldn t stan ~iO rush er meanness tO h~S nigg~ers. Iffen d& oseer got mean, Cle Marster would turn him off. 01e Marster allus tuk good keer )f he slaves, caze when dey got sick, he hab de doctor, jes l~i~ ~~~hen de wh te follcs got sick. One c~ Marse John s boys, Marse 1iennie, was a doctor, an~ he was a good doctor, cep n he gi~ri us

027 021

Alabama . ~2-. bad med cin , but he cyured you. Cose us hab our med cin sich lak elderbush tea. Hit was red ~fl05 lak whiskey ant us used hit for feber. Den dere was red sassafrac tea fer spring feber, afl dey made JerusaleTa oak candy 1I~Uli o seeds an gib to de chilluns to eat so dey could git rid ~: ~2 o o ~Norms. Den us ~ad mullen an pine~.-top tea f~r colds an feber. ~ A An when us had ~ swellin dey made a poultice o~ mullen leabes to take desvellin out. ~1Son~etimes I wishes dat I could be back to de cl place, caze us did ha.b plenty to eat, &flt at hog~kil1in tIme us had rnor n a olenty. 01e ~1arster kill eight orten set~down hawgs at one time, an1 de meat, an de lard an de hawgjowl an de chi~ lth s ~ I kIn see ~ em now. That a set-.down hawg? Hit s a hawg what done et so much corn ~ got so fat dat he feets can t bol him up an he jes set on he T~i~n quarters an grunts an eats an eats an grunts, tweli dey ~noc1~ hiu in de head. Dem was sho good times, caze us had all us could eat den, ~nt plenty~~&r~ne to me~e lasses outten. An dey made up jiscuits in de big wood trays. Dem trays was made outten tupelo ~um an dey was lIght as a fedder. Us had plenty den, all de time, ) 4 an1 at Onrisrnus ant w~n de white folks get mated, dey k ~J. hawgs, tur1~eys, ant chickens an sometimes a yearlint. En dey cook de :iawgs whole, barbecue tern an fix tern UI) wid a b1p~ apPle in he mouf. ~hen de big weddin copie off, dey cook in big pots, s s to hab nough for eber body. Cose us didntt hab eatin lak dat all de ~:trne, tcaze de reg lar rations was t ree pound of meat an1 a peck

028 022

of mea1~ fer eber1 hant from 8at dn~ytwell Sat day. . De niggers was low~ed to hab a 11 I patch o f dey own, dat dey couldwuk at night an at day ebenin .~ What dey makeon dis patch, was dey n, an O . Marster pay em money for . Nobody didn ~..t I make de niggers wuk dey patche~ iffen dey want de. grass to took eu, dat s all right wid 01e MarsTter. 01e Marst r I~iab a big gyarden most big as a fiel , whar dey raise greens an~ collard an turnups fer de whole place. . My granpappy was a carp ent er an 01 e Marst er eont rac him out tode yuther plantations to build dey houses. De grown niggers had to be up I day. De oberse.er blow he horn fust to ~ git up by an de nex time he blow dey hatter be ready to~go to de fiel . ~ ~ Dere was a ol oman what kep ailde liii niggers, whilst dey i~iammies was in de fiel . Dis ol man cook. d fer de ii l uris an fed em all day, an dey maminies tuk em at night. Us s do s was made out ten osnaburg cloth an dyed wid op rus an sometime dey mix terbaccy an peach4 ee leabes wid de dye. Us ~ad a big orchard wid apples an peaches afl pears, more n us an de hawgs togedder could eat up.. ~ S ~ p When a nigger died,dey was buried in de graveyard Isk dey do flow, an dey shouted an holleredan sometime ~ toman she faint S ~ hab to be tote home. De song dey sing mos at de fun ral was: S ~rkf~ A~. ~oP~i~ Us ~sho did hab plenty singin. o hymns an shoutin at night in de cabins. Iffen de men want to break a night rest he go possum huntin or rabbit huntin jes! so he git pass from Oie Marster an ~T~8 at de fi 1 on time wid. de yuther han s. Aia&tth~,

029 023

Aia~ai~a ~ ~ - 4 -. ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ .t uI~ knowed 01e Marster went to de war, tcaze. I heer4 de folks. talUn bout hit an wonaer iff!en ~ Marster g wirle git kilt. ~ Den I heerd. eni say de nigger~ was free, but us didn t leave 01e Marster for ~ bout a year atter de ~ render. Den us went to lib- on de young mi.sti~st place at Barlow Bend, atter she mated..Mr. B b Flynn. Right dar I stayed twell I was grown and rna ed. Den de fust move to town, us corne up de Alabama Ribber to Jame~ Landin . I members aJ.1 de big boats on de ribb r. Dey. sho was fine uns. Den, I rnembers atter I growed. up dey tel). bout how de Yankees commt here ant how dey pester de white folks an de niggers, too ~roke in dey smoke house s burn ~ em up 1 ~ I row t ings away an S lef nobody flottin to eat. I don t member dat caze I was too ULady, you ax rite iffen us knowed. anyt ng bout hoodoo? Yes, rna arn dere sho was foI1~ses what could put speils on you. I sho was skeered ot dem kin too. Atter I wasnearly gro~*, dere was a gal name Penny what been down sick a long time ant. derewas a cun~ jer doctor wukkin on her tryin cyure~ her, but her~wan t greeable, so he let her die. Den ~ boy, name Ed, he had a mis ry in he foot, ~n hIt went ut he leg an? he cripple. Dere was a hoodoo doctor in d~e forT s o Bigbee Ribber come tend on hirn, an he toi ebber body ~it outten de hou~ e cep nt him an Ed ant de Debil. Re cyured. Ed. smack well. My mammy said I was borned wid a tzernjnt eye to see sperits, q~t ~ seed surnp n lak a cow wid no haid. So mammy made me stir de fresh lard when dey was rendin hit, caze dat cyures you of seem de sperits. Atter I stirred de lard, I didn t see em no mo . tOne time I was splittin rails wid a nigger what could do any~ thin but he. was a bad man an I was feered of hirn. I toi him,

030 024

Alabama ~ 5 Iffen I had a pain or anyt1Ing hurt me, I sho would kill him wid my ax. I wudda spilt da.t nigger wide open, jes lak I split dem rails, Iffen he try dat hoodoo on me. Talkin bout fishin , I members when us would be plowin down by de ribber, when hit corne dinner time an whilst de mules . e~ tln , us go down to de ribber an fish. Den eb ry ~at day ebenln s us d fish, Us kotch trout, gyar, jack an earp May was when de carp bite, Dey was so fat den d~t you cou1~6~ coo~ em by deyse f widout no grease. Den us ketch turkeys ~n pole ~ns bsrited wid corn. Lor what s de use me talkin thout &~m times. Dey all pas ~n gone, Sometlnes I gits to stwlytn ~ all de folks mos Is deed, an I is here ylt, libin an b~Un~ but I 8pec s hit won t be long twell I is ober de ribber wtd~de b1es~.N ~ iash. CoDy ~ ... : ~ ~ ~T ~ ~ .L~. . ~ 6-il-~7 ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~

De bes' friend a nigger ever had. 033 027

~1abama ~ ~ Ruby Pickens Tartt, .~ Livingston, ~ j ~ ~ Jack Kytle, Editor. DE BES FRIEND A NIGGER EVER HAD . ~ Oliver Bell says the first thing he remembers was seeing his ~other whipped. He was born in slavery, but most of his knowledge Of the evIls as well as the joys of ante.~ bel1um days is by hearsay only. ~eI was bornec3. cri de De Graf~ enreid Place, he said, nine miles iest of Livingstor .~Boyd Road. My mother was Luella De Graffenreid ana my papoy was Edmund De Graffenreid. Den dey changed my name to Bell. I had orte brother, Nat, an two sisters, Jestiriaan Clara. I has bout sixteen chilluns, all born on de same place an most of dem1livin ~i~ dere ylt . My chillun by my firs wife are Ed, Jack, Holly, Buck, Clarence, 5aiiy, Liza, Mag an Luella. Dey ma was Mandy Powell, frum York. Den my ~ second wife, Bettie Borwn, gived me de res of my chilluns. Le s see, dey is JImmy, J. W. Aifonso Wallace, Henry, Edna an ~ . He hesitated, ~XrIa ned, Dat s as many as I kin member jest now. My gran s name was Cely De Graffenreid t my gran pa s name ~as Peter. He was a shoemaker fur de place an made plows, too. He was ~Viorker an he learnt nie how to pull fodder an chop corn an cotton when ~ was jest a little scamp jes a little black nigger. Nus all b longed to Mr. Treevan De G raffenreid an Mi~t~~ Rebecca; ~ri dey wag all good to us. Oi Mistus read de Bible to us an got us ~aptjzed in de river at Horn s bridge, but dat was atter de surrender. In iavery times dey didn t like for us to sing and play loud in de quarters. ~Ofl y, I members when us had de big prayer meetin s. Dey would shut de ~or so de voice won t git out, an~ dey would turn de washpot down de door. at Was to keep de voice inside, dey toit me. Oliver mused a moment, recalling the old times. IUB chilluns useta have a good time an 1 he

034 028

28 Alabama saId. ~I members one of our little verses run somethin lak di~ Shoo, shoo, 9h00 gander ~ yo feathers way yander. 1 NUS had 01 corn hollers, too, hut I fergits urn flow. I does remember, though you could hear dem niggers holler a whole mile. No m, it warn~t so bad wid us. De white folks was good to us niggers. Us had. nough to eat, lak greens, frum de big house. U& had our rations weighed out; peck o meal, three pounds of meat, half ga1ion~ of lasses, made at home in wodden mills; an dat was for a week. An son~etimes, On a Sunday us had a little sugar, coffee an flour. No m, Lis didn t know what rice was. What I seed of slavery was a bad idea, I reckon, but ev ybody thought dey marster was de bes in de lan . U5 didn t know no better. A man was growed plum green fo he knew de whole won didn t belong to h1~s ci marster. NTis didn t have no bought medicine in dem days; jes whut us got Cutta de woods lak slippery ellum fer fever an~ poke salad root; dey ~ie p a lot. An May-apple root would he p you same as castor oil. Didn t nobody he p us learn nothin much, but moe of my chilluns went to Booker T~s school. Dey say hes a mighty smart man, an my chillUne thinks so, too. It s all right; I wish I could read an write; den I d tell you things you d lak to know. Hj~ face clouded for the briefest moment. II tell you de fust thing I members, an I don know whut started it. One day my mammy done sumpin an ol rnarster macle her pull her ~-ress down roun her waist ant made her lay down crost de door. Den he taken a leather strop art whooped her. .1 members dat I started cryin &n Migt~~ Beckie said, G o git dat boy a biskit. 11 reckerlecks my mammy wee a plow han an she d go to work

035 029

~1abaxna - 3 29 Boon an put me under de shade of a big ol post~oak tree. Dere I sat all day, an dat tree was my nurse.. It still standin dere ylt, an I won t let nobody out it down. Mammy ~ay I never did learn to walk; jes one day she sot me down under de oak, an fust thing she knowed she look up an dere I was walkin down de middle of a cotton row. NtNother thing I members when I was a little boy; dat dey was vidin de corn atter de s render. Dr. DeGraffenreid measured de corn out to all of em whut was share han s. He d take a bushel an give em a bushel. When he mos through he d throw a ear of corn to dis one, an give himse f a ear; den he break a ear in two, an he take part an give dein part . Dat was close measurin ~ I t eli you. Us lived in de third house frum de big house in de quarter, an Ythen I was a boy it was my job to set out shade trees. An one day de lu K1~~ come ridin by an dey leader was Mister 5tSve Renfroe, (Alabama bandit of Reconstruction days). He wore long hair an he call my pappy out an ax him a heap of questions. WhIle he sittin dere his horse pull up nigh bout all de trees I done sot out. ~ Atter talk n to my pappy, he rode on cross H~rn g bridge, bout t?7O miles souf of here, an dere he met 01 Man Enoch Sledge an Frank Sledge Dey was darkies whut b longed. to Marsa Simmy Sledge s father, ~it Doctor Sledge. Slaves on dat plantation was lowed pretty good pri ~1lIege atter de s rrender an was workin on halveris. Uncle Enock an ?r~nk was in town tradin some an Mr. Renfroe d t want ein to have ~r1Ything. When dey lef town, dey pass de K~ Kiuxes raght on de slough bricl.ge. Mister Rerifroe ax Eriock to give hi1~ a piece of string to fix ht8 saddle wid; den shot him. Frank run to de river, but de Ku Kiuxes ~ ~tOched him an shot him, too.

036 030

Alabama ~ 4 - 30 De niggers went down to de river dat night an got de bodies an~ buried em In de 01 Travis graveyard. My mammy an daddy is buried dere, too. Didn nobody do nothin bout Mister Renfroe till he went on an got to messin wid Marga Sirnmy Sledge s things; stole a pair of mules ant de white folks rambled atter him till dey Thun him in Linden. Dey got so hot atter him dat he went to his camp in de flat woods down On Bear Creek. Dem was skeery times, case dat man never had. no mercy for nobody. Deyts a cave down by de burial grounds whut d~laves dug when dey run away, art Mieter Renfroe stayed dere. It s on de river bank an Its dug up, You digs an starts low an~ pushes de dirt out an digs up an make a big room up so de water won t g t you. I knows whar dey s two of de caves on de place; my cow fell in one yestidy. When Cl Marster Amos Travis come out here from Californy, he taken a lakin to me an~ wanted me to leave t other side of de place an move down dis side of de big house to take keer of di s SWSlflP an 100k atter de ha S . But I wanted a big house wid four rooms an two brick I an I ii~.d. to talk five years to git it . I ~ got some rose~ bushes now dat was at de big house raglit atter de e rrender, an dey s ~rowin in my yard now. Speakin bout graveyard, I was passin dere one night, ridin on bout midnight, an surnpin come draggirt a chain by me lak a dog. I ~ot down off n my horse, but couldn t see nothin wid no chain, so I ~ot back on de horse an dere raght in front of me was a Jack~e$.ian~ ~er~ wid. de brightes light you ever seed. It was tryin to lead me off, ar ev y time I d git back in de road it would lead meMf ag in. You ~ho will git los if you follow a Jack-Me-Lantern. TMOne of dem led a man down to de creek by dem double bridges;

037 031

3 Alabama 5- said he foun he Was travelin in de wrong direction, gittin frurn home ~tidder c1o~ster, so he jee sit down under a tree an iaited~ till day- light. I ain t skeered. of nothin but dem Jack Me- Lanteens, but dey stirs you up in yo mm tiii you can t tell whar you s at; an~ d.ey s so bright dey nigh bout puts yo eyes out. Dey is plenty of em over by de graveyard raght over yonder whar all my white folks is buried, an~ mammy 9~I pappy, too. Dey s all dere cept Marsa ~ess Travis; he was de flex! ~hut come in line for de place, an he was de bee frein dis here nigger ever had. Fac was, dat s whut he call me; t was nigger . He &i ~ ~ag lived raght dere in de bigiDuse; den dey move into town art dat s Wlaar he died. Me an Marsa Jess made a greement an he said. if he was de longes liver, he d see me buried, an if ~ be de longes liver, I see hirn buried. So dat day I went to his office ~Y) de oo thouse an he say he ~an1; to t alk wid me . He say, You members us greement? An I say, ~hut greement Marga Jess? he say, Boat Den I say, gho , I members dat. Den he got up an give me some papers bout some Ian an I say, ~Thut do all dis here niean, Marge ess? He say, nothin1 nigger, cept I S jes goin outta, business. Den I say, Goodbye, Marge Jess, an he gai,, Goodbye, nigger, an I walked on crost de street. Den Mr. Killian Sar, Oliver, whut s happened over at de oo thouee? An I say, Ain t no thin as I knows of. Den he say, Yes dey is; jes look at de peoples ~ ~V~lfle in a hurry. Den I turn roun an run back an dere lay Marge Jess. : ~ Smith was gettin him up an Marge Jeas say to me, Well, nigger, I ~ 1td~ t do whut I tended to; I missed it. An I say, Bogs, fer God s ;~ 9ake go to de hospital; Vii go wid you an stay wid. you. Mistus Mag, ~ ~he ast me to beg him, but he shuck his head an say If I bad a-wanted to :~ ~1Ve I wouldn t of shot myself. He res a minit, den say, Nigger, write

038 032

Alabama 6- 32 Miss Calline an~ tell her I says to always be good ~o you as long as you lives. Yassum, I was raght d.ere, done jes whut I toi him 1d do; kep my greement an followed him to de grave. Co se dat last bout ~ arCe Jess ain t no slavery taie, but I thought you was ~atter hearth all 1bout de family whut owned dis 01 place; an4 Marge ~ess was de bee wh te frein a nigger ever had; dis nigger, anyhow.V ~ashington Copy, 6/17/37. L. H.

Nelson Birdsong remembers his master. 039 033

~j. ~ ~~ \ lia B. Prine, 33 ~ Mobile, Alabama. ~ NB~L~QN BIRDSONO . REMEMBERS HIS MASTER. Nelson Blrdsong who lives on Front Street In the old. suburb of Summerville, about three rafles from MobIle, Alabama, was born a slave. A tall dark Negro man with whit e hair and. whi skers he says he was born at Montgomery Hill, Alabama in Baldwin County, and that his people and he were owned by Mr. Tom Adkins. . Nelson said he was very small at the time of the Surrender, and. could not tell very much about slavery days. In fact, he adds, You know, missie, old. folks in dem days did nt low chillun to stan roun when dey wuz talking. We chillun wuz lack a shot out of a gui~t when any~ body come in. We wuz glad. when folks come in cause we c ud. run out an! play. Chillun now-a days knows as much as we did. when we wuz twenty five years old. Nelson does remember his massa saying he neber wuz going to let dat little nigger work. He did not remember much about coming to Mobile, but seemed lack his mammy worked for Mrs. Dunn on Monroe street, and later dey moved out in old. Napoleonvllle, (whIch ~.s now Crichton, Alabama.a suburb of Mobile.) He said his Pa and. Mammy den worked to gris mill out dere, and also owned a big gris mill in de fork whar de big fire station 1g now (which is located at the intersection of St. Francis Street and Washington Avenue, the latter formerly Wilkinson street.) Thj~ grist mill was burned in the 1870 s. Nelson says the first work he remembered doing was nussing a baby boy of Mr. Bramwell Burden, a gran son of old. man Burden. Nelson has owned his little farm and three room house until the pagt two or three years. He said he scuffled and tried to pay de

040 034

34 b ma caxe8,1~ but had. got so old and his knees had give out on him, and. I seed I wuz agoin to lose mah place so I turned it over to a manS to keep up mah taxes, so I d hav ~ a place to lib. De relief gibes me a little he p now, an me an my wife makes out de bee we can. The house is the familiar type of two-room Negro house, with a porch across the front, and a shed room on the back. The bedroom had been papered with scraps of wallpaper of varied designs and so old that most of it had fallen off. The mantel is covered with the colored comics section, cut in a fancy pattern of scallops. At the entrance of the house Is a sack nailed to the floor and used. for a foot mat, and at the two upper corners of the door are horse shoes for good luck. Nelson said he is a member of the African Methodist Episcopal ZIon Church, and has been a Methodist all his life; that he and. his wife Virginia, had only two chillun and dey were befedead. Nelson s wife, Virginia, came from a family of slaves, although she ~ was not one herself. She said her folks were owned by Mr. Joe Pickett of Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama. She said she just can remember Mr. Joe taking her in his buggy,and she called him Toe- Toe, as she couldn ~ say his name plainly. She also said as she grew older she always spoke of Mr. Joe, as ipy Papa, instead of my master, for he sho was good to rue. She remembers her mother being chambermaid on the Old. Eleariora, a boat on the Alabama river, and as a small child going back and forth on the boat with her. When they finally settled. in Mobile, her mother Worked for the family of Dr. Heustig who lived in the corner house now Occupied by the new Federal Court House and Custom House, at St. Louis and. St. Joseph streets. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Personal interview with Nelson and Virginia Birdsong, Summerville, on Front Street. ~ ~ash. Copy, ~ 5/5/~57. ~ I ~ ~J,

Gabr'el blow sof'! Gabr'el blow loud! 041 035

- ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ . ~ . ~ .. ~ .~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ; ~ . ~ . . ~ . ~. ~_~_*~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Alabama y~,( (4~ ~ Li flgstofl,Al~barna ~-~.1C)fl ~- -~ iL ~ ~ ~ . . GABR EL BLOW BOF I A~ E~L BLOW LOU~ L (~th p~ot~ f Ank Bishop) ~ri~en (tGabr~el take his silver trump, he is ~oin~ to blow soft for the saved and loud for the lOst souls, according to ~k Bishop who was born into slavery ei~hty~nine years ago, and lives in Livingston, Alabama. The days before the war were as ~od as the jresent, Ank believes. He tells of them in the following story o ~ his life: I~y name is Ank Bishop, en I was born in 1849, August 16th, at ~ard, Alab~r~aa. LIy mother s name was Amy Larken, an p~y father was Torn Bish p. I had three brothers, Alf, Volen an Jjp~, an two s1s ters, Cely an Matlidy. Us belonged to Lady Liza Larkin at ~ Tard, right ni.~h Coke s Ch~.el. / liiy mother was brou~ht out from South Car lina in a speculator arove, an Lady Liza bought her at de auction at Coke s Chapel. S1~ ~.ef her m~uniny an daddy back dere in South Car lina ~n never did :ee em no more in dis life. She was bidded off an Lady Liza ~ot ~ler, jes her one froia all her facaily. She was ~t fer Lady Liza s i-louse L~.Sl. But so~.~etirne~ she coked orwas de washer, den a~ in ~e milker~. Twas dy job for to mm de ca~es. Sometimes I went to ..:r . Ed ~ estern s stOp at Gaston, three miles from us house, to see i~enw&s any r~iai1 for La&y ~ but twa n t none. tiDey was good to us caze Lady Li2.a s son, Mr. ~Villie Larkin, h;S de overseer for hie ma, but cose sometime dey git among em an tirashed em out. One time one de ni~gers runned away, old Caesar 7 )wnsy, an dey samt for Dick Peters to come an bring his nigger J3~8~.H Dera doss was trained to ketch a nigger same as rabbit doss

042 036

Alabania ~ _: ~ 2 - ~ ~ ~ 36 is trained to ketch a rabbit. So Mr. Willie Larkin told Stuart for to sa~y to old mari Dick Peters when he come, ~I~m gone, but for him to corne on. I m ~wineter keep de road, he say, an cross Bigbee at :LOSCOW landin . so ai Dick Peters, he kept de road lack he tole him to, an he cross ~i~bee at L~oscow lan in over in de cane-j brake. But dem ni~er ~o~s dicin t never ketch ol p~j~ Caesar. He stayed right wharev er he wasat t~ell after S render, an~ de War cione ce~.sted. Den he come out, but iffen he had a been caught, dey . a use hirn up pretty rough, but he st~ayed hid tweil de tune done passed. UAII de wo~ien on L~&y Liza s place had to ~o to de fiel ev y ~a~y an dein wnat :~aa suckerlin babies would cone in bout nine o clock in de iiawnin E~~flI when de bell ring at twelve an suckerlin ein. One ;~~oman tended to all o: tem in one house. Her name was ~ilie LarkIn, an dey c~1l her ti~rny Larkin. She all time samt nie dov~ in 5e fiel for to ~it ej~ co~ue suckle de chiile(i i, caze dat made hit :Aai ~ on ncr vthen dey gets hon~ry an cry. ~LTs di~n t ~et to ~o to church none, an US w~ n t Iarnt nothin . IIZJ ni~ki tbout ninety an I can t read a line. I ~ot some chullun ~in rea ~ one can t whut i~ sixty-five, out Henry he fifteen an he :in. Dc ~.w, si~e ~o by de naae of Pearlie Beasiey, she. c&n t read neither, but s~e s a ~ood : iel ;~n~ ~n she patched dese breeches : ~ w~rin an di.s oie shirt. L~iss, I ain t ~ot a coat to ray narae. .~&fltt : to church, so I do&n know dat dis any better n &lav y ti~ie. ~:it s hard, an~:&,r you ~ot to travel, :ct yo ~riose on de ~roun rock all de ti~e. ~7hen i~ay day corae, ain t nothin pay ~ Come git de r~rAt, den you out do s aj~ in. Bred ~~flt bawn in 5umter County, wore out in $~ir~ater County, speekc to die in 5umter County, an whut is I sot? ~Un t ~ot nothth , ain t ~ot nothin , ain t ~ot nothin . 1~ut i I;~ a believer, ~n dis here voodoo an hoodoo ~n sper t

043 037

A ~,b~uma ~ ain t nothin but a lot of folk s outten Ohrist. Ha nts ~inLt nothin but somebody di ed outten Chri st an hi s ~per t am t at s j e ~ In a wandt ~j~j t condition in de world. I Di s is de evil 8per t what de Bible tells about when hit Gaya person has ~ ot two sper ts, a good one an a evil one. De ~:;oi:~d ~per t ~oee to a place of happiness an rest, an~ you doan see hit no mo , but de evll$per t ain t ~ot no place to ~o. Hit s dvellin p ace done. tore downwhen de body died, an hit s ses a wend rin an a waitin for G~abr el to blow his trump, den 6e v~orl ~wineter collie to an en . But when G~od say, Take down de silver mouf trui~~ an blow, ~abr e1, an~ G~abr el say, Lord, how loud shell I blow? Den de Lord. say, Blow easy, Gabr el, en ca ra, not to larm my lilies. De secon time Gabr el say, How loud. ruus I blow, Lord? Den de Lord say, Blow hit as loud as sehen claps Jf thunder all added into one eecho, so as t/wake up dein damnable sper ts sleepin in de ~rave ya ds what ain t never i.~iad.e no peace v~id dey ~-od, ses a1~.yin dere in dey sins. But de Christen Army, hit ~its up wid de fus trump, an~ dem ~.hE.t is deef is de evil ones what anybody kin see anytime. I ain t skeered. of eni, though. I passes em an goes rij!ht on plowin , but iffen you wants em to ~it outten your way, all you gotter do ~s jes turn your head least bit an look o~ck. Dey gone jes lack ~:ati ~7henmy fus wife died bout thirty years ago, I was goin up to G~aston to see Sara Drayden, oie Scot Drayden s wife, an I tuck out through Kennedy bottom bout sundo h~n right after a rain. I seed sompin acomin down de road ~bout dat high, bout size a little black shaggy dog, an I says, What s dat I sees comin down de

044 038

Al a alfla 38 road? Ain t nobo&y roun here got no black shaggy dog? Hit kep ~ comin an kep agittin bigger an bigger an closer an closer, ~-n time hit ~ot rignt to me twuz as big as a ha f growed yearlin , clack as a crow. Ithad four feet an drop years, jes lack a Sog, ~ no dog, I knows dat. Den he shy out in de bus ies, an ~ come ri~:ht back in 5e road, an hit went onde w~y I was commt ::C~oifl, so I ~vent on de way hit was comi from. I aintt never seed ~ th1n~ no mo . Eut i ze gotter pretty good notion bout who hit twuz. ~ ~ ~ Efl. Copy F~.L.D. % ~ I

Siney Bonner, ex-slave. 045 039

Alabama ~ .. ~:. 39 BINEY BONNER, EX-SLAVE ~ ~ Hear dat whistle? The speaker was Siney Bonner, an ex- slave, now living in the Norwood section of Birmingham. She had stopped for a confab where a group o other elderly Negroes of the neighborhood. had gathered. De whistles on dem Big Jacke what pull dese hlghsteppin l.a. trains1mind me of dem steamboats what used. to pull up at de landin at oie Plokensville on de Tombigbee River. u t Cose dar ~ n t rio railroads dem days ans de jt way folks had trabbelin about was de steamboat which passed most every week, and de stage coach which passed twice a.week. Lawsy, man, dem was de days, and many de time atter my daddy, whose name was Green Bonner, heard dat steamboat blow below Piokens ville he would hitch up de mules to de waggin and folier Massa John on ho ssback down to de landin to fetch back de supply of sugar and coffee and. plow-tools needed on de plantation. Dey would take me long to hold de mules and watch de waggin and it was a reglar picnic to me to see de big shiney boat and. watch de goin s on. AMassa John Bonner sho did pend on my daddy. De massa paid a thousand green-back dollars for him down to Mobile. Nuf greenbacks to wrap him up in, he said, so he named him Green Bonner. Yes suh, we was all Baptis - de deep water kind, and every Sunday dey used to pile us into de waggins and pull out bright and early for Big Creek Church on the Carroilton road. Everybody fetched a big basket of grub and, sakes alive~1aech another dinner you never See, all spread out on de grassy grove by de oie graveyard. Mos all w. r. Jordan

046 040

Alabama -2- 40 de quality white folks be1on~ed at B1~ Creek and when dere slaves got sho nuff Ilgion, dey have em une at Big Creek and be bap-. tized at de swinunin hol~jSome of de niggers want to have dere ~ 8, but Lawd chile, dem niggers ge t happy and ge t to shoutin all over de meadow where dey built a bresh arbor. Massa ~ John quick put a stop to dat. He sa~y, If you gwine to preach and sing you must turn de wash pot bottoni up ; meanin , no shoutin . eiI Baptie at Big Creek was sho tight wid dere rules too. Turn you out sho 1f you drink too much cawn licker, or dance, or cuss. ~S~S Massa Jonn had a big fine bird doe. She Was a mammy dog and one day she Thun six puppies out in de harness house. Dey was libEl all girl puppies so massa swine drown em. I axed him to give em to me and purty soon de inissus sent me to de pos office, so I put de puppies in a basket and took em wid me. Dr. Ijies come by whar I was settin and he say, Want to sell ~ dem pups, Siney? S tell hiiii, uh huh. Den he say, What nomination is I tell him, dey s Methodis dogs. He didn say no mo . Bout a week atter dat oie missus sent me to de pose office again, so I took my basket of puppies. Sho nuff, long corne Dr. Lyles and he say, Siney, see you still am t sold dem pups . I say, Naw~euh . Den he ~ axe d me ag in what I ~ om iriati on dey 1 1 ong t o I t ol e him dey was ~ i3aptis dogs. He say, How come? You tole me las week &ern was ~ Methodis pups . Ha-hal Bress GodL, look like he had me. But I c~ t ~ say, yas-~suh, but you see~Doctah~ dey got dere eyes open since den. ~ He laff and go on down to his newspaper office. ~ How old is I,~ Law chile, I don t know. My mammy say I was fifteen year old time of de surrender. I members dat mighty well. !~iassa John call all de niggers on de plantation round him at de

047 041

Alabama -3-. 41~ bi~ house and he say to em Now, you all jes as free as I is. airi t your inarstex no mo I se tried to be good to you and take keer of all of you. You is all weloonie to stay and we ll ail wuk togedder and. make a livin somehow. Ef you don want to stay, dem dat go will jes have to root, pig, or die Some stayed and some lef . My dad&y stay d wid Marse John till he was called home to glory. Now dey all gone but Siney, and I se jes here, waitiri for em to call me. Yas euh, I been round Carroilton a heap. Atter Marse John and my daddy bofe died, I wuk d round from place to place. Used to wuk for Mrs. Roper at de old. Phoenix Hotel. I recollect when de new brick court hou8e was built. De oie cote house had been burned and dey re4ted a nigger named Bill Burkhalter for settiri it on fire. ~ sent hirn to de pen an some officers started wid. him to Montgomery. When dey got to Sips y River a mob ketched up wid em an took Bill and hung him dere in the swamp. Bout dat time a bad cloud come up. Dey axed Bill did he have anything to say. He say, I ain t burn no cote house, an ef you all kill rue, my face gwine al ways ha nt you . Whilst he still hangin dere in dat swamp de iightnin fia~h and de thunder an~ Wifld was somp n awful. Nex mornin when de sun come up, bress my soul, right dere on de winder in de cote house tower was a photygraf of de face of de nigger dey done hung for burnin de old cote house. Yas euh, I done seen dat wid my own eyes an I speck dat picture still dere. But lawsy me, I got to get goiri , kase I se cookin me a raess of poke sallet I picked down by de railroad tracks dis mornin . Dat poke sallet and young ernions gwine to be mighty good, and dey sho mind me of dem good old days in Pi kens county4~ R.L.D. 5_7..~37

In slavery times (Martha Bradley). 052 046

Mabel Parrior, 1aba!~~a . :tC~9o~ Lois Lynn, ~ 46 ~ Montgomery, Alabama. ~ ( ~$4~A~) LNAT4.!!aY TIM3. ~ 7 1 (Martha Bradley) . r . ~ (Photo) ~ p(~ Aunt Martha as she is known to ai . her ttwhite folks claims to be 100 years h~-. She was a slave to Dr. It~icas of Mt. I~eigs neighborhood long before the !ar between the States. Dr.Lucas is one of the well 1~own Lucas family, with whom General LaFayette spent some time while toaring the United States in. l~21I. ~ ~ UQ~ Marster wuz sho good. to all his 11niggers She said. Us allus had plenty to eat and. plenty to wear, but de days now is hard, if white folks gin you a nickel or dime to git you suinpin t eat you has to write everything down in a book before you can g t it. I allus worked in the field, had to carry big logB,had strops on my arms and. them logs was put in de strop and. hauled to a pile where they all w~iz. One morning hit was rairiin1 ail I idn wanna go to the field, but de overseet he come and got me and started whooping me, I jumoed on him and bit and kicked him tu he lemme go, I d.ithi t know no better then, I didn~ t know he was de one to do dat. U !But Marster Lucas gin. us big times on Christmas an.d July. Us ud have big dinners and all the lemonade us could drink. The &iimer d be spread out on de ~ou21d au1 all the ~dggers would stand. rount ax~.d eat aU dey wanted. What was lef lis d~ take it to our cabins . Nancy Lucas wuz de cook fer eber body. Well, she d sho cook good cake and had plenty of ~em but she wouldn t lak to cut dem cakes often. She keep sein in a safe. One day I go to dat safe and. I seed. some and I wa~ted it so bad. till I jes had to have some. Nancy sa~j to me, Martha, did you cut dat cake? I Say, No sir! dat knife just flew roun by itself and. cut dat cake. UOne day I w~iz workin in de field and de overseer he come roun and say siimpin to i~ie he had no bizness say. I took ~r hoe and. knocked. hirn pli~in down. I knowed I se ~ne surnom bad. so I r~ to de bushes. Marster Lucas come and got me~arted W~QQQj~$ me. I say to Marster Lucas whut dat overseer sez to me and Marster Lu.cas ~ did~ hLt me no more. Marse Lucas wuz allus good to us and. he wouldn let no~ody run ver h~s niggers. I~

053 047

2 Liabama There ~raz plenty whit e ~lks dat ~raz sho bad to de niggers and. specially dein overSeE~rS. L nigger whut lived on the plantation jinin~ ours shot and killed au overseer den he run 1way. He come to de river and seed. a white man on udder side an~ say ~ Come and git me !ell when dey got him dey foimd out whut he 8. done, and ~riiz gwine to burn him live. Jedge Clernents, the man dat keep law and. order, say :~e would-n t burn a dog live so he lef * ~ut dey sho burn. dat nigger live for I seed him atter he wu.z burned. up. Us ~ go to meetin to de Ant loch Church some ~i.mdays . 1 ~ go t o de house and git a pass. When. us d. pass by the patterole, us jes hold. up our pass and den us d. go on. Dar wuz a idt 1 twixt de niggers and de white folks . De whi te preacher cl. -oreach; den de colored nian.~ Us d. stay at church most aU day. When we dicin go to church, us d g t together in the quarters and. have preachin and. singin amongst ourselves. ~ In cotton pickin time us d. stay in de field. till way atter dark and. us d pick ~y candle light and. den carry hit arid. put hit on de scaffold. In de winter time ~is ~ quilt; jes go from one house to anudder in de quarter. Us d weave all our ever1 clay clothes but Marster Lucas d go to Mobile ever1 July and Christmas and g t ~ur Smiday clothes, g t us dresses and shoes and. we d sho be proud of 1em.0 In slavery time dey doctored de sick folks dif funt frum what dey does now. I seed a man so sick dey had to put medicine down his tho at lak he ~iz a horse. Dat mangotwellandsho livedto turnakeyindejail. Efltwaz indese days ~~at man would b e cay d t o de hospital and. cut oper~ lak a hawg. ~ Dere wuz a slave whut lived in Macon county~ He run way and when he w az cotched &ey dug a hole in de ground and put him crost it and beat him nigh to death, I rash. Copy, ~ I-,-, .ifl?j~)(. L,H.

Gus saw Massa's hat shot off. 055 049

Alabama Alexander B. Johnson, Birmingham Alabama. GUS SAW MASSA S HAT SHOT OFP. ~ ~ ~ i~~) They I s all gone scattered, and old massa and mi ssus have di ed. That was the sequence of the tragic tale of Uncle G~us Brown, the body servant of william Brown; who fought beside him in the War between the States and who knew Stonew ll Jackson. Uncle Gus recalled happenings on the old. plantation where he was reared. ~ master was a Ukinghi mane he said. on whose plantation in Richmond, Virginia, Uncle ~us waited on the tables at large feasts and. functions of the spacious days before the War. He was entrusted to go with the master s boys downto the old swimming hole and go in twashjnhl They would take off their clothes, hide~in the bushes on the side of the bank, put a big pl~ilc by the side of the old. water hole and go in diving, ~in~rning and have all the fun that youngsters would wants he said. oparently hi s nias ter s home was a plantati on hous,e with large coli~nns and wIth all the glitter and. glamour that the homes around Richmond have to offer. About it ~cre large grain storage places, for the master was a grain ealer and men on the ~Iantation produced and. ground large quantities into flour. Gu~ worked around the house, and he remembers well the corn shuckings as he ~.I1ed them on which occasions the Negroes gave vent to emotion in the form ~ ~.~cing and music. ~tQ~ those occasions we all got together and had a regL ar good ~: ~e, he said. Uncle, ~ he was asked, do you remember any of the old superstitions on the ~a~itation? Did they have any black cat stories? No sir boss, we was educated Negroes on our plantation. The old bosstaan taught ~ :e~roes not to believe in that sort of thing. I well remember when de war came. Old massa had. told his folks befo de war ~ dat it was COmi&, so we was ready for ~ Beforehand the master called all the servants he could trast and told them to get ~~et~1er all of the silver and other things of value. They did that, he explained and 49

056 050

Alabama 2- 50. afterward they took the big box of treasures and. carrie it out inthe forest arid hid. it und.er the trunk of a tree which was marked. None of the Negroes ever told. the Yankees where it was so when the war ended the master had. his silver back. Of course the war left him without some of the things which he used. to have but he never suffered. ~ Then de war came and. we all went to fight the Yankees. I was a body servant to the master, and. once a bullet took off his hat. We all thought he was shot but he wasxi t, and. I was stand.in by his side all the time.~ II remember stonewall Jackson. He was ab 1g man with long whiskers, and. very bra~ We all fought wid. him until his eath.~ ~ 0We wan t beaten, we wuz starved out! Sometimes we had. parched corn to eat and. ~. s ometimes we didii t have a bite o nothing because the Union mens come and. tuck all j the food. for their selves. I can still reniember part of my ninety years. I remembers ~ we fought all de W~J from Virginia and wind.ed. up in Manassah s Gap. i.-- /~ When time came for freedom most of us waz glad. We liked. the Yankees. They vr~1~z good. to us You is all now free ~ You can stay on the plantation or you can go. S7e all stayed there until old. massa died.. Den I worked. on de Seaboard Airline when it come to Birmingham. I have been here ever since.~ ; ~In all d~e years since d.e war I cannot forget old. mazsa. He was good. and. kind. t He never believed in slavery but his money was tied i~ in slaves and. he didn t want \ to lose au he had. L ui knows I will see him in heaven and even though I have to walk ten miles for a Dite of bread. I can still be happy to thinTh about the good. times we had. then. I am a Confederate veteran but my house burned. up wid de medalsaid. I don t get a pension. Thank you, mister boesman fer the quarter. It will buy me a little grub. I se too old. to work but I has to.~ The reporter left him sitting with his little pack and. a long for~k in his hands; in hi~ eyes, dimmed with age, a faroff look and. a tear of longing for the Old Piantation. Wash. Copy, 5/5/37. ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~

Ole Joe had real 'ligion. 057 051

* A1ab.a~a . . W. J . Jordan ~ ~ 51: ~. .\ ~ -~ ~ ~ OLE JOE HAD REAL IJIGION.. _u___I____-_ ~j i~u~~ * ~ J~ ~ *J lU~ (PHOTO) Walter Cafloway Livea alone half a block off Avenue F, the thoroughfare on the southelde of B1rrningha~ on which live many of the leaders in the Negro life of the city. For his eighty-nine yeare he was apparently vigorous except for ternporar~ ilinese. A glance at the interior of his cabin di.eclosed the fact that it was scrupulously neat and quite orderly in arrangement, a characteristic of a great many exuslavee. Ae he sat in the eun~ shine on hie tir~y front porch, hie gx eeting was: NOome in, white folk~. You ain t no doctor is you? To a negative reply, he explained as he continued, Fo de lae paet twenty..~five years I been keepin right on, WUkkin~ for de city in de atreet department . Bout two mont e ago die mie ry attaokted me an don t pear lak nothin dei~ doctors gie do no good, De preacher(he come to see me die mornin an he say he know a white gemman doctor, what he gwine to sen hi~ to see me. I abo wants to git we .l ag in pow ful bad, but inebby I done live long S nuff an my time b out come ~q Quizzed about ~1iie a~e and antec dents, he began his story: Well, $ir, Cap n, I was born in Richmond, Virginny, In 1848. Befo I was oie snuff to member iauch, niy mammy wid me an my older britdder was sold. to Marse John Calloway at Snowdoun in Montgomery county, ten miles south of de town of Montgomery. Marse John hab a big plantation an lots of slaves. Dey treated. us purty good, but we hab to wuk hard. Time I was ten years oie I was makin a reg lar han hin de plow. Oh, yaeeuh, Marse John good nough to us an we git plenty to eat, but he had a oberBeer name Gx~een Bu eh what sho whup us iffen we don t do to suit him. Yaseuli, h~ mighty rough wid us but he didn t do de

058 052

52 Alabama whuppin hisse f. He had. a big black boy name Moee, mean ae de debil an 8tX~Oflg as a ox, and de obereeer let him do all de whuppin . An man, he could shO lay on dat rawhide lash. He whupped a nigger gal bout thirteen years oie so hard she nearly die, an allue atterwa de she hab spell s of fi ta or 1 ~ Dat maJ~e Mares John pow ful mad, 80 he run dat oberseer off de place an~ Mose didii do no mo whuppin. N Same time JL~ree John buy mammy an us boys, he buy a black. man name Joe. He a preacher an de marster let de slaves buil a bresh arbor in de pecan grove ober in de big pa8tur , an when de wedder warn. t too cold. all de slaves was lowed to meet dar on Sunday t fo preachin . . Yaseuli, oie Joe do purty good. I speck he had mo ligion dan some of de hifalutin niggere tendin to preach nowadays. De ~ j white folks chu cli, kU~t at Hope H~ .l ober on de stage road, ~ sometimes dey fetch dere preacher to de plantation to preach to de elave8. But dey druther heali Joe. Nawsuh, we d.idn git no Behoolin cep in befo we got big nough to wuk in de fiel we go long to school wid. de white eh.tllun to take care of em. Dey show us pictures an tel). us all dey kin, but it didn t mount to much. N When de war started mo ~ all I know bout it was ail de white mens go to Montgomery an jine de army. My brudder, he . bout fifteen year oie, so he go long wid. d~ ration wagon to Montgomery moe ebryweek. One day he come back from Montgomery an he say, Hell done broke loose in Gswgy. He couldn t tell us much bout what done happen, but de slave s dey get all o~ted caze dey clidn know what to epect. Purty soon we fin out dat some of de big mens call a meetin at de dapitol on Goat Hill in

059 053

~53 Alabama Montgomery. Dey lected Mista Jeff Davis president an done busted de Nunited States wide open. Atter dat dar warn t much happen on de plantation I ~ t g~IIgB Of 6~Pj er ~ pas t~ ough swine off to de war Den bout ebry so often a squad o~ Oontederate so~jers would come to de neighborhood gatherin up rations for Gin rai Lee e army dey eay Dat make it pu.rty hard on bofe whites an blacks, takin off some of de bee stock an runnin us low on grub. But we wuk right on~twel1 one d&y somebody sen a runner eayi& de Yankee s comm 01e mi eU. s tell me to hurry ober to Mrs. Freeman s an tell emWilson s Yankee raiders waS on de way an comm1 lait a harrikin. I hop on a mule an go jes as f1ae as I can make him trabel, but befo I git back dey done retch de plantation, smashin things comm1 an gwine. Dey broke in de smoke house an tuk ~ui de haine an yuther rations dey fin what dey want an burn up de res Den dey ramshack de big house lookin fo money an jewelry an raise Cain wid de wiminin folks caze dey didn t fin what dey wanted. Den dey leave dere oie hoeses an mules an take de bee we got. Atter dey done dat, dey burn de smoke house, de ba~rns; de cribs ad some yuther prop ty . Den dey skedaddi e some piace ei se. UI warn t up dar but I heern tell dey burn up piles an piles of cotton an lote of steamboats at Montgomery an lef de oie town jes bout ruint Twarn t long atter dat dey tel . us se free. But lawdy, Cap n, we ain t rieber been wnat I calls free. Ccee oie Inarster didn own us no mo an all de folks soon scatter ai . ober, but iffen dey all lak me dey still hatter wuk jes as hard, an some times hab lese dan we useter hab when we stay on Marse John s piantation. Weil, Cap n, dat e bout all I know. I feel dat misery commt

060 054

a-4. Alabama 54 on me now. Will you please, euh, gimme a 11f back i~ de house. I wieht dat white gemman doctor come on iffen he comin . Wash. Copy R.L.D. 6~lOi.37 /

Esther King Casey. 061 055

Alabama ~ . ~ Edward F. Harper, Birmingaham. ~ ~~95 . e ESTHER KING CASEY. . . -~- ~ . LivIng with her grandchildren at 801 Washington Avehue, Birminghain, Alabama,Esther King ~Casey, former slave O.f Capt. Henry King of A~aericus, G eorgia, recalls from fading memory a few vivid scenes of the eLaye when men in gray moved hurridly about the town, suddenly disappeared. for a while and then retui ned, one by one, with weary, halting tread and. hollow faces, while gloom and despair hovered over the town like a pa11Z~ of .deaolat4~~~ Less vivid in her memory are the stories told her by her grand~other of a long voyage across the oce n, of. the arrival in a new land c~Iled Mobile, and of slaves being sold at public auction. Less vivid, too, are the memories of her own 3ourney to Georgia, where she, with her parents and brother, were brought to be the slaves of Captain King. UI was only four or five years old whe~t we carne to Captain Kjng~s ~:\i~ house, said the old woman, brightening with pride~ \in her ability to i~collect. Her manners bore the marks of culture and refinement, and :1~f speech was surprisingly void of the usual Negro dialect. She is an ~::ar~jle of the former slave who was educated along with the white child ~ i-e~-i in the family. There were eight or ten slaves in all, Esther continued. UWe Uveci in a house in the backyard of Captain King s Big House. My mamma ~ the cook. Papa was a mechanic. He built houses and made tools :T~ r:~achinery. Captain King gave me to the white lady; that was ~Uc~,;:~fl, the CRptain s wife. Captain King was. a fine man. He treated. all c~ ~ just like his own family. The white lady taught us to be res- ~eci;ahle and truthful. When asked ii she had ever been punished for misbehavior the oi~ woman smiled and said: ~$Ofl~~ the 4white ~ady whipped me for play

062 056

~~A:Labani~ . . 56 ing..with the jailer s children. 6he had told me not to play with them because they were not good. company for me. She said. that she wanted to raise me to be good and. truthful, and. that the jailer s little white c~u1cLren told. lies and talked bad. . Esther. remembers well the mobilIzation of grey uniformed troops at the courthouse which stood only a block frOm ~1 ~he iS~ing residence. The town was filled with soldiers for -sever l c ~.ays she said. They assembled about the courthouse and had speak ings. One day -~ passed there with my papa and saw Abraham Lincoln hangii~ig from a noose in the courthouse square. Of course, it was only an ~ of Abraham Lincoln which was used to show what the soldiers ~wught of hirn. Papa told me that the soldiers shot the effigy full of bulle~t holes before they left town. Before Captain King left he brought a man with him from the courthouse to value his property. The slaves were valued, too. I re ::ie ~ib~ Captain king liftIng me high above his head and. saying to the : lan I wouldn t take a thousand dollars for this little gem. She paused a moment. The light in her eyes showed that she was ~el~ing the t~ill of that childhood incident. Then Captain King left with the other soldiers . Papa stayed E ~nd took care of the white lady and the house. After a while my bro ~ ~her ran away and joined the troops to fight for Cantain King. He came ~ ~ck after the war, hut Captain King did not. Several years later I S~y~T a man down in south Georgia who told me that he belonged. to Captain ~ troops. He said that he was standing near him when he was killed. N*fter the proclamation the slaves werefree. Most of them lease out to plantat ion owners . I stayed with mamma arid the whit e lady. ~ Mrs. King had taught the little slave girl to read and write, ~ ~t,rhen schools were opened for the freed slaves she told the child s :vY~-Lpr to send her to school. Fees of fifty cents a month were charged,

063 057

Alabama 5~ ~ rhich ivirs. ICing paid as long as the child remained. with herr At eighteen :re~rS of age the girl had~ ac quired. sufficient education to qualify to teach in the publIc schools for Negroes. After three years of teaching ~1ie married Jim Casey; an ex~slave, who took her to his three~plow farm in south Georgia. No man ever lived who was finer than ~ said the old woman. : y daughter used. to say that I loved. him ffii~rethan God, and that GOd. was jealous and. took him away from rne.~ After her only daught er s death itt 1919 ~ Esther was brought to Birmingham by her grandson who has kept her cOmfortably ever since . Her hair is just turrThng gray, though she was born in 1856. The little briar pipe, which she endeavors to conceai:from strangers, is the only outward evidence that she has anything in common with other5of her gene~ . 4_ U~H~jlOfl. 4/. ~sh. Copy,

De master's good but overseers mean. 064 058

~: . : 1~, : ~ .~ Alabama 10230 ~ ~ ~ ~M~ Ruby P. Tartt . ~ ~: . t,kw~ . Livingston, Alabama ~ ~ DE M4~T~S GOOD ~ ~ ~ BQT ~ ~ ~ Aunt Amy paused as she worked. among the small plants ~ h~r ~rden, removing a weed here and there. ~he pushed back the sunbonnet that shaded her eyes and began: N1 was bawn on Governor Reuben Chapman s place five miles north of Livingston on May 14, 1843.. My name is A~~~man. My mother was Clary Chapman an my pappy was Bob Chapman. Dey both come from Virginny; my mammy from Petersburg an my pappy t uxn Richniond, Dey was driv down to Alabanly lak cattle an Marse . Reuben bought em. He had. a 1o ~t of siaves caze he had a heap of plantations, but hirn an his wife stay most of de time in $un~tsviUe ~n dey had a heap of white oberseers. I ha~ a plenty of ohiUuns b~t not as many as my mammy. 7ho was my husban ? Law chile, I am ~ t never had no special ~ I even forgits who was de pappy of some of dese chilluns of mine. . ~ Us had a mean oberseer, an since Marse Reuben warntt never ~t home, dem oberseers useter treat us somp n awful. One day ~~rse Reuben come hone an wben he foun out dat de oberseer was :~an to de slaves he commence to give him a lecture, but when Miss T~~erlicia tuk a han~~ in de business, she didn t stop at no lecture, he toi dat oberseer die: ~I hear you take my women an turn ~.ere clothes ober dere haids an whup em. Any man date got a family ~n would do sich a thing oughter be sham of hisseif, an iff en ~:ov, Chapman can t make you leave, I kin, so you see dat road. dere?

065 059

Alabama -2.. ~. 59~ 1e11, make tracks den.t An Mistis, he 1er raght den. !e didn t wait for no . ~ He was de ~ oberseer us ever had. He ~ tuk my oltest brother an had him stretched out jus lak you see Christ on de cross; had hirn chained, an I sot down on de groun by him an1 cried ai . night lack Mary an dein done. Dat oberseer TYr(),g de fus one dat ever putt me in de fiel , an he whupped me wid ae cat er nine tails when I was stark naked. Den dere was anudder mean man named who was alway~ a-beatin nigger women caze dey wouldn t mind him. Us warn t learned to read an write, but Mr. aerry Brownt s slaves were. He owned a big plantation. Us didn t go to no nigger church, caze dere warnt hone. I was babtized in Jones Creek, an Dr. EdrnontB a white preacher, J ined me to de Jones Creek Babtist Church long fo de war, an de song I lacked/beg was a white folks song. Twarn t no nigger song. It was lack dey sing it now, cep ~flo, lovely, Miss, mo lovely. Dark was de night Col was de groun On which my Savior lay Blood in draps of sweat run down In agony he pray. Lawd, move did bitter cup If sich dy sacred will If not content I ll drink it up Whose pleasure I ll fulifil. ~ anudder one us niggers useter sing was mighty pretty: In evil long I tuk de light An led by shame an fear When a new object stopped my flight An stopped my wild career.

066 060

60 Alabama 3 I saw him hangin on ~a tree In agony an1 blood He fixed his languid eyes on me As near his cross I stood. Sho never till my latter breath ~ Kin I forgit dat look He seemed to change me wid his death Yit not a word he spoke. . My conscience felt an owned de guilt An plunged me In despair ~. I saw my sins his bloothad spilt . An helped to na~il hirn clerc. Yassum, I kin tell you things about slavery times dat would m~I~e yo~ blood bile, but dey s too turribie. I jus tries to for ~ t. HI could tell you bout ~b in run myself wid dein nigger dogs, but I a~an t gwineter do lt. I will tell youdough bout a mean ~an who whup~ed a cullid. woman near bout to death. She got so ~ad at him dat she tuk his baby chile whut was playin rount de :rard and grab him up ant th owed it in a pot of lye dat she was ~isin to wash wid. His w fe come a hollin afl run her arms down 1.~1 de boum lye to git de chile out, an she near bout burnt her ~rms off, but It didn t do no good tcaze when she jerked de chile ~ut he was daid. One day I seed oie tJnker Tip Toe all bent over a~comin down ae road an I ax him whut ail him art1 he say: l s been in de :~tocks ~ been beat till de blood come, Den oie Lassa ninted .. y flesh wid red papper an turpentine an l s been most dead but T is somewhat better now.~ tinker Tiptoe belonged to de meanest cl~ ~arster around here. But, honey, I ain t never toi nobody all d~s an ain t gwine ~r~ll you no mo . Ride me home now, caze I s cripple; a cow was de

067 061

4 Alabama 61: cause of it. She drug me roun dat new orchard whut I planted j_p ~T& .~ fall. She done run away w d me. Mistis I wished you would do me a favor ant write my son In Texas ant tell him dat I say Iffen he specks me to make him anyiriot of dem star ~uilts, he better corne on here an kiver my house. De roof she does leak oad. ~ ~ Copy ~-3/l 7/37

Story of Emma Chapman, ex-slave. 068 062

6~ ~ Alabama Mary A. Poole STORY OF E1~hNiA CHAPIvIAN, EX-SLAVE. Living 1~n a small room In the rear of a house at 361 Augusta Street, Mobile, Alabama, the writer located an interesting ex-slave, E~nr~a Chapman, ~ when first approached was somewhat reticent. I L~OOfl learned I had arrived just as she was ready to have her breakfast, which consisted of bread and. coffee, and insisted she eat first and talk afterwards, as she had made just about enough fire in the open fireplace to boil the coffee. While she followed my suggestion I glanced about the room and f~ound it very neat and tidy and an unusually comfortable looking double bed, a mirrored door chifrerobe and two trunks one rocking c~air and a couple o~ straight chairs, a table containing all cook Ing utensils and food containers. The walls were covered with sheets of manilla wrapping paper, tacked on, and part of the ceil:~ng patched with odds and ends of corrugated paper. Emma is small i_fl stature, of light complexion with greying hair arranged n neat br2~Ids around her head, very clean in appearance. Emma said she was about 13 years of age at the time of the ~~rrender, and that shewasbornon ~ Mr. ~ontgomery Ct.~!y ofOhar1e~~ii,. S. C. When she was about 3 years of age Mr. Curry moved to Pickens County, Alabama, about 5 miles from Carroiltori and 8 miles from Pickenville. ~hen I asked why they movedtoAlabarna, ~ ~nia. 1ai~g1)~e~.~ ~4 . ~pidtheY expect ed to find ~ nlon~9~ig~~qn .~ tree.s~ in Al~barna, and that su e as a child came near being snake ~ many .a ~. time, igging around the roots of old ~ ~ees, trying~ to find money. ~ Rev. Montgomery Curry, said Emma, was married to Ann Haynie, Vhose parents were Aaron and Francis H~dg~~ Haynie, 8nd Emma s

069 063

Alabama 63 grandmother was Lucy Linier, who was born In Virginia and was sold. to Mr. Haynie to pay a debt. Lucy Linier was nurse for his daughter Ann and. when she married Mr. Curry, she brought Lucy with her to her new home. The Curry1~had three children, a boy and two girls, and lt was Lucy Liflier s daughter,Patsy~who acted as their nurse. The home of Rev. and. Mrs. Montgomery Curry was a two-story log house with wide open hail running the entire length of the house~.~L, . ~ ~ ~ ~ with room~is opening off either side. The kitchen was out a,~2:~TJfrom the main house, with the dair between the two, under a large hickory tree. The slave c~uarters were also built of logs, with space between for a shed room and small garden plot and a few chickens. The slave women did not go to the fields on Saturday as that was their day to clean up around their homes. They usually washed their clothes at nIght and hung them on the bushes where they were left to dry in the sunshine, maybe a couple of days, as no one could or would disturb them. Rev. MontgomerY~was ~ Baptist preacher and had no overseer, ex , cept Lucy Linier and her husband, Emma s gran~1parents, who kept a ~upervision over the slaves about 40 in number. There was no whip ping allowed on the curry plantation, and after the death of Re~kr~~ Ourry~Mrs. ~ Curry~ (his widow) ran the plantation under the same system. The patrollers had no jurisdiction over the Curry slaves~ they were given permits by the Curry 1~ to go end come, and Emma s~td if one of those patrollers whipped one of oie Miss 5slaves, she would have sure sued them. Er~jr~j~ laughingly said the slaves on other plantations always s9~1d the Curry slaves were free niggers, as they could always get

070 064

Alabama ~ 3 . 64. pernilts, and had plenty to eat and milk to drink. The slaves cooked their breakfastSin their own cabins, but dinner and supper was cooked in the kitchen and each came with their pan to be filled and had. their own gourds which were grown on the place to drink their milk and of which they could have full and plenty. .--~ During the war they cooked for the~onfederate soldiers encamped nearby and great quantities were prepare~~ Emma Was one of those delegated to carry the food to ~the camp. All ishe ever saw of the Yanke~ were two who stopped at the house and asked for something to .. eat. Mrs. Montgomery invited them in and served the best she had. One of the men wanted to take the last mule she had and the other said No, Mrs. Montgomery is a widow and from the appearance of her slaves she has treated them well. ~ .. .~ Mrs. Montgomery told them that someone had stolen her saddle . horse and the soldier who had remonstrated with the other replied: < ~Madam, your saddle horse will be returned in three weeks, and sure ~ enou~ one night about midnight they heard a horse whinny and Emma s ~ . Rrancirather said there i s old spunk, and there was old spunk waiting outside. L: ~nma said the first whipping she ever bad, was after the Burren . ~er,g1ven her by her own father when they left Alabama and went to live near Columbus, Miss. ~ ~5 She had always lived in the house with the old Miss and her Young Miss, and when she ha~. to leave them, she cried and so did they. Her grandmother Lucy Lftnier nursed UMiBS Ann ; Lucy s daughter ?~tsy, nursed Miss Ann s children, and was the special property of Fannie Montgomer~ ~to married a Mr. Sidney Lipscomb and whose Children Emma helped to look after, so the three generations were tht erwoven.

071 065

65 Alabama Emma only wIshes she could go back to plantation daya ~ll her trials and suffering came after she left 01e Miss, and went to live with her father and mother, George and Patsy Curry, who had~fourteen children and of which Emma was the eldest. Her father who was a ~ riuadroon In cast was ~ to his family, and especIally so to hei~, j~t~ ~ ~ade her work like a man~cuttIng timber, splitting rails, digging, :~1~ntIng and all work of the farm. NowD Emma is the only member of her family left~tm~ She ~:~~?.r~ied three times, having only two children, a girl and a boy, these by her last husband, Frank Chapman, now dead, and Emma has lic knowledge of her children s whereabouts. She gave them art edu~. ~~tIOfl so they could write to her if they wanted to. The gIrl ~9~rried and left Mobile, the boy went to Chicago, was chauffeur f~ :~r some rich folk~ his last letter several years ago, in which iT- enclosed ~25.OO st~ted he was going on a trip to Jerusalem with 3~e of the young men of the family. F: ~ ~ . D.

I heard Lincoln set us free. 072 066

10194 ~ . lia B.Prine, . John Morgan Smith, (PHOTO) Editorial Department I HEARD LINCOLN SET US FREE White folks, I se glad you drapped by to have a talk WI d me. I was gittin powerfully lonely, said Henry Cheatam, who lives in ~arysville, a Liobile suburb. Sho I ll be glad to tell you some r)OUt de slave days. I sho members plenty. ~VeIl, to begIn wid, I v~as born in 1350 near West POint. Dat s in Clay County, Missis~ E1~j)i, you know. I b lon~ed to Mr. Tom Holllngshead who was killed in de Cibil 1~r. I members all de slaves agoin in to take a last look at him atter dey done brung his body home. My mammy s name was Enimeline Cheatem, an my pappy s was Sain J~ieatam. I don t remember my ~randpappy an ~r&ndmammy atall. Us slaves libed in lo~ cabins what was daubed wid. clay to. ~ceep de rain an wins out, &n . de chimneys was made of clay an ~ /. ~ticks. De beds was home made an nailed agis de wall wid legs on ~e outer side. De Liass&s house was built of logs too, but it was .~uch big~er n de nij~er cabins an sot w~r out in front of ourn. .~tter de iriassa was kilt, old i.iiss had a nigger oberse r an dat was ~Te ueenest clebil dat eber libbed on de Lawd s green yeart~i. I .:bo;aise myself when I ~rowed up dat I was a~oin to kill dat ni~er ~ it was de 1as~ t:~-~.in~ I eber done. Lots of times I se seen ~ L:i beat my ni&mmy, an one day I seenhim beat my Auntie who was ~ ~i:: ~id a chile, an d~.t r~tan dup~, a roun~ hole in de ~rOun ~fl1 put :~r stu1-~mii~ck in it, an beat ~n beat her for a half hour straight :.~ll de baby coi~ie out ra~t dere in de hole. 117,rhy de 1~i1~ti~ by, such treat~aent? A heap of times oie iLiss J1(:~fl t know nuthin bout it, an de slaves better not tell ner, I ~ ze dat oberseer whup em iffen he finds out dat dey done cone n~ tu). Yassuli, white folks, I se seed some turrible things in my . ~lab ma

073 067

~ ~: ;~ ~ : ~ :~ :. ~ ~ : ~ ~ :~ ~ ~ ~ ~1abama ~ ~ %~r~ time. W2ien de ~I~ves w~u1d tz7 to Zaun away uz~~beraeer would put chain s fl dere~1e~s wid b1~ Ibri~ ~ tween.. dere ~ ~:.go d~e~ c uld&t ~lt~ away. ~ i~8~s en ~ ~ ~ on de block ~!. ~ so1 ~jus lak de7 was~co~5 $ometimes ~de~ebiiI1r).n~ . ~ wouldbe eep~t.ed from dere~maws ~ ~paw~ S ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ .:. . ~ I comepretty neat to b lni tukaw&~fr rrumy maw. When~e~ : slaves was bein vided, one of oie Mis~ datters was agoin1 to Texas, an I was goin! &j.o have to ~owi~ezi so.rnebo&yhoUerid ~F~e ~ dom , an ~ i~ sho~t wa~~i.ad . ca,ze:I ~ou1.d ataywl&fliy marthy n~ ~ In dose . days us ha& plent3r of~od, ~ plain ~ food.; sU4h: as/~ot . .. Iikker, greens, oornbread, !taters, peas, pears, an . at. hogkUUn us ha chlttiln~s an pi~ j.owls an~ b~1ek botie;~.Den ~ S posstuns at~nlghtwhen.:.&ey comeup In ~ ~ . no flotir dough. ~ ~ S . ~ ~ y, ~ ;. . ~ ~ S~ aA for. fishin we neber did. none, tca~e we hadda work too. . hard. We worked from~an to can t. Oit up at sunrise1 go to~ de fIel aii stay till dark. In de middle of de day dey wouid:~en1. our somp n t eat to de fiel wid a barrel of water, But for breakfas ~n supper, us hadda cook our own~ rub dey gib us. ~ . 9 ; SOur elos( ar t many. Us chlI .uns wo a one-~p1eoe suit : ~de outen ausenberg, an u~ would habto take dat off atnight~.. . ~ ;.~ sh lt an put lt back on de nex day. As for shoes, ~ ~ili1ufl eber h~d none. ~ You see, white folks, I waa ~)us a chile, jua~ ~ big~ enough ~ to tote water to de fiel s. ~ ~ ~ S ~ ~ S NI ntenthers when de Yankees was .aoo~nln though I hoped to ~ Ct~ de hosees to de wood~s. an hoped to bide:d.e meat an bury de . S vdu bies, caze dein Yankeee tuk whateve b dey:~wanted;~a11~ y ~.better S ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ rAot say noth.th ~~nettheD ~ aze dey ha~ dem. ioit~. sw~Me ahan~1nt ~: . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ex~e slde . : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ S ~ S ~ . ~ .

074 068

~ ~ Ala~U~a~ ~ ~ ~ - ~3 ~ ~ I In dein d&ys, de slaves done all de work a& carried aU de ~ ev~ s. ~e n~ eter~t sont nOtes fr~Grn ox~te i~1ant~tTiort to anu~~~ aii~ \ Then dey ~ ~ ~ it ~d. ~ z~~ Ds to e rn t ~d ~ ~i~1iou dey *~i!d ~ b~I ~ . an ole~b w ~ ~ ~ cert~th ~ ~ ~ h~ig~ers~ Dat I : ~. ~ ~ was :p, ~ ~ ~ . d ~~ais~ ~ se ~ ~ for possum an coon ~htmtin at night. De li 1 ni~ers at ~ nicht went to de bi~ houseto pin an! w eav . I ae ~p~t~ ~nianyroU an tca~ded a i:iany bat ~of, cotton. I se ~t~o m~ a ma iy taller andle ~ strin~ onto a long stickan droppin dem down into moulds filled ~id~ taller. I se h~d matiya night~ in ~ ~ti~e eox~n~x~swrien ~be e~oin sorn ers to git my niammy some t~acco., De pattyrol? r~s w~ d . be out loOkifl ~Tor slaves dat didia t h ~b no p~ass ~ der~ ob rs ~ ~, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ SC ~ ~ ~ : ~ ,~~ Fflt i~ .he~X~ denia ~othin an I d h1de~ tiil de~ ~pa~ or~, c ze 1 ~1~ ey cotch ~th 1 ~ho ~wiize haire a soi~thd ~ ~ti~, . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ De owner always tuk care of us, thit~hen ~ got si k dey would git a~~ tor, an ole MIss v~s all ri~it, but dat dbe~e r was ~ ~ebil. He w~uldn t 10w no ine tin on de plac . 8omet1mes ~ii ~ ~ou1d slipdown de lillian turn4 w~potb ~o~n up ~ds so de sounI of our voices would ~o under de po~ ai~ us d have a singi ~ Eflt it . raght dere . ~ ~ ~I~s ~f: de slave couidgo ~sothetini~ s to d ~ ~ ~efl dey sits a ~s from dere Mastha, but dat niean obe3~eer alWays tried to keep i1~ from g in sO ~ Us eouldn t learn nothin He ~1an t want us to learn to read or write neither. HNotm us did&t have noth &~ lak matche2~ tiiJI iaa, g~~d. Ue j ~Used flint rooke th~x ~ cott on to start d fires . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ r ~ ~Ua d~idn t ~ ~iot~ar ~ ~t ~ ~ ~iot~e~. We dJ~iLI~ t ~ ~ no Sarden of our oWn an den wa&~t ~ oe ~bra:tiri c~1~ n ~~ ~b1 r1 ~i11~ . Dat wa.s de big~es d~y ofde year. : ~ ~ ~ -~ %

075 069

Alabama - 4 . 69 On Sat day afternoon we was lowed to play, but I can t member none of de games. Us jus played lak all li l niggersd.id den. At night time us jus went to our cabins an went to bed, ~ we ~ lowed to do no singing. Mes of de singin was done in de fiel s. ornshuckln time come when dey wanted to git de seed corn for plantin , an us would commence de shuckin when lt commence ramm ~. You axed me bout funerals an weddin s. Us niggers nebber ~~~a ied an dontt member any big ~ of de.whlte folks. But dey buried folks den de same as dey does now, in a box. Dey would bury de slaves same as dey done de white folks, but us didn t eben ~Iave no babt1Z1fl~ On ~ of dat oberseer. He didn t laIt for us to g t no religion. Cose all slaves didn t have hard treatment lak us did, caze dere oberseer afl~ Marster warri t as mean as ourn. No in we didn~t know nothin bout no hoodoo stuff in dem days. ;ey only had homemade medicines, dat is unless dey got she nuff powerful sick en den dey would go to see a doctor. Us used bone~ set tea made from a weed. Lawd, it was bitterer dan quinine, afl it were good for de chills afl fever, an~ lt would purge you too. T~en us used life~everlastin tea for fever, ~ Jerusalem bresh~. ~:~eed to git rid of worms. ~ Miss, I knows dere i~s gostes, caze when I was a little ~:~y my mammy come in from de fiel arts laid across de bed an I v:~) sittint in front of de fireplace a~t a big sorrip n lak a cow ~ no hald co:~e in de do an I commence to heBt On it widmy ~ i~tg, Den my mammy say: What matter wid you, nigger? Den dat

076 070

70 Alabama critter he walk raght out de do1. I looked outen de window ant ~ere it was a goin in Aunt Marfa s cab n. I neber did see it no 1.10 ~ Den anu dder t lin e a whi t e man di. ed ~ my mammy was a s tayl n~ N1 v~id his sister an dis spirit lak an api come to my mammy an toi ~ I her to tell de white lady to read de Bible backards three times, teaze dere was one talent tween her an Jesus. Atter dat she were co~iforted. Anuddertime, my pappy, Sam Cheatani, who was a wicked ~ tan, was a~sittin in front of de f1~ ant a big brindle dog come to de do an started barkin . My pappy say: :hat in de Hell a~n d&t?t an snapped his fingers at de dog. De dog he ~en dropped c~~a~d Some folks say dat dere aintt no sich things as gostes, but I know dere is, caze dere is good spirits an bad spirits. (Z Dem was good o? days, Mistis, even ifen us did have a hard I t1~:e, art I don t know iffen it warn t better n it is now. I has to y _ -~--I~ aJ~~iost go nong~ry, an I can t git no he p from de government, caze ~\ ~\ : i~ over 65 years old. Fact is, I believe I druther be alivin .t b~c~i: dere dan today t ~~ze us at least had plenty somp n teat an ~othin1 to worry about. An as for beatin ; dey beets folks now H ci L:J~fE.n dey dofltt do raght, so what s de difference. Yassum, Mistis, ~ ~orked as long as I was able an didn t axe nobody for nothin , :r:1: now it s d ff rent, caze I ain t able to do no work. I se tr~.ed to do raght and ain t never been in but one fight in my life. : ~ belongs to de Corinthian Babtiet Church, ant Itsttryin to :J ~-e so when de good Lawd calls I LL be ready to answer wid a clean .. I se had two tives, but I was only a young nigger when I had

077 071

7f: Ala barna de fust un, an! had two chilluns by her, den I lef her ~caze she vi~rn t no count. Dats been forty year ago, an I ain t neber seen ~iy chilluns in all dein years. My second v ife I got when I lived th~,xty miles below B1r~ir gham, Alabama, at de ol Bank Mines. D~ts been thirty-~f1ve year ago an us is still together. Us a n1t :~eber had no chilluns. No m, I don t know nothin bout Abe L~inco1n ceptin dey say he sot us free, an! I don t know nothin ~bout dat ne1~b r. 1rsh. Copy :.~.B. & R.L.D. c/8,137

Chillun in ev'y grabeyard. 078 072

~ ~ --~ ~ ~ . ~ . ~ f, ~: ~ Ruby Pickens Tartt, . ~ . f ~ . \ Livingston, Alabama. (A~) 10181 ~ ~ -- ~yl~ J. ~ ~i~k~ fo~z) CHILLUN IN EV Y GRABEYARD. Laura Clark, black and wrinkled with her eighty six years, -ioved limpingly about the tiny porch of her cabin on the outskirts of Livingston. Battered cans and rickety bones were filled with a pro.~usion of flowers of the common variety. Laura offered me a split.bottomed chair and lowered herself slowly into a rocker that creaked even under her frail body. Po ly, Mj55, po ly, she responded to my query about her health. ~tain t lack de old days . I; g crippled and :.~os bun now at-ter all de years what I got. II was born on Mr~ Pleasant Powell s place in North Ca lina, and ~ien I was thOut six or seven years oie, I reckon h~t twas, Mr. Garret ~roTn right up yonder in de bend bout eight miles from Livingston gwlne ro th on de Livingston and Epes road, bought t~~n of us chillun in North C~ iina arid sont two white men, and one was Mr. Skinner, to fetch us ~p.ck in wa~gins. En he fotch oie Julie powell and Henry to look atter us. Wa n t none of dem ten chillun no kin to me, and he never bought .~y r~aDrny, so I had to leave her behine. I ~1 recollect Maramy said to old Julie, T~J~e keer my baby chile j~~int was nie) and iffen I never sees her no mo raise her for God. Den ~. fell off de wag~in where us was all settin1 and roll over on de :)~fl jes acryin . But us was eatin candy what dey done give us for ~:r) ~:eep us quite, and I didn ~ have sense fluff for to know what ailed ~ ~ ~~~ :: ~y, but I knows now and I n~e~ seed her no moZ in dis life. When I ~eered from her atter S render she done dead and buried. Her name was ~c~ei Powell. My pappy s name I don t know ca se he done been sole to ~O1e~:Thars else when I was too little to recollect. B~t my ~arnmy was de ~0~er of twenty- two chillun and she had twins in her lap when us driv ~ 0f2, ~iy gran ~mmy said when I lef Pray, Laura, and be er good gal, Alabama.

079 073

A1abaat~.. 73 L~~~~tt) I 8fld mine bofe white and biack~ Ev body wililack *andlffen you ~ never see me no rio pray to meet iie in heaven. Den she cried. Her name v~as Rose Powell . . . ~ lus all started den for Mr. Garrett s plantation down yonder in de bend, ten chillun and two oie uns, and two white men, and. u was tr~vel1in solid a month. Fuss thing Oie Marsa say was Now be good terz dese motherless chillun. Den he went to war, and de overseers forgot ~ all. bout dey promise. When 01e Marsa come back.he done got his a~ shot off, buthe let bofe dem overseers ~o, ca se dey done whupped dat. oie oman what come wid us ~ deaf. She brought her two little boys, Colvin and Lias, but Joe, dey pappy, didn t come ~ he was sole f0 Lias was bawn. Joe never seed Lias. ~~pI sets cross de road here from dat church over yonder and can t go ca se I r~ cripple and bun , but I,,heers um singin A riotherless chile se e~ a Mr . ~.m Oh, Lord, he p her on de road. . Er sister will do de bes she kin . Dig is a hard world, Lord, fer a motherless ch11~e. And I jes busts out cryin . Dat was de song I had in view to sin:: for you, hit s so i~ournful. I knowed twa n t no r ~l, twa n t j fl~)ti 1flt lack no reel, ca se I been b longin to de church for fiftyf~ve years, and I &e~n fancy no reel. I m glad I got hit to r~y raine b you lef . But my recollection is shailer. I ain t never read no V~T~e In no Bible in my life, oa se I can t read. Some my chillun kin, ti~~)U~). My husban died arid. lef me wid nine chillun, none of ur~ ~i C~.~idrj t pue; de others outer de fire iffen dey feil in. I had r~o n c1~a~:, but sorae corne here dead arid sorge didn t. I got chillun dead in E1r~in~ha~ and Bessemer. Dey ain t a graveyard, in dis here settlement roun Prospect where ain t got chillun buried. Hettie Ann, right u? ~ere ter Mr. Hawking graveyard, and ray boy whut got killed settin

080 074

74~ on de side de road eatin his dinner, he buried in Captain cones. place ~. j_n de bend. yonder. . . . ~ ~Yassum, I been drug about and put through de shackles so bad. I ~one forgot some of dey naines, and ~ mos bun now and can t hear . ~ ~:ood neither. B~t my eyes is good nuff for to see ghosts, but I don t b lieve in em, ca se I d. see dem chillun somet~.me effen dey was . ~hOS1~S . I know Id see my boy, ca se dey showed me his head whar dat Liiller boy hit him in de head wid a spade and split his head. wide open, slip up hirn and all he said was t queek, t j es. lack a hog and. he was dead. And de murderer live right here but dey raove and now Im here. When hit rain us jes gets under de bed ca se de house ain t ~ot no top on hit. . HI can t say Marse Garrett wa n t good to ui notherless chillun but de overseer, Mr. Woodson Tucker, was rneai~ as anybody. He d whup You nigh bout to deaf, and had a whuppin log what he strip e~back nr.~ed and lay em onde log. He whup era wid a wide strop, wider n ray :h)~pt, den he pop~.;de blisters what he raise and nint em wid red pepper, salt, and vinegar. Den he put em in de house dey call de pest house and have a oman stay dere to keep de tlys offen em twell dey get a~)le to move . Den dey had reg lar men in de fi elds wid. spades and . if~ en you didn t do what you git tole, de overseer would wrop dat strap. roun his han and hit you in de haid. wid de wooden handle tu he ::it you. Den de r~aens would dig a hole wid de spades and throw ern.in ~ ri~ht dere in de fiel jes lack dey was cows-~didn~t have no ~ral nor nothin . Ws had a heap of houses in de quarters rIght on bofe sides de ~~T: douse. Us could step outer one house to tother. But, ~ I ~idn t work so hard or have no trouble either. I was in d.ehouse atter ~:~r~8 come horae and foun me splittin rails and. plowin . He lowed. ~l~a~a ..~. ~3.u..

081 075

Alaba!I~1 dey done put me in too hard a ship, and. I was too little, so he tuck me to de house to draw water and washd shes, ca se I was a little ~notherless gal. Oie Marsa done a good part by me, and I was marri d to my russ husban , Cary Urockett, right dere in de parlor. He tole e overseer dat us was human and had feelin s same as hin, so he rejected de paterrollers and made ein git off de place. I was treated rood, ca~se I membered what my gran ma say, and whatever dey tole me to put my han to, I did, and ~ was obedient and t ha~ dheaded lack ) ~ some d~ res. I had no trouble, and wasn t ~buked none. But l s had ~:1O touble las ten years wid. my own chiliun den I ever did In slav y t r~e. Dey gives me sich bitter words till I can t swalier ein nd I jes sets and cries. I can t read no songs to comfoki me, jes ketch e~ from de preacher on de stan and. hole em, dat s de way I ketch ~r lamm . t Las sermon 1 hyard, h tuck his tex en said, Don t nobody fen rob 0-od. Den he say Ef~you is goin to ~ tend to serve God, serve :~im in de full, ca se ~d don t never bat a eye, nor turn His bald. a: ~d he kin see :rou. He frowns at ev y 5jfl~ but se s a sinfergivin -:~r. I use to know a heap bout de Lord, but I m so cripple and ~ufl since de ca f jumped on my foot I can t go to church no mo , so I done forgot. You ax ~* :)u could bave ~ ~r ~L desire. ~J till Saddy. 4 bout dem flowersai de po ch I sho wish dey was mine, em ca se dey ain t room nufi wid dem for me ter sit Us ain t got no meal and here tie jes Tuesday - no Sho is bad.; us .les pends on de neighbors and. botrys. Copy,

"Shorty" Wadley Clemons. 084 078

A .ab~na 1 (~ ) 7fl I f G. L. Clark ~~J~i~:J ~ ~ . . .: A, B. Tohnson ~ SHORTY WAD~Y CL~MONS ~ He was bent over the lawn, oare~ul1y trimming the border Into a neat line. A small black figure In overalls, clean but worn blue chambray shirt, the misshapen remains of shoes and a nondescript hat, from under which protruded thin ~h1te sideburns. Good morning, Uncle, I said, Mr. Lee was telling me about you. He said you lived back in slavery times. Is that right? Yes suh, I sho dId. I ll be 92 years old de second of August, and I was a slave for 20 year. I had a good oie massa and mistis, de bee dere was. 01e massa was a great big man, an he wa n t scared of nothin dey was. He wouldn t go nowhere without me. He always took me wid him. My grandma was a cook and my ma was a house girl. We lived in Pine Hill, a summer resort in Jefferson County, Georgia, across the river from Louisville. From home we could look over and see de people walkin about in Louisville. I remembers de day de Yankees come to Louisville. We could see them goin about from one house to anudder, settin fire. Den dey o orne on to de river and sot fire to de bridge. Dey wouldn t use our bridge. Dey built dese here pontoon bridges and dey could build dem before you could look away and look back. Den dey come across de river to pine Hill. Oie massa had his hosses an mules hid down in de swamp but my uncle Tom went and got em an brung em to de Yankees at ~e big gate. He didn t had to do it. He was jes mean. He hadn t been much good to massa since de war commenced; lay off in de swamp 11108 of de tine, .. Arter he brung massa s hosses an mu es to de

085 079

79 Alabama -2- Yankees he went wid kIeia into massa s bedroom and dey j throwed massa and mistis close all outa de closet and wardrobe and he give eIn mistis gold yearings and bracelets and dey took de yearings and put dem on de hosses years and put de bracelets on de hosses ankles. 01e massa was sittin on de long porch smokin one of dese Meerschaum pipes wid a stexii way so long and dat pipe was white as snow. Es had a big can ot tobacco on de table in front ot him. In dem days people made dey own tobacco and I wisht I had some of it now. Massa had bout thutty fattening hogs and de Yankees jes went in de pen and cut dem hogs in two. He had 3es lots of turkeys and guineas an de Yankees shot dem down. He had thutty hives of bees in one long row an one Yankee run up to de firs hive and jump in it head first and de bees stung him till he died. De udders pull him out and took him to de well and poured water over hua but he stayed dead so dey just dug a hole down by the side of the road and bur~y him in it. Yessir, dat s de trufe~ Dey stayed dere ai . night and camped out and cooked massa s good smoked meat and burnt down de barns and done ai . de devilment dey could. I couldn t see no use in dere doiri what dey did, but dat s what dey done. Massa had 71 slaves when dey was made free. De next county wasn t fit for much farming and atter we was treed my Uncle Andy went dere an bought a place. De land sold for 50 cents de acre atter de timber was cut off. Uncle Andy had a brudder Sam and Sam had a steer. Dey plowed wid de steer.

086 080

Alabama ~ ~. 80 Uncle Andy worke d at de sa~m111 In dayt line an at night he cut two cords of wood before he go to bed. He make two bales of cotton de tirst year and de next year he make four. Den he tuk up preachin . He was a Methodist preacher. Den oie massa die and oie mistis lose all her land. Uncle Andy was right good fixed so he took keer ot her a year or more rom she died. Den when she died, he went to pay all de expenses of de funeral b ut de whit e folks t 1 et him kase dey say he done his share already. My massats naxae was Williant Clemous and dey name me Wadley for oie man Wa&ley, de president of de Center Road. Dein days is gone a long tine an I still heah, but dey was good times den. I had plenty to eat plenty close to wear and when I gets sick, oie massa come to give me someinedicine and I don t need no doctor. People worship God in dem days and not bother wid church houses so much. Ev ry Sunday oie massa get out by de back do and teach us Sunday school. Den we cut tree limbs and make brush arbors for preaching. In de smnrner atter crops been laid by, us all, black and white, go to camp meetin and stay a week. De white preacher preach on one side and de nigger on de udder. We carry lots of vittles and feed everybody. Niggers sho was better off in slavery times.

My master was a mean man. 087 081

\ ij~7~ .LL & ~ 10236 ~ ~r, ~ :~ /~(P ~ ~ L~ ~ ~Y MA TER WAS A ~L~AAN MAL . . ~ ~1 Sho, I remember de ?~V~! days. Bow could I ~orgits7 ~ .\ ~\ / 4- ~ ~ Slowly Uncle Will spoke these woMs as he macle his way up a few rickety et ~ ~ith the aid of an old broomstick to his cabin door. UWe can jest set in de swine ~ effen you wants to hear a little tbout dem oie days, kaze I can sho tell it.~ ;. nell, first, Uncle Will, what s your full name and where are you from? ~ My nanie am William Colbert and I se fum Jawja. I was bawn in ~ on my ~ ~asSa1S plantation in Port Valley. My massats naine wuz Jim Hodison. At one time he ~ had. 165 of us niggers. ~ Uncle Will, a gaunt, black figui e with two weeks growth of gray hair upon ~ ~ face, spoke in a soft, qLiaking voice scarcely audible ten feet away. His eyes j ~ a faroff, sad expression of one who had. 1~own suffering. They were set deep :~ 0aC:~ in bony caverns. !~ Well, Uncle Will, tell me somethIng about the slave days. Was your master ~ good to you? ~ 1~awsuh, he warn ~ t good. to none of us niggers . All d-e niggers roun~ hated ~ t,~) be bought by him kaze he wuz so mean. ~hen he ~uz too tired to whup us he had de .~ ~Derseer do it; and de overseer wuz meaner dan de massa. But, ~Mister, de peoples ~. ~uz de sane as dey is now. Dere wu.z good. irns and bad. uns. I jus happened to belong ~ t~ a bad Un. One day I remembers my brother, January waz cotched ober s~eeint a gal ~ ~:: de next plantation. He had a pass but de time on it done gib out. Well si.th, when ~ ~e:assa found out dat he wuz a hour late, he got as mad. as a hive of bees. So when :~ ~)thor January he caine home, de massa took downhis long nmleskinner and tied him .~ ~ a rope to a pine tree. He strip his shirt off and said ~ I Now, i~ I in goin to teach you some sense ~ ~ ~Wjd. dat he started layin on de lashes . January was ~ ~efinest I ever seed. He vm.z jus four years older dan nie, :e~t~n$ him, January neber said a word. De massa got madder :a::e ~ hoUa. - ~1abama 1 81 *T~~h.n Morgan ~ iith, Editorial Department. i~ 1/~ ~~r(.~ ~ 1~//Y iL / a big, fine lookin nigger ~ when de mas~ia begin a and. madder kaze he couldn t

088 082

Alabama 2.~ 82 tHThatts de matter wid. you, nigger? he say. Don t it hurt? ~ UJanuary he neber said nothint and. de massa keep a beatint t i 11 ii ttle s ~reams of blood start ed. flowin down January ~ chest but he neber holler. His lips wuz a quiirerin and his body ~iz a shakin but hi s mouf it neber open; and all de while I sat on my mammy s and pappy s steps a cryi& . De niggers wuz all gathered about and some uv tem couldn t stand it; dey had.da go inside dere cabins. Atter while, January, he couldn t stand it no longer hisseif, and he say in a hoarse, loud vthisper t ~Mas3a~ Massai have mercy on dis poor nigger. Jill s eyes narrowed down to fine creases as his thick ups caine together in ~~aac1cing noises, and. the loose skin beneath his chin, and jaws seemed to shake with the impact of dread memories. Den,~ he continued, after a orlez pause in which tine there was no sound cxcept the c onstant drop of a bead of water in a lard. bucket ~ de war came ~ De Yan~cees come in and. dey pulled de fru. t off de trees and. et lt. Dey et de hams and ca~1ri1, but dey neber burned de houses. Seem to me lak dey jes stay aroun long enough to git plenty somp n t eat, kaze dey lef in two or three days, an~ we eber seed ~ em since . De massa bad three boys to go to w~, but dere wuznt one to come :~omc. Ail the chillirn he had. wuz killed. Massa, h ~ los all his money and de house soon begin droppin away to nothin . Us niggers one by one lef de oie place and de las time I seed de home plantation I wtiz a standin on a hill. I looked. back on it for de las time throt~h a patch of scru.b pines and. it look so lonely. Dere warn t but one person in sight, de massa. He was a settin in a wicker chair in de yard lookin out ober a small field of cotton and cawn. Dere wuz fa crosses in de graveyard in de side lawn where he vraz a.-settin . De fo th one vr~iz his wife, I lost my ole woman too 37 years ago, and all dis time, X s been a carrin on like de ~pa~ sa m all a . one H ~7a~h. Copy, 515/37. L. H,

Ex-slave, "Aunt Tildy" Collins. 089 083

A1eba~ S~s1e R. O BMen, Urriontown. ~ ~ ~ ~ 2 flemps 1L. Od.en, . . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Edltqr. ~ ~ ~ -~ L ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ S In the Negro section of Unioritown, 1cally known as I~abbit YardU (named by the Negroes themselves), lives Aunt Tildy Collins, a typical black mammy of orthodox type . She is a talkative old s oui running over with slavery talesand. greatly beloved by a wide range of acquain tances among both races. Although eighty-four summers have passed over her snow-whit e head, Aunt d s spirit is unoonquered by t line and her physical activity is truly remarkable for her age. She does her own hol)sework and car s for her home without assistance. In front of her one room cabin is a neat garden of vegetables and. flowers combined, with mornIng-glories trained carefully over the fence nearly all the wa~ around. S There i.s a saying in the South, that cotton will grow better for a Negro /S~~ S than for any other raee, and this might weil be extended to include morn in~-g1ories in Aunt Tildy g case; since none in Uniontown are quite so fine In growth or brilliance of coloring. S Like nearly all old Negroes, Aunt Tildy goes to sleep very readily. ~ She was dozing in a rocker on her small porch, while the scent of wood S~ioke and the odor of boiling vegetables issued from the cabin. An iron pot, hanging from a crane in the fireplace, sending forth clouds of steam an~ an appetizing aroma. She clings to old. fashioned. equipment and dis dams a stove for cooking. Her Ubjiedil vegetables or meats in the hang ~ oot, with baked potatoes and pone~ bread from the oven make lAp a ~iea1 that leaves little to be desired~s many visitors who have shared ~er repasts weil know. As the gate squeaked, Aunt Tildy awoke with a start and a smile. Come in, white.folks, I was jes a-settint here waitin for my ~Yeens to bile, an I musta drapped. off to sleep. Set down in dat cheer

090 084

Alabama ~84 right dar, an tek off ~ hat; you sho s lookin w il, an I se pro d toseeyou. ~ ~. . NYaS, rna am, I sho was borned in slavery tithes, an 1 wish to G~awd I could git now what ~ useter hab den, tcaze dem was good times for de black folks. Dese free niggers don t know.what ~tiS to betuk good ~ keer Of~7~. Co se I means dat! I was borne . on a big plantation near bout to L nden my Oie Marster was name Harris yassum, Dj~k Harris an? my Ole Mi~ti~ was Mj88 Mandy. Bofe dey boys fit in de wah, ant I members ~en dey went off wid. de sojers, ole Mi~ti she cry art hug dem boys an kiss em goodbye, an dey was gone a long time. I was a leetle gal whenst f de~,r went to de wah, an I was mos a grown omar~ when dey come home, an dey bofe had whiskers. Young Masse Rjch~rd he limpin an loOk mighty ~a1e an dey say he been wounded stay in ~i~s~n on Mister ~ohnson s island, sumrriuz up de ribber; but Marge Willis, he look all right, Lcep~int v~higker8. Oie Marster had a big house, an dat same house standin dar ri:f,ht now. Ug had plenty to eat art plenty to wear, an dat s mo n what ~ ~ ~~folks got now. 11Ole I~arster was good to all he niggers, an my papp~bofe belonged to tim. Dey was a slave yard in Urijontown, afli.. ev y time a spec later CU~n vrid a lot of newniggers5 Oie Marster he buy four or five niggers, an dat s how he come~buy my pappy, atter de spec iater brung him an a VTho .e passel of niggers from North C lina. My mammy herej~aJready long to Oie a~arster, her was born~d his n. ~ ; a Sometime a no count nigger tek an runned erway; but de ober~Se~~r, he put de houn~s on he track, an dey r n hirn up a tree, an de Oberseer fotch h~m back nex mawnin , all tuckerediit, an he glad to st~.:f home for a spell an have hese f. Oie Marster had a good oberseer, ~ too. Cose he wan t no quality, lak Oie Marster an 01e Misti~, but he

091 085

Alabama 3 . ~ . v~aS a good kin man an he didn t hab no trouble on de whole ~lantat ion. Us alluz had a Chrjs mug tree in de quarter, jes lak de white folks an dey was presents for e cr ybody nobody wantt lef out, big or little. Dere was~eetin house on de plantation an Ole Marster had a rule dat all de chilluns had to go to 5unday school soon as dey was big snuff, an dey had to go in clean white clo s~ too. U~ chilluns hate \ t o s e e Sunday e orne ~ caz e Mammy. an ranmamrny dey wash us near bout \rub de skin off gittin us clean for Sunday school, en dey comb our heads ~I1~:ic~ a jimcrow. ~ou ain t nebel seed a jimcrow? Hit mos lak a cyard vr~ipt you cyard wool wid. What a cyard look lak? Humph! Missy, whar you ~been raise - ain t neber seed a cyard? Dat jimcrow sho did. huTt, but us hadder stan hit, ant sometimes atter all dat, Mammy she wrap our kinky hair wid tjead an twis so tight us s eyes co ldn t hardly shet. My G-ranmammy, her de head cook oman ~A de big house, an~ us :~e.d to mine her lak us did. Mammy. I hope ranmarnmy in de kitchen, atter I ~ot big :~:~~~c11 she sho did keep me Iiumpln . Chill ns had to mine c~e: ol~ers In deJdays~,dey wan t lak dey i~s now, don t m ne nobody, not eben dey Pa. When de surrender corne, Oie Marster he tole all de niggers dey v~as free now, an some was glad an some was sorry an weist dey might be sorry, iffen dey knowed. what a hard time dey goner had kflockifl roun1 de ~ by de~self noOl e i~~arster an no Oie Mi~tIg ter look atter ~erh an feed em when dey sick an when dey well. Look lak ter me, when de E.illrender parted de white folks ant de black f lks, it hurt em bof e. ~ r j ~ j Il ~r ou~hter be tergedder, jes lak de ~ood ord tended dey oe. Aunt Tildy sighed deeply and, gazing afar off, said Iffen Oie ~arster was livin now, I d be ail right an not hafter worry bout nuffint In spite of her eighty-four years, Aunt Tildy makes her living as a ~~T~ife an,d serves as a doctor nan in cases o minor ailments; t~ut

092 086

A1abama~ ~ ~ ber practice is so closely interwoven with ~~conju?jnt that lt is di.ffi~ c~.1t to say which is the more important to her. For example : she pre~ scribes wearing matches in the hair or a little salt o~i the mole of the bead for headache. Mer sovereign remedy for rheumatism is nint de j Ints g, vjid a little keroe~ne oil an put some mullen leaves on it. A good c1o~t of turpentine is good for moe anything dematterwid you. A coin 1: ljth a hole in It, usually a dime, tied aroundthe ankle will keep you from getting pizen. Furthermore, thi~ S~~e treatment warns against the ~iii effects of getting cdnju ed! Iffen..you gits conju ed, de dime turn black, an ~ you kin go to de conju doctor: an git de conju took ~ hhI~ you got to go, Missy? Come back aglin. I s~allus iw ud to see you, Aunt Tildy called afterme from the edge of the porch~. ~ ~ ~ ilash. Copy, 6/4/37.

She just can remember her husband's name. 093 087

Alabama Preston Klein ~ . .~ ~ SEP 1 1 1937 Opelika, Ala. ~ She Just Can Remember Her Husband s Name (PHOTO) Sara Colquitt, who used to till the fields In slavery days, ~ . ...~ _~. T: ~:. . ~ ~ ~ ~ . :~ ~ . ~ ~ :: now has a handmaiden of her own. Sara does not know the date of her birth in Richmond, Virginia, but she says it was more than a century ago. (193?). The girl, whom her daughter has employed to take care of the nearly blind and helpless centenarian, is well past eighty herself, yet she keeps her charge neat and clean and the cabin in which they live tidy. Sara s daughter works in the fields nearby at Opelika, Ala. to keep the family going. Mr. Bill Slaughter and Miss Mary Slaughter was our marster and mistess and dey had two chilluns, Marsh. Robert and Marsa Brat, Sara said. I had four brothers and sisters, Tate, Sam, Jennie, and Tenner. Us lived in log cabins wid dirt floors and dey was built in two long rows. Us beds was nailed to de wall at one end. and. us used corn shucks and pine straw for ~nattresses. Miss Mary was good to us but us had to work hard and late. I worked in de fields every day from fore daylight to almost i~lumb dark. I usta take my littlest baby wid me. I had two Ch1li~fl~, and I d tie h~t up to a tree limb to keep off de ants and bugs whilst I hoed. and worked de furrow. All us rtiggers was fed from de big kitchen and wasn t hongry, but sometimes us would steal more food dan was give us anyhow. I was one of de spinners, too, and had to do six cuts to c5e reel at de time and do hit at night plenty times. Us clothes was homespun orsanburg~, what us would dye, sometimes solid and

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Alabama . 88 sometimes checked. . . Sides working de fields and spinning, sometimes I d. hope wid de cooking up at de B1~ House when de real cook was sick or us had. a passel of company. Us cooked on a great, big fireplace what had arms hanging out over de coals to hang pots on to bile. Den us had three4egged skillets what set right over de coals for frying and sech like. Us cooked sho nuff bread In dei~i days, ash cakes, de best thing you ever et. Dey ain t nothing like dat dese days. II was sold oncet before I left Virginia. Den I was brung Jovm to Alabama and. sold from de block for ~l,~OO to Mr. Sam Rainey, at Camp Hill, Ala. I still worked in de fields, but I would cook for de white folks and hope around de Big House on special 1casions. Our overseer was Mr. Gre,~n Ross, and he was I a bad one, too. Mean, my goodness~ He d whup you in a minute. He d put you in de buck, tie your feet and den set out to whup you right. He would get us slaves up fore day blowing on his big horn ~nd us would work twell plumb dark. All de little niggers d get up, too, and go up to de Bi~ House to be fed from wooden bowls. Den dey d be called ag in fore us come from de fields and put to bed by dark. I useta stop by de spring house to get de milk, it was good cold too, and tote it up to de B g House for dinner. I had two chilluns. Dey was named Lou and Eli, and dey was took care of like de rest. U5 useta have some good times. Us could have all de fun us wanted on Sa dday nights, and us sho had it, cutting monkeyshines and dancing all night long sometimes. Some would pat and sing, Keys not arunning, Keys not arunrithg,

095 089

Alabama -3-- 89 and. us sho did more n dance, I m telling you. Sometimes our Mistess would come down early to watch us dance. Next to our dances, de most fun was cornshucklng. Marsa would have de corn hauled up to de cribs and piled as a house. Den he would Invite de hands round to come and hope shuck lt. Us had two leaders or generals and choose up two sIdes. Den us see which side would win first and. holler and sing. I disremem~ bers the hollers jest now. My mind Is sorter missing. Marga would pass de jug round, too. Den dey she could work and dat plle d just vanish. Us used de white folks church in de morn ng. I j lned de church den, tcause I always tried to live right and wid de Lord. When de Yankees come through Dadeville, Ala., us heard !bout hit and Marsa hid his money and lots of his fine things in de colored folks s houses. Dey never found em neither. Lemme see who I married? I mighty nigh forgot who it was I did marry. Now, I knows. Hit was Prince Hodnett. ~ ~ dOfl~t want no more slavery. I hope dey don t have no more such, cause hit was terrible. Yes m, I d be proud to have my pitcher took. So pridefully Sara s chair was dragged out on the porch by her maid, and the pitcher was took. R.L.D. 9~9-,37

Ex-slave Emma Crockett (80 years old). 098 092

92 Ruby Pickens Tartt, Livingston Alabama Luther Clark, Editor. EX-SLAVE ELLA CROCKETT ( 80 YEARS OLD ) CEll the old east road from Livir~ston to Epes, about six miles north~ east of Livingston, is the double houses built of widely assorted mate~ riais, where Emma Crockett lives. The older part of the house is the settin room where the stick.and-clay chimney of its earlier days has been rer~.1aced by a new brick chimney . A roof of corrugated sheet metal tops the war~ed, roughly hewn logs which form the walls. The new roomtt is built in the later shanty style - pine boards, un)laned, and nailed u?right to a frame of 2X4 s, the cracks of the fl~t joints ttstripped with nar$ow siding. A roof of hlboughtnl shingl es covers this room. Con rLectin~ the two rooms is an open hail roofed with hea~r boards rived :~roru ~~)jne blocks. Despite its conglomerate architecture this is a batter colored folks house than many in the Black Belt. These double nouses often have no roof for the hail and some also lack a floor, the t :~a11 being made entirely of earth, s~y ~ imagination. ~mrna settled herself on the to~ step at the front of the hail to t~.1k to me, after first ironing a tiny wrinkle out of her ~string apron .:i~)h her hand. t Liss, I m bout sebenty nine or eighty year old, 1 she told me, :~ ~ belonged to L:arse Bill Hawkins ana Liss Betty. I lived on deir ~ 1~P.nt~tion right over y~nder. Ly mammy was called Cassie Hawkins and :: .a .~py was Alfred Jolly. I was Emma Jolly fore I married Old Henry ~O2kett. Us had five chillun ~d dey s two of em livin in BuinminL ~a, :~e~~je and L~ary.

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~1abama) 2-.Ex-Slave,.Emma Crockett. 93 Sometimes I kain t git my mm together so as I kin tell nothin . I fell out t other day and had a misery in my head ever since. I wish I could read, but I wa n t never l arnt nothin ceptin atter Surrender ~iss Salue Cotes she showed us how to read trintint but I kain t read no writin. I kain t tell you so much bout de wah ca se my recollec..~ tian ain t no count dese days. . All I knowed, twas bad times and folks ~.ot ~thu:ped, but I kain t say who was to blame; some was good and some ~ cas bad. I seed de patterollers, and atter Surrender de Ku Kiuxes dey co~IIe defl, but didn t never bother me. See, I wa ~n t so old and I :~inded ev ybody, and didn t vex em none. Us didn t go to church none, but I goes no~v to de New Prophet Church ana my favorite song is: Set down, set down, set dov~, Set down, set down, Set down, chile,set down. Soul so happy till I kain t set down. L~ove d~ member, move Dan~u-el, L:ove de member,move Dan~u~el. Dan-u-~el, member, don move so slow. D~n~u.~el, member, don move so slow. Got on my rockin shoes, Dan.u~-el. Got on my rockin shoes, Dan~u~el. Shoes gviine to rock me home, Shoes gwine to rock me home,Dan u~el, Shoes gv ine to rock me home,Dan-u~el, Shoes gwine to rock me home,Dan~u-el, Dan-~u~~ e .. Shoes g~vine to rock by faith, Shoes g;~ine to rock by faith,Dan..~u-el, Shoes gwine to rock by faith,Dan-u~el. L:ove de member, move Dan-u~el. Love de member, move Dan-u~l. Got on my starry crown, Dan~u~el. Got on my starry crown, Dan-u-e1. t! Dat s all I kin tell you today,honey. Come back when di~ ~~S~ ;T leave my head and I gwine to think up some tales and old songs.

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~jna Crockett. (3) 94 t, Eut I di .n t never fool wid no hoodoo and no animal stories neither I didn t have no time for no sich foolishness. And I ain t scared of nothlfl neither. n ~ lives here wid my grandehile now on Mr. Bob Davis place. ::~ gits enough to eat, I reckon, but i ~s tight, I tell you dat ! !C~snington Copy. July 9,1937.

Gittin' my pension. 101 095

Alaiania ~ . Annie D, Dean ~ ~ ~ ~ i. ~ . ~ ~ ~~T_~_w_~ P~EN8IqN ~ ~ . V ~ From all accounts, Aunt Cheneycrosamust be quite ninety years old. In jewin de war,0 she says, I had done long pass my thirteenth birthday. Today Aunt Cheney is a true reflection of slavery days and the Southern mammy. Away from highways and automobiles, she lives seve ~al miles from Evergreen on a small farm in the piney woods with her Nbaby boy. Talk with Aunt Cheney reveals that Evergreen s city marshall, Harry L. Riley, put out to hope this cld family servant who had. tended to his father, G eorge Riley; his mother, Miss Narciss,~ and Miss Lizzible, his sister. She also helped bring his own chillun into the world. Aunt Cheney had promised Mr. Riley t~iat she would come in town on a certain Saturday morning in May, 193?, and would bring a let-i t er from her young Hmi stis for me to read.. It ~ as past noon on that particular Saturday when she came up the back\step~, a little out of breath, but smiling. Lawd, honey, she said, here tis pas dinner time an I se jes makin my arriverrient here. No m, I don t wants no dinner, thank you jes de same. Whut makes me so late:here now, I stopped byMiss Ella Ncrthcutt g, Shets my folks too, you know, an she done made me e~:kt all I kin ho1e~ No rn, honey, I can t eat no cabbage. Mean cabbage never is set horses together much, but I will thank you for the ice tea. Settling herself down in a low chair, she sighed and began taking off her shoes, Honey, you don tmind ef I resses my feets does you? My white folks Is sp l.lin me here today. I ll be 95

102 096

96 -.2- Alabama for il; tomorrow, too, an I Won t be gittin lt. Her black eyes twinkled In her shiny, old, v~rinkled face as she talked on. I~tole Mr. Harry I se ~ . An here I 1s~ How d. I j come? I come on Mack and. Charlie, dat s howi Yes, ma atn~ Dese two boys here, dey brung me. Pushing her feet out for inspec-. tion, she leaned forward, smiling and pleased. UDese here foots, dy s Mack ~ Charli e. Dey s my whol e pennunc e for gi ttin about. \ Don t you worry none. Mr. Harry he ll g t me back home gainst dark come on. Lawd, honey, I dofl t want to know no better folks n Mr. Harry an Miss Einma~ I follow dem good folks clean up to Muscle Show~~~~ : Yessum, I sho did. At fust, I tole m I couldn t go nohow. But dey pull down on me so hard, look lack I couldn t he p myself. Ill stayed on up dere at Muscle Show twell I got so homesick to see my baby boy I u t stan it no . Now, case, my hnby boy he wuz den de father of his own, a boy an a girl, but H ~3 me dat boy is still jes my baby, ~ I had to come on home. j Aunt Cheney s little, old body shook with laughter as she eaned hack and said: Yes, ma arnZ I ain t been home no time ~t~1i neither, twell here come Mr. Harry back to Evergreen wid. T~:.s own self. Yes, Lawd~ I kin see m now, commt up de big hard-. v;ood road, his haid raired back, asmokin asugarette lack he s ~ ~illineryZ Lawd, Lawd~ Me nor Mr. Harry neither one ain t never gona be contentious nowheres but right here. An dat s e awd s trufe~ Ulffen Mr. Harry hadn t come on back here, I never woulda Eeed. no pension. Dat s de G awd s trufe, too. Nobody here didn t :now my eggzack age, cause dis ~ my originally home. All dem

103 097

A1a1~ma 9~ whut did know close onto my age done died out an I knows lt. So when Mr. Harry put out to hope me, I says in my heart ~Phank GawdV II tole Mr. Harry dat iffen anybody In de world knowed my age, lt wa~ my young mistis, an I dIdn t know eggzackly where ~ she at, but her papa was Captain Purlflre (Purifoy). Back yonder / he was de madistra of our town, an he had all of dem lawin books. I I figgered dat my birthright would be down In one of dem books. I ~nowed In reason dat my mistis still got dein books wid her, cause dey ain t been no burnin s dat I done heard about. I knowed, too, dat Mr. Harry was gona fine out where she at. 1 I members Captain Purifire jes lack a book. I does datl ~ Now, cose, when he come on in home from de war he didn t zackly fa~or ~ ~ hlsse f den, cause when I seed him comm1 roun de house he look ~ ~ s o ragged an o rnery I tuck hirn for de ol e, Bad Man hi SB ~ f I tuck : out behind de smoke house, an when I got a good look at him th ew a crack it look lack I could recognize his favor, but I couldn t 08.11 his name to save my life. Lawd, honeys He s a sightl All r;rowed over an bushy~ You couldn t tell Iffen he1B man or beast. ~ I kep on alookin whilst he s cornin roun de corner, an den I i:eard him say Cheney, dat you? I se so happy, I j es melt down. Aunt Cheney was really living over her past. You see, it s lack dis , she said: My fore parents, dey was bought. My Mistis an my daddy s mistis, too, was Miss Mary Fields, an my daddy was Henry Fields. Den de Carters bought my daddy from Miss Mary Fie ~. ~e1l, dey mix up an down lack dat, twell now my young mistis, what Use to be little Frances Purifire, she s married to Mr. Cunningham. I was brung up right in de house wid my white folks. Yessurn, I slep on de little trundler bed what pushed up under de big bed, In durinst de day. I watched over dem chillun day an night. I

104 098

Alabama . . ~ ~ 98 . I washed em an fed tem an played wid. em. One of de babies had \ to take goat s milk. When she cry, my mistis say, Cheney, go on ~ an git dat goat. Yes Lawd~ An dat goat sho did. talk sweet to I dat baby~ Jes lack it was her own. She look at it an wag her tail so ~ ~ say : Ma~a a a. a~ Den she lay down on de floe f whi1st ~us holes her feets an let de baby suck de milk. All de time dat goat bees talkin Ma a a.a- a, twell dat baby got satohifled. When us chillun got tuck wid any kind of sickness or zeezes, us tuck azzifizzity an garlit. You know, garlit what smell lack onions. Den we wore some roun us necks. Dat kep off flu-anz. Dese days it look lack somepin t eat don t te,s e lack dat we cooked back yonder. De coffee us used had to be fresh groun~ ever1 day. A~ when it commence to bile, ~ put dese here knees down on de flo beTh de fire an stir dat coffee for de longes . Den my gran ma she hung dat pot up on dem pot hooks over de fire art washed de meat an drap it in. Time she done pick afl overlook de greens an den wrinched. em in spring water, de meat was bum . Den she take a great bi.g mess of dem fresh turnip greens an squash em down in dat pot. Dey jes melt down an go to seasonin . Nex thing I knowed, here come my ruistis, an1 she say: Now Cheney, I wants some pone bread for dinner. Dem hick ry coals in dat fire plac e was all time ready ~ hot . They wouldn t be no finger prints lef on dat pone when Cheney got th ew pattin it out neither. Better notl Look lack dem chillun jes couldn t git nuff of dat hard corn bread. Plenty of fancy cookin went on rOUfl dat fire place, but somehow de pot licker an pone bread longside wid de fresh butter ~ niil~ stirs my mem ry worse n anything.

105 099

Alabama ..5,- 99 All dis good. eatin I se speakin tbout tuckplace beTh de ~ Yankees raided us. ~ It was den, too, dat my mistis tuck me down I 1;o de spring back of de ho~. Down dere it was a holler tree J stump, taller n You Is. She tell me to clam up to de top of dat I holler tree, den she han me a big heavy bundle, all wropped up ! an tied tight. Hit sho was heavy~ Den she say: Drap it in, ~ Cheney~~ I didn t know den whut she s up to, but dat was de ~. silver an jew lry she was hidin . Yes honey, I members dat Yankee raid lack it was jes yistiddy. I se settin dere in de loom room, an ~ Thad. Watts lii gal, Louise, she s standin at the winder. She say: O o oht Nannies 3es look down yonderl Baby, what is dat? I says. Dem s de Yankees comm1. G awd hep usP I says, an befo I kin \~ ketch my bref, de place is kivvered. You pouldn t stir em up wid a ~ stick. Feets sounded lack mutterin thunder. Dem bennits stick ~ up lack dey jes settin on de mouf of dey guns. Dey swords hangin \ on dey sides singin a churie whilst dey walk. A chicken better ~ not pass by. Iffen he do, off come his head! When dey pass on by me, dey put nigh shuck me outa my skin. There s de men s? dey say an shake me up. Where s de arms? Dey shake me twell my eye bails loosen up. Where s de silver? Lewd! Wag my teefa drappin out? Dey didn t give me time to ketch : ~iy bref. All de time, Miss Mary jes look em in de eye an say nothin J Dey tuck dem enfield rifles, half as long as dat door, an~ bUS in de smoke house winder. Dey jack me up off n my feet aria drag me up de ladder an say: it dat meat out. I kep on th owi~ out Miss Mary s hams an sawsidges, twell dey holler stop . I come backin down dat ladder lack a sauirrel, an I aint stop

106 100

Alabama - 6 - 100 backin tweil I retch Miss Mary. 11es, Lawd~ Dem Yankees loaded up a waggin full of meat an tuck de whole barrel of lasses~ Taking dat lasses kilt us chiilu:n~ Our mainest musement was makin lasses candy. Den us cake walk roun it. Now dat was all gone. Look lack dem sogers had to sharpen dey swords on ever thing in sight. De big crepe mullen bush by de parlor winder was bloomin so pink an pretty, an dey jes stood dere an whack off dem bloon~s lack folkses bee ds drappin on de groun . ~ .1: 1,1 seed de sarg~~ when he run his bennit clean th ew Miss :i8~ry s bestest feather bed an rip it slam openi ~Vid dat, a win blowed up an tuck dem feathers ever which away for Sunday. You couldn t see where you s at. De sar~t~, he jes th owed his head hack an laugh fit to kill hisse f. Den rust thing next, he done suck a feather down his win pipe~ Lawd, honey, dat white man she struggled. Dem sogers ~ water in his face. Dey shuck m an ~- eattm an rOI1 rn over, an all de time he s gettin limberer an ~Iuerer. Den dey jack him up by his feets an stan m on his haid. Den dey Pump him up an down. Den dey shuck m twell he spit. Den ~e come to. Dey didn t cut no mo~ riattrusses. An dey didn t cut nothin :uch up in de parlor, 1cause dat s where de 1ieuteri~it an de sarg~~ c~1ept. But when dey lef de next day, de whole place was strewed ~. Id mutil tion. III ~ well b~ck dere in jewin de war how evers oncet a ~nth that come troun a big box, longer n I is an wider too, was ~.;ck to our soger boys on de battle fiel . You never seed de lack ~r sawsidges dat went in dat hox~ Wid cake an chicken an pies,

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Alabama . ~ ~ - . IO:1~1 an Lawdl de butter all rolled up in corn shucks to keep it fresh. ~ Ever body from ever where come to fix dat box an he p pile In de stuff. Den you hear em say: ~ Poor sogers~ Put it In here~ ~ Den : ever thing look sorta misty, ant dey haids droop over~1ack. Den ~\ you see a mother s bres heave wid. her silent prayer. Directly atter de surrender, de Ku Kiuxes sho was bad atter de Yankees. Dey do all sorts of things to aggivate tem. Dey s continual tyin grape vines crost de road, to g t em tangled up t rnak e ~ em t ri p up ~ br eak dey own n eck s Dat was bad t o o cause dem poor Yankees never s picioned no better n dat dem vines jes blowed down or somepin. Long about den, too, seem lack ha nts an spairits was ridin ever thing~ Dey raided mostly rouri de grabeyard. Lawd, honey, .~ I ain t hankerin atter passin by no gra~eyards. Cose, I knows I :~ ~:0t to go in dere some day, but dey do make me feel lonesome an ~dnder jubus. III members one night, way back dere, when Itse walkin down de big road wid. Bud, an he say: Look~ Didn t you see me give dat road? Dat ha nt done push me clean outa my place. Now let me tell you somepin. Iffen you ain t never been dat clost to a ha nt, you don t know nothin I I lowed he gwine follow me home. When I got dere I shuck mustard seeds down on my f10 . When you sprinkles em lack dat he can t git outa dat room twell he done count ever1 las one of dem seed. Well sir, de nex ma.wnin all us could see v:as somepin lack a lump of jelly layin dere on de flo mongst dem sEeds. Look lack he done counted hisse f to a pulp. After dat night, I puts a big sifter down at my dot. You k~o~ ha ntshas to count evert hole in dat sifter beTh dey can come

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Alabama ~ . 102 th ough. Some folks puts de Bible down dere, too. Den de poor spairit has to read evert word of dat book befo he crosses over. I reckon bout de terriblest thing ever happen to me was dat big lookin glass. De lookin glass was all laid. out in de top of my trunk, waitin for my weddin day. One night I se standin by de trunk wid hit wide open. I seed sornepin black befo my eyes an den a screech owl lit in my winder ant screech right in my face. I se so scared I sot right down in de middle of dat lookin glass. Hit bus in a million pieceel Mamma th owed. up her ban s an ho1ler~ G t up from dere, gal. ~ gona have seven years of bad luck. Shoo dat hootin owl away befo you dies in your tracks~~ Den I swoons off. I feels dem ha~nts gittin ready to ride me clean down in my grabe. ~Bout den somepin kep sayin to me, over an over: tThlow dem pieces of lookin glass in runx4n water. Den hit say: Burn your mammy s oie shoe an de screech owl leave. Atter I does dat my mm was at res . Soon as my daddY hear em firm off for de Surrender, he put out for. de plantation where he fust belong. He let nie wid. my mis~ tis at Pine Flat, but twan~t long twell he come back to git me an car~ y me home wid him, I hateSto leave my mistis, an she didn t want to part from me. She say: Stay here wid. me, an I ll ;:ive you a school l?arnint.t She say to Captain Purifire: You go buy my li .l nigger a book. Git one of dem Blue Back ~Yebsters, she say, so I kin ed.di.cate her to spell. Den my daddy say: Her ~ ~f:ima tole me not to come home widout her an she has to go wid me.1 I never will fergit ridin behin my daddy on dat mule way in ~e night. Us lef in sich a hurry I didn t git none of my doze i~.ardly, an I ain t seed my mistis from dat day to dis~ ~. p ~ ~. .L~ j)~ S~oo ~

Plantation punishment. 111 105

Alabama Preston K~ein, ~ ~ ~J Lee Oounty, L~ii:i~i Jack Kytle, ~d1tor. ~ -~c\~ ~. ~ ..r-~\ ~ . ~ ~ PLANTATION PUNISHMENT. ~ - ~~~~ CarrieDavis said. Honey, dere was a lot of cruel things done in Elavery ~j~~g I~ She was washing when I arrived at. her shanty near Smith s Station, A1~.barna. She asked, as so many of the old Negroes do, Has you come to help me? I said: 11No, Carrie; I want you~to tell me about slavery. She shook her gray head, recalled: Dem was good an bad times, i.istus; good an bad. I had a purty good marster; but de marster on de ~~ntation dat ~ ined our n was mighty mean. He was a bad. man, no :atter if de slaves behaved. or not. L Hofley, I members dat he had regular days to whup all de slaves ~ v:~ strops. De strops had holes In em so dat dey raised big blisters. ~ D~sr dey took a hand saw, cut de blisters and/washed em in salt wat~ . I O~r 0 ) I~iistus has put salve on aheap of hacks so dey could ~1t delr \ ~irts off. ~e si~irts d stick, you see. De slaves would come to our ~i: ~ for water an ~istus would see em. ) Asked about her life as a slave, she sald I w~s borned. in :~~:(.lS 0ounty, ~eorgia, an was ~ ten or twelve when freedom come. : : ::.animy an pappy was Liartha an Nathan Perry and had s eben chi hun. ~~es me, dere was Amy, Ide, Knoxie, Jim, Abraham, an Franklin. ~ U~ lived in de Perry quarters. De cabins was made of split ~ put up edgeways and daubed wid mud inside an out. Dey was bout ~ . ~:.red yards from de big house, whar Marster Bj11~ an Mistus Nancy :~~:; lived. Deir chillunwas Clara 1~aria, Malinda, 5ara, Alec, 31m, an :~TT. Dey was real good to us, too. Us et at de big house. Course ~ :~-):)d was cooked on de fireplace, but us had meat and greens btv~ ~4 ..~ch biscuits. Us had couards an cabbage, too. Sometimes us would have wIld game, ca se de men hunted lots

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Alabama 2 ~ . i~O6 ~n ~:otched rabbits, possums and coor~. Dey also kotched. a lot of fish. No rn, our beds warn t so good. Dey was homemade and de sides r(~s scantlings wid legs nailed on. Den slats was nailed on top of i~t to put~ our shuck and-.straw mattresses on. Ly grand parents was from Virginny. When I was a slave I was Clean ~ ~ a house girl and to help keep de yards/and bring in water. Us ~)r~ mostly slips, wove n homemade looms; an dey was orsanburg an ~o~ esoun. We wore em Sunday and I~onday de same. Us shoes was made at ~ tanyard. and dey was brogans as hard as rocks. I members dat some of our white neighbors was poor and didn t ~~ve no slaves. Dey would help us work. De overseer couldn t whip dem, ~ ~i; :~e would made dem work hard and late. I members, too, dat de over-. seer ~raked us up wid a trumpet. (_~ Dey useta tell us dat if us didn t work dey was going to sell us ~to ~:elD feed de rest; and. bless ye soul, us nlggers d go to work, too. j est ~arster wasn t mear~ He~. would/lock de slaves in de crib fer punishment. ~er~ slaves was sold, I seed many a nigger put on de block for five and ~ ~undred dollars. Us couldn t leave de plantation widout a pass; and you better not ie~ terr~i kotch you wid a book. US walked to de white church an set in ~ ~ Icr. Davrey Snell preach and baptize, and dey had foot washin s. ~~ Y~eg d~ niggers!d git so happy dey would shout. Den dey would keep ~~d~n in de fields next day and git a whipping. If a nigger got out widout a pass, dey sot de hounds on you; and ~ ~:rollers d tear you up, too, if you stayed out too late. ~ Ug had sech good times on Sattidy nig1~.ts; frolic, dance an corn .C :In s. L~ost of em would he drinkin and sing and holler:

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Alabama -3-. ~::~ 8heep s~ in de cotton patch; :~ Got t im out Monday. (1 Had it been a white man; \~_~.d G~ot jm out Sunday. Kid Kimbrough was ouf~ leader, and he could sing Dixie, too. Christmas mornin u~ d. have a better breakfast and dey would Live us rations at de big house. When any of de slaves got married dey i~nt up t o de white folks houe e jumped over de broom. Dat was ( ~e ceremony at de weddln . FAnd if marster wanted to mix his stock : ~ slaves wid a strong stock on nether plantatIon, dey would do de 1 :~n8 an women jest lak horses. I tmembers dat when two niggers married, ~j5~ey got a big supper.~ All us chilluns had a big time ~ played Pretty Pauline, Turn, ~i~rlie,t an sech lak. / 0No rn I never did see nor h lieve in ghosts. L, When us got sick L~istus d give horse mint, life everlasting, ~nI:Ienrod, an holly teas, yessurn. And us wore asafoetida and pop (\~i~ seed. Yankees come, dey handcuffed our folks and took em off. meat, corn, fodder, and seth hauled in de swamp near Dem Yankees went as straight to it as if dey had seed. D~y burned it all up and took some niggers from de farm. When fre dom corne, I members dat marster told us dat u~ was free, ~at we could stay on if we lacked. ~ost of us stayed on wid him ~ spell. Now and den de K~ Kl~~ Klan d corne around and beaton a When de :~trE;tp:~ had his C~: ~lantation. ~ :~t it dere. . .1~. - j~ ~ ~ . n- ~ ~ I married Charlie ib~~~ and had two, chiliun, twelve grandc:n~p1,~q and n ne great grandohilluns. :~~th

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Ai~hama ~\ Honey, ~ heard Abraham Lincoln s name, but don t know flOthiri ~ him. ~ ~ ~ot tired livIn t~0~ wicked peoples; arid I vianted to be /(:~Ted. Dat s why I j ined de church and still tries to de r ght. ~ ~ia1n gton Copy, 108

Ella's white hen is heaps of company. 119 113

1~13 Alabama ~ ~ ~ ~ . lia B. Prine ~ Mobile, Ala., %$~I ELLA $ WHITE HEN IS ~ ~ HEAPS OF COMPANY Ella Dilliard, an old Negro woman who lives at 756 Canal Street, Mobile, says she wasa small girl during slavery time, and does not know the hardships of it, because she was owned by good people. Her mother s name was Mary Norris, owned by Mrs. Calvin Norris, who lived in Selma, Ala., but had a homestead in Mobile. Her father belonged to people by the name of Childress, and his naine was Green Childress. She doesn t remember much about him because his white people took him to Texas. Ella said that her mother was her madame s hairdresser, and that Mrs. Norris had. her mother taught in Mobile. So Ella s life was very easy, a~ she stayed around ~he big house with her mother, although her grandmother, Penny Anne Norris, cared for her more than her mother did. One of the things she remembers quite distinctly was her grandmother s cooking on the fireplace, and how she would not allow any one to spit in the fireplace. She said her grandmother made corn pone and wrapped it in shucks and baked it in ashes. Ella saId she dId not know many colored people, since the quarters were quite a ways from the big house, and that the plan~ tation was managed by an overseer. She said the quarters were built in rows with streets. between them. She also remembers the first boat she ever saw. that was ~hen she was brought to Mobile after the surrender, and when she ~aw the boat she said to her mother: Look at that house sitting on the water. -

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Alabama Ella said. that there were three cooks at the big house, their names being Hannah, Jud.y,and Charlotte, and. the gardener s naine was Uncle John. Ella also said that one thing that she remembers so well about the kitchen in the big house was a large dishpan, that had a partition iii the middle 0 it, one side you washed the dishes in, and the other side was used for scalding them. The slaves always had Saturdays to wash their clothes and do things for themselves. Ella, not having lived among Negroes, does not know much about their habits and customs, but she does remem~ ber seeing the big white covered. wagons that the slaves were carried in to be sold; and remembers hearing talk of the ~Patty- rollers.U She said when the slaves were sold, they were put on a block, and. that the man who were buying would look in their mouths just like they did horses. Ella said she was born in Greensboro, Alabama, but the plantation where she later lived was on the Alabama river near Seirna, Ala. She doesn~t know how many acres it comprised, or how many slaves that her master owned. She remembers her madame made her stop calling her mother mammy, and her father 1daddy. She said: You know, Mise that the whi. te children now-a-days calls their parents mammy and daddy lIke the colored people used to. The children now do not respect their parents as they should, and in fact everything is so different the truth done be under the table. You know, miss, I am telling the truth, because the Bible says, Woe be unto the one that lies; Judgment is on the land . In those days people had to work to live, and they raised most everything they used, such as cattle, hogs, cotton, and food~t~ff. Then the women spun the thread out of the cotton, and

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A . abaina 3- wove the cloth, Ella helped . her grandmother at the weaving by picking up the shuttles for her. She said they generally used the cloth as lt was woven. The shoes were made on the place and were called red. bro~ gans. As for the churches, the white folks had the bush arbor camp meetings, where the people would go and camp in little cabins for week&, so they could attend the church. They had newspapers then, Ella said, but course they ain t like you have now, ~ there warn t so many as there is now. You asked something, miss, about medicines. I don t remem ber much about any medicine, because Mr. Calvin Norris was a doc tor, and he always treated us when we were sick. There was a Dr. Browder who tended the plantation. Ella is a bright colored, small woman, whose eyes are very keen. She says that a short time ago she had dome trouble with her eyes, and she got something from the drug store to bathe them with, but it did not help them. So she caught some pure rain water and anointed her eyes with that, and. now she can see to thread a needle. Her life has been very colorful ifl~ many respects. She recalled as a small chIld, that, durIng the war, a minie-bail c une through a brick wail of the servant house where they were living, but it fell without harming any of the servants. She said when Wilson s raid was made on Selma, that the Yankee men went through the houses just like dogs, taking whatever they wanted. III members Mr. Parkman putting two sacks of money down in his big well, and him getting it out with hooks after the Yankees left. ii Later when she was brought to Mobile she worked for Judge

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Alabama ~4-. Oliver Semmee for twenty years. Judge Semmes was the son of Ad.. mirai Raphael Semmes, and she said he was a blessed, good. man. For the past fourteen years she has been. working for the Frank Lyons family of Mobile. Ella lives in a double tenement. house, having one room and a small kitchen. The room is full of old furniture and odd. things. On the mantle is a lovely old china pitcher that once was owned by Judge Semmes and which Ella prizes very much. The thing that puzzles Ella most among the modern inventions, she said, are the aeroplanes, and the way ice is made. She said: ~ Miss, we never had any ice way back yonder. Vie had nice, old, open brick wells, and the water was just like ice. We would draw the water and put around the milk and butter in the dairy. It s a mystery to me how they make that i,ce, but, my goodness! I guess I need nOt worry my head about things, because I am not here for long. All my family is dead. and gone now, and the only companion I have is this here little white hen. Her name is L~ary. You see, I bought her last year to kill for Christmas, but I couldn t do it. She is so human; and you ought to see the eggs she lays. I even have a few to sell sometimes. I just keeps nary in the room at nIght w~.th me, and she is heaps of company for me.H BIBLIOGRAPHY: Personal interview with Ella DUllard, 756 Canal Street, Mobile, Ala. R.LSD. 9~9-37

Rufus would talk a lot for a dime. 123 117

Wooth ow H~d, _L_E ( Birmingham, Alabama. RUFUS WOULD TALK A L~QT FOR A DIME. Foreword. This Negro, Rufus Dirt was found on one of Birmingham s busiest street8 begging for coins. Because of his inability to read, he was unable to even give the number or location of hi s home AU he knew was ~ j est sorn era on Southaide, boss. I ll drop a dime in your hat uncle if you ll stand here and. talk to me for a few minutes. Sho boss, Iffen you wants, I ll talk all day fo dat much nioney. I se .been here fo a long time an I knows plenty to talk bout. ~1that does yo want to know? I explained my interest in slavery days an~yr search for ex~s1aves, but he began telling me before I had. time ~.~finish. His ability to talk had. somehow escaped what his age had. done to his hair, which was sparse as well as snowy white. His eyes were a glazy red.. One hand and arm seemed to be crippled, but the other waved around in the air as he talked and finally settled On my shoulder. Boss, I don rightly know jes how old. I is. I was a driver (Negro boss of other slaves) during slavery and I reckons I was about twenty sompin I don remember nothin in particular that caused me to . get dat drivin1 sob, ceptln hard work, but I knows dat I was proud of lt cause I didn have to work so hard. no . An den it sorta made de other niggers look up to me, an you knows us niggers, boss. Nothin makes us happier dan to strut in front ofdher niggers. Dere ain t ~ flOth1~ much to tell about. We jes moved one crop atter de other till it by t ime corne and den we d start in on ~ winter work. We done es bout de same as all de other plantations. UIAy massa s name was Digby and we live at Tuscaloosa bef o ~e War. An bout dat war, white fo1ksc~em was some scary times. De ~AIabaxns~

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Alabama : . 118 nigger women was a-.feared to breathe out loud come night afl in de day ~ time, dey didn t work much cause dey was alitas lookin fot de Yankees. ~ Dey dld& oome by so much toause atter de first few times. Dere wa nt no reason to corne by, Dey had done et up ever thing and toted off what dey didn eat. Dey tuk all Massa9s stock, burned down de smokehouse atter dey tuk de meat out, an dey burned de barn, an we. ai . think ever time dat dey goin to burn de house down, but dey musta forgot to do dat. Then de war was finally over ~ I was free my family went to Vlcksburg, Miss1a~1pp1 where we made a livin first one way an den de other. I ~ know how long we stayed dere, but I was Ilvin in Bunirnin ham when dere wa nt nothin much here a tall. I watched ai . de big buildin ~ s ~ round here go up and I s d dem build all de big plants and /:I~~e still watchint, but I still don know how to tell folks where places il is, cause I don know how to read n~m~~I goes anywhere I wants to ~ ~ - ~ -.. ~ .~.-- ~ : ~ go ant I don ever get lost, but jee de same, I can t tell nobody ~ where I am. I don even know where we is standin talking like dis right now. An boss, I am t beggin cause I~ se too lazy to work. I, se worked plenty in my time till I crippled die arm in de mines and befo ~y eyes got so bad, and with a grace and gentleness that may be called a characteristic of his generation, he added, I hopes I se told. you ~ what you wants to know. He had. I felt well repaid for the dime I had given him. As he walked off down the street, I noticed for the first time the large crowd that had. gathered around us. Evidently slave tales carry more interest than this writer realized. h~sh. Copy 5/14/3?

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Alabama ~ . Susie R. O Brien, : ~ ~ .~ ~ r~ ~ U ni ont Alabama . ~ CABINS AS FARAS ~ You COULD SEE. ~ Ma Eppes sat on the steps of her weatherbeaten, unpainted little cabin, duplicate of the dozens that make up Rat ~ Negro quarter of Uniontown, and looked down the vista of memory to her childhood when she lived in where de log cabins stretched as far as you could see in de slave qua t ers Despite her eIghty-seven years, Katherine Eppes, known to every~ one as ~ tiMa, It came as spi~ ly to her tiny porch as her rotund body would permit, She smiled broadly at her interviewer and seated herself slowl~y. t honey, I can tell you mo n anything you want to know bout be big fight, ca se been here a long time,t~ she began her story. ~ Dey ain t many lef to tell bout dem days. ~y mammy an~ pappy was deter an Emma Lines an us all belonged to ~iar8~.Frank and Mj58 Sarah Lines. I WE~S born on dey plantation five miles below Faunsdale bout 1850 so dey tells me. Il ~ j ~ right ol but thank &awd I ~ t i~i got my t e ef i e s an my :~a r Proudly the old woman unwrapped her head rag to display a thick mop, wooly white but neatly parted into squares. Dozens of dl little plaits, wrapped with yards of twine, just as her hair had been ~regsed in the slave quarters before the War, adorned her head. She sat /~ 1t~ uncovered head unblinking in the bright aune sunshine, as she took ~up t~e t8le of her health. I sees pretty good, too, but l s so hebby \~I 81n t able to toe myse f rount as pert as I useter. It wa~ dif 1rent back in dem days when I belonged to rich whIte ~ Dey had plenty of niggers an dey was log cabins in de quarters jes ~ as far as your eyes could see . Marsa Frank M~.gg Sarah was good to ~E~ black folks, too. Dey son, young marsa ~1rank, fit in de big war.

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Alabama ~ ~ ~ . ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~% ~ .. ~ . ~ ~. ~ - ~ Atter de war was ~ I sta~red on d~ Lt~es~ place twellatter I ma ied, f afl1 O ) Ml i; gin me .~ ~ &res,~ a~ ~~ng veil down to in~ foots. When us was oblUun ~tn de quar~ers we . did. a mighty lot of playin . US useta play S&ji away ~au~y ~~a !11~L~, lot. U~ would ban s an go roun in aring,gitt~~Y fasteran faster an~ dem what fell down was outa de game. . ~ ~ . . .~ UM3TrIl&nIrny wuk~c~ed ~ ~ B&g ~ aepinnin ant anuesin de white chillun. An of dem c.a ~Led her ~mammy.. Ah members one thing jee lack lt was yestiddy. ~ M188 ~ went to Mospo ~ls ~Demopo1te) to visit \wid. her sister, an whilst she were gone de oberseer, wh~t go by de name of Allen, wh~pped my Mammy croat her bac4c twell de blood runrted. out. : When M&BS ax~ah corned back an ~i it out~, she was de ~ ~ white lady I. eber aeed. She sont e p~z .eeer, an she say: A~ .1en, what you mean by whupping Mammy? You know I ~1on t allow you to tech my ~house s ervants She j erk her dress down an 4 dere lookiri like a sojer wid. her whlte.shoulders shinin lack a snow bank, an she say I dru t her s e e dem marks on my own shoulders dan to 8 e e em on Mamm s Dey ~v t hurt me no wu. Den she say : Allen, teck your fambly an git offen my place. Don t you ljsundown ketch you here. So he lef . Hewasn t nothin but whIte trash nohow. Ma Eppes sat silent for a time as she recalled the vision of ass Sarah standing straight and. regal in her dismissal of the overseer. Fthally she turned ~::~~ with an abrupt change of subject. --~ Honey, is you a 0hrlstian? ehe asked earnestly. Q hopes you is, Ca se you le too flne .ookln for to go to Heil. I b lorige to de sap ti s Church an dey calls me Ma Eppee ca se I ~rd~ mother of tie church. lOves to sing de gospel ~1ymfl8.N . She began t o e Ing in a high cracked voice her body swaying with . ~ ~ :~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .

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Alabama. 121 The song rose until her neighbors had. gathered. to form quite. With much moaning between every line, she aang I am a sojer ~of de Cross, A follerer of de Lam . I m not afeard. to own ais name, Nor to ~f~flt H1~ cause. (Chorus) HI wan you to come, I wan you to come, I wan you to come the rhythm. an audience. . . An be saved. She was still singing as I left her, the neighbors joining In the ~ choruses. Suppers would be late In the row of weatherbeaten cabins, be cause the spirit 0 song was on the gathering. ~1a~h1ngton Copy, e/~~9/37.

Heywood Ford tells a story. 129 123

A1a~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~: ~ \ 4 ~ i~ohri Morgan ~inith~ td- \ ~ ~L~Jf~:k:~3 - ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~:~r ~ ~ ~. . ~ ~ !1A~~ .~ (~ :~. ~ ~ . Thite fO1k~,~ said Heywood Ford, ~ gonna tell you a story bout a mean oberseer an whut happened to him dunn de siabery days. It all commenced when anigger named Jake Williams got a whuppin for stayint out atter de time on his pass done gib out. All de niggers on ~e place lmted de oberseer wuss dan~zen, toaze he was so mean useta try to think up things to whup us for. One mornin de slaves was lined up ready to eat dore breakfast an Jake Williams was a pettin his oie red bone hmm . Bout dat time de oberseer come up an seed Jake a pettin hie houn an he say Nigger youain t got time to be a-fooLin long dat dog. Now make hirn git . Jake tried to make dedog go home but de dog didn t want to leave Jake. Den de ober~seer pick up a I~C1c an slam de dog in de cac~ . ~ De dog he den went a-howlin off. Dat night Jake he come to my cabin an he say to me Hey~ rood, I is gonna run away to a free state. I ain t a~gonna put up wid dis treatment no longer. I can t standnuch mo I gibe him my han an I say: Jake, I hopes you gits dere. Maybe I ll see you ag in SO:~etime. $1 Heywood, he says I wish you d look atter my belle3 Feed her ant keep her de bes you kin. She a mighty~ good possum an CoorL dog. I hates to part Wid her, but I knows dat you is de ~ pu s s o n 1 c ould leave her wi d An wid dat Jake slIp out de ~ I Seec~. hirn a-walkin toward de swamp down de long furrows of cawn. flIt didn t take dat oberseer long to fin out dat Jake done run evr~r t when he did, he got out de blood hount s started off atter him. It warn t long afore Jake heex~ed dem houn s a- howlin in J

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Alab8iIl ~2 ~ ~ :124 de distance. Jake he was too tired to go any further. He circled troun an1 doubled on his tra ks SO~8 to conft~e dehounts an den.he .oI mb a tree . T warn t long afc re h seed de light of de obere eer kV . ~ ~ th o)~h de woods and de dogs las a gitti closer an , closer. ~ ~1na1iy dey smelled de tree dat Jake was In an dey started barkin trotint lt. De oberseer 11f his lighted pine knot in de aIr so s he could see Jake. He say : ~ Nigger, come on down fum dere . You done wasted ~ nuft . of our t the . But Jake he neber move nor make a sound ~ all de time de dogs kepna howlin an de oberseer keppa sw arln . Come on down, he say a~kn; tj4~fen you don t I se comln up an knock you outen de tree wid a stick. Jake still he neber moved an de oberseer den began to climb de tree . When he got where he could in reach J ke he swung dat stick an it come down onJake s leg an hurt him tur ble. J ake, he rai seci his foot an kicked de oberseer raght i,i~ de mouf, an dat white man rent a tumblin to de groun . When he hit de earth dem houn s pounced on hIrn. Jake he den lowered hisseif to de bottom limbs so s he could s e e what had happened . He saw de dogs a~t ea~in at de man sn he houa: Hoi lin, BelleIt H~1 im, gals De leader of dat pack of houn s, white ~ iollts, warntt no blood houri~. She was a plain old red-bone possum an coon dog, an de ree done jus lak she done, tearin at de ober~ Seer s th oat. All de while, Jake he a hollerin f um de tree fer dem d(3,: ;s to g t im. Twarn t long afore dem dogs to dat man all to pieces. He cUed raght under dat maple tree dat he run Jaice up. Jake he an ~at coon houn struck off through de woods. De res of de pack come ~o~e . HI seed Jake atter us ~tiggers was freed. flats how come I ~:no~,e~9 all bout it . It musta been six years atter dey killed de ober seer. it was in Kentucky dat -~- run across Jake. He was a-sittin on SO~:1e steps of a nigger cabin. houn dog was a-sittin at his side.

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. Alabthfta ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~. ~ . ~ . ~ I tells him how glad. :i ~ to see him, an~ den I lo k at de dog. ~.at ain t Belle, I says. Naw, Jake answers, Dis her puppy. Den he I me de wboie story. I always did want to know what happen to ein. ~T1asii. Copy, 6/3/37. 1~ t.T .u ~ :.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :.~: ~ .~ ~ - ; Z;. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ...~. ~. ~ ;~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (2

Dem days was hell. 135 129

(PHOTO) W/:~ DEM DAYS ~ HELL 10227 Margaret Fowier, Fruithurst j~29 Jack Kytle, Editor ~:L ~ ::.. ~ ~ ~ i~ :~ ~~-r ~ ~ Delia Garlic lives at 43 Stone Street,~ Montgomery, and insists she is 100 years old. Unlike many of the old Negroes of the South, she has no good words for slavery days or the old masters, de. laring: Dem days ~t hell. She sat on her front porch and assailed the taking of young children from mothers and selling them in different parts of the country. I ~ growed up when de war come, she said, an I ~ a mother befo it closed. Babies ~ snatched from dere mothert ~ w-r~~ ~ breas an sold to speculators. ChiUuns wa~ separated from sie.tere an brothers an never saw each other ag jn. Course dey cry; you think cattle? :i could tel . you bout n t guess de awfulness of it. It s bad to belong to folks dat own you soul an body; dat can tie you up to a tree, wid yo face to de tree an yo ~ fastened tight aroun it; who take a long curlin whip an cut de blood ever lick. Folks a mile away could hear dem awful whippings. Dey ~z ~ a turrible part of livin . Delia said she was born at Powhatan, Virginia, and was the youngest of thirteen children. f~ ~ I never seed ~of my brothers an sisters cept brother VV-i ~ ~V1lliam, if ehe s8id. UHIffi ~ my mother an~ me~\~ brought in a speculator s drove to Riebmon an put in a warehouse wid a drove of other niggers. Den we ~1 all put on a block an1 sol to de hig~e~t bidder. Alabema V1~ ~? ~. ; dey not cry when dey ~ sold lak it ai . day, but even den you could.-

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Alabama II never seed. brother William ag in. Mammy an me w~z sold. to a man by de name oi~ Carter, who ~ de sheriff of de county. No m, dey war~i t no good times at his house. He ~tz a widower an his daughter kept house for hini. I nursed for her, t on e day I ~ 1 wi d. de baby . I t hurt it s li 3. an an commenced to cry, an she whirl on me, pick up a hot iron an run it all down my arm an han . It took off de flesh when she done it. Atter awhile, marster married a~ in; but things warn t no better. I seed. his wife blackin her eyebrows wid. smut one day, so I thought I d black mine jes for fun. I rubbed some smut on lily eyebrows an forgot to rub it off, an she kotched me. She ~z ~ powerful mad an yelled: You black devil, I ll show you how to mock your betters.1 Den she pick up a stick of stovewood. an flails it ag in my head. I didn t know n thin more till I come to, lyin on de floor. I heard de raistus say to one of de girls: I thought her thi ck skull and cap of wool could take it better than that. NI kept on etayin dere, an one night de raarster come in drunk an set at de table wid hi s head lollin aroun I ~ w~ z. ~ waitin on de table, an he look up an see me. I ~ti skeered., an dat made him awful mad. He called an overseer an toi him: Take her out an~ beat some sense in her. NI begin to cry an run an run in de night; but finally I run back by de quarters an heard mammy callin me. I went in, an raght away dey come for me. A horse was standin in front of de house, an I ~i took dat very night to Richinon an sold to a speculator ag in. I never seed my mammy anymore. NI has thought many times through all dese years how mammy looked dat night. She pressed my han in bofe of here an said:

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Alabama t B e good an tru s in de Lawd t ITrustint was de only hope of de pore black critters In dem days. Us jest prayed fer etrength to endure it to de end. We didn t ~ speot nothin but to stay in bondage till we died. III was sol by de speculator to a man in MoDonough, Ga. I don t rioollec~his name, but he was openin a big hotel at McDonough an bought me to wait on tables. But when de time come aroun to pay for me, his hotel done fail. Den de Atlanta man dat b ought de hot. ei b ought me too 1 ~ ong dough, I was s ol )t o a man by de naine of Garlic, down in Louisiana, an I stayed wid .~7. .~ ~ . ~ ~ ~(v ~ ~ ~ \/~ (L LJ~ him till I wuz freed. I ~ a regular fiel han an hoein an choppin cotton. I Us heard talk bou t de war, but u s di. dn t pay n o t en ti on. Us never dreamed dat freedom would ever come. Delia was asked if the slaves ever had any parties or dances on her plantation, UNotzn,N she replied, ~us didn t have no parties; nothin lak dat. Us d.tdn t have no clothe s for g rotin. I never had a undershirt until jest befo my first cliii was borned. I never had flo~jfl~ but a shimmy an~ a slip for a dre se, an I t made Out en de cheapes cloth dat could be bought; unbleached cloth, coarse, but made to las . Us d1dn~t know nothin cept to work. Us ~ up by three or four in de mornin an everybo&y got dey soznethin to eat in de kitchen. Dey didn t give us no way to cook, nor nothin to cook In our cabins. Soon as us dressed us went by de kitchen an got ~ ~ ~ ~ ~o ur piece of cornbread. Dey wuin~Lt even no salt in dein las years. Dat piece of cornbreadtall us had for breakfus , an for supper, U8 had de ame. I31

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Alabama -.4- HFor dinner us had boiled vittles; greena, peas an some times beans. Coffee? NO~ m, us never knowed nothin bout coffee. NOne mornin I members I had started to de fiel ,ari on de way I los my pieO~e of bread. I didn t know what to do. I started back to try to fin it, an lt was too dark to see. But. I walk back raght slow, eu had a dog dat walked wid me. He went on ahead, an~ atter awhile I come on him .yin dere ~uardin dat piece of bread. He never tot~ched it, so I gived him some of it. Jus befo de war I married a man named Chatfield from another plantatlon but he was took off to war an .1 never seed him a~ ln. Atter awhile I married a boy on de plantation named Miles Garlic. NYasim, Massa Garlic had two boys in de war. When dey went off de Massa an missis cried, but it made us glad to see dem cry. Dey made us cry so much. ~ When we knowed we ~ free, everybody wanted to git out. De rule wuz dat if you stayed In yo cabin you could keep it, but if kY~-j you lef you los it. Miles ~z workin at Wetumpka, an he slipped in an out so u~ could keep on livin in de cabin. My secon baby soon come, an ra~ht den I made up my mm fr&~ to ~o to Wetumpka where Miles ~ workin for de railroad. I went on down dere an us settled down. Atter Miles died, I lived dere long as I could an den come to Montgomery to live wid my son. I se eatin white bread now an havin de best time of my life. But when de Lawd. say, Delia, well done; come up higher, I ll be glad to so. Wash. Copy ~-~1 ~ ~

Mules be eatin' and niggers be eatin'. 139 133

Alabama Ruby Pickens Tartt, . i()224 I4vingaton, Alabama. ~ ~ MULES BE EATIN AND NI GGERS BE EAT IN . ~~ ~L~ Aw~ S~e sat in the door of her ~ma1I-~-o&~n -e~-44&e~f~m Livingston, A .abam.a in philsophical reflection. Time has not softened h e r rn e mc ri e s . bi t t e r~e~a&&~ai~ .. Jier face . ~ 1:~.z~ she said. ~ Arigi e Garret t ~ f ________ de ~ in De Kalb, Mississippi. My mother was Betty S~~tt, an! I didn t know my father s name. I had four brothers, Ember, Johnny, Jirrirn~e, anI Henry; and three sisters, Deiphie, Lizzie Sue, and Frankie, and fly grandmother was Sukie 5~~tt. She lived five miles from Gainesville acror;s Noxubee Creek ~ an I lived. wid her. Never axed bout my grand~ddy, caze wa n t no tellin . My mammy lived right here i~n Gainesville an belonged to Mr. Sain Harwood. II ~ b longed. to de Moorings and. Cap ~n Mooring run on a boat t O Mo- bIle from Aberdeen, Mississippi,~-tw~.e~!, ort de Bigbee rivera an4 twus call ~--~ a~ ed ~LeCremonia. I was de house ga1~5 an4 nuss~, ant. I slep on a pallet in ~ OiCt iiss s t~oom. I had a plenty to eat long as us was on dat boat, ~~nd k L:t spo was good. But when us was in De Kalb, vittles was glv out~ at de s:~Dke house, a slice o meat and. piece of bread and peas, and twus . Barz~t out ter de fiel . Mules be eatin and niggers be eatin . I nussed de Moorings little boy Johnny. De little gal,~died. Mr. S~tt, ~ D~ Kalb had. bout fifty slaves and a big plantation and a overseer riarr~e Barnes. He was a haughty man, and niggers was skeered to ~ ~ caze he would corne in a cussin . +P~( f LTg would git up daylight . Twus dark w~:e~: go out dark ~ Cci~e ~ 1j8 make a little fire in de fiels some mawnin s, hit beeze so eo:ci; ~ us let ~it go out fo de overseer come. Ef he seed you he d.

140 134

Alabama 134 rn e yer lay down flat on yo1 belIy,~foots tied. out and han s tied out i;~ ~_~Lwr~ %~mJ~ c~. CA~ Pt~4) : Jtw~& ~ .. ~ ~ ~: and whoop yer~~ i~p~p~r. leather strap wid a handle3 ~ e ~ I been whooped tel I tell lies on myself to make em quit. Say dey whoop till I~d tell de troof, so I had. ter lie bout ~ -~ se f keep em from kuhn me. Dis here race is mo ~ & de chillun ~ t~!~k~t ~. ~N Isreal)Sidfl t have ~e,r shoot no gun ~ set ~ free. ~ A~d ~ atio ~ sometimes us sing and have a little prayer meetin , but twue mighty easy and quiet like. G ran ma Sukey use to slng Travel on, travel on, Soon be Over. Ef any us died in dem days, buried us quick as dey could and got out of dere~ nd got to work. At night dey b low d de horn for em to bring in de cotton w ut de women spinned. Dey made all de clof~ Us work~ ed nI~ hts too, but us rested Sundays. Us didn t git no presents at Christ- rias. Sometimes us had a corn shuckin , and no celebration for no marriage. Dat Was called ~uinpin de broom j es taken up wid e~ . Dey all want ~ you to have plenty of chillun, though. Us wo asfedity roun us neck ket~p off de small pox and measles. U~ d~fl t have much medicine and some of um wa~ always full of bad com~ p::aints lac Carrie, my neighbor, whut you axed about. 1 bees a- hurtin , but I can t never git in edgeways for her. Always got a lot excuses; doan never aspects to die tiiout folks knows whut ails ner. But she brought ~e SO:~1e black eyed peas today, and ~ laces um caze dey biles sof , and ~ S&:T ~ ef de devil brought hit G~d samt hit ~ Sometimes I bees hongry, an i say. What is I m gwinter eat? , and along corne somebody w d sumpin . Wigh you could of heered dat calliope On de Cremonia. Dey dance ~3Tfl~ tin~e mos all night, but dey didn t act lac dey do now. Twus

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Alabama j35 nice behaviour. Look lac ev ything goin back ter heathenis and. hits on de way now. B~t de good. I ~pd he ps me. He hoi s my han . I ain t got nothin gin nobody. I doan see no need. of fussin and fightin an a~-dr1rtkin whisker. U~ livin in a new won and I go on makin de bee I kin of hit. Some I lac, some J~ doan . I got one daughter, Fannie Watson, a good washer and ironer right here in ainesville, and I got a son,too, say he ain t gonna marry tel he kin treat de oman good as she. kin treat herse f. I makes hirn wait on rue, and. he gits mighty raw sometimes, but I tells him I m jes much older den he is now as I was when he was bawn. Den he gives me a old dirty dirne, but now wid dese here tokens, you gotter pay some of hit fer spendin . Dey tells nie hit s de overnor, and I say let him carry em; he kin tote em, I ain t able. Well, once ain t always, and. twice ain t f erever. No in, I doan never go ter church no mo . De preacher s here is go~n~ bline about money. Dey ain t interested in dey soul. Some folks Olongs ter de church an ain t been changed. De church ain t all of ~ hit . I members day uv mancipation. Yankees tole us we was free and ~ dey call us up frum de fiel to sign up an see ef us wanted to stay on wj.d em. I stayed dat year wid de Moorings, den I bargain for Ian , but Couldn t never pay fer hit. Turned loose thout nothi~n . Bat dey was a coal black free born nigger name George Wright, h&d ~ floatin mill right here on de Bjgbee River, stayed at de p int o~ de woods jes bove de spring branch, and hit did a good service. ut ~e got in debt and he sole his fIve boys. Dey was1~s own chillun, and he could sell em under de law. De names was Eber, Eli, Ezektel, floch, and Ezra, an he sole em ter de highes bidder right yonder ~ont of de ~os office for cash. And ~ack Tom was another free nigger

142 136

Alabama ~ 4 ~ 136 here and he bought some of era, and dey others de white folks bought, and I never heerd no complaint arid. I seed em long as dey lived. Dey was a neap of things went on. Borne I lac e to remember, some I doan. But lid rather be free nc~w. I never seed Mr. Lincoln, but when dey tole me bout him, I thought he was partly God. But Mr. John Rogers right here,(he s dead an gone now), he was wliut he was and wasnt ceitful. Go to hi~ ef you got Into anything, and. ne more8n apt to tell you whut to do. He was wile when he was young, but he settle down and was de bes white man to de niggers I ever knovr~d. He d he p me right now ef he was iivin~ and. seen me wearin di~ here rag nasty, he eho would. ~ashlngton Copy, 6/15/37. L. H.

Mr. Renfroe hangs on a chinyberry tree. 143 137

Ala 1~rna w. ~F. Jordan, Birmingham ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i~ Mr. Renfroe Hangs . 2jL.a~ ~yr~y~jr~ . . (PiloTo) ~ . ~ . Howdy Cap nZ Kin you tell me how to fine Jedge Ab s oo te? I knowed zaotly whar hit was in de le oo te house, but I gits~7 all burnfuzzled tryin to fin anybody in dis new bu~din . His naine was Henry Garry, He wore a suit of faded and ex~ tensively patohed Confederate gray and a oap of the regulation porter s style. His face bore the expression worn only by those of his race who had lived and toiled in a much earlier and in many Instances, happier day. In the presence of white folks0 he was at ease, Indicating an intimate association and relationship among them and in theix~ service. Wbat businessha ve you in Judge Aber~atby s court? You t look like a criminal, was the response. Hob, nawsah, I ain t neber done nothin to nobody no time. But I oho don t know what did new generation of nigguhs 00mm to. Hit war bad nough when dey oouldn git nothin but bootleg cawn licker; now dey kin buy all de gin dey wants right here in Bummin ham, an den rapsoalilons git out on Sat d y night, fill up on gin an git all lit up la~k a mettin house. Den de fust thing dey know dey gits t arigi ed up Wi. d s om ebody wi d a razo r o r a meat axe o r n ~ t la ng o om e de law, b eks em up an de ~ s to pay r, But why should all that di sturb you? They haven ~ t run you in have they?li he was asked. Nawsub, hits dat triflin nevvew of mine. flat boy kin sho1 git into mo kin s of trouble dan a pet monkey. He in jail now for

144 138

138 Alabama ~ some debilment orfb~ther an I spe t Itse gwineto hab to.:g1t~him out ag ln. Dats whatI1se gwlneto see Jedge Ab: bout. Wlsht I could git d~t boy back down ~ in ~ Sumter County on Marse John Rogers plantat-ion. Dat s whar he b Iong at. Betcha Maree John wouldn1 take none of his fooli.shment.N ~ - Are you familiar with the peopi e and hi sto ry o f aumt er he wa8 quizzed further. Lawd man, I was bawn in de back yahd whar Marse John Rogers live right now. Dat was right atter de surrender an my mammy b long to de Vandegraaf family who useter live dar ~ owned all dat plantation. My daddy s name was DanielGrady. Dey come f um Virginny long . time de wah Ail dem oie peoples is dead now. Onlies kinfoiks I hab left down dah is a) ,ousin. Sh moe a hundert yeahs oie an still libs on her little farm a few miles from aineevifle, An Cap n when i says libs, I means lbs. Ain t nothin dat grow outten de groun nor in de groun in Alabama dat s good for folks to eat but what she g~t it an plenty. I goes down dar to visit her twicet a yeah, afl~, man alive, hit am a sin de mount of grub I puts away endurin dem two weeks I stays dar. Yassah, Itse bout due to go down dah now, toaze dat gyarden sass P!1t spring chickens jes bout ripe. My mammy was a seamstress for de Vandegraaf plantation an1 ruade ai . de clothes for bote black and white. She neber did leave de plantation atter de slaves was freed but stayed right dar till she died, ahe an my daddy bote. But dey Was good hones1, spectable, ClR1 chg ~jnI people, my daddy an mammy was. De little log chuch house is still dar an de nigger3 still keep Up de services. De

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39, Alabama -3- oie pastor nearly a hundertyeahs oie now, but lt would a prise you how spry he gits tb ut an ~ de meetiri~s. . . I don1t know 1 bout uyther parts, but from what my mammy tel . me de s1av~s in Sumter County hab had. a mighty good time, had plenty of ebery t ing ant nothin to worry 1bout. Seems lak dar warns t no trouble ~ iflongst de whi tes blacks ~ twell att er de wah. Some white mens come down from de Norf an~ mese up wid de niggers. I was a mighty little shaver, but I tmernbers one night atter eupper1~ nil daddy and mammy an us ehilluns was under a big tree by our cabin In de quarters when all at wunst, Ilokety split, heah corne galiopin .down de road what look lak a wbo .e~army of gho~~es~ ~1 hab been bout a hundert an dey was men ~ hosse9 wid de men and hosses bofe robed in white. / ~ t n, dem mens look lak dey ten feet high an dey hossea big a~ elephan 1s.. D y did t bodder nobody at~ de ~ te rs but de 1eader~or de crowd ride right in de front gate an1 up to de big dug well back of our cabin an holler to my daddy. !Come heah .nigguh! Ho ohs, cose we skeered. Yassuh, look lak our time done corne, MY dad4y went ober to whar he setting ~on his hose at d~ well. Den he say, Nigguh git abucket an draw me some cool water. Daddy got a bucket, fill it Up an1 hans it to him. Cap n, woul8~ You b lleve it? flat man jes lift dat bucket to his mouf1 ant nebep stop twell it empty. Did he hab nough? He jest smack his ~ouf ant call for mot. Jest lait dat, he di&I~ stop tweli he drunk three buckets full. Den he jes ~wipe his mouf an say, Lawdy, dat sho was good. Hit was de tuSt drink of Water Itse had aenee I was

146 140

140 Alabama 4, killed at de battleof Sh.tloh.1 ~ ~ / W we good? Cap n, from den on dar wasn~t a nigger dare /~sti ok his h ad out de do1 fo ~ a week . ~ But nex day we fi n out : dey was ~u fluxes ~ dey fount de body of a white man hanging to a pOSt oai~ tree ober by Grari Prairie. His naine was Billings an he come from de Norf. He been ober ~roun~ Livingston messin up ~ : de nigger s tellin ~em dey had been pro~nised forty acres and a ~ \~ ~ mule, an dey ought to go i~ea~ an taire em from de white folks. ~ ; But dat carpetbagger~ouidn do nothin wid oie Slick dough. ~ ... Slick? Tassah, dat what t ybody call hiiii. He hang rotin de 1eo te house at Livingston an listen to de lawyers argufy. He try ~ ! to memb r all de big words dem lawyers use. ehen 4t carpetbagger ~ come to town dat nigger Slick was oarryin). his bag to de hotel an I when~ deys pass de minera~. well in de street de man axed Sli k, / ~Vhat dat water good for? Hab it been tested? Slick say, Oh ~ yassah, dat water been soanalyBed by de bee f enologists in de ~ country, an dey say hit s three quarters carbolic acid gas, an ~\ de yuther seben eights is hydrop1~obia. \ f \___ UYassah, dat oie cannon in de co te house yaM at Livingston Was drug outten de Tombigbee ribber whar de Yankees done sunk it tIme of de wah. De Ments useter load er up an shoot er off on big days at Livingston. Dey ha to spike de olegun, dough, to keep de debtish boys rount town from shootin it off jes to1 fun. ~ I Git rid of de carpetbaggers? Oh, Yas sah, dey vo te em out.. ~*~~i e11 sah, tell you how dey done dat, De publicans done paid all de fli-ggers poli tax, ant gib em a receipt so dey could vote same as ~ : de whites. Dey made up to lect de officers at : de co te ho~uae all

147 141

Alabama niggere an den sen yuther ones to Montgomery to make de laws. Same day de lection come off dar was a circus ~n Livingston an de Demniycrats suaded de boss man of de circus to let all Sumter County niggers in de show by showin dere poll tax receipts. Yessab, when de show was ober de lection was ober too, an nobody was lected cepth white De~mycrats. Cose dat made Sumter County a mighty onhealthy place for c~rpetbaggers an uppity niggers. Nyot ax me bout de old songs de slaves useter sing. ~Vel1, I th~n t members many of dem. Atter de S render all de oie slaves ~hat stayed on de plantations roun ainesville useter gather at de landin dar waitiri to see de steamboats pull in from down de Tombigbee on dere way to Columbus, (Miss.), an sornebody d start ~ song, an , Law man, how dem niggers sing. Here one I heerd ray ::~.~:nmy sing so much I learnt it: 7~~: ~ in de bible, ~ f! Methuselah was de oldes man. t~ He lived nine hundred an sixty nine \~\ Den died. an go to Heben in de Lawd s due time. ~ Methuselah was a witness ~ For my Lawd, . For my Lawd. tX ~ ~Re~%d in de Bible, Understan Samson was de stronges man. ~ \ Went out to battle to fight one time \\ Killed a thousan of de Philistines. %\ Samson was a witness ~ For my Lawd, ~ For my Lawd. ~ UDaniel was a Hebrew chile, ~ ~i7ent to de Lawd to pray a while. t De Lawd tole de angels de lions to keep, ~ so Daniel lay down an went to sleep, \ An dat s anoder witness \~ For my Lawd., For my Lawd. 141

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A1ab~m ~ ~42 Now bout de ghos tales. I neber heerd. many ghos . yarns : ~ ep bout de ohinyberry tre e whar dey hung Mistah St eve Renfro e. He was lected High ~er1ff dat time dey got all de niggers to go ~ to decirous stead of goin to de leotlon. He a fine lookin man an~!~ ride a big white hose ant ebe ybody lak him a lot cep de carpetbaggers an bod.dersome niggere. No matter whar, if he meet \ . o n e o f ~ em he look em squar ~ in de eye fo r a mi nut e den bout :~ all he say would be Get to hell outten heah~ An man, iffen dey could flydat would be too slow trabelin for em, gettin outten \ . de county. ~ut atter wi~iJ~ he got in trouble bout money matters. Dey say he got color b ~nd, couldnt tell his money from de county s. So dey rest him art put him in jail, but he bust right out an x~inn . off. Atter while he sneak back an caze his Ku Klux f rien s / ~ WOU .dflt help him outten de trouble when he got back In jail, he ~1ve era away an t eli wh~tt dere ~i~ub~&iiIia#~ ~e .~b~&c~L.m- ~ h~ ~ ~t;~1 ~ de~~! fla!fl e was On e ni ght a gang took him outten de Livingston jail an go bout a mile outten town an hang him to a chinyberry tree. I se hyeard iffen you go to dat tree today an kinda tap on hit an say, Renfroe, Renfroe; what did you do? De tree say right back at you, Nothin . Nawsuh, folks down roun Gainesville didn p y much mm t D S 1. gn s ~ con ~ ~ all dat s tuff My mammy woul dn 1 et us tote a axe on our shoulder th ough de house, an she wouldn low a umbrella to be opened in de house, say hit bring bad luck. She r~eber fail to hab oown fieit peas an hawg Jowl for dinner on New Yeah s Dey. She say hit a sign you hab plenty to eat balance ob

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~ ..?~. ~ \. de yeah. She put a ball of azzifittity on a string an make all u~ chillun wear it ~roun~ our neck to keep off sickness. If ~ ow . be~ gin to hoot ober in Tomblgbee bottom too close to de house, she put de shovel in de fire to make him stop. Wall, sir, I corne to Bummin ham moe forty yeahs ago when ~iarse Josiah Morris Finish de Morris Hotel. I fust run de elevators a while, den dey wukked tue in de saloon what useter be jest back of de office. I been heah eber sence. I speck bout de las thing dat Il happen to dis ole nigguh will be to haul him away from de ~:orris Hotel in a black box. But Lawdy, Cap n, ~ got to git up to Jedge Ab s oo te. Lissen, Cap n, iffen I gits dat notcountnevvew outten jail I sho would lak to git him:a job. You don t know nobody what don t want to . j, hire nobody to do nothin does you? wash. Copy Alabama

Frank Gill, a slave boy escapes whipping by pulling tail of frock coat. 154 148

Alabama . . . lia B. Prine, . ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ Mobile, Alabama. uIL~t Qj~A~1~VE BOY ESCAPES ~1iIPP IN~ 41 BY PULLING~ TAIL OF FROCK COAT. ~ \ ~) ~ --.--~-- -~ -j--.- -~ --~-~- ~ ~ ~% \ ~. c\~ A low, stout, sleek headed Negro man, sat In an old rocking chair in an end room of a long row of rooms of a tenement house at nOS South ~tami1ton Street, Mobile, Alabama. Thig old darkey said, ~Then asked by the writer if he lived during slavery times: I not only lived dunn slavery times, but I was here before a gun was fired, an b fore Lincoln was elected. I tells you, Miss, de fust time I members anything - a tale of any kind. ~ was liv in in vi cksburg Lee County Missi asippi an mah maw art paw s names ~~as Amelia Williams an Hiram Gill. I couldn t tells you whar deyS v:ar from, dough, But I does know dat Mista Arthur an George Foster o~med us, up tu I wa3 a big boy. De~ayit was, dere ~ther, 01 ~C~:~y was a widow a& her had dese two boys, an she had money, I tells you she had barrels ob money; so when de two boys got old enough she divided de slaves, an property tween em. Me axi mah n~w fell to Arthur Foster, and sum ob our kindred fell to &eorge ~:)~ter. Mister OEeorge was a Captain in de army an was killed near V cksburg: ~ De 01 MIssy e place shore was bIg, I couldn t say how r:.r~ny acres dere was, but hit run four or fiv miles, an she owned h~:~reds ob slaves. She had lots ob log cabin quarters, whut had de cracks daubed wid mud, an den celled wid boards. I se tellin y~ ~ dey was twice as warm as de houses we lib in now. Dey bad C~:~hleys built ob mud an sticks, an had big wide, fireplaces, a.~ ~ we cooked on, an de beds was homemade, but ~or dey was heap8 E~iTnger dan dey is now, in dese times. Dem beds was morticed to ~ei:~ er.

155 149

Alabama 149 ~As I said b fore ;L was a boy between fourteen or fifteen years old bSfore de slaves was divided, aria when I was on de 01 Jviissy s place, I stayed aroun cI~fl~j~e, anb wait on dem, an tend d! ~ . Anudder thing I had to do dey wou Id . send me for the mail. I had to go twelve miles atter hit an I couldn t read or write, but 1 could bring everybody s mail to dem jes right. I knowed I had better git hit right. You see I could kinder figure, so I could make out by de numbers. Pol Missy an ~Tiister Arthur both was good to me an all de slaves, dey low de slaves to make dere ownpatchobootton, an raise chickens, an he would sell hit for dem. Cotton was de main crop, in dem days, hit would sell as high as twenty five cents a pound. Course dey raises corn, pears, an other things on de olantation, too, but dey made de cotton., Master ~esus~ dey sum times made from ! ~~ to one hundred an fifty bales. UI members how all de women had looms, both black and. white, weavin cloth for de clothes; an den dey raised siaeep to git de wool to make dein gray uniforms. Lord, at sheep shearing time~ h~tt was big times. Let me tell you, Mi~g, dem uniforms was made out 01) all wool, too, but L~ cain t memberwhut dey used to dye em pray, but I members dey dyedwld red oak bark, walnut bark, an also a brush whut growed down on the branch, also dey used de laurel leaves to dye yellow, as well as clay. Dey sot de dye wid Sait, an hit really ~ayed in. BLet me tell you, dey really fedussiavesgood, up til Such a length 0S time atter de war brokw out, den food began to git ~ e ai e e. II You s e e de Government t axed. em an dey had t o gib so much to feed de soldiers. Even den us had a good. time, I members how

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Alabama .03w de li l chillun played ball, and. marbles, specially marbles, hit ----- - --- - - - ~ - ~---~--~ ~ was our big gan~e. Even atter night, dey had. a big light out in d backyard, an us would play. Sometimes us would hunt at night, and well I members one Sat day night I went huntin wid man uncle, an didn t g t in tu daylignt nex mawning, an I was sleepy an didn t git de shoes all cleaned before churon time. So ol ~fr~i~p called me an tuk me to de carriage house to gib me a wtiippin 01 Marser s boy was about de same age as me an he beg his paw riot to whip me, an 1 was beggin , too, but he carried me on, an when we got in de c~arriage house, 01 Marser had to climb up on de side wall to git de whip, an he had on one ob dos long tailed coats, an nit left dein tails hangin down, so .L jes grabbed hold. ob dem, an made him fall, an den I run to de 01 Missy s room, I ca ~ se ~ knowed. when I got in dere dat ~l Marser would neber hit De 01 Missy got up out ob de bed an wouldntt let 01 ~arster whip me, an she got so mad dat srie toi him dat she warn t going to cflurcfl wid him dat morning, an dat lack to ki~.l de 01 -areter, bca se he shore loved an was proud ob 01 I~issy. She Tas a beautiful woman . Dat ended de whippin an~ dats de only t~ne I members him tryin4 to whip me. 01 Missy did.n t low dem to whip de women either, an dey 1~ ouldn t low de women to roll logs either. But dey did work dem ~ de fiel s. Course dey kept de young woemn wid babies roun ~:E~ nouse, an dey eat de same grub as de white folks eat. Talking bout log rolliri , dem was great times, ca se if ~ ~ ~ s::~::1e ob de neighborin plantations wanted to get up a house, dey 7:~)~ld invite all de slaves, men and women, to come wid. dere masters. D~ women would help wid de cookin an you may be shore dey had

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Alabama 4 .- i_t) somethingto cook. Dey would kill a cow, or three or four hogs, arid den hab peas, cabbage, an~ everything lack grows on de farm. An 1_f der was any meat or food let dey would gib dat to de slaves to take home, an jes b fore dark de o seeror 01 Wiarster.would gib de slaves all de whiskey dey wanted to drink. Sometimes atter de days work, dey would hab a frolic, such as dancin , an ol time games. . Dey would hab dese same kind ob gatherin s at cornshuck- Lng time, an cotton pickin time, but dere warn t so much foolish s ness at cotton pickin time, ca se dey didn t call one anudder den, ceptin when de cotton got so far ahead ob dein, an was bout to set in fer a wet spell, or rainy season. You axed me bout de patty~ rollers? You see, de City Dolicemen walkin his beat? ~Vell, date de way de patty- rolfln was only eacn county had dere patty-rollers, a~ dey had toserve three ~nonths at a time, den dey was turned loose. And if dey~ cotc i you out widout a pass, dey would gib you thirty nine las aea, ca se dat wag de law. De pattyroliers knowed nearly all de slaves, an~ it ~urn t very often dey ever beat em. You know folks was jes de same den as dey is now, both black, and white. Some folks you could neigtibor wid den, jes :ack you can now, an dere was good folks den, jes de same as dey is now. Christmas time was de bess ob all, ca se us allus had a ~)tg dinner, an de 01 Marster gib de women callcodresses an ~oes an de men shoee an ~ hats an would gib us flour an sugar, ~oiagses, an would buy beer, whiskey an wine. De 01 Ivlarster tuk good keer ob us too, when any ob us got sIck he sendfor de d?ctor, den when dey order de medicine to be

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Alabama ~52 giben at night, heed see dat us got hit. B~t nowadays if you git sick, you hab to git de Doctor, ana den pay him yo se f. Den de 01$ Marster had to find clothes an shoes for us, but now us has to scuffle an git dem de bes way us can. You know, Miss, I se been here a long time, 1 eben members JeffersonDavis. I~ se seen him a many a time. ~1e flad a home tween nere (Mobiles an New 0rleans, an you knows ne fust tuk his seat In Montgomery, an den moved to Richmond, Virgiriny. ~/members, too, now I useta to thin~~ dat de Baptist. was de only religion. You see Johnde Baptist come tiere bap~ing, an ever body had to offer up sacrifices, a goat or a sheep or surnpin , jes lack de man who was going to offer up his son for a sacrifice. B~t you knows, ~esus come an~ changed all dat, De folks in dem times didn t hab nobody to worship4 an den one come, who said, tFather, hand me a body, and I ll die for dem, Datas Christ, an ~e was baptized, an Uod gib Jesus dis whole world. So I believed, lat was de only religion. ~: members how us would hab big baptizings an1 shout. Us al~..us went to ciaurch in de white folks cnurch, dey had church in ~e mornings, us had oursin de afternoons. Ug would hab to hab a ~:~ass, dough, ca se de churcti was eight miles away from de plantation. Were was plenty old songs us usera to sing, but ~ can t member em. Dere is dis one dat goes- t Wonderful Peter, Wonderful ~au1, Wonderful Silas, Who for to make a M&h heart rejoice. O i G~~d ~riepherds, feed a mah sheep. Don t you hear de young lambs a bleatin ? D~~ t you hear de young lambs a bleatin ? Don t you hear de young lambs a bleatin ?

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3IBLIOGRAPHY: ~ ashi rigt on Copy, 8/12/37. L. H. j53 Alabama Oh! Good. shepnerds feed. a man sheep. ' ~ ersona1 interview with Frank Gill, 708 SOOth ~iamilton Street, Mobile, Alabama.

Sold at three months for $350. 160 154

~- ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . .~ ~ :~~ ~ ~ ~ :~ ~: ~ ~1aba~na~ ~ 3~o~ki~tie, .. ~ ~ ~ t~!~ ~ : ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ditor1aI Department.~ 154 10125 ~ ~kD 4~L~~!$ . . ~ Jim Gillard was eleven years old. when the War between the States began. ~ the memories of the conflict are fresh; with the retreat from Rome Ga. to Salem Ala. as a refugee transoendixig the others . S Jim was born on a plantation at Pendleton S. C . and was sold. t or ~35O when he was only three months old. He was one of eight children belonging to James and Hannah OEillard. Atter bein sold, I tust lived. bout three miles from Rome, Ga., ~Ti~i recalled. Den, when de 1ankees come into Georgy us refugeed fuet to Atlanta, den to Columbus an later to Salem. U5 was at Salem when de ~ar ended. ~ S Jim remembers catching partridges as a boy, taking them to the train and selling them to Charlie Crowder for ten cents each. ~OEame was plentiful in dem days,Wthe said, an I never had any trouble catchin dem birds. No m, ourhouses wasn t flothlfl to brag about. Dey was built Ofhewn logs an had slab floors, haviri two rooms an a shed cook room. lis beds was lak tables wid four legs nailed on to de sides an den corded Over de top wid ropes dat was tightened wid. a big key. US had shuck ~attregges to sleep On. . S titis cooked on a great big fireplace. I members dat dere was flenty of meat in de winter, ca se O~) Marster used to kill as many as hlrty hogs at a time. Us had. meat an bread an h~me-made light bread an e ~h1te folks was mighty kind~5 ~. I members us was carried to Sun y School every Sunday at 3 o clock In de evenin . 01 Mietue d. teach s de lesson . De white chillune had dere 8unday S~h~~l at 9 clock in mornin. t

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A~1abama ~i5 ~ allus went la Sunday School, but on de week days us little riiggers would slip off an go hunting when we could.~ ~ Jim recalls that de little niggere ate from tin plates on the plantat ion ; but declared he l t mind that because the food was ~ alWays UYes~m, us had purty good. clothes. Dey was dyed brown wid. walnut leaves an ha~zelnut bush, an on Sunday us had striped. gingham pants an shoes . My father was de shoemaker an ~ had. a goy mint tan yard whar he ~ wou Id make ol hard brogans f er *8 a pair . My maret er an Mistug was Steven t T4zbeth Wileon . Dey fust lived in a big log house, but den moved into a plankedJouse. De.y had nine chillun; Aru~, Steven, William, Liza, Humie, Eddie, Lai~tra, Mary an Li~zie. . - 11 members lots bout Mi~t~~ Lizabeth, case she useter read de t Bible to us niggere. She would talk to us b~ ut 4e Good Book an have prayer meetin wid. us. My dad~ u s et er look at t er de fiel hands . No n ~ he war nt no over seer, but 01 M~ster allus had confidence in him. UI members dat when dey would be a funeral, us d sing; marchin bef o de body fore d get to de grave an t Hark come de tune a dole~ i ~u1 sound, my years a tender cry; a livin man come view de ground. whar You may shortly lie. 1Us frolics on Sattidy night was fine an us d dance twe . mos day. ~arster g brother would fiddle for us, an at Christmas time us would have Bix days to frolic. Us also had a big time at de cornshuckints, an us d ~ an holler an sing mos all night. De big niggers had. plenty of l1quo~ de boss give um. High tables was filled up wid corn an de niggers ould shuck twel it was all done. UM1 aunt married up at de big house an dey give her a big dance. ey had de fidd.le and had a great big time. Dey jes jumped over de broom

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A1abam~ 156 to marry, so atter s1av r~d.~y ~i~ito git married ag1n.~ UI acted as houseboy in slavery times. An all de little niggers did have lots~ of fun. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wh n de slaves~ got aiim , I tjfl~jfl~~~g 4~at Mar~ter had D~. Word an1 Dr. DunWoody to come to: B e us. ~ II ~ too, how de Yankees come tO Spring Villa, bout eight mUes from Opelika ~ said to some mens Halt . De mens wou thi *t stop so de ~ throwed. def gifl~is on dein. Two white ladies threw a white flag an dey* uldn t Shoot, but dey carried Mx~ John Edwards to Spring V~.11a an made a cross on his wrist; den t rried hIm loose o~s his wife was raie sick. ~ ~ ~ ~ When de Yankees conie, us niggers buried acigar box wid de jewelry in it und r a certain pine tr e twei. dey went on. 11Atter de big war, I married Jan Dav4s fust time~. den Carrie ~ Cooper . Us had two chillun ant one chile Emanuel Trott er t en ~ years old. ~Yassu m, Mr. Abraham ~ died a warrior for die country. I b longs to de church, ea~se if ~ a man dies outter de Ark he is not aved, an I wantE to be saved. ~aShIngton Copy, ~ 6/28/37. L. H.

Today's folks don't know nothin'. 163 157

. Alabama 10235 Levi D. Shelby, Jr. i5~ Tusoumbla, Alabama. TODAY S FOLK8 DON T ~ :L KNOW NOT}(IN . Life as a child Is not clear in the ninety-year old memory of Mary Ella Graxidberry, who .ive~ In Sheffield, but she remembers that she did not have time to play as do children of today. N : don t know j es how old I is, Mary Ella said, but I knows dat I m some ers nigh ninety yara ~ I was borned inBai~~~~ tor~ ~ ~ My father an mother come from Richmond, Virginny. My mammy was name Margaret Keller an my pappy was Adam Keller. My f ive si ster s was Martha, Sarah, Harri e t Emma an Ro sanna, an my three brothers was Peter, Adam, Jr., an William. 1Us ai . live in a li l two.~room log cabin jea off the Big House. Life wan t ver much for us, caze we had to work an slave all de time Massa im s house wa,e a little o . frame buiL~ din lack a ord nary house is now. He was a single man an didn t hab so terr ble much, it seem. He had. a whole lot, too, but jegi to look at him you d thank he was a p0 whit man. Dere was a lot o cabine for de slaves, but dey wasn t fitt n for nobody to lib in we j e s had to put up wid ein. Is I don t member much about when I was a hi I disremember e ever playin lack chillune do today. Ever since I kin member I had a water bucket on my arm totin water to de han s. Iffen I an t dom dat, I was choppin cotton . Chilluns nowadays see s a good time to wt at we did den. Ever mornin j es bout hip of day de oberseer was roun to see dat we was ready to git to de fiel s. Plenty times us had to go widouten breakfas , caze we didn git up ~ in time to git it to de maxi done come to git us on de way to de ~ fielt Us wukked t twell dinner time jea de same before we got ~ anythang to eat.

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A ~ ~ Alabama -2 De food we et was fix jee laok hit is now. My mammy fixed our grub at home. De on y diff~i~ tween den an mow was us dldn git nothin but common things den. Us didrI know what hit was to git bi scuite for breakfa8 ever mornin ~ It was cornbread twell on Sundays den used ~it f0 biscuits apiece. Us got fatback moe ever mornin Sometimes us mought git a chicken for dinner on a Sunday or some day lack Chris aias. It was mighty seldom us gits anythin lack dat, dough. We lacked possums an rabbits but dey didn come twe .l Winter time when some of de men folks d run crost one in de fiel . Dey never had no chanet to git out an hunt none. 1Dere wa~ no sech thang as havin diffe flt c .o s for winter an Summer. Us wore de same thang in summertime as in de wintertime. De saine ~vae true bout shoes. Us wore brogans from one yeah to de yuther. My 01 Massawas a putty good. man but noth in exter. One thang bout him, he wouldn low none of de oberseers to whup none of us, lessen he was dar to see hit done. Good thang he was lack dat, too, caze he sabed de blacI~s a many a lick what dey d got iffen he hadn been dar. Massa Jim was a baoh lor, an he ain t never had much truck wid women folks. Iffen he had any chilluns, I never knowed noth ..~ in bout em. De oberseers was terrible hard on us. Dey d ride up an down de ~ ~ haste you so twell you near bout fell out. Sometimes an most inginer ly ever time you hin de crowd you got a good lickin wid de bull whup dat de driver had in de saddle wid. him. I hearn mammy say dat one day dey whupped pOt Leah~twel1 she fall out like she was daid. Den dey rubbed salt an pepper on de blisters to make em burn real good. She was so so twell she oouldn lay on her back nights, an she jes couldn stan for no do s to tech

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Alabama 3- 1~59 back whatsomever. Massa Jim had. bout one oi de bigges plantations in dat section. 1 guess he had nigh onto a hun erd. blacks on de place. I never knowed zackly how many thar was nor how big de place was. ~.\ N De folks now c1~ye I s allue complainin bout how dey le havin sech hard tunes, but dey jes don know nothin Dey should hab come up when I did an dey d see now dey is libin j es lack kings an queena. Dey don have to git up fo day when hit s so dark you kin jes see your han s fo your eyes. Dey don know what it s lack to have to. keep upwid de leader. You know dey was allue somebody what could wuk faster dan de res of de folks an dis fellow iras allus de leader, an ever bocLy else was s pose to keep up wid. him or her whateonievex hit was. Iffen you didn keep up wid de leader you got a good thraehi& when you gits home at night. Hit was allus good. dark when de han s got in from de fiel . Co se iffen dar was a lady what had a baby at home, she could leave jes a little f0 de sun sot. . I Youngune now days don know what it s to be punish ; dey thank Iffen dey gits a li l whuppin from dey mammy now dat dey is pun~~ht terrible. Dey should of had to follOw de leader for one day an see how dey d be punish iffen dey gi.te too far behn . De bigges thang dat us was puni~h~ for waa not keeping up. Dey d whup us iffen we was caught talkin bout de free states, too. Iffen you ~ whupped, you was put in de nigger box an !ed cornbread what was made widouten salt. an! wid plain water. De box wa~ j e s ~ bi~ nough for you to stan up in, but hi t had. air hoi e s ~ In hit to keep you from euffocatin . Dere was plenty turnin ~-~ roun room in hit to low you to change your position ever oncet in a while. Iffen you had done a bigger nough thang you was kep

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-4-. Alabauia in de nigger box for months at de time, an when you Sot out you was nothin but skin an bonee an sou~ce1y able to walk. NHalf de time a slave &tdn know dat he was sol twell de massa cl call him to de B1~ House an tell him he had a new massa. from den on. Ever time dat one was sol de res of em d say, I ~ hope s time 11 be me Dey thought you a gi t a ohan s t ~ to run away to de free states. I hearn my mammy say dat when she come from Virginny dat she come on a boat built outten logs. She say she never was 80 sick in all her life. I seed. a hole wagon load of slaves come through our farm one da~y what was on dere way to Arkansas. Dey was de moe I ever seed travel at de same time. De white folks didn t low us to even look at a book. Dey would ~ an sometimes whup us iffen dey caught us wid our head in a book. Dat is one thaxig I sho ly diA want to do an dat was to learn to read. an write. Massa Jim promised to teach us to) read an write, but he neber had de time, Dere wan t but one chut ch on de place what I lived on, an de ~ colored and. de white both went to hit. You know we was neber lowed ~ to go to chu ch widoutten some 0 de white folks wid us. We wan t even lowed to talk wid nobody from anudder farm. Iffen you did, you) got one of de wus whuppin s of your life. Atter freedom Massa JIm ~ toi us dat dey was fraid we d git together an try to run away to de No th, aii dat dat was w y dey didn wan us gittin together ~ taikin . ~ NA few years itO de war my pappy learnt to read de Bible. (Mary Ella apparently forgot her previous comment on penalties for learning to read). Whenever we would go to ohu ch he would read to u~ an ~ sing. Bout de moe two popular songs dey sung rwas ~~~Qal Away an ~ IWonder Thar 4~cLQ3~ J~ ~ Waq. ~ea1 Awa.~y e sech a pop lar song what ever bo&y knows hit. De yuther one is done

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Alabama xaought nigh played out, so I ll sing hit for you. It goes lack di. s: //p ~ wonder w~iar was good ol Dan ei, f I wonder whar was good ol Dan ei, ~ I wonder whar was thankin (thinking) Peter, ~i I wonder whar was tiiani~jn Peter. ~ ~ /\\ ~ (Chorus) . ~ -~ ~ ~ I m goin away, goin away. t~ I m goin away, goin away, ~ I wonder whar was weepin Mary, k I wonder whar was weepin Mary, \ I j~ t away ~ In goin away, !~ I m goin away to live forever, L~11 never turn back no mo . De slaveawould git tired of de way dey was treated an try to run away to de No Ui . I had a e ous in to run away one time Hirn ~ anudder fellow had got way up in Virginny ~f0~ Massa Jim foun out whar dey was. ~ /~oon as Mas sa Jim un de whar bouts of George he went atter him. ~ hen Massa Jim gits to Ge orge an em, Ge orge per-. tended lack he didn know Massa Jim. Massa Jim a& him, George ~ you know me? George he say. I neber seed you fo in my life. Den dey as George an ~ whar did dey come from. George an dis yuther fellow look up in de sky an say, I come from above, whar ail is love. Iffen dey had owned dey knowed Massa Jim he could have brung em back home. My pappy tried to git away de same time as George an dein did, but he couidri see how totake all U~ chillun wid him, so he had to 8tay wid us. De blacks an de whites would have de terr blea battles sometimes. Dat would be when de blacks would slip off to de No th an was caught an brung back. De paterollers d ketch de colored folks an lock em up

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Alabama 6 ~ 162 twell de owner come atter em. Iffen a slave was cotched out after nine o clock he was whupped. Dey didn 1ow~nobody out atter it was dark lessen he had a pase from de Massa. ~> One night, to George an die fellow (I disrezaembers his name, but I thinks it was Ezra) runned away, George tried to git over to de bunk whar he lived an one of de oberaeers seen him an dey put him in de nigger box for three weeks.~) Jes as soon as he got out again, George an dis Ezra slipped off. Dey had a sign dat dey would give each yuther eve y night atter sundown. George would hang de lantern in de window, an den he would take it outen de window an hang 1 t raght back in dar a~ in I uldn t never make no sen s e outen it, I axed him one d&y whut he was adoin dat for. He say dat fo long I d know zackly what it all about. Dis was de sign of how long dey have to wait f0 dey try. to git away. Atter de day s work was over, de slaves d1dn~ t have nothin to do but go to bed. In fac , dey didn t feel lack dein nothin else. On Satiday dey sot up an washed so s dey could have some clean clothes to wear de comm1 week. We wukked all day, ~ day cep n some Sat days, we had a half day off den. Us didn git many an on y when us as for em. On Sundays us jes laid roun moe all day. Us didn t git no pleasure outten gOIn to church, oaze we warn t lowed to say nothin Sometimes even on Chri et mas us dithi t git no res I members on one Chris mas us had to build a lime kiln. When us git a holiday us rested. Iffen dere was a Weddini or a funeral on our plantation us went. Odderwaye we don t go nowhar. De war come when I was a big gal. I member dat my uncle an . Cousin jined in wid de Yankees to hope fight for de freedom. ~ De Yankees come to our place an~ runned Massa Jim away an tuk de ~ l~iOUse for a horsepittil. Dey tuk all of Massa Jim s clothes an j

169 163

Alabama ILEi3 givedd~ea to aome of dere frlen a. Dey burned up all de cotton, hay, peas an ever thins dat was In de barns . Dey made de white folks cook for de colored an den serve em while dey et. De Yankee s made ~ em do for us lak we done for dem. Dey showed de white folks what it was to work for somebody else. Dey stayed on oui,, place for de longe s When dey did leave, dere warn t a mouth-s fui to eat in de house. When de war was over, Massa Jim told us dat we had. to find eom ers else to live. Co se some of my folks -. had already gone when he come home Us ~ f~ Massa. Jim s an moved to anudder farm. We ~ot pay for de wuk what we did on dis yuther place. Raght atter de war de Ku Klux got atter de colored folks. Dey would come to our houses an scare us mos to death. Dey would take some of de ni~ers out an whup em an dose dat dey didn t whup dey tied up by dere fingers an toes. Dese Ku Klux would come to our windows at night an say : Your tinte aine t long acomin ~ De Ku Klux got so bad dat dey would even git us in de daytime. Dey tuk some of de niggers an throwed em in de river to drown. Dey kep dis up twell some folks from de North come down an put a stop to it. I ma ied Nelson Granberry. De weddifl was private. I don t have no ~hiilUfl~, but ~y husban got f0 . I haven t heered from any of em in a long time now. I guess dey all daid. RAbe Lincoln was de bee president dat dis country eber had. Iffen it hadn t been for him we d still be slaves raght now. I d.on t think so much of Jeff Davis caze he tried to keep us slaves. Booker T. Washington was one of de greates niggers dat ever lived, he always tried to raise de standard of de race. I joined the church caze de Bible says dat all people should join de church an1 be Christians. Jesus Christ set up de church an )

170 164

-8- Alabama said dat ever body what wanted to be saved to come unto him. Sin is de cause of de world bein in de fix dat it s in today. De only way to fi.g,ht sin is to git together. Iffen we can do aw&y wid. sin raght now, de world would be a paradise. In de church we learn de wi 1 . of God an what he woul d have u s do. Dere was no po white trash in our munity; UlI~- dey was kept back in de mountains.0 Wash. Copy R L. D. 6~9-.37

Us chillun wore shoes like grownups. 171 165

- Alab8hhla lia B. Prine Woodrow Hand US CHILLUN WORE SHOES LIKE GROWNUPS Aunt Esther ~reen, of 554 Texas Street, Mobile, Alabama, was all too ready to talk about her slavery days in spite of her a$~ertion that she didn t remember much about the war. I was ~ a chile, ~ she says . You can figure for yourself. 3o~nebody tole me I was born in 1855, 80 I couldn t of been very o1~. Iwas born in State Line, Mississippi, and was owned by h~f- ~- -~ ~ -~ - #_~_~_-~-~(.: ~ Edw~r~~p~!. He owned my mother, RachaelDavis and her mother, ~:elifld~D~viS. I never did know who my pappy was cause I never ~ see him. - NTO de bes of my recollections, my whitefoiks was allus good to us niggers. He neber allowed no overseers and he never whipped r~ Dne of dem, ceptin maybe a switching once in a while for us ii_*-tl luns when we didn t behave. I never saw a growed up nigger v~hIpped in all my life. 01e Massa jus didn t b lieve in dat. ~ was shorely a good man. Lots of times he would get us little rLI:~rerg up on de porch at de big house and have us dance for him. ~Ve ~ho used to have a big time out on dem big white porches. I never had no work to do myself, cause I always stayed in de b1~ house wid. Miss~aryDavis, ole Massa s wife. I was in de h~ ~~e one day and oie Massa asked me if I wanted to eat at de table ~ ~!j~t dem, so I puile up a chair and spite of de fact d.ere was all ~ ~ of good stuff to eat in front of me, I called f ~r lye h miny. ~ I i~1C; did love dat stuff better n anything else I ever et. Oie -~~a and de res of dem jus laugh fit to kill. I reckon dey t~-~m~ht I was crazy sho nuff , but I et hominy jee de same. t As to de number of slaves oie Massa had, I never knew. Us r~ed 1o~ cabins to stay in. De cracks was chinked up wid yellow t65

172 166

Alabama 2 S mud to keep de cold out and de chim ney was made of straw and. de same kind of mud, but dein cabins was warmer dan de house is nowadays. We didn t have no furniture ceptin a home made bed which was nailed to de wall on one side and two legs out in de middle of de floor. De n~attresses was made of straw and hay. Alrde cookin was doneon de big open fireplaces what had big potracks to hang de pots on. Massa rationed out de food every week and we usually got a pack of meal. We had plenty of taters and peas and other vegetables dat we growed on de place. At Chris maeUrne~, we was give meat~aj~ ~~Oi~S~ t9 make cakes. Us always had plenty of plain food. And too, de men would go huntin at night and come back wid lots of big fat 100SSUflIS and rabbits by de dozen, and mos of de time, dey would even cctch a coon. And old Ben, a nigger who had turkeytraps, was always ~r~ingin in lots of dem big fat birds. De men and women worked indefielciall day, but I never picked E ~~)tt of cotton e.ll my life. At night de women would spin and weave ~~2~1oth~, but I never did learn to do dat. Den dey would dyede cloth different colors, mostly red and blue though, and make dem into clcthes. Usehilluns had a one-piece dress or slip, Our shoes was ~-iL ho~nernade too. Massa had one man who tanned de. lea ther. He vo,. id take 1.t and put it into a long trough for a long time and den ~8tever was done dat was supposed to be done to it, he would take ~: and. cut it and make shoes. Us chilluns had shoes same as ~e ;rc~r~ folks. On Sundays we woul d go to dewhItefolks church. Dere was ~ ~ built onto de church and we would sit on benches out under de ~ 7.nd listen to de preacher. De whitefoiks would have lots of ~ ~otizings but I never did see no niggers baptized den. Oie Massa had a big fambly, three boys and six girls. My own 166

173 167

Alabama ma had eight chilluns. Us was always healthy and never had to have r ~ ~:~uch medicine. )L~Bout de only thing I remembers ever takin was tea made from de root of de china berry tree. It made good tea for -. crms, but was to be used only at certain times of de i~ioon. My man ~lso used Jerusalem Oak seed for worms. I never fools wid tryin to ~or~tor nobody s chilluns now-~a~days, things is all so different.~? My Grandma, Melinda, and oie Ben and his wife was three oie people Massa freed long time before de war. When all de nig~ ers w~ freed, Massa called em up to de house and tole dem dat dey was i~oge to go wherever suited dem, but mos of dem stayed on de place two or three weeks, and den one mornin I woke up and 911 of dem ~ left dunn de night. I was de only nigger left on de place and I jUgs cried and cried, mostly because I was jus lonesome for some cf my own kind to laugh and talk wid. UI don remember exactly what I did after de Surrender, but tt ~ s about four years afte~wards dat I come to Mobile and. I been lere every since. ~I g a member o~ de ~iobile Delaware Baptist Church, but I o~n t attend very regular count of bein all crippled up wid de rhpumatj~mg. I reckon dat ailing is natural though, cause I been 1~Er~ a long time and Its got forty grandchilluns and more dan dat ~y ~reat grandchi1luns, :~ ~- ~_ . I. ~.* T:~. ~a ~~aj It) (

A conju' what didn' wuk. 174 168

Ruby Pickens Tartt, Llving8ton, Alabama. A C ONJU WHAT DI DN WUK Yessum, dem nigger8 Sho! was scared when oie Buck showed up in de fiel. ~ Jake Green former slave laughed with a vigor that denied his eighty- five years as he described ~a oonju~ what dJ4n wuk. Jake has a vivid memory of those days before the Civil War, though he was only a small boy when it started. UMe an my mother an father b longed to old. man Lam White iead jes a few miles from Coatopa, bout ten miles east of Livingston, Ala hBnla, he begar&.~ ?&3eg ~ My mother was Molly Whitehead, ~ father was D~r~ Whit ehead. . I d t know nothin bout my gran mammy an ~ran pappy, but I had a heap of uMii ~ Whit ehead owned Dirti n Ferry down to Belmont dey had a darkey dere named Dick what claim sick all de time. So de ~iats&~man said Di ok dam it go t o de hous e . I can t get no work outt en you ~0 DiCk went on. He was a fiddler so dey jes tuck his vittuls to him for seven yearr. Den one day, Old Massa say to de overseer man, Let s slip up d.ere an see what Dick dom . So dey did, an dere sot Dick, fat as he could be a-playin~ de fiddle an a-singin , Fool my Massa seben years. Gwiner fool him seben mo . Hey diddle, de diddle, de diddle, de do ~uBout dat time Oie Massa pokedhls head In de do said Dam iffen you will. Corne on outten dere, you black rasoal,..an go to work, An I ~ alr. t never hyard of Dick comPlainin no mo . 11But dey wan t so mean. Sometimes us got whupped but Massa had ~ fo rien he didn t low nobody to hit, white er black. Dey was Uriker Arch, he was de main carriage driver; my father, he was de house earVant; Unker ~ de fo man of de plow han s an U~ker Ed~erde, de f o -~ mari oi de hoe han s. Whenever anybody wanted to hire anybody to work ~or eni, de Massa send. dem f0 out an~ hire em by de day to chop cotton Alabama

175 169

Alabama . ~ 1~G9 or pick. Art dem fo niggers could cnop much cotton in a day as de mule could plow. Wj~enever deyd stop de plow at twelve o clock, dem niggers was right dere to lay de hoe handles on de plow, an dat s CITlOppifl ~ . All four could pick a bale of cotton a day. Whenever any~ body say, Mr. Whlteiaead, I want a bale of cotton picked today, he d send dem f0 men an dey could pick five hundred pounds apiece an leave de sun still runnin . Dey was pickers in dem days~ Cose dey had to begin, an all us got up fo day. Twan t nothin str8nge to be standin in de fiel by your plow waitin for de sun to come up. Ev body was early risers in dem days. Dey was pretty good to us, but oie Mr. Buck Brasefiel , what had a plantation jinin us n, was ~o mean to his n dat twan t nothin~ for em to run away. ~ne nigger Rich darker, runned off one time an whilst he gone he seed a hoodoo man, 80 wflen he got back Mr. Brasefiel tuck sick an stayed sick two or three weeks. Some of de darkies tole hirn, Rich been to de hoodoo doctor. So Mr. Bragefjel~ got up outten dat bed an come a- yellin in de fiel ~ thought you had oie B~~k but by G~d he rose agin . Dem flig~~erB was so skeered, dey squatted in de fiel jes lack partridges, 8fl~ some of em whispered, I wish to God he had a~died. ~ ~twan~t long atter dat come B render, but dat nigger done lef de3.e, an didnt nobody know whar Parker was at. Some of de nigger8 done bought an paid for dey mule an me an k~appy was rentin an v~u~i.~n on sneers, when here come ~ arker, jes hyared bout Srender. ~e say ~ ~ihy didn t somebody come tell me twas S render? Den he start Slav y cimin, slav y chain. ~ Thank G~d a mighty I m free at las , Free at las free a~ las . ~ Thank G0 a mighty I m free at las . 3ut dat Wan t none of Old Massa s niggers . He had one do cal).

176 170

-.3.., Alabama hirn John, an hit corne a traveler an stayed all night. Oie Massa p Inted out J~h~, an said, kie ain t never tole me a lie in his life. De traveler bet Ma,ssa a hund ed dollars ginst fo bits he d ketch Jormn in a lie fo he lef . Next mawnin at de table de mice was pretty bad, SO de traveler caught one by de tail an put him inside a kiver-.lid dlE h what was settin dere on de table, an he tole Oie Massa tell John ne could eat sumpin out of evy dish atter dey got th oo but dat kiver-. ila one, an not to take kiver offen hit. An John said, Nossuh, I won t. But John jes nacliully had to see what was in dat dish, so he ~ raise de lid, an out hopped de mouse. Den hyar come Old Massa an axed J~h~ iffen he done what he tole him not to do, an John nied. hit. i)en de traveler look in de dish an de mouse want dere, an he said, See dere, J~h~ been lyin to you all de time, you jes ain t knowed. rut, an I reckon he rigflt caze us had. to lie. ~asn~ngton Copy, 8/2/~T.~. L. H.

I knows I's eighty five but 'spects I's more den dat. 177 171

Alabama : . R.P. T82 tt, ~ ~ ~ Jack Kytle ~~_~j3 I KNOWS S EIGHTY FIVE BUT ~ I BPEOT S S MORE DEN DAT Charity ari~sby lives in a turnbledown eh~nty about nine miles from Livingston on the old Epes road. She was sewing on a quilt v;hen I arrived; humming an old plantation saris that ran: Angels in de water, walkin by de light; p~i sinners stand in darkness an cannot see de li~htL . A broad smile flowed across ner black face as I entered the c~.bin. She placed her needle aside, exclaimed Law me, honey, l s always proud when de white folks drap aroun ; an dat s ilrectly so. Charity, I s~i.d, I want you to tell me about slavery tirn~~ She lowered her head in thought a m6raent, said: Honey, what would. I tell? Just all you remember, Charity. And this is what she told: Honey, I was borned Charity Grigsby, but I married Nelson ~r~ory; ain t much stin~uish in de names; but twuz a lIttle. My p~.:2~:)y was D8.T1~1 Gri~sby an my mammy w~s Mary:Moore. See, us be.. lor~ed to 01 Mister Jim Moore right lip yonder boire 5umte~vi ile fle~:.r Ransey Station. You goes up de Gainesville an Livingston Road an turns off at ~ cross road. bout nine miles from Livingston. Den you goes (~zue ~r~t It ain t far from dere; bout six miles, I reckons. Tw~~ t no big plantation; bout a dozen of us dere; an Marse Jim dtc~r1 t have no overseer lak de rest. He had dem boys of his fl what ~eer5 to us. Dey was John an William an Jim. Dey was all tol able ~~oo~ci to us; but dey would whoop us if we wasn t bedient; jes like

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Alabama a mother raisin a ~hule. . UI ~ sa~y how old. I is; it~s done got away from me; but I was a ~ gal dun de war. I knows I s eighty- five an I I ~spects I s more dan dat. 11 s de mammy of I leven chilluns; I ~ knows dat; but ain t but five of dem a-.livin . As you knows, I lives wid tVZO Of dem; Mattie an Evie. Dey trea:ts me good. Hattie an Ellen an fly boy lives in Bessemer. Dat is all ray in~.ividuai . chilluns, but l s got a few others. I dan t recollect much to tell; been a good while since de war; but when you calls it to my memberance I c~fl think it up. Honey, dem ni~,ger does; dey sho did run. Sometimes dey kotched a nig~ er, but dey didn t never run me. I was in de house weavin~ an spinnin lak mistus showed me; an I didn t never ~et in no trouble wid. nobody. / I~J~j1I den again, Marse Jim was purty tol able good to us, but ~:r. Ervin Lavendar was sho mean to his nig~ers, an his plantation ~~2rfltt far from our fl. He had a pack of dogs what run de ni~gers ~n dem was skeery times, I tell you. Us didn t l arn no schoolin nor ~o nowhere nor have no corn shuckin nor nothin ; jes quired to ~t8y in de cabins. I hyared bout Bre r Rabbit an hoodoo but I never takes up no time wid. dat foolishness; never seed no sense ~ in it. Us ~ot on all right thout dat. Sonae of de other nig~ers sides rae was all de time in trouble, c~.ou~h. 1fr. ?ulton, who lived clost to Mr. Lavender, riad a nig~er-~ ~3riv~-r an overseer name San~.ers, an I bet he was de meanest one of :/r ~ll~ You know, honey, dey planted wheat fields In de fall in dem d&y6 &n cut it in de spring. It would corne off in time nuff to ~tke corn. i~ere was a flock of birds lak blackbirds only dey was wheat

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Alabama - 3 ~ ~ 173 birds; an dey went in droves an fly way up yonder. u~ had planks. to slap together to keep de birds out er de wheat, because dey et lt up. . . . Well ra, one day Mr. Sanders toi one of de women what was one of de sucklers on de place, dat if she wouldn t do what he axed her to dey was a black coffin over her haid. She fused him; so when lie was badin his gun dere in de wheat fiel , he was holdin de ~n barrel propped under his chin, jes SO, and de other end settin on de ground. Well sir, It went off an he killed hisse f stid of d~t sucklin woman; an dat was a awful time, ca se de niggers ~ot skeered an run, an dey sot Mr. Lavendar s pack of nigger dogs on pm. De dogs kotohed some an chewed em nigh bout to death. It ~ none of us, but lt were close. Us laid. low, didn t go out nowhere./ Us wasn t lowed to; couldn t go to prayer meetin or nothin . You ax what dat song I singin when you come? Dat wa4ii of it, an1 dat s nuff fer me, ca se It s true. What dey gwtt~ to be no mc fer? ~ Angels in de water, walkin by de light; Po~ sinners stan in darkness an c8.nnot see de light. ~I don want no mo myse f; jes dat; dat s all. How come you v:Ents some IaO ? Don t dat much satisfy you? But honey, de sun ~I:ettin low an my~ chilluns will soon be comm1 from de swamps. Ain t no b~e&d cooked fer era. I ll tell you some mo when I gets my mind on j~t, ca se lt s been a good while since de war. 11Yas~rn, us has nuff to eat; but 1f us could get anymore, us v;ouid lak It. You know how tls can make out wid mighty little. ~ U~ ~ ~zreens; lookin forwards~ roas in years comifl jfl U :~

Gabe was kidnapped by carpetbaggers. 184 178

Alabama 3 ) Gertha Oourio ~ - ~?j ~C~\ ~ Susan Russell, Editor I ~ ~-~i~* ~ t, ) ~ ~ ~ \ :. Gab e Wa s IC I dnapp ed ~ ~\ ________________ Old &abe had been long in this world ~ close to one hundred years. He had experienced much but one incident had out-blasted all the others ~ even the stroke that made him older and more feeble., That experience had caused Gabe and his ole woman~ to stray far from the fold and to walk all the way back to its shelter. That was back ~n Reconstruction days, wh .n he was not ~Ibafldy In his knees and long before Anna left him alone in his cabin with jU~3t memories of earlier and happier days. Gabe was birthed in Ousseta, Georgia, the son of two faithful old slaves, Hetty and G~a~e Hines,-and they all longedto Marsa ;dlliam Shipp an Miss Ma y. He told his story thus: ~ ~- Endurin of de Viah, I was big en~~to be water toter on de ~i~ntation. No, Li i Missy, I doan zactly know how old I is ~ by de squeakin~ ari~ achin of my bones. I members lots ~bcut doze days. \ pem was happy times, Li l Missy,) Arter we all ~ s freed, I went to Silver Run to live and dar I mahied Anna. ~ lef me nine yeahs ago an that broke the happiness. I mt~s ~r ev vrhar, jes keep a-rnissin her though nine yeahs hey gone ~:nce dey tuk her from de cabIn an lef her up thar on de hill. Dere s nights when de rnis ry in dese ol bones jist gits past st~ndin an on sich nights she corne ter me and holp me wid de linnymint jes as she useter do. But she caint stay long when she UI wuz a-~tellin about Sliver Rune Arter sire was mahied and ~ E~~ttin use to bein free riiggahs, an happy in our cabin, one rigi~t a gen ulman from de nO th was to see ~ ~ he tOi us if

185 179

Alabama we d go wid him he d. pay us big wages an1 gin us a fine house to boot. Fer two nights we sot dere by dat ohimbly a.thinkin a sight to do or to don t and ponderin this way arid t other one. Den we cided to go. We lef ev y thing dar ceptin whut we tied up in a bandana chi ef and we t I e d that ont o a s t I ok to r de gen ulman frum de flO~th wouldn t let us take no baggage. We was goin to Columbus, Geo!~gia but we didn t know dat. ~I~j$~ Missy, when we got dar, whar he was a-~tak1n us, we f oun the big wages to be fifty centsamqntb, and dat fine house tu ned out to be mo likeastable. Instid of our cabin and gyarden and chickens and our trees, we had a turrible place, right out under the hot sun wid watah miles away down a 1411. And he wa~tt no gent manfrom de no th! ~ilssy, I nebber will be able to tell myself whut made us do hit no mo den I ll ebber be able to tell how skeered I wuz one night when de wind howled an de lightnin was sprayint ober de olace an de rain was so turrible hit was a-.sobbin in de ;~i e knowed de debbil was ridint de win dat night. We was a ci ttin dar ~ de fire~i me ant my 01 woman, when we heard a stompin like a million horses had stopped outside de do . ~e tipped to de do an peeked out an )li l Missy~whut we seed was go turrible our eyes jes mos popped out our haid. Dere was a ~iilion hoeses all kivered in white, wid dey eyes pokin out and a~ Settin on de hosses was men kivered in white too, tall as giants, F~flt dey eyes was a~pokin out too. Dere was a leader an he heidt a t ni ~ oro s s I n hi s hand .

186 180

Alabama 3 ~ ~ j ~I8O When we seed dat, we fell on our po knees, skeered rnos~ to def an we axed de Great Marster to hoip two p0 ol niggers an hoip em quick. De fust thin~ we knowed. dem LuKIuxes had de gen man from de nO th out of his hidin place hind our house an ~ on one of dem hosses. Dey nebber spoke wid him. Dey jes tuk hirn off sornewhar, we nebber knowed whar, but he di n t come back no mo . Li l Missy, we heard arterwards dat dis gen lman from de no th wuz no qual ty a tall. Dat he was de wu st leadah of all de debilment bein done; one of dem carpet-baggin men. Nex day arter de Ku fluxes cotohed dis man, his wife let Columbus in a hurry, sayin she couldn t sociate wid de Columbus ladi es ~ caze dey was so ~ Dey was po ~ Dey is no denyin that. ~Ye was all po caze the Yankees done rulnt Columbus. But, ll l 9 i;183y, de~~s a big dlf ence in bein p0 an qual ty an bein jes p t white trash. \ ~What did. I do then? Well, li l Missy, we let Columbus arter whu t happen ~ d ~ we walk ed t o Eufaula whar twas safe to be . forty yeahs I w uked for de city and Anna, she tuk InWashiri En dunn dat time we was gettin along pretty likely, when one day (Mhri.el blew his horn for Anna, and abe was let alone. My ol woman s gone. Li l Missy, moss ~rly one I knowed Is daid, Dis heah cabin am home to me no iiio~ H1ts lonely ev ywhar. ~eybe I d orter be thinkin bout Canaan, but hits ol times crowds dis 1 darkey s heart. ; LI l Missy, may be whin I gits to whar A~~& is hit will be 01 tImes all ovah ag in. ?iash. Copy 6/3/37

Hongry for pun'kin pie. 187 181

Alabama lia ~. Prine, T~ ~ ~ /Vtbbjie_? :~ ~H~~: ~~: ~-~-~- . ~ ~ ~ ~c,, ~ 1 W, ~/ . ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ . . ~ ~. Aunt Adeline, a tall, gaunt, brlght-.skinned Negro woman, livee on Frye St. Mobile, 4 .a. The day I called she was noddthg in a cane bottom rocking chair on a wide porch that extended across the front of a cottage almost hidden in a grove ofgiant oaks. She opened her eyes, which were covered by a pair of stee1-~rimmed glasses with one lens badly cracked. The news that a search was being made for old people who had lived during slavery days acted like an electric shock on the old woman, who imniediately sat up straight and said: Lor~,yes m,I libed in dose days, and. I tells you I members ail bout dem. Do corne in and. set down. De fust white people I b longed to was a man named Jones, who was a colonel in de war, but I can t ~ ? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -.-~-- ~ ~ . - tell you much bout dem, caze I was jes. a li l gal den. I was jest big nuff to tote water to de fiel to de folks~4%ikking and to mm e gaps in de fence to keep de cattle out when dey was gatherin de -~. ~ ~----~----- ~ ~-J~-~ ~ crot~s, I don t spec you knows anything bout dose kind of fences. Dey was built of rails and when dey was gatherin de crops dey ~es tuk down one section of de fence, so de wagons could git through. A ter de war broke out oie Mister Jones went off to hit, and. ~ -~--~-- I members de day he lef . He come to de fiel to tell all de han s goodbye, wid a big white plume on his hat. Dat was in ~1~i!.PL. A ter ol Mister Jones lef for de war, den de~i~~r, drivers an oberseer begun to drive us rOUnd lack droves of cattle. _____ Every time dey would hyar de ~ !~L!!2!~ coming d~y would take us out in de woods arid hide us. Finally ~ carrying us ~ ~ ~ away from Bolivar County. Some of us was sold to people in A1~b8ma, an Atlanta, Georgia, an some to folks in Meridian and 1 196 HONOEEtY FOR ~ ~ PUN ICIN PIE

188 182

Alabama ~ 2 - ~ Shubuta, Mississippi. I don t any mux e know whar my own folks. went to dan you does. . . . I members afore leaving oie Mister Jones . place how dey grabbed up all de ohfllun dat was too i. 1 to walk and. putt in us in . wagons. Den de older folks had to walk, and dey marched all day long. Den at night dey would strike camp. I has seen de young niggerB what was liable to run away wid dere legs chained to a. tree or de wagon wheels. ~ -~ ~-~-.- ~ ------u~--~ .-~ ~ . .. .- ~ ~ ~ ~ . Dey would rake up straw and throw a auilt ober hit and lie dat way all night, while us chillun slept in de wagons. When us corne to de big river at Demopolis, Alabama, I members seem de big steamboats dere, and dey said dat de sojers was goin away on dem. Hit was in Demopolis us was sold, and a man name~~d Collins of Shubuta, Mississippi, bought me. . . ~_____.___ ~__&_._.~-.J__ ~ ~ .. ~ .t ~ ~ -~-~ ~ ~ . L~~_~..*L:___ Aunt Adeline said that . the housee ~ the slaves lived in on the Jones plantation were board houses, and that Mr. Jones owned a big plantation and lots of slaves. She said that they had home made beds, nailed to the walls, with mattresses made out of shucks. After having beensold to Mr. Collins, of Shubuta, Mississippi, Aunt Adeline said that ~ not so much for herself, but she saw how hard the o~her slaves worked. She Was the h~i~e girl 8nd helped clean house, wash dishes, and take care of the children. After finishing that work, she had to spinthr~g. Each day she would hFWe to spin so many cuts, and if she did. not finish the required !~U1ib~r, she was punished. She saId that her mistress kept the finished work on top of a iar~e wardrobe, and Aunt Adeline said that many times she would Steal a cut of thread off of that wardrobe to complete the day s task to ~ee~ from being punished. As she grew older she did have to go to the f~ld and pick eot-~ ~ t ~. - j

189 183

Alabama 0Aunt Adeithe does not, remember, it ~ pleasantly. 8he. said: UI jes hates to hab to weightanything today, caze I members so well dat each day dat d~e slaves was. given a certain number of pounds of cottontopick. When weighing up time come and yau, didn t hab de number of pounds set aside, you may be sho dat you was goin . to be ~ip. I. But hit wasn t all bad times .caze. us did hab plenty to eat, specially at hog kuhn tinie. Dey wouldhab days ob hog . wr ~ -~ killin arid de slaves would bake dere bread and come wid pots, pepper, and salt. A ter oleanin de hogs, dey ~would gib us de livers and lights, and us would cook dem ober a fire out in de open and hit sho was good. eatin . De usual lowance a week of pick ed pork was six or seven pounds, and iffen you had. a big family of chiliun dey gib you more. Den dey gib you a peck of meal,: sweet taters, ~or ~ ~ ghuinsyrup, and plenty of butt~e~te~ilk. At Christmae times, dey gib you extra syrup to make cakes wid and. sweet taters to make tater pone. And, Lor , dey would hab bigoribjp~~j,ns. Hit makes r~e hongry to think bout dem good ol pun kin pies. And did dey raise chickens? !ou knows in Mississippi dat de tranks was bad bout kuhn dem. I members one time de minks got in ~e chicken house and killed nearly every chicken on de place. 01e i~sterJones had de cook to clean and. cook dem, and he come out in.. ~e fiel an eat wid dem tolet de slaves know dat hit was all right. De~ u~ had dem good ol cushaw~ and lye horniny, too. ~. - ~ De 2i2.~.b&~~ was made out o~ppi~1in in one piece. I members ~ I ~1ius had mine split up de side so I could git bout in a hurry. De 1 onien had ~ made and tied to dere knees to wear in de f1~1dg to ~ceep de dew off dere legs. De shoes was made of cow hide ~ r r-u -*wI - rnr, .~ ~ ~.L ~U ~ _ &na was called red russets. De way dey got dem darker was to take ~ r--~-~ ~ a ~. gristle and hang up in de chimbley. When hit git full of 18~3.:

190 184

Alabama 4-, soot, we rub de shoes wid. dat. Den dey used de darker shoes for dere Sunday best. . ~ ~ . ~ You asked me about hunt~n ? LorI yes dey hunted in dem times. lip In dem swamps in Mississippi dere was bears as big as cows, and ~ . ~ ~ ~ IJ~ ~ dee~~,~ty. Dey bofe was bad about commt in de corn fiel s and ~ tearin down de corn. You could hyar dem at nights out in de fielt s. Dey 31Go caught plenty of possums and coons. . ~ UQf course, us got sick but dey had de_doctor. In dose days ~*~ .~__~_ de doctor would cup you and bleed you. I seen a many a person cupted. De doctor had a li l square Iookin .block of wood wid tiny 11,1 kflfes, attached to hit. On top was a trigger lackis on a gun, and de doctor would put de block of wood at de nape of dere neck ant pull dat trigger. Den he hab a piece of cotton wid somepin on hit to stop de blood when he had cupped you 1~ng nough. Dey would allus g~b us calamus (calomel) to cle~tn us out, and den de nex mawnin dey ~1b us a big bowl of gruel made out ob meal and milk. Den us d be all right. De slaves warn t lowed to go to church, but dey would whisper ~ ~(~1n and all meet ~ De only time I members my p~y was one time when I was a li l chile, he set me on a log by him ~n prayed, an I knows dat was whar de seeds ob religion was planted tri n ~y mm . Today I s happy to tell folks bout Jesus and thank Him for Hj~ goodness to me. Hit won t be long twell I meet Him face to fac e an d thank Hi in ~ ~ Personal interview with Aunt Adelirie Hodges, 3 Frye ~ Street, Mobile, Alabama. R,LD. I ~ AT li

Caroline Holland had many masters. 191 185

A1~ama Mabel Farrior, ~ 185 Lois ~ ~ ;~r~f~p John Morgan Smith, ~ I ~ ~ ~ . O ~ 4 ;~ ~ CAROLINE HOLLAND ~ ~~~LlU%J ~ ~-- ~-- -- -~-- w-, HAD MANY MASTERS. Yassuh, I wuz a slave, spoke Aunt Carry from her vine shaded porch at No. 3 Sharpe Street, Montgomery, Alabama. I wuz borned. in 1849 on Mr. Will Wright s plantation or~ the Mt. Meigs road.. Massa Will had a big slave house an us niggers sho use to have a good time playin rotin down at de slave quarters. We had a row of houses two stories high, ant dey wuz filled wid all sorts of niggers. When I wuz twelve year old, I wuz made nu ss fer my mistis s little girl ant at de fus I couldn t do nothin but rock de cradle. I didn t know how to hoi1 de baby. Us nigger s had gard.eens (guardians) dat look atter us lak dey did atter de hosses and cows and pigs. One night atter we bad all gone to bed I heered. a noise at de window, an when I look up dere wuz a man a climbin in. He wuz a nigger. I could tell eben do I could scarce see him, I knowed he wuZ a nigger. I could hear my mistis a breathin an de baby wuz sount asleep too. I started to yell out but I thought dat de nigger would kill us so I jes kep quiet. He come in de window, an he see us a Sleepin dere, an all of a sudden I knowed who it wuz. Jade, I wh~ spers What you a dom here? He come to my bed and put his rough ~fll ober ~.y mouf. Listen you black pickaninny, you tell em dat you saw me here an liii kill you, he say, I th ow yo hide to de snakes in de swamp. Now shet up. ~ ~Vid dat he went to de dresser an taken mistis money bag. Atter dat he went to de window an climb down de ladder an I didn t do flOth~rj but shake myself nearly to cl eath fura fright. De nex day de

192 186

Aiabama 18o oberseer art de pattyrollers went a searchin th ough de slave quarters an dey foun de money bag under ade s cot. Dey tuk him an whupped. him for near fifteen minutes. We could hear him houa way up at de big house. Jade, he neber got ober dat whuppin . He died three days later. He wuz a good. nigger, peer to me lak, an de bes blacksrn th in de whole county. I ke pa-woflderifl whut made him want ter steal dat purse. Den .1 foun out later dat he wuz a goin to pay awhite man ter carry him ober de line to de No thern States. Jade jus had too big ideas fa a nigger. I us ta see Jade s ghos a walkin out in de ~:ard.en in de moonlight; sometime he sit on de fence art look at his oie eaMn, den sometimes he stroll off down de cotton fiel . When de Lawd. ~:it th ough a punishin him f0 a etealin dat money, I guess he won t make us no mo visits. He jus go right on in heaben. Dat s what ghos tes is, you know; peoples dat can t quite git in heaben, an dey hadda stroll roun little longer on de outside repentin Soon atter dat my gardeen tuk me to Tallasee when de massa died.. L~T ardeen wuz a good man. He wuz always a~-makin~ speeches fo de sLaves to stay under bondage till dey wuz twenty-one. One dey he wuz in front of a Bto talkin bout de slaves an a man come up to him an Sa~.ci he don t like de way Capt. Cianton talk (dat wuz my gardeen s flanc). Capt. Clanton ask him whut he goin ter do bout it an de man tuk out a pIstol an kil t de Cap n raght dere on de spot. HDen I wuz sold. to another man, a Mr. Williamson, bout de time ~ :~e ~ broke loose, an Massa Williamson tuk me ober ter lib wid. some ~o oeoples. He said he had mo slaves dan he could take keer of. Dis ?~Z ~ Abernathy plantation. While de massa wuz a standin in de slave quarte~g a takin to Mr. Abernathy, I noticed a boy wid a bad eye. I ~cIn t lak him at all an I toi de massa I dOTL~t wanna stay, kaze I a~~cinIt lak de way dat boy Lum wid de bad eye looked at me. Den Mr.

193 187

Alabama Abernathy brung up a boy bo t sebenteen year old.; a big strong lookin boy named Jeff. He say Jeff, look out after Carry here. Don: t let her gi~t into no trouble. Fum dat time on till tbout five year ago, Jeff he always look after me, kaze atter de war I ma ied. him. Now I ain t got nobody but myself. ~Vash. Copy, 5/12/37. L. H. -3-.

Dey kep' niggers in good condition to sell. 196 190

J-) () ~ ~ ~ Alabama ~ ~ ~ ~ ~) . la B. Prine, Mobile. ~ John Morgan Smith, Ed.itor. &. (See ~cY2(V) ~ DEY I EP NIG~GERS IN ..~ GOOD CONDITION TO SELL. Standing in the middle of the road. at Prichard, suburb of Mobile, and gesticu1.~tirig while talking to a small group of interested 1iete~ ners art old Negro man ended. his talk to the amal . gathering and. punct~ . uated hie last sentence with a spat of tobacco.~1~ ~ ~ .. ~ ~ ~L( ~. ~ ~ . No m, he continued after I had. put in my appearance and asked hirn a question, RI doesn t know whether I was a slave, but ju& de same I seed en l Grant~s army when it went th ough Virginny. Jus as eho as you is standin dar, lady, I seed dem mens all dressed in blue suite, e.~ rnarchin side by side, gwine down de road. pas our place. It tuk em three days to go by our house. NAflP I remembers when dem Yankees come to our oie Mj~tj~t house an~ take a ladder an c .umb up to de roof an tear de boards outter de ceiii~n to git dem big hams an shoulders my white folks done had hid up dar. When de Yankees find dat stuff dey give it all to de niggers. flen atter de eolgers lef oie Miss called us to her an toi us we was free but for us to give back some of de meat an things dat de Yankees done give us, case she didn t have nothin to eat Poun de place. C u:rsge we was glad to do it, !case MIstIs oho was good to us. Ni remembers ebery sunday mawnin& dat she d make de older slaves ~ all de little niggere up to de big house, so she could read de B1b1k~ to em, and den she give us plenty of dem good biscuits and taters ~at 3usanne cook for us. She d say: Git roun dere, Susanne, and he~ dem little niggers plates. I really thoug1~Mistis was a angel. Talkin bout niggers bein frees 01e Mi58 toi us was free, i_t was ten or twelve years atter de surrender befo I knowed whut meant. I was a big boy goin to school befo I had an understandin

197 191

Alabama . _ 2 :191 as to what she meant. 01e Miss taught de ntggers how to read. an write an some of 1em got to be too good. at it, case dey learned how to write too many passes ~o S de pattyrollers wouldn t cotch em, an on dem ocasions was de onlyes times dat I ever seed one of our niggers punished. ~Mjgtjs never lowed no mistreatin of de slaves, case dey was raisin slaves for de market, an it wouldn t be good bizness to mis treat em. Lor Mlsg, my white folks was rich; dey had. as many as five or six hundred niggere ; men women art ohilluns. De plantation was big, but I doesn t remember how many acres it was, but I does remember dat de cabins Was all built in rows, an dere was streets laid. out among de cabins. De chimneys was built outten dirt an sticks, an you know up in Virginny it got powerful cold, so when dey built de cabins dey th owed. dtrt up under em to keep de wind. art snow out. II ~ was bawn ~ near Danville an s been to Vicksburg, an Petersburg a many a time wid my pappy to de wheat an bacca market. Lor , honey, Virginny is de bes place on earth for ~good eatin an1 good white folks. If anybody tells yo u dat de white folks ~as mean to der e niggers, dey neber come from Virginny, case us was too near de free states, an I done already toi you dat dey raised niggers to Seil an dey kep em in good condition. In dose days white fo3~ks an black folks was black folks. Jus lak Booker T. Washington was a riber between de niggers of dis generation an learnin . He had all dat was fine an good, an he give de bes to his people iffen dey would take it. D&t was de way wid. de white folks den; dey didn t do no whuppin . l s de onlyee rat lef in de pond, an case I ain t hung in de s B~O ~re house, folks thinks ~:!~ not as old as I say I is, but chile, I e been here a long time. I members how black Sam useta preach to us an

198 192

Alabama ~3.. ~92 when ~ growed. up 1 useta think warnt nobody Christians cep n us Babtists, but I know better now, an de longer I lives de mo I realizee dat de churches go way case dey leaves off de ordinances of ~od, although us haB a Bible an mo Christian readin dan ever beTh . NM1 mammy s name was Eliza Rowlet s an my pappy s was Joseph Holiues . My pappy had de same name as de peoples dat owned hil an my gran rnaminy name was Lucy Holmes. G ran marnmy Holmes lived to be over a hundred years old, an she was de fust ~US8Ofl I ever seed. daid. In dem days it tuk three days to bury a pusson, ~aee dey dug de graves as deep as de corpse was tall. Land sakes a- llvin us had. great times, an I forgot to tell you dat us had home-made beds wid two sides nailed to de wall an de mattres ses was made outen wheat straw. UA8 for huntin I done plenty of it an~ one thing ~ got to g t forgiveness for was when I lef Virginny, I let bout fifty or sixty snares set to cotch rabbits an birds. My mammy had eight chilluns an we was raised in pairs. I had a SIster who come along wid. me, an iffen I jumped in de river she done it too. iffen I go th ough a briar patch here she come along too. Baut de fruit; it makes my mouth water to think about dem cheese apples, dat was yaller lak gold, an dose Abraham apples, an de Cherry tree as big as dese oaks here. I s eaten many a big sugar and Sweetheart cherry. But dere was another kind called de Gorilla dat growe~ as big as de yaller plums down dis way. Now let me tell you S fllp n bout Virginny; Dey had dere laws bout drink. Dey had. de bee Peach an cherry brandy an moe any kin you eber heared of, but dey dU~ t low you to make drink outten anything you could make bread wid; 8~ch as corn or rye. Us had our brandy same as you would coffee, case it Wag cold, art some mawnin s my pappy would g t de brandy out an

199 193

-4-I Alalama 193 my mammy would putt a little water an sugar wid. it ant gib it to us chuluns . Us neber thought nothin ~ bout dri. nkit I kinda bell eves lak dat oie infidel Ingersoll who said dat anything dat wa~ a custom wae dere religion. Now you axed about hog killin time? Dat was de time of times. For weeks de mens would hau)1 wood ant big rooks, an pile em together as hIgh as die house, an den have several piles, lak dat roun a big hole in de groun what had been filled wid water. Den jus a little atter midnight, de boss would blow de oie hawri, an all de mens would git up an git in dein big pens. Den dey would sot dat pile of wood on fire an den ta1 t~ knockin dem hogs in de haid. U~ rieber shot a hog lak us does now; us aiw~ays used an axe to kill em wid. Atter knockin de hog in de haid, dey would tie a rope on his leg ~afl atter de water got to de right heat, turn dos red-hot rocks de hog would be throwed In an drug aroun a while, ~en taken out an cleaned. Atter he was cleaned he was cut up into sections . an3 hung up in de smoke house. LaUte, lady, dey don t cure meat dese days; dey jus uses some kind of liquid to bresh over it. We useta have sho nuff meat. Den come cawnehuckin time. My goodness, I would jus love to be ~.ar flew. De cawn would be piled up high an one man would git on dat pile. It Was usually a kinda nigger foreman who could sing an g t de work outten e fl~.ggers. Di~ fo man would sing a verse somp n lak dis ~ Polk and Clay went to war, Polk come back wid a broken jaw. en all de niggers would sing back at hirn wid a kinda ahoutin sound. Near bout all de times de fo man made up his own songs, by pickin dem outen t sriuckln ? It war de jug dat dey brung aroun eve y hour. Dats de ~lyeg tIme de slaves really got drunk.

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Alabama 94 In dem oie days I went to plenty of dances an4 ~fld.y~ pullin e dunn de Yule seaeon, but J. doeen t do dat no mo . I~s a preacher arr when I fus lef Virginny, I come to Georgy an stayed ~ar twenty years whar I kicked up plenty of due1. I even taught school dar. Den ~L come to Alabamy an lived in Evergreen for bout twenty mo years. Since I been in Mobile l s worked f or sich men as oie Simon, Damrich, an Van Antwerp, an all dere chillune has been in dese here arms of mine. I s been a square citizen an dere hasn t been a time dat I is had. to call on nobody, but Uncle Sam when oie man pression ~O4~ched me. B~t thank de Lawd I is still able to git about ank have all my senses cep my eye~ sight, an it s jus a little po ly. I is got all my teethe cep one, an my mammy was always proud of my hair. See how silky an fine it IS? Not quite white, dough. I hope -~ lives long enough for it to turn white as snow. I think St. peter will lak it better dat way. ~ashIngton Copy, 6/17/37. L. H.

Twelve years 'twell I understood surrender. 201 195

Alabama I (~) ~ q lia B. Prine, .. ~ ~ - .4~ .a (.j Mobile ~ Alabama. SE~ ~ ~) ~ ~~ . TWELVE YEARS TWELL I ~ ~ \ ~1 k ~ ~ ~ % ~ ~ _____________ In the mi~d.dIe of t~ie road. near Prichard, an incorporated suburb ~ ~}+~.~ M ~ ~ I of Mobile, stood~an ~.ged Negroma , gesticulating as he told. a tale of other days to a small audience. Tall, straight, with gray hair and rnu~taehe, he was a picturesque figure. He does not know whether he was born in slavery, he said, but he knows his age to be about eighty~-one. HI doeen t know whether I was a slave but jee de same I seed Gineral Grant s army when hit went th ough Virginny,N he said Jes as sho as yo Is standin dar, lady, I seed him1and -~ seed. dem men all dressed in dem blue suits a-marchin side by side, gwine down de road pas our place. Hit tuk dem three days tuh git pass our house, :~ .: Ans does I member when dem Yankees sia. tuh Ol~ Mistiss house a~ tuk a ladder an dim U~ tuh de roof an tear de boards: outta de ceilin tuh git dem big hams an shoulders dey had hid up dar? I sho does. ~ De women folks makes de slaves hide wid de meat; an when dem Y~j~kees fins dat stuff dey jes gib hit all tuh de niggers, an I members too, \. how OF Miss calls us all to her atter dey lee an tole us dat us was \ free, but she tole us dat us hab tuh gib back ob de meat an serves ; ~Case she didn t hab a bit tuh eat. Cose we was glad tuh do hit case ~ Q,, M1~8 sho was good tuh her slaves. ~ UI members ebery Sunday mawriin dat she make de older slaves brIng all de little niggers up to her big white2two- story house, so She could read de Bible to us, an den she gib us plenty dein good bis~Cults an taters dat she haddecook,Sueanne, cook for us. She d say oit roun dere, Susanne, an he p dem i 1 niggers plates, I railly thought 01 Miss was a angel. Ta1 ~jn bout niggers bein freed, 01 Miss tole us us was free but i~~t was ten or twelve years atter de 8urrender, befo I knowed whut :195

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~1abama 1~o she was ta .kln bout. I was a big boy goin to echool befo I had any urtders.tandin ~ as tuh whut she meant. 1101* Miss taucht de niggers how to read ant write, an some ob dem got to be too f ioient wid. de writin , case dey lam how tuh write too many passes so de pattyrollers wudn t git dem. Dat was de ~ oriliest time I ebber knowed. 01 ~(jgg tuh hab de slaves punished. ~o1 Miss nebber lowed no mistreatin de slaves, case dey was raisin slaves for de market, an hit wouldn t be good business to mistreat em. Lor ma i white folkswasrich; dey had as many as five or six hundred niggers, men, women and ohillun. De plantation was big but don t member how many acres I does 4member de cabins was all built in rows, ans streets was laid out tween de cabins. De chimbeys was built outta dirt an sticks an sticks an yo know up in Vir- ginny hit got turrible cold an de snow~would pile up, so when de cabins was built, de men th owed dirt up under de house to keep de snow an cold out. YO might think dat dirt would wash out from under ~ de house, but hit didn t. Hit jes made dem so warm an com fo ble we did nt Buffer. ~Dat was de way wid. de white folks den; dey didn t do no whippin an !nistreatin ob de slaves. Oh, once tri a while 01 Mi~~ might slap de cook s face an1 tell her tuh bear down roun dere, an if she want ed. de servin boys to hurry, she would say Cutch hit, ineanin fer dein to cut some steps an git bout in a hurry. ~ 8 de ol est rat in de pon an case 1~ am t hung in de ~ Smokehouse, folks think l s not as 01 as i says I is, but chile, l a ~ ~ been heah.V I members how Sam useta to preach to us, when we was at Oi Miss s place, an when I growed up, I members how I usets think flOb ~y was a Christian ceptiri us Baptists, but I knows better now. ~A~ de longer I ~ de mo I realize dat de chu ohes go away case dey

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Alabama . . . A ~ ~ ( leabes off de ordinances ob God, tho us has got de Bible an mo \\ Christian litt erohoor dan eber befo . Nmy s name was Li za Rowlet s an inah e name was JOseph ~ - ~-- -~ Holmes. My daddy had. de saine name as de people whut owned hirn, an my grafl flla S name was LucyHolmes. Gran ma Lucy libed. to be a hundred yeahs old, an she was de fust pusson I ebber seed. daid. Hit tuk three days tUil bu y a pusson den, case dey dug de graves as deep as yo is stall, which means mo than five feet deep. Lor sakes a-~1ivin us had great tines. I forgot tuh tell yo dat us had. home~made beds wid two sides naIled tuh de wall, an de mattresses was made outta wheat straw. Dat s rni~nds me dat dere wa n t no pore cattle in dem times, Oase ~Ot could go whar dey thresh de wheat an git all de steaw yo wanted an feed de dry cattle on hit. An you wouldn t believe de fruit us did hab~ Yo don t nebber see de like down dis way. Sich as apples, cherries, quinces, ~ peaches an pears. As fer huntin , I done plenty of it, an one thing ~ got to git forgiveness fer was when I lef Virginny, I lef bout sixty or seventy Snares set to ketch rabbits an birds. My ma had eight chillun an we was raised in pairs. I had. a 8~ster who come along wid me, an if I jumped in de ribber tuh swim, she did hit too; if I clum a tree, or went th ough a briar patch, she done h:Lt right behin me. Ma wanted to know why her do s was so tore up, an when dey was pretty, we d make hit right wid. Ma by havin a rabbit or Coon wid us, an sometimes a mud turtle, An as fer possums an COOfl~, Us ketch dem in plenty. I I Bout de~v~4t hit makes mali mouf watah tuh think) bout dem Chee ~ e apples dat was yaller lac gold an doe e Ab~~,j~m apples de lack of Whi~ch ain t now to be had.. An dose cherry trees as big as dese oaks, ~id long 1in~~. an big sugar an sweetheart, an black heart cherries.

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-4- i98 Den dere was annudder kin of cherry called deg~i~tl1a, dat was rount ~ growec9- as big as de yaller plums down dis way. Now, let me tell yo sumpiri bout V~rginny. Hit had hits own law bout drink. Dey made de bes peachan cherrybrandy ant a s any kin yo ebber heerd ob, ceptin dey didn t low yo to make drink out ~ ob anytnin you could make into bread. Now yo understan s, sich as ~ corn and rye. EUs had. our brandy same as yo would coffee, case hit was cold an sor~e rnawnin s us would git up an de snow would be halfway up de do an de men would hab to ditch hit out, so us could git out of de house. On dein raIl cold mawnin s my daddy would git de brandy out an my ma wud put a 11)1 water an sugar wid hit an gib to us chillun. An den she d take sor~e in her raouf an put hit in de baby s mouf an hit wud. open hits eyes an stamp hits foot rail peart lack. Us nebber thought nothin& of drinkth . I kinda believeB lack dat oi~ infidel, Ingersoll, who said dat anythin dat was de custom, was de : eliglon. Folkg was a heap kinder-hearted den dey is now, case dey kep ~ do~ g t9 ~ hunt uppeople los ~ in de snow. Dey all seemed mo happy Caoe dey was ail busy. At night instid of wastin dey time, dey wud go ~uh ~ big house an spin an weave an make do s. . fI kin hyar dat cl loom hummirt now, an see great cards ob cloth orn~nt out, an dem was do s den dat was made from hit. Hit tuck fire ub :~i~ dem offen yo dey was 80 strong. I doesn4t member whut dey Se~ f~r dye, but -~- knows dey used copperas as sizin to hoi de colors. . . ~ne Of de cloth was dyed red, blue an black, I jes can t member bout dye, but dey u~edcopperas. Dat was de qualification of de intelli-~ nce ob d.~ primitive age in usine dat copperas. Dey not ~on1y made r ~ but also made out hats. Of co se dey dey wa n t very hatty, /1

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~.1abarna 1~99 but was m cappy . Dey made em Wi d. t abs ober de ear s an ~ t o t i e under de chin, an was dBy warm, I ll say~ Now, when yo axes bout hawgkilltn time, d~at was de time~ Fer weeks de men would bau . wood and big rocks, an pile hit all to~ getner as high as dat house; den hab sev ral piles like dese roun~ a big hole in de groun whut had been filled wid. watah. Den jes a atter mid-night de boss would blow de ol horn, an all de men would git up an g t in dem hog pens. Den dey would set dat pile of wood on fire, an~ den start knockln* dem hawgs in de haid. Us nebber shot a hawg like dey does now. Us allus used an ax to kill em wid. 11Atter knockin~ de hawg in de haid, dey would tie a rope on hits leg, an atter de water got to de right heat from dose red hot rocks whut had. been pushed out b dat pile ob nu in wood into de watah, dey wud tn ow de hog in an1 drag hit aroun& awhile, an take hirn out an hab him clean in bOUt three pair & minutes. Atter he was clean dey hung hIm up, an den later cut him up an hung him in de smoke boug , an 8rnoke him wid. great oak logs. Huh, dey don t cu ah meat now, dey j s use sum kinda bresh an liq id, but dey don t hab meat lack us did. Den comeco shuckjn time. Mah goodness I jes would love to be dere now. De co n would be piled up high an one man would git on ~ dat pile. Hit usually was one who was kinda niggah fo man dat could Sing an get de wuok out of de odder niggera. Dis fo man would sing a Vel se somethi~n lack dis ( Polk an Clay went to War, An Polk corne back wid a broken jar. ~ Den all de niggers would sing back to him, an hallo, a kinder S~)utj~ souri . G~1nerally dis fo man made up his songs by pickin dem up from whut he had heard white folks tell of wars . But Mjsg ~ O ~ know ~ Whut Was de motor powah of dat co n ehuckin ? Hit was de ol jug dat Was brung roun ebery hour. Dat1s de onhiest time any ob de slaves

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Alabama 1~Ot) railly got drunk. ~ II wish I could member dose ol songs., but all dat hallo done lef me, case de onliest aingin I hears now is de good ol~ sietere singin an sayin Amen. In daya gone by I went to plenty of dances an candy pulline b t I doesn t do dat any mo . I~s a preacher, an whenlfu stlef : 1 !~:!E!Y I come to Georgia a& stayed dere twenty yeahs, an I kicked up a plenty of duet in Georgia. I eben taught school an built aplenty of chu ches dere. Den I come/to Alabammy, an libed in Evergreen f o about twenty mo yeahs, an I built a two~- storybrick chu ch dere. Since I s been in Mobile I s wu ked. by dat Bienville Squah for twenty e1g ~t years, for sich men as ol man Simon, Damrich, an Van Antwerp, ~n all dere chillun has been in dese arms. ~ been a equah citizen an dere hasn t been but one time in mah life I s had to call on any body, an dat was when 1hadtuhcall on Uncle 8am when ol man Depression got me. But thank Gad. Is still able to be bout an have all my faculties, ceptin my eyesight is a 1i~l porely. I still has all rnah teeth, ceptin~ one, an my ma allus tuck pride in mah haih, yol see how fine an silky hit is, an hit ain t snow white ylt. Dere is Orte thing to be thankful fer. Dat is case I s so near home. 8lbllography: Personal interview with Joseph Holmes, ~rand Avenue, ~richard, Alabama. 71ash~ngton Copy, ~/l5/37. L. ~

Chasing Guinea Jim the runaway slave. 207 201

Alabama . ~ \ ~ :~: Ruby Pickens Tartt 201 \\k~:\t~~k )~\~ Livingston \ ~ : D A Oden Edttor . ~ ~ ~ ~.. ~ . . tCHASING GUINEA J~M THE RUNAWAY SLAVE Seven miles East from Livingston on State Road No. 80, thence Left two miles via a dim road. through the woods to a cultivated section, the beginning of a large plantation area, stands the old timey cabin of Josh~~~ a well 1~nown and. influential figure in the colored community. Vigorous and active despite hi~ more than H~O years, Josh exemplifies the gentleness with which time deals with those dwelling in a healthful spot and living the simple lives of a rural people. I found hirn nodding on his front steps. Josh, I said, I ye come to get you to tell me some old v ar-time stories, and I want to ask you some questions about you and Alice and how you-all are getting along. I just want to know all about you and your family as far back as you can remember. All right, Mi se Ruby, I s glad to tell you what I knows, ~ sala. Josh and it ain t gonna be a lot of fibbin , hut jes lak everything was. I s telling you lak you axed me. ~ Now, bout how us is getting along. I s telling you de troof, ef I was took fore God, I d say jes lak I s saying now, ef my chiliun ever et a moufful dat wasn t honest, dey et it ~or:iewhar else, ca se I ain t ever stole a moufful sornepiri t eat for erri in all my life. It s honest vittles dey et,and varmints i. s killed in de woods, Oa Se US raised chillun fast, and us had ~ beap of em, sixteen, if I members right, and soon s I found out: dat I could help feed em dat way, I done a ~heap of hunting. And. everybody knows l s a good hunter. Alice used to mate me go Every k~ riday night ; den us always had a P0 SSUtfl or two for Sunday. ~ Why, I ~ked, d t You go Saturday night?0

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Alabama 202 Well, I ll tell you,~ Josh said, Alice is a good ChriBtian woman, and she knowed. I d hunt mighty nigh all night, and she did~n~t want nobody see me coming in Sunday morning wid no gun and no dogs; so I went every Friday night and went in de week too, and dat hoip a lot to feed de chillun. I don t owe nobody, not a niokel. ~ ~ I lak to got~in debt, when de Government come in and tried to help us wid dat cotton doings. Dey out it down ~o on me, tell I couldn t make nothing; but Vs getting on all right now, and so is my chillun. Us is got fourteen living, and dey s all been to school, butain t but one been to Booker Washington s school, but dey kin all read~~ write, and some of eni teaching school out here in de country. De doctor, he come clear out here to see us, ~ always pays him. He jes here wid Alice last night. It s nine mile and two of dem s back her in de woods 4kough Marse Johnnie s place, but he come when us went atter him bout midnight,~ dat s a comtort to know he ome. I asked, what was the matter with Alice. Well, I ll tel~ you, Miss Ruby. She was back dere wid me in de ~dtchen, and I got t~rough eating and I come out and set down in de swinger to git some air. De moon was shining, arid Alice come out, saying loud. as she oould: Who is you? Who is you? De chillun run to 1;er wtd a lamp en I run, en twan t nobody dere. Weil, Alice said twas a big man standing right side her dressed in black, and she called it Death. Us couldn t do nothing wid. her, and she didn t know noboay, me nor de chillun, so I went to Livingston atter Dr. MoCain, and he come and set wid her bout a hour. He said twas de cute ~digestion or somepin lak dat. I knowed twan t no sperrit; I don t b ljeve in nothing lak dat.~ ttWell,n I said, I don t know, Josh, I ve been hearing some ghost tales that freeze the blood in mY veins.

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Alabama ~ 3 .. ~ 203 Yassurn, h said Josh, if you wants to hear gh t tales, I kin sho tell em, oa se I seed. dis here wid. my own eyes. Tain t no made-up nothin~~need,er; jes somepin I ~ jes lak I tells you. UG~reen Hale and. Isham Mathews b longed. to ~ ~ church, and. de Reverend Bird Hall pastored dere. Dey axed nie down to hear him preach one night, and us t~xjee, me and Green and Isham, was riding along side and side. I s riding a mule, but it was a fast mule, arid Green COUldn t keep up, en Isham said: Somebody been hunting. I looked up and twas a sapling right cross de road. He said, Fellow oughteri leave nothing lak dat. When de moon git low, it hit him in de face. De moon was straight up arid. down den, and I said: Dat s right , and I s telling you de troof, dat sapling jes riz up, turned aroun in de air, en de bresh part tickled my mule and Isham s boas in de face. If you ever seed em buck and rare and jump up, dey sho did. Den dey took off down de road, and we didn t hold em back, and. here come Green. We lef him behind, I vv I caus e ni. s mule couldn t keep up. If you ever heard a ma~ pray more j VI earneste ~ dan old Green, I ain t~ He come down de road. a- yelling: Lord, us live togedder, let us die togedder. He meant for us to Wait on him, but I couldn t hold. dat mule, and. I wan t trying to hold him~ I was gitting away from da.r~ ~V hen us come togedder, us was a mile from whar us done been, O4~O den us had. to decide what to do. Isham said for us t~Vwid him, and. Green said. no, us nearer to his house; but us wan t flear to nobody and I was so scared, hadn t been for Alice, I d. a jes stayed right Whar u~ was tell sun.-up. I said, No, every man better take keer hig own self, en US did. When I got home, I didn t take nothing off dat mule but myself. I jes left hirn standing at de do wid de saddle on. What skeered Green so, wae a man, he said, what was

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Alabama ~ . 204 ridtn right side him en didn t haveno heads Twas a good thing he didnt tell me dat den, I d jes nacherly drap dead~ No m, I don t zackly believes in ghos~s, but I heared. Mr. Marshall Lee say he was riding on home one night and a woman stepped out in de road and say: Marshall, let me ride. He say: My hoss won t tote double. She say: Yes it will, ~ and she jump up behind hirn, and. dat hoss bucked and jumped nigh bout from under hirn, but when he got home, she wan t dere. He say, his sister had jes died and it inout been her. II Nother time, one Fri ay night, Alice say us better git a POSSUm for Sunday, She say she didn t want none caught atter mid~ night on Sadday. I went down whe.r I knowed. dey was simmons, and dem dogs never treed nothing; dey jes run round dat simmon tree lak dey gone crazy ~ m t elling you de troof ~ ump outer dat ~ tree, had a head. back erds en for erdsan~d1ook lak a flame shooting out i~t eyesZ Twan t lak no possum I ever seed, twan t lak nothing. Dein dogs, Liz and Roger en Cuba, made a bluge at me. Cotton was waist high, and I run down de cotton row and cross de road and dey trail me. I say ~What ail you, dogs? And dey jes come on a~ barldn , and dey run me to de bridge over Konkabyer. So I dumb on de banisters. I seed dey had my trail and dey gonna ketch me, so I turn round and tore out for de slough. Dey lost rmy trail dere and when I got home, bout daylight, de thorns and de briars and all a-One tore my clothes plum off me. Twas t ree days fore I ever seed dein dogs ag in. And I kin tell you somepin else. It s jes lak I say, I s always been a hunter, en one night I went down in de post oak woods hunting by myself. Dis is a fact; tain t no lie. It s what I done. I i ~~ad a mighty good dog, and I j kept walking and walking, and I

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Alabama 5 203 got mighty nigh to Mr. Re .~head Jim Lee s place, and I walked on and atter while I seed I d lo~ my dog. I couldn t see hirn nowhar and I couldn t hear him nowhar, and den sornepiri say to me, jes lak dis: Josh, blow your horns Jes lak dat, lak somebody talking to me. Well I give three loud, long blows and set dere awhile longer but dat dog didn t come. ~o se I knowed he d come sometime, and so I jes set dere on dat log and I jes turned a fool, I reckon, but twas jes lak somebody talking to me, lak lt peared to me was whispering: Josh, you out here in dese WOOdS by yo self. You blowed dat horn and your enemy heard you. You s a fool, you is. And I whispered back: Dat s a fact. I couldn t hear what it was a-.whispering to me, but us jes talk back to one nuther, and bout dat time I look up and here come three men ridin on new saddles wid shiny buckles gwine, saueechy, soueechy , jes lak dat. I hear de hosses feet jee as nachel a~ could be. I thought sho I seed em, and it pears to look clean outer reason, but dem men come riding right on up to me, and I jump over dat log ~nd lay down flat on de other side, and it look lak I could see right through dat log and heared em say Dar he is, dar he ia~, arid. I seed. em p inting dey finger right whar I was. I knowed. dem ho~ses gwineter step over de log on top me, and ~ telling you de troof, I jump up from hind dat log and run bout two miles, and. if it hadn t been for dat slough, I don t know whar I d a went. I con~e to myself in de middle of dat water, up to hyar, waist high, ~:n(:l dar was my dog, old Cuba, done treed a possum. De fust thing I members bout slave T time, I wan t nothing but a boy, bout fifteen I reckon, dat s what Marse Johnnie Horn B&:?. Us belong to Marse Ike Horn, Marse Johnnids pa, right here on did place whar US IS flOW, but dis here didn t belong to me den,

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-.6 9 Alabama dis here was all Marse Ike s place. Marse Ike s gin got outer fix and we couldn t git it fixed. Colonel Lee had two gins and one of tern was jes below old Turnerhouse. Recolleck a big old hickory tree? Well dar s whar it was. UI was plenty big nough to drive de mules to de gin. Set on de lever and drive em, jes lak a glasses mill, so dat night Marse Ike told us he want everybody go wid him to Colonel Lee s gin nex morning, and didn t want nobody to git out and go ahead of him. Dat held up de ginning; made us not to go to de ginhouse tell sunup. t1Us got de mules and jes waited.!Twixt daylight and sunup, us all standing dar at de gate and we heared a little fine horn up d~e road. Us didn t know what it meant coming to de house. And bimeby Mr. Beesley, what live not fur from Marse Ike, he rode up & ~nd had five dogs, five nigger dogs, what dey call em, and aoon as he come, Marse Ike s hose was saddled up and Marse Ike and him rode off down de road and de dogs wid ein, head of us. Us followed icng behind em, stay close as deylow us, to see what dey was up to. When dey got close to de ginhouse, ginhouse right side de road, dey stop us and Mr. Beesley told old Brown to go ahead. Old lirown was de lead dog and had a beil on him and. dey was fasten to~ecjcier wid a rod, jes lak steers, He turn em loose, and den }~e popped de whip and hollered at old Brown and told him nigger . C1~ i*own hollered lak he hit. He want to go. A~d dey was a fence on bofe sides made it a lane, so he put old Brown over de fence on de ~4nhouse side, and told Brown to go ahead . He went ahead and run all aroun1 de ginhouse and dey let him in de gin~room and he gTahhl~~ in de cottonseed in a hole. Den somebody holler uiriea Jim , 1 looks and I didn t see him. Didn t nobody see hirn, but

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Alabama 2O~ dey know dat s whar he been hiding. Mr. Beesley told old Brown he jes fooling him, and Old Brown holler ag in, lak he killing him, and Mr. Beesley say: Go git dat nigger and old Brown started tway from dar lak he hadn t been hunting nothing, but he 7 went aroun and aroun dat gin and Mr. Beesley told him he hat~er do better dan dat or he d kill him, cause he hadn t come dar for no thing. Brown made a circle aroun dat gin way down to de fence dat t~rne, and he was so fat he couldn t g t through de fence. You 1~now what sort of fence, a rail fence it was. Den he stop and bark for help. Now I seed dis wid my own eyes. Dey put Brown on top de fence and he jump way out in de road, didn t stay on e fence. He jump and. run up and down in de road, and couldn t find no scent of Jim. You 1~nows how ~ey used to ma2~e dem rail fences? Well, Brown corne back dar, and dis i s de trufe so help me ~awc~, He bark, look lak, for dem to lift him bac1~ up on de fence, and bless God, if dat dog didn t walk dat rail fence lak he walking ~ log, as fur as from here to dat gate yonder, and track Jim jes lak he was on de groun . ~1e fell off once, and dey had to put him i~ac~, a~nd he run fuis track right on to whar Jim jumped off de fFflce way out in de road. Old brown run right cross de road. to de Other fence and treed again on t other side de road toward KonkaMa. CJLc~ Brown walk de fence on dat side de road a good piece, jes lak }-:El clone on de other side, and dem other dogs, he hadn t never turned c_e~L loose. When Brown he jump off dat fence, he jump jes as fur as he kin on (~e fiel side, lak he gwine ketch Jim lak a gnat or somepin and

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Alabama e 208 he never stop barking no more, jes lak he jurn~ing a rabbit. Den, Mr. Beesley turn dem other dogs loose dat he hadn t never turned loose, ca se he say old Brown done got de thing straight,And he had it straight. Dem dogs run dat track right on down to K nkabia and crossed it to de Blackeher side. Dey was a big old straw field dar den and dey cross it and corne on through dat field, ail denr dogs barktn jes lak dey looking at Jim. Reckley, dey come up on Jim running wid a pine bresh tied behind him to drag his scent away, but it d.idfl t bother old Brown. When dem dogs gin to push him, Jim drap de bresh and runned back. toward Konkabia. Now on Konkabia dere used to be beavers worse den on Sucarnatchee now. Dey was a big beaver dam twixt de bridge and de Hale place, and Jim run to dat beaver dam, You know when beavers build dey dam, dey cut down trees and let em fall in de creek, and pull in trash en bresh same as folks, to dam de water up dar tell its knee-~deep. De dogs seen hirn, old. Brown looking at hirn, jes fore he jump in boire de dam right monget de trash and things dey d drug in dar. Brown seed him arid he Jump in right bebina. him. Jim jes dive down under de raff, en let he nose stick outer de water. Every once in a while Jim he put he head down und.er, he holding to a pole down dar, and once Mr. Beesley seed ht~~i, he jes let him stay dar. ttBI)OWfl would swim bout monget de bresh, hackerds and for erde, 9nd terreckly Mr. Beesley tole old Bro~n, Go git h m. Den all de :ien got poles and dug bout in de raff hunting him. Dey knowed he W~$ dar, en Marse Ike had. a pole giggen aroun trying to find him too. Den he told Mr. Beesley to give him de hatchet and let him fix be pole, He sharpen de pole right sharp, den Marse Ike start to ~ F*rOUn wid de pole, and. he kinder laugh to his~f, ca se he 1~flOWed he done found Jim. Bout dat time Jim poke he head up and

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p.9 Alabama 209 say : ~ Dis here me and everybody hoi . er. Den he ax em please, for od s sake, don t let dem dogs git him. Dey told him come on out,. You see, 31m belonged to Miss Mary Lee, Mr. Joht Lee s Ma, and his Pa was kilt in de war, so Mr. Beesley was looking out f or her. Well, dey took Jim outer dar, and Mr. Beesley whipped him a little and told him: Jim, you put up a pretty good. fight and I s gwine to give you a start for a run wid de dogs.~ Jim took out towards Miss Mary s, and Mr. Beesley helt old Brown as long as he could. Dey caught Jim and bit him right smart. You see dey had to let em bite him a little to satisfy de dogs. Jim could have made it, cept he was all hot and wore out. Dat s bout all I knows, ~ ~pt us belonged to Marse Ike Horn, and fust us belonged to Mr. Price Williams, what run de hotel in Livingston. He took my gran ma to Mobile, den he died. Us Ma belonged to dey two chillun, Miss Nancy Gulley, Mr. Jake s wife, en Miss Burt .Bl keney. Marse Ike Horn was dey uncle, and us all corne around to him, and us been here ever since. My mammy was Ann Campbell, and my pappy was John Horn, and us ain t never had. no trouble wid nobody bout nothing. We s having a barbecue on de fo th of July and us wants you ~o corne down to it, it Alice gits along well, and l s gwine tell You bout Rod and Big John, and John G~raverson when dey runned away and about how old man Jim Devers, Alice s step-pa, hid. em in de cave under he house whar dey had as nice hams as I ever et, CO Ee a little tainted, but sho was good. Dem niggers was fat as beavers, jes settin dar eatin dat meat. And. bout de time Marse Ike slip up on a heap of niggers at a

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Alabama 210 frolic twixt Sumterville and Livingston and put a end to de frolic. De niggers having a big dance, and Marse Ike and. de patterrollers having a big run, said dey wanted to have eome fun, and. dey did. Said he eased up on em wid a white sheet round him and a big bresh j_n he hand, and somehow or flother, dey didn t see hirn tell he spoke. Den he holler ~By God, I in bird-~blind1ng, I arid he say dem niggers tore down dem dirt~chimleys and run rough dat house. He say he ain t never heerd sich a fuss in a corn field in his born days. What he mean ~ bout idd ? When you go es in de canebrake it so thick, you takes a light to shine de bird s eyes and blind em, den you kin ketch em. Dat what h call bird-~b1indin . Yassum, Marse Ike in dat too. He couldn t stand for em to have no fun thout he in it. Come back on de fo th of July, and I s gwine tell you some sho~nuff tales, You sort ~of caught me when my mm wa n t zackly on it. I ain t had no sleep, jes settin side de bed by Alice, ketching a nod now and. den. l s too sleepy to sing you no song, but one I laks is dis: It suits me now in my age: My lates sun is sinking fas My race is nearly run, My stron~s trial now is pas , My triunrn jes begun. You come back and I ll sing de res , I s got to see bout things now. R.L.D. ?~-I4-37

Is Massa gwin'er sell us? 217 211

~1abaJfla C ~~ s ) ~ ~i:- -~-~ - Margaret Fowler Fruithuret 7 ~ . ~ ~ ~1 V Jack Kyt le ~ it or . -~ ~~itir~~ Is i~ASBA GWIN ER SELL US? -- ~--~ ~ -~ ~ - f 11i~ammy, is O ~ Massa gwin er sell us ~omorrow? ~Yes, my chile. o~1i~~ ~2~~ee-~- ~ Vlhar he ~in er sell us? ~ Way down South in ~eorgia. 4~$ Aunts Emma L. Howard sat In a huge, old fashioned rocking chair at her home 170 Elmwood. 8t ~ Montgomery and sang~. the old. slave song. ~1hen she had finished, her memory recalled the time, years ago, when she ~ was a slave on the plantation of William and. Georgiana Shepherd in ~own~ des County, between Mac s Switch and. Morgansville. t, ~ r~ fi Dat was one of de saddest songs we sung endurin ~ slavery days, she rai s e d . ~ It aiway s d-i d make me ~ cry ~ She thought a morflent, smiled. ~ ~ UI members I was de only light nigger in de fainbly, she said troudiy. I was brung up in de house wid de white chillun. Twice a v~eek I went to my mammy s cabin an took a bath. I had my own sof shoes an niy own nightgown an jacket an played garnes wid my massa s chilluns.0 She explained her duties about the Big House as sweeping the i~a~ah1jn~ porches and yards. Sometimes she churned. Afterward she would join the white children and ~1ayed most of the day. W~ played ~ an lots 0 yuther thirLs I can t member,0 she explained. III musta been bout seven years o1~:i den. ~ Ernrjia says she Is 84 or 85, but she looks older. She remembers Very little about her brothers and sisters. can only recall S~St ~e11ie, Sjst Harriett ant Bist Liza. f~elped Aunt Evalina In the kitchen. Emma lifted her eyes toward the ceiling, endeavoring to recall

218 212

rAiabath~ -i~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~-~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~: ~ - ~ .i~z:~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ 2~j2 tue exact mber of servants her master owned. Edle was de laun&ress, she recalled, ian Arne, she was de weaver. Den dere was Becky, Melia, Aunt Mary, Ed, John1and Uncle George the house man, who marHedAunt Evalina. Jake was de over- looker (over .. seer.) H~ was a great, big cullud. man. Dar was more, but 1 cantt :nernher. I was jes a little shaver den. She remembers that the Big House was huge and white witha beautifui oarlor and. guest room, where the visitors were entertained. Gigantic white columns rose in front of the house, and clusters ~f magnolias gurrounded it. The slave houses were located about two hundred yards back of the house. 1~~asga Shepherd an Mistis Georgiana was both good an treated ~e servants ~ Emma said. I members dat I used. to keep de flies of en~4stis Georgiana wid a big fan, an~ nce I went to sleep. She jest laugh when she foun me sleepin dar beside her. Iiassa would only whup a slave fer two thIngs, she recalled. ti~inp,~ was if things warn t done up jes right at hog kilhin time, ~ ~e other was iffen a nigger warn t clean when he ported for work ~-onday mornin s. 0V Massa didn t do de whuppin s hisse f. Jake did ~t, but ~assa sat dar on his horseto see dat only a certain number of ~ic~zs vras cive ~ How did we feel bout a white man who would be over-looker? We ~.l1eci i~jrn ~ po whit e trash. ~1~e t thought much of by anybody.. Emma said that every one went to church on ~und~ayS and that she j~ikec1. to sing the old religious hynths. When freedom came all the Shep servants had been taught to read and write, she said, and. each 1::uly had. enough money to buy a little home. De ~ would make ~ Cj1 fa~a11y keep pigs, hens and such; the~he would market the products Place the money aside for them, Emma explained.

219 213

Alabama 3- Talking further about work about the p1a~ itation, she said Louisa cleaned de parlor an kept Mi~tig room n1ce4~ She took up a recital of work on the plantation. Atter dat she didn t d.o anythir4i but sew, an Sist Liza hoped. her wid dat. After de weavin , we done0sewin , and it took a lot of sewin for dat family. Eve lDod.y had. two Sunday dresses, summer and winter, as well as clothes for 1 day. For de men s suits de wool had. to be took off an1 carded an ~ot ready to make. But we had~ plenty of wool from our own sheep. When dey kilt de hogs for winter meat, dey took some of de hands out of de field an let dem hope. We had a smokehouse full of ilalflS and middlin s, an when rainy spells came, us chillun would rake up chips an leaves an make a smudge of smoke to keep de meat siee.t. Massa Shepherd and ~ mighty kin heart ed an treated their servants good1 AQnce when Marse Shepherd sent us chiliuns down to de station wid a note, he say, Now, go fas . But v~e nlayed long the way an picked flowers. When we come steppin ~ back, he say, I told you to hurry. I held out de flowers an say, See, us brung you some flowers; but he take up a little switch an nettle my legs good. ~a sa always give us plenty of eve thing. On Friday us worked. an washed, an on Sattidy us cleaned for Sunday. Den on Sunday Lassa would go roun an have a mouthful at every house to see dat eve tiung was done up jes right, an if they wasn t, somebody got a VTfl1.~1)fl j n ~ next day. When us went to church on Sunday, Massa 5hepherd, Miss &eor~~jana an us three chilluns rode in de rock a-way. Dat was a Carrja~e shaped mos lak a bowl. De carriage was pulled by two big 213

220 214

Alabama 4.., 2j~ horses de coachman what sat up on de high seat had on a long double- breasted coat, shiny black boots an a tall silk hat. Massa had ort a s ilk hat t oo but he wore a tight waist ed coat . A Mj~ eorgi aha, she look lak a bokay. Bhe didn t lak to wear hoops, because stie had sprained her ankle once ant walked wi~d~ a limp. She liked to wear thin, cool, flowery dresses wid. lots of ruffles an lace. She also wore a SCOOP of wh te straw,mighty sof over de years ant flarint high ant spreadin over de face. It was filled wid flowers an tied wid long streamers of ribbon. Emma said that Mr. Shepherd died duMng the second year of t~e war, and that it was whispered he was poisoned because he was so ~ (t ~2 ~ood ~o his niggerso-~L~ iui ~ ~ Just before the war closed, she s aid Mrs . Shepherd married again and. 3( t er moved t o Texas. III was took on as a cook by a rich family named Marchiel, in :.ont~o~nery, she said. Dey treated me lak I was deir own daughter. ~: ~ lowed to go out three nights a week, but no more, an I had to be home by leven o clock. I got engaged to be married an de boy had to ax for me. I ~ieraber dat L~assa ~rchiel say: If you don t take good. care of her liii take her back. ~ When de younges daughter married she me ~er veil ant wreath, an dey give me a weddin dress an shoes. UI~ iy husban was a carpenter, ant we lived in dis house. When ~e died, I went to work for a family dat once was de richest family i_fl 5~e State. Dey comes to see me every few days, an next week day ai e commt for me to Spent de day wid dem. De reason I has stayed so veil is dat folks has always been so good to me.~ ~~1ash. Copy, 6/2/37. L. H.

My grandma raised plenty chilluns. 221 215

Pr st.on XleIn, O~e .ika, Alabaaa. 25 ~ ~ Jack Kytle, Editor. ~ ~~!!DR&iS~P ~Ij~ ~Qk~ 4~. Uncle Everettlngi ammuaed.: kloney ch1~e, my gran mammy was de beatenest woman to bave clilliune dat you ever seen. I tiai hyared dat she raised so many of dem dat she brung a mighty heap ou de block; some wnere near a thousan dollars. ~ S Uncle Everett is a familiar figure in East Opelika, where he lias lived for years. He was a right good sized scamp at freedom time and. remembers much of what he has seen and heard. He was born In Russell County, the son of Vrinee and Fanny ingram. They had. seven otner cnl . dren; Jerry, Clara, Rubin, Jep, Lula, Eugene and Lucy. ~ Everett says of his llfe I, Our house In de slave set tiement was made o~ logs . an bad one room. it had a mud an stick .himney, a plank floor an a boxed-up ~ be3. wid one leg t de foot. De mattress was stuffed wid. skiucks an straw. ~d1y ra pappy, Prince Walden an Lu~y, hi s wtte come from ~ ~ -~ S~ ~S ~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ S ~ ~ R~g se .1 County too an belonged to de Co~ingtons . Lat er dey was sold to Dr. Walden, atUchie. When dey come to Ucb.ie decounty waf~i1l~of 1fldlans. My gran pappy useta drink flicker wid. em; but gran ma, she was skeered an runned away to Co)~umbue ~! !~Y On her way dere my mammy Was bo~ed in de woods. II members dat when I was a strip of a boy, dey cooked ash-cake 9~1leaveg an de chilluni et pOt liekfr an ~z ead an greens outen wooden tray8 wid ~ Dey would sit under de trees an eat . Each ~ family had dey own bowl, an Us et a plenty, too. In cold weatli r mammy kept all de otililune in de house by de fire. Master had us a two-room house, ca se my mammy was de cook an ~aVer. Dey made dey own silk den, too, an raised de silk worms. Us Alabama

222 216

-2- Alabama 216 uBe~a get mulberry .eavee to feed. de silk worms wtd. Ug used indigo, wriich us cooked an used for dye. Us would wear any kind or clothes on everyday an Sunday; an didnt have no shoes ~tfl us wae big ek~i11uns. 01 Maretei an 01 Mistus, Mr. Biflan Miee.Lucylngram, lived i_fl a big weatheri~boarded house wid a wide hail an a chimney at eacti -------------------------------------- end. De kit~~ten was of ~. f~ fi om4 ~. e ~ de house. UI members dat de overseer useta Whipma!flmyafl pappy, Ca~8e dey fignt so m ).3h. ~ie useta take my mammy to de carriage to whip ner. 1~iarster was in de war den. Wnen he come home, de overseer tuk mammy by de 1~ian t o de h ous e an t eli Marst er bout to whip her He d jest shake his head, sad lak. He was mighty good to all of us. My gran pappy waa put in de speculator drove, put on de block an sold. UI t members dat Mistus read de Bjlyle to US an ~ my mammy was converted by de white preac~ier. lie baptized tiers De colored folks used de white church an set in de back. An honey, dey skiorely did have good times dancin onSattidy night s ; an somet ime e dey would dance till Sunday mor nin . When de ~ corn needed shuckin it was hauled up near de crib, an on a purty Ifloonhigrited night Marster would pass roun de likker. It wouldn t ~ be long tu dey was all happy an had. what dey called a general. De general led all de hollers an songs. Dey ~horely did get dat corn Chucked fast too. Gran mammy was a great doctor; useta give us turpentine an cas ter oil an Jerusalem oak ter worms. She d give us all kinds of teas, to0, I members dat g:ran mammy was also a midwife. De Yankees corned through de yard in May an toi us : !ou ~ De Ya~eps wasn tso~o~Je~ hung my mammy up in de smokehouse by her thumbs; tips of her toes jest touchin de floor, ca~se she wouldn t

223 217

Alabama e-3 ~)_.4 ~ ~s_i ( gree to give up her older chilluns. She never did, neither~~ Daddy stole both de older chilluns, dough, an went off. De Y~r~kees stole provisions an stock an hauled em off. De news got to Uchie an everybody hid out ; Marster wid. em. Dey hunt cd. de money v;Lut was hidn de colored folks beds; nearly ~2,OOO. De jewelry was dere too . Dey bun some money at de big house an said : Dis money air~ t worth a damn; but dey tuk it jest de same. I married ~1attie Graves. Den I j ined de church an was saved. ~ \VE ~$ :uirtg t or~ ~ opy, o / ~ I ~ r, ~ ~/ .3 ( L. H,

Ku Klux rides when de niggers starts trouble. 224 218

i~j~~: Alabama ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Gertha Couric ~ John Morgan Sm~th. ~ ~ ~ ~ 30 KU KLUX RIDES WHEN DE 5 1 . ;;; 8;A;; O;; . t4JA ~ ~ -~ -~ (~i~jaY -~ - On a high knoll overlooking the winding Chewalla Creek is a little one room shack. 1ts rusty hinges and weather beaten boards have seen many a glowing sunset ; have stood against many high winds and. rainsJ they have for many years sheltered Aunt Hann~i rwin, ex~s1ave. Now the old Negro woman is too old and. feeble to venture very often from her s:nall home. She lives almost in solitud.e with her memories of the past, ~ri~ an occasional visit from one of her old. friends who perhaps brir~gs her some fruit or a little money. as ~ I 11 be pleased. to tell you bout whut ~ remembers oun1 ~e time of de War. Aunt Hannah sat stolidly in a chair that virtually groaned under her weight ; and. gave uttera.nc e to this aantin~nt through a 1ar~e thick mouth~ while her gold. ear rings shook with every turn of her head, and her dim eyes glowed. with memory s fires. UDere ain t :iuch I can t eli you dough, she went on 0kaze I wuz only twelve years old ~ ~en de war ended.. I wuz bawn on Marse Bennett s plantation near Louisville, A1a b~a. la Mwnmy s name wuz flester an my pappy wuz named 6am. ~ I remembers One night raght~atter de war when de re struetion ~ a go n on. Dere wuz some niggers not far fum our place dat said. dey ~ a~~in to take some lan dat warn t deres. Dere massa had been kj1~ ~ de war ant warn t nobody ~~~p~jflt de rnistis an some chilluns. ~1e11, Honey, dem niggers, mo~dan one hundred of em~commenced a riot an ras a~t akin things dat t belong to em . Dat night de whit e lady Sfle come ober to our place widawild look on herface. She tell Massa ~ennett, whut dem niggers i~ up to, ant v1T~d out sayin a word. massa

225 219

Alabama 219 ~ ~ ennet t put t hi s hat on and lef out de do . Twarn t long at t er dat ; ~ then some hosses wuz heered down de road, an I look out my cam window ~ v i1~h wuZ raght by de road, an i saw a.u~mjn up ~hrough de trees a ~ vthole pack of ghosties; I thought dey wuz, anyways. ~y wuz all dressed ri ~ i_fl vthite, an dere hosses wuz white an dey galloped faste~ dan de win I IV ~ ra~ht past my cabin. Den I heered a nigger say: De Ku Klu~i~ atter ~ so~nebody. Dem K~ Klux went ober to dat lady s plantation an told dem ni~gers dat ~ffen dey ever heered of em startin anything rno dat dey lmiz a coin to tie em all to trees in de fores till dey all died f um beine: hongry. Atter dat dese niggers all roun Louisville, dey kept ~!:1~E;hty quiet. ~-.-. No rn am, I don t believ s in no conjurin . Dese conjure women say c~at dey will make my hip well iffen ~ gives tem half my rations I j 2:~ts fum de goVer Ifleflt, but I knows dey ain t nothin but low down, no~ count niggers.U t Speaking of the Ku ~ Aunt Hannah . Were you afraid of them? 7 Naw m, I warn t ~ af~red of rio K~ Klux. At st I though dat ~ey was ghosties and den I wuz afeered. of em, but atter I found out dat L:assa Bennett wuz orre of dem things I vruz always proud of ~ em. ~ Well, what ab~~ti~ the Yankees? ,,~he was asked. Did you ever See any Yankees3 and~hat did you think of the ones that came through your ?i&ce? V~ere you glad that they set you free? t~/ ,~ suppose dem Yankees wuz all right in dere place, she continued, but iey neber belong in de South. Why, Miss, one of ~em axe me what ~ ~uz cIer~i white flowers in de fie ~? You d think dat a gentmen wid all deia ~eCor~tjons Ofl hisseif woulda knowed a fiel Of cotton. An as for dey a~set~i~-~ me free! Mi~g, us niggers on de Bennett place was free as ~OO~ as we wuz bawn. I always been free. ~ ~1ash. Copy, 5/23/3 ~?, L. T-T1

Heaps of dem yaller gals got sont norf. 226 220

Alabama . ~f ~) 10222 Ruby Pickens. Tartt, Livingston Alabama. HEAPS OF DEM YALLER GALS GOT SONT NOBF. 220 !1 ~ 3\-~ !\~t f)~t ~ ~ UWhen de War fus ~ started ~ said Martha Jackson who was born in 1850, Nd.ey would&t let none of de cullud. people go to chu ch thout dey had a pass, and mighty few white folkses would give ein a pass. ~ Dere was a heap of men (hit mou t have been six or twelve, my recollection is short but anyhow twuz jus ~ a big crowd ) whut went back erds en rer v~erds jee lack eher fe and de calls de se f s de ~atterrollers . Ef de white folks give de niggers a pass, den dey could go, and ef dey was s to go thout one, dem Patterrollers would have em a~runnin thoo de wood~s 1 lack dey was a lot of deer and ef dey ever cotch em, dey d. take em to dey Mareter and he d jes natchelly wear em out! Den dey didn t low em for to go nowhurs much, eben when de plan~ tatlon j ined one ernud.der, did, dey d ketch em over dere and. fetch em ba k and. d.ey d git whooped. ag in, and dat s zackly how come a heap uv em run d away. I kriowed. a nigger onc t whut was gone nigh bout a year, and he wa n t gone nowhur but right up de big road a piece, livin \Ifl a cave whut he dug outer de side uv a clay bank. And. Mig~ Betty say, ~Le~rthy, whur you reckon Dan at? And I never,4~aid nothin . De Patterroller8 couldn t fine him or nobody, and he ain t never showed hisse f ~j daylight tel he peered up tter de B rertder. And I knowed a woman name Tishie, Miss Mollie s house sarvant. She run away case dey so mean to her, I reckon, and de cul~.ud folks harbored her and hid her up in de grain house wid. de peas and sech lac , Bte der down in de corn crib. A~d who WV~ twuz trayed her I ain t Sa3rln but a crowd uv dem ~atterrollere come and got er one night, and tuCk her away, and I ain t nebber seed Tishie no so . And one uv O~e ~ n1ggers~ lit tie boy# he go by- he tuck

227 221

Alabama 2- O ) J on mlght ly, case dey say he wanted to marry ~ishie. I know he fotch tier up i~n de quarter fer ter git her sumpiri to eat atter de white folks done sleep. But couldn t nobody marry, twa n t lowed, outer one or t other uv de Oie Marsa greed to buy bofe uv em and ef dey didn t gree. you sho better keep way fum dey place. And Ule Marsa and. Miss Mollie ~.idn t nebber gree. I hear some uv em say one dem Patterrollers had. bout three sets er cullud chillun over dere, and some uv em favor d Tishie, and ev y time hit come time fer em yaller gals ter work in de fiel , dey got samt Norf. I reckon case he never wanted see his own blood git beat Up, and dat JIm Barton was er cru1l overseer, sho s yer bawn. Twuz a heap of dem yaller gals got samt Norf frum rourt here slio Was.~ Martha says most of the meaness of pre~war days on the plantations may be charged up to cruel overseers. Oie Marsa s wife s sister had a husband whut kep de meanest C~Jerseer d.urin de war dat ~ ever is seed, she de lares. Dat man would flake em niggers on de plantation plow up a gre t big fiel big as all Over yonder and den check hit fer corn. And checkin corn in runriin~ a Str~t~t row clean cross de fiel bofe ways, and hit make a check bout two t eet square. Den he d make de nlggers drap a grain uv corn right in de ~nicIdle UV ev y check, and ef hit didfl t come up straight as deese here ~r~ers on my han , he d snatch hit up and make ~em eat hit right den ar~ ~re, stalk and all thout ever bilin hit a anything. And that ll ~I~rLty ne r th ow you in de middle uv a spell uv sickness sho s yo bawn. Bat dat didn t make no diffe ns to dat man. And stidder dat, he a nigh bout beat em ter deaf ef dey sputed ~iis word bout hit, but den ~ didn t spute, case dey was so skeered when dey drappin hit ~: dat ~it ain t gwinter come up straight lack he say, dat dey couldn t drap

228 222

Alabama 2 hit goo& ae ey could uv dx apped hit. Case dey so skeered dey couldn t. Dein niggers j es natchelly shuck lack dey havin de black ague cl:iilI BOOn as dey heered him a-comm ~ And when de Pat terrolee tole him de niggere Wa8 a riein ~ caee dey papers bout in de cabins he nigh bout kilt em. Some of dem niggers run way down in de woods lack d.eers and clam up in de trees, case he sot dogs on em and some uv em stayed in a cave in de clay bank and tuck to e~min up to us house nights after vittles. And dat overseer man would send em Patterrollers jee lack dey was de sher f dowr~ to fotch em back, and he d say Dead or alive, t make no diffe nce. And sometimes dein dogs be done nigh bout chewed dem niggers up. Den he d whoop em sho nuf f. ~ . Tiuz a long and a wide stiff leather strop w at he had whut hung back uv hi s do and. hit had big roun hole s in hi t and he d g t him a : pot o:~ warm salty water and set hit down ~ by his side Den he had em cetch de nigger and put his feet in de long block, and somebody he .t dey ~ han s, and. he strip em stark naked, and. he stretch em cross a log, and. he ilp de long stiff leather strop wid de rourt holes in hit in de briny Bait water, and. den look out case he commt down Ofl d~t P0 nigger s /nekkld. bottom, De holes in de strop dey sucks flesh up th oo em, and de s a hollerin en ev ybody so skeered dey right ashy en dey ~ Can t nobody say a mumblin word case dey so skeered. Lawdy, Lawdy, dem was tribbolashuns~ Wunner dese here omans Was ~ Ant~.e en she say dat ehe skacely call to mm he er whoopin her, Case she was er breeder woman, en brought in chillun ev y twelve mont s 1 lack a cow bringin in a calf. En she say dat whut make her mo valt ole to her le Marster. He orders she can t be p~t to no strain Ca~ep uv dat. En she say she give him praise en his gretty grave fer c~at. BUt ~dem others he worked em day en night, Sad1dy en 8unday too YOU se sho ter hear dem women uv er night battin de clo es Ofl er log in Creek wid de stick.

229 223

Alabama S(~~ j 1But fo long dat man tuck raie sick, en he believed in oonjiji~ashufl but spite everything he done he got worser en worser and f& long he died. Se dey samt down in de woods and all over de plantation er lookln fer de niggers to corne to de ~ig House case dey overseer was dead. En here dey comes a-~shout1nt and a-ciappin de han s and a~ hoILi rin sumpin1 awful. 01e John Beil is de d. en gone I hopes he s gone to hells En dat was de orties time 1s ever seen dem niggers happy ~ri dat rlantation tel atter ~render. Washington Copy, 6/1?/37. T IJ ~

Did they own us or we own them? 230 224

~A1aba1~ ~ ?~ ~ ~: ; ~ ~ ~ M11d~~d s~t~ Taylor, ~ ~ ~ ! I eorg1an~a, Alabama. ~24 I~. ~1~8 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ DID THEY OWN US . ~ ~Q!J~ THEM? Yas, chillun, I members de wah; caze I was here when d.e YanI I~ r ______ ~cees corne t rough an . was i~~ i~w about fourteen year oie. le L~arster he went off to de wah wid a whole passel of sojers, en he been one a long time, ent noboay to home to look atter de plantation, cep 01e L~1~ti~ en Unker ~ude, what wa~ 01e Marster s fust slave he ebber owned. Oie Marster en nker Jude was borned. de same day, en 0~e :a~~st er s pappy gin Unker Jude t o him whenet dey was leetle bitsy baMes. When Oie Ivlarster inai ed Oie I /iistis, dey was young folks, ent dey move ~ he own plantation. He tuk Unker Jude wid. him, en Unker Jude ~~ as de ca i ge driver. When Oie Marster went off ter de wah, he tole U~,j~er Jude ter look atter Oie Mist$e en evy ting on de place . tvrell he come backL Whilst Oie Marster gone to de wah, Unker Jude was oberseer for Oie Iv istis, en he made de niggers vruk harder dan Oie Mar Ster cU~d, to make co n, efl oats, en fodder, ent meat fer de sojers. 01e Mjgti~ made de womens cyard. bats, en spin en weabe on de loo:i . ~Vhat er loom look lak? It look lak er loom dat w~hat it ioo~ ~.ak ; ~ that you spec ? it look lak? Allde wornens w~ait e en black wuk !Iar~ :~akjn jeans fer de sojers clos en rnakin linsey fer de women s C1o~ , Us didn t hab no udder c1~s1 cep dem lirisey, but dey sho was ~OOC~~ UflS en las er long time, iffen yer didn t stan too close ter ~e fire en scot~ch em. Us ~ of de Yankees comm en one whi Oie Mis ~tj~ S~je say ~aflO, ~OU ~0 down ter de front gate ent stay ~ en V atch en see iffen de Y~kees commt down de big road, en when you Sees eci, you run tell me quick. Bitneby, I seed de Yankees commt about a mile d.own de road, en

231 225

2- . . 225 I run tell Oie Mi tis, en she call de womens en dey run down t rough de orchard to de big woods, en I run tell Unker Jude en he onhitch de mules en lead. em down ter de big gully behin de fiel . 01e Mistis tole rae to run back to de house, quick, fo de Yan kees get dar, en g t her gole watch en chain outen de bureau drawer; but de Yankees come in whilst I was gitten de w~tgh en chain, en one ob em grabbed it outen my han en put it in his pocket en tole nudaer Yankee : I se gwine t ek dis home4t er my gal. De house en de yard was plum full of Yankees en dey rid dey ~ ho3ses en tore up ev y~ ng, lookin for money en jewelry. Dey ax ~ whar it was hid, en I tole em I didn t know en dey said I was lyin en iffen I didn t tell em, dey would kill me lak er dam Re bel , en I sho was skairt. Dey et up all de sump n to eat in de kitchen en tuk all de :~~eat en meal outen de smokehouse en didn t lef4 us nuddin , en dey vTent to de crib en tuk ev y year co n en all de fodder en put it In v:a~ins en tuk em off. De Yankees ax me don t I wanner be free en I say: No, suh , en de~T say ev body gwine be free ~n I won t hab ter wuk fer Oie IVIar ster rio mo . Den dey ax me whar Oie Liarster at, en I say: He gone to Wail , en dey ax me whar le Mistis, en I say: ~ dunno whar she at; rhe done gone off summuz. Dey ax me whar de guns, en I tole em us didn t hab no guns. Dem Yankees mighter been dar till ylt, iffen one ob em hadn t rid his hoss ober a bee gu~n en Ltlan! dem bees en dem Yankees sho did ness u~o~ In about a minute dere wan t no Yankees nowhar cep down de b~~g road whar de dus jes ~ggin up! Bout a week some mo Yankees COr~e, i)ut dey muster heared bout de bees, caze dey lef dey hosses OUtS~6e de big gate en walked ~IP to de house, but dey didfl t stay long Alabafl1a

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Alabama 3 226 c2Ze dey war t~nttffin lef atter de fu st Yankees done to up ev ything. En irhen dey ready to go dey tuk dey guns en stood way off ent shoot de bee gums all to pieces, en de~iflewed aroun en us had to stay way Jtvrel night. Unker Jude, he wuk all night long, niakin bee gums outen ~ ~iollow log, en nex day he hive ebery one ob dem bees en put em in .e new gums, en de bees dey tote all de hor~ey en put it in de new fas as dey could make. comb fer it. Dem bees sho w smart. When de wah done gone, Oie Marster he come, wid one he arms Shob p1u~:1 off, en 01e M1sti~ she cry, she so glad to see him en Unker Jude he cry en hug Oie Liarster, en us all cry en tek on, we so glad Oie :..arster come back en so sorry he arm shot off. Oie L~arster tell all c~e nip:gers dey free now en don t hatter wuk fer him no mois en some er de young n ggers went off atter de Yankees, ~ neber did come back, ~ t de r e s ob u s j e s st aye cl. right whar1 we i s . s had a might y hard ti:~e for a long time, but de white folks had de same hard time en us ~L(5~n t mek no diffunce. I mai ed Rufus en us raise a big fallibly right ~ar on Oie Earster s plantation, en outen us s twelve chilluns, ain t rLpr~ one eber seen de inside ob de jailhouse. I raise my chilluns jes ia~ Ole Elstisraiseher nen datsdewayto raise er~i, to wuk en :~eei~ outen debilment. Oie Marster dead en gone en Oie Liistis too, but I l:~e:ibers em jes lak dey was, when de~ looked atter us whenst we be lOfl~ed. to em or dey belonged ter us, I dunno which it was. De times ~ as better fo de wah. Us had good things to eat en plenty of it, en )~~ V!~ ~ : ood clost eflt clean c1os~ fer Sunday. Dat s mo n some trif lin 4\ ~ . ers ~ot now. II goes to church en sings en1 pray8, en when de good Lord te~~ :.ie, I se ready to go, en I specs to see Jesus en 01e Mistis en Cie -arster when I gits to de He benly Lan . wash. Copy, 3/23/3?. L.H. d

Hoodooin' de dogs. 233 227

Alabama ~ ~ Ruby Pi.ckens Tartt 22~ ~ Livingston, Alabama. : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -. ~ ~ ~ D9~5~ Uncle Hilliard Johnson and his wife Caille live on the Johnson place about three and a half miles from Livingston, Ala., the same place Hilliard was brought as an infant of two in slavery days. He and. Caille tend their own little patch of ground and they own a mule. Thite friends patch up the gaps in their financial structure and everybody knows them. Uncle Hilliard pulled up his mule in front of my house andelimbed down frotn the high seat, leaving CaIlle sitting placidly in the sun. He carne around to the kitchen door and announced that he was here, ~ca se he got de word. I wanted to ax him somepin. Uncle Hilliard, I said, I want to hear all about you and. your family and whom you belonged to jn slavery time. Well, Miss Ruby, iffen you is knowed me all dese years arid. still don know who I m is, and my family is, and who us belonged to, dey am t no use of me stoppin now to tell you. Sides, I s sick, I s been to de horspital in York, Dr. Hills , and he wants to operate. l s skeered of de knife and ain t got no money neither. I C8fl~t eat nothin but tomato soup. Dem sho is nice ones you got dere on de she f, and oyster soup and rice soup and all lac dat. Can t eat no rough vittles lac couards. I ain t gittin on Well atall, but I ll bilge you a while. I was thinkin other day bout you and dem oie sperichel hYmns I leads out to Mount Pilgrim. OUtg got ~ You ain t you? I knowed you had dat bout Aj~d~~~I CLan ~ Untilff Xo~ ~rn~, Sh~ ~ii J.. ~e11, here s one you ain t got, oa se hit s a really old sperichel my ~ran maw use to sing. I s sorter hoarse today, but hit go: Jes carry me and. bury me I ll rise at de comm1 day. . Jes carry me and bury me, I ll rise at de commt day.

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Alabama - 2 - 228 ~Now dat s jes de chorus and de verse say: When I was in my worldly ways Nobody had nothiN to say. Now I m ridin de pale white hoes Ev~body got something to say.tt Il Den de c ho ru s I an d jt ~ a pre t ty o n e sho s you bawn I mentioned the figure of speech pale white hose , but he didn t know nothin bout no figures~ And another one, dey is so many, let me see. Here one but I jee can t call to mine a heap of verses: I, Troubi e here and s trouble dere, I really do believe dere s trouble ev~ywhere. Swing low, chariot, I m gwine home. Swing low, charlot, I m gwlne home. Den hit goes on and tell bout de moaner, says: Oh, dey s a moaner here, dey s a moaner dere, I really do btlieve dey s a moaner ev ywhere. ewing low, chariot, I~m gwine home. Swing low, chariot, I m gwine home. Oh dey s a sinner here, dey s a sinner dere, I really do b lieve dey s a sinner ev ywhere.. Swing low, chariot, I m gwine home Swing low, charlot, I m gwine home. Oh, dey s a Chrietun here, dey s a Christun dere I really do b lieve dey s a Christun ev ywhere Swing low, chariot, I m gwine home. Swing low, chariot, I m gwine home. Den dey s a heap of em to dat song lac a deacon and a :riember and a prayer and a UsingenI1, jes a whole passel dem verses, but I reckon dem will do today. Now what else you want, ca se dem mules Is tired and I Is to , Sides I got to see a man and Caille in de waggin and she s hot too. You knows Caille, she my wife, my second wife, and us got twelve chillun in all, growed and married. Us still live on de Johnson place three and. a half miles from Livingston right han S~e de oie Boyd road west from town. Us belonged to Miss Ella JOh~80~, she was us young Mistl~, and Mr. Nep Johnson, dat s de

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Alabama ~ - 3 ~ 229 orili eet ones I ever know d.. My manimy~, Frances Johnson and my pappy, Alf Johnson, come from down bout Cubie Station. Young MIst iss bought em I reckon and my gra&maw, Rachel Johnson. Fus thing I knowed., us was livin on Johnson place. Dey was good to us, bout seventy-five of us all together, I reckon, All I members, dey looped de bridle relit over my feet an let de mule drag me all over de orchard. It hurt my head. And. dey beat some of em up scan lous, but dey was pretty good to me, I reckon. See, I wa n t so oie, jes a young boy in slavery time, but Ire call young Massa toi& Tom, a young nigger dere, one time not to go to de frolic. ~ C1ean up dem dishes and. go ter bed, he say. And Tom said Yassuh but Marse Nep watch Tom th oo de do and atter while Torn slip out and away he went, wid yo3,tng Massa right hin him. He got dere and foun Tom cuttin groun shuffle big as anybody, Young Massa called him, Toid~Y~ he say, Tom, didn t I tell you you couldn t come to dis frolic? Yassuh,~I says Torn, You eho did, ar1d I jes come to tell em I couldn t comeP Young Massa didn t hurt Tom none, but I is seed em strip ein plum nekked and high bout kill em. I did see em kill old CO11i~, but dey done dat wid a shot gun jes boatse dey couldn t Control him. Did they have nigger dogs, you say? Yassum, dey sho did, but I m teilin You de troof now some of de black folks i~flowed how to git away from dem nigger dogs jes lac dey wa n t dere. Mr. Joe Patton, you know Mr. Joe Patton don you? Young Mr. Joe, I m talkin bout what s over here in town and use to be de sher ff, Well, in his day, he done seed a nigger hoodoo dem ~ 6~ogs C8~9~ dey had nigger dogs after S render too. I kin tell you What I seed, but what dey done now, I doan know, I couldn t tell You a~t. But hit was a fair day, fair as tls now, and dey sot de

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Alabama . ~ 4 ~ 23() dogs on dat nigger and fo yer knowed hit dat nigger done lef dere and had dem dogs treein a nekked tree. Twa n t nobody dere. Dey calls h~t hooclooin de dogs. And I se seen hit more times than one. Time I tell you bout, Mr. Patton was ag in. Twas a feller right here in town. I forgits his name but he ~7as a tall nigger, married Dennis Coleman s daughter. You mern..~ bers Dennis Coleman, had dat gal call Hettie? Well, he married liettie, and he whooped her up mightily. She ported on hirn to ~ie sheriff, and he went to g t him. I can t think what dat nigger ~() by now, but anyhow Mr. Patton couldn t ketch him and he sot de dogs on him and ~ couldn~t ketch him. Dey knowed whichaway he went, down bout Bear Creek on Miss Mamie Smith s place in de flat~ woods. Twa n t no trouble to I~etch nobody down dere, but dem dogs COUidfltt do hit, and fus thing you know he run back to Hattie s. Now jes give me a few tomatoes, Miss Ruby, and I mus cut T:~18 short. Dey s a cloud comm1 up over yonder by Peter s washpot ~r~d dat s when us gits a rain. I got a fur piece to go for a old ~ Yassurn, I se nigh bout seventy-nine years old and porely. ~I~37 ... T r~ ~ ~ ~-~e L)

The patriarch Abraham saw the stars fall. 239 233

Alabama (~. L~ Clark 2 ~~ . ~ ~ The Patriarch Abraham . ~ Saw the Stars FaJ.1 (Photo) e~ A lot of water passes under the bridge in 112 years. I thought of that as I talked to Abraham Jones, l12~year~..o1d ex-slave of Village Springs, Alabama. UUncle Abe says he was born August 1, 1825, i.n Russell County, Alabama. Perhaps the day, the month and. the year may not be exactly accurate. But they are near enough. He reeE~lls the failing of the stars, the removal of the Indians from Russell County and the settlement of Auburn and. other towns in that section. HIs great age 18 not apparent in his looks, actions or natural faculties. His hair I s thin and. white, but no more 80 than that of many men half his age, and. his hearing is good. The mellow voice so characteristic of his race, is strong. He stands as straight as a soldier. And. he works regularly to earn a living for 1T1i~s family. When we found him he was laying a flagstone walk in hard clay soil, and there was power in the swing of his pick and. his tamping ax. His regular daily chores include milking a cow 2nd chopping wood. He describes the phenomenon of falling stars as an event that occurred when he was Nalittle shaver bout eight year old. Novemoer l~5, 1833 was the date. Yes, sir, I saw de stars fall. Some folks say dey didn t never fall but I seen ein. Dey fell jest like pitch from a torch, t:~z...z~..z-.zip, z z-z-z zip! and big cracks come in de ground. I W&~ settin on de end of de porch, and I watched em. Dere was so many grown people crowdin into de house, tw~ n~t no use fer me to try to git in so I jest sot still. We had a big sill under Our house, more dan a foot thick, ~fld 50 hh18hlY people crowded in

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234 Alabama 2 de house till dere weight broke de sill. Dey was cryin and hollerin but de stars didn t hurt nobody; dey jest fell and went out, and. I don t know where dey went den; maybe into dem cracks in de ground. De cracks stayed a long time and it was dangerous for de people to go about at night; dey might fall in de cracks. One of dem I remember was two feet across and so deep dey couldn t find no bottom wid a long pole. I reckon dem stars kept fallin for about a hour. Folks thought de end of time was coinin and ever bo&y got right after dat. Back at dat time de country was not settled much and dere was lots of Indians. My grandpappy was a full blooded Indian but I don t know what kind. De Indians was good people but if dey thought you had done em wrong dey a kill you right now. I SE~W some of dem when dey left dat co~intry. Dey women carried de babies in some sort of sacks, hung down in front of em, and de men carried some of de bigger chullun on dey shoulders. Dey didn t have no property jest lived wild in de woods. A few years after de stars fell, a passel of people front de other side of Columbus, Georgia, moved over and started de town ofAuburn so dey could have a place for a school. Before de war my people took me up to Blount County, and when de war come dey left me to run de grist-mill. I was de ~-----~---- fugt mari in Alabama to try to grind a bushel of oats. I ground I em too. A lady brung de oats and ast me could I grind em, and I told her I would try. She say dey didn t had nothin for de chillun to eat. I ground de oats, and told her, 01e Mistis, I knoi1vs jest how tis and I ll be glad to give you a peck of meal 1f you will use it. She say, of course I will; je8t put it in with the oat meal, and. I sure will appreciate it. Her husband

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Alabama ) U) ~ was off to de war and she didn t had. no way to feed de ebillun. I, ~ was on de road. a long time afterde war and. was tellin de men about dat when her son hear nie. She had told him about it and so he went home and told her he had found me. She sent word back for me to go to her house and let her see if I shore nuff was de saine man. So I went and when she seen me she say, Yes, he is the same man, ~ and she called her husband and de other chillun and told em about it. Her husband say, Well, dey is jest one thing we kin do. If he ever need a place to stay or vittles to eat, we must see dat he gits dem. In slavery time I belons to Massa Frank Jones, and Timothy Jones was de overseer on de place. Frank Jones had two plantations, de one whar I was born and another one close to Columbus. People ax me sometimes what kind of house I was born in and I tell ~ em I wa n t born in no house; and I warn t, I was born in e middle of de big road. It s ~ittin to where it s mighty hard for me to go now and do de work to make sompen for us to eat. I can t ~it about so fast and my head bother me a lot. I been workin a long time now, arid you does git tired after a hundred years of workin I~ on his wrists were cirelets of heavy cord. I asked him why they were there and he explained: To keep de pain out. Dey keeps it out purty good but i~ you can git a little leather band. wid a buckle on it, dat is better yet. I wears dese all de time. \ iaSh. Copy ~.L.D. 5~m~1o~37

Aunt Hannah has a hundred descendants. 244 238

A1ab~in~ ~ ~ ~ Pigie T. H1z, OEreensboro ~ . ~.j ~ ~ ~ 1!4~~~ ~ ~ .~j%j~ ~ H ~ AUNT HANNAH HAS A ~ . ~ ~ ~~4NT~ Aunt Hannah Jones lives withher da~.tghter in a small four room house on Tuscaloosa Street, Greensboro. ULawd.y, she said, It s been so long dat I s mas forgot bout dem slavery days, but I was br:~wn, in Bunker Hill, Amefla Coimty, Virginny. My pappy was named Si~nion Johnson an iny mammy was Rhoda Johnson; My Marster was A1fr~d. ? ?oOd an my mistie was Miss Tabby Wood. When Massa died, de state was vi~ded an I fell to de son aat was too siok to take careof de olace an de slaves. Soon I was tuk to Richmond an sold to Jedge LToore of Alabammy for twelve hundred dollars. Dat was de fust time I ever seed a slave sold. I was sixteen years old. When Jedge Moore s plantation was sold de niggers went wid. de place an it was bought by Marse Isaiah art Mar~se Bill Smarr. It was called de Gillum Place and dat is east of Prairlevifle. I was house girl an1 hope wid de sewin an de spinnin . Us had good houses built outten cedar logs an de quarters looked jus lak dis street d t I lives on now. We had good beds ~::flI plenty vittels to eat: greens, cawn bread, meat aflall kinds of sweets. Some tiTne de men folks would ketch a possum or rabbit. Car~ter had a big vegetable garden an we was tlowed to he3p our~ selves f urn dis here garden. Us had two eve y day dresses, art vTe c~one our washin at night. When I was ma ied, de ceremony tuk Pl~Hc e at my Mammy s house I wo a pretty white dress. tiOur oberseer was Harvey Williamson an he went roun at fl~ne o clock to see iffen us niggers WaS in bald. Sometimes atter he ~ one been ~ ~ Us a git up an have some fun. At de break of (tay all de slaves would git up an go to work. Dose goin way

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239 down in de fielts would have to git up even befo it was light so s to be dar when de dawn broke to commence de s work. Den dey would come back at twelve o clock for dinner ant res awhile, den go back an work till sun down. ~ Weuseta have a man on de place dat played a banj~ ~ an we would dance an play while he sang. Dis wasone of his songs: . White folks says a nigger won t steal ; .~ But I cotched six in my cawnfielt ~ If you want to see a nigger run. *-~ ~ ~ ~ f Shoot at dat nigger wid a gattlin gun. \~ My last Marsters was two brothers ant dey had one sister, Li~ss Sarah SmaV( ~Ve didn t M~e no jail on de place, an!rnost of us never went offen de plantation, jus stayed roun an had a good time playirt ~tongst ourselves. (Us niggers had a hurch dar on de place an~ a \ .1~te man preached to us, but in Virginriy we went to de same chi~rch ~ p 5 de L~arster did. I didn t j me no church dough till I come to Alab~y.~ ~ ~ ~ tiNone of us slaves ever tried to run away to de nawth ca se dey v:as good. to us.J ~ t~We useta hase a doctor dat d. come roun eve y two weeks to see ~ de slaves was dom an iffen we was sick he would give us some :~e~icine. Borne of de women would tie assfedity troun de chilluns necks to keep de sickness away. Some Saddays we had to work after dinner, but most of the ~time i:~fli~Ster would let Us have a good. time. On Christmas da~us hada ~ celebration an didn t do no wo~k at all. ~Didn t nobody have no time to learn us how to read an write. III don t know nothifl bout Mr. Lincoln cep rt he freed all us ~l7ves, an when we heard dat us was free all de niggers marched Alabaflia

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Alabama 3 to Prairieville ant had. a celebration. ~ Honey, Its had. nine chilluns, twenty five gran chilluns, ~ ~. twenty seven great gran chilluns an thirteen great great gran~) chilluns, an I is expectin mo to come along pretty soon. I guess maybee I ll haire 100 descendents fol I shuffle off. Wash. Copy R,L.D. - 6~2 5-~ 37 24G

The fulfilled wish of Mammy Lucy Kimball. 250 244

~: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~- ~ ~ :~ -~ ~j~bama ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ L dg r ~ DL ~ ~ Mobile. ~44: . ~ John Morgan Smith, ~ 1; ~ Editor. % ~ .. ~ THE FULFILLED WISH OF MA~iY LUCY KIMBALL. ~ I made two visits to the home 0 MammyLucy Kimball. The first ~\~aS c~uring the month of April, 193?, the next was nearly a month later. On the first trip I had a very successful talk with the old Negro woman, ~)ut On the last she ~ t at home and so the informat ion I sought had to wait. I was very dis~ppointedthat I couldn t see her on my second venture hut it was impossible. ~ L~ammy L~~y had riot grown very feeble when I last saw her, and her J1ethodical mode of living can be attributed to her consciousness of the venerable age of eighty five years which she had reached. Bhe was born in ~o slavery in 1851 at Swift s Landing near the t own of Blakeley in Bald nir~ County. She was a slave in the Charles Hall family of that county efore and. during the War between the States. In 1907, she carne to work or t~e T. S . Fry and Santos Rubira. families of Mobile. Following the War between the States, Mammy Lucy Kimball worked n various families at the summer resorts .9f Baldwin County. VNen a young girl, Mammy Lucy performed the duties of a children s Urse, ana worked as a dining room servant. She had some education, and as ~ :~E~ ~rorked i~n families of refinement and culture all her life, her Enlier ~r~s that o : a well educated person. However, like the average edu te~ ::e.~rQ, she still displayed the characteristics of the Negro of the ~~-el1U!~ days. She said that she strictly adhered to old fashioned ~ such as: going to church twice a week, not believing in doctors, &~ ~ taking home concocted remedies. I asked her if she believed in carrying a rabbit s foot for luck, 1~i-ch sT~e responded:

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~~ina ~. . 245 Honey, you don think I m like these other Negroes,who still believein that old nonsense? I might tell the children that a rabbit foot brings good luck because itis an old custom for superstitious per Sons to carry one, but, honey, you d have just as good luck if you carried brick-bats in your coat. My white people in Baldwin County never brought ~e un to believe in such things. Well, IVlammy ~ucy, I asked, do you remember any strange or weird t:~in~s that happened during the Civil War? 1Yes, she answered slowly, ~I remember during the Civil War some of the mischievous Sibley boys who were kin to the Hall family over in ~a1Iwin County, tied a strange long black thread to the ankle of a black ~JOy n~.~ed 5low Poke. Some Negroes were going to town that night to fetch supplies and arnon~.: them was Slow Poke. The boys jokingly asked him if he had his rab b~~t foot v0rjth hirn as he might needitto keep the rattling noises away at n~ht. Slow Poke showed themhis rabbit foo~ and, displayi~ng his :iisten~ng teeth in a broad grin he said that~:there warn t goin to be r~3 ~iiosties atter hirr~ The boys deftly tied a string to Slow poke s Eflkie ~:.r1 le some ~f their friends held his attention. On this string were (~tnc~e tT~ree cow bladders. Slow Poke hadn t gone far when he heard the biE~~rs rattling at hIs heels. He immediately decided that there was P v~~ie troor of ghosts after hirn, and so began to hit his fastest gait ~or:L the r~1id(Ue of the dark road. He ran till he reached Montgomery Hill E~:P ~i1es distant, where the string finally wore out. Hig people didn t fi;~~ ~ till three days later. Theii they took him home and gave him a 3~J1~T. ~rrh~pjnc~ for running away. Ia:~irc~y Lucy talked of the Hall and SIbley families and of the ~ ~ they once had, &td what happiness she found in being slave to uc:~ ~ :oeople. She remembered all the summer resorts on the eastern - 2

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A1~oama ii~.3 ~ 246 ~-~ore of l~Ioii1e Bay when they were in their glory before the Civil War, ~n . 110W the Mobile ferries landed bringing ov r all the fashionable Mo... ~iie families to their summer homes on the bay. She remembered hearing f~ther Ryan, the poet-priest of the south, preaching at the dedication of t~ e Catholic Church at Montrose and the storm in the 70 g which almost ~eT~1olished Alabama City (now Fairhope). She recalls the landing of the Cor1federate troops at H llyw~~d for wood when they left Mobile at the outbreak of the war on their way to Fort ~ickens, Florida1to enter active service. ~ I found Mair~riy Lucy to be neat and prIm as she must have been thirty ::errs ago, when she first went to work for the Fry and Rubira families. ~ s~i~ still walks with the agility of a young person, and herr~nd is fer tile v~ith fresh thoughts and. wIth the deeds of the past. I have found haooiness, H she said. People have been. good to me and I, in return, ~ve tried to be kind to those around me. I have lived a plain life and ~1avE~ been rewarded with a ripe a~e that still finds me feeling young. I ShEll never grow old in my thoughts and actions, but always keep a place .1~n ~:r :~ind to welcome something new. I will have had a complete life if I ~ live only two weeks longer. There is something I d like to see. After a few more minutes I left her and returned home. There was S.6t~in~: I wanted to ask Mammy Lucy; something that preyed on my mind. ~1, c~.ays. I Wanted to ask her what the thing was that she wanted to see. s~i~ ~ ~ gentle and courteous; my interest seemed officious prying in ~ :~ ~ffairs. Someday I shall go to see her again, I dec ded)and bring u: ~ subject casually. Then she la never know of my unworthy~ curiosity. Three weeks later I walked to the door of Mammy Lucy s cabin and ~ ~ ~orch stood a N~p ro girl watering a few pots of flowers. Is Liammy Lucy at home~ I asked.

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24~ The girl was silent for a moment, then she spoke in a high-pitched ~::~1jii~ng voice UMammy Lucy, she died liOh, I m sorry,~ I said. When cUd. she die? Fo days ago,U was the reply. I walked down the path of pebbles toward the bay. The question IjOUICI never be answered)but I knew that Mammy Lucy died content. ;E~sh. Copy, ~ Alabama

"Satan done got dis juking generation." 254 248

Alabama Mary A. Poole 248 . ~ ~ ~ . ~ Mobile, Ala. ~ ~ SATANDONEGOTDIS e, - JUKIN GENERATION 1 Ellen King lives in a two room cabin nestling back in the woods near Mauvilla, Ala., about twelve miles above Mobile. A little Negro boy led me along a circuitous path to the ex~slave, showing the weight of her 86 years. After talking awhile she became interested and told that she was born at Enterprise, Miss. on the plantation of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey. but could not recall their given names, or the names of their children, of which there were three, two girls and one boy. They lived in a big white house and the cabIns in the slave quarters were built of planks, with streets between and little gardens in front of them. Some planted vegetables and others flowers. The Harveys were good masters, they had plenty to eat, and rood homespun clothes to wear and home~tanned leather shoes. The women gathered leaves, bark, and indigo to dye the cloth to nuke their dresses of different colors. The plantation wa~ large and had several slaves. Aunt Ellen, however, could not recall the number of acres or the nuriber of slaves, but knew there was a crowd of them. The Har~ vey s raised wheat, cotton and corn, and lots of live stock. Aunt Ellen sat~quiet ~or a few moments and said: Lady, when I sits and thinks of all the good things to; eat and all the fun we had. course we had to work, but kn~?g lady, when a crowd all works together and. sings and. f1r~t thing you knows work s done. Aunt Ellen recalled the Yankees coming through and telling us had you laughs,

255 249

Alabama 249 all the slaves they were free, and that a lot ~ the slaveB went with them, but Aunt Ellen laughed and. said: My Pa and some of the others got scared and hid in a big cave and just stayed there until the soldiers left, and, lady, he still stayed on atter the war with the Harveys, and I was married there in the white folks church, They gave me a big wedding, lots to eat, plenty of music, singing and dancing. Jest like they used to say, we danced all night to broad day1ight~ Aunt Ellen was asked how many times she was married and she renlied: Twice, first one dead. and don t know where t other Is, and had no children by either. Then asked about religion Aunt Ellen said: Lady., I prayed and prayed and religion caine to me, and I jlned the Big Zion Methodist Church, in ~obile, Ala. but moved here to Mauvilla wher9 there was no Methodist Church, so I jined the Baotist Church. Aunt Ellen says the people of today are going back not f or~ ~ All they study is idleness and to do devilment these days. Young generation done gone, Satan got eni, too much ~jt~king* these days, have no time to study bout the Lord and theIr dying day. All they do, is juke, juke, juke~ When they closed the ~Ch()OlS up here in Mauvilia, they had children r~ll juking. The writer was somewhat at a loss to know just what Aunt F1~1~~n meant by juking but thought best to let her talk on and r~Dt ~:ake a direct inquiry, and after a little Au4t Ellen continued: No, lady, we used to call figgers for our dancing, had a bIg fIddle and two small fiddles, and a set in one room and one in t 3ti-~er None of this twisting and turning. I just can t stand

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Alabama ~3-. ~ ~ 250 all that juking, just won t look at lt. By juking Aunt Ellen meant rough aancing of the generation 0 today. Aunt Ellen firmly believes the o1a~time religion was best for all and. tried to sing in a wavering voice ~ the Thllowing: Down by the river side, Jesus will talk &nd walk, ~ Ain t going to study the world no more, Ain t going to study the world no more, For down by the river side, Jesus~ will talk and. walk. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Personal conversation with Aunt Ellen King, Mauvilla, Ala. R.L.D. ~

The orphan slave-girl. 257 251

j~i~bama ~ i1~:! Daphne L. ~. Curtis, 2 ::t ~ ~ ~ ~ ~y fl~11&~~ . .~ THE ORPHAN SLAVE-GIRL ~ S- ~ ~ j---- ~ ~--.---*~ ~-~--~--- In the suburbs of F~hope, in a rough but neatly~kept cottage ~ or two rooms, lives ~andy~eslie, a har& working Negro woman whose energy belies the seventy-~seven years to which she credibly lays claim. Twice widowed and her children scattered to the winds, Maridy is a ~ ~ . t~1iar of strength and comfort to several white households, where she ~ Y:.F~keS weekly calls to care fair the laund.y work, wash and iron, as calls it. The washing is done in the back yards, where a hot fire under an iron pot boils the garments to a state that permits Mandy s rubbing over a fluted wash- board to make thera spotless. Strung on lines in the sun, the clothes are ready for ironing next day. Using old- fashioned sadirons, heated at an open fire, Mandy turns o~~t a done-up product that any rnoder~laundry night envy. During the ~.rcn~ng process, which takes place in the hail or a spare room, the :.is~regs of the house is entertained with a steady stream of biography, CO:L.~eflt, and. information from the lonely old woman who relishes this cpL.crt~nity to talk to somebody, especially if there happens to be a V~Sj~or who is hot familiar with her story. A typical episode runs :::~~ t:-~~~s lt~assua, I ~ de war, but I don t lak no wars. Dey give ~ ~rc~uhie and deyts full of evil doings. When de Yankees come ~ r~j: here, dey took my mammy off in a wagon, and lef me right si e ~ ~ and when she try to git out de wagon to fetch me, dey hIt he.r o:~ ~ ~ and she fell back in de wa~on and didn t holler no more. Dey _~eEI :~v off up deThL~ road wld Mammy lying down in de wagon she Ou~~ r~ teen dead, a, I ain t never seed her no mo . Unker John Leelj~ and Aunt Josie and all dey chillun come along :.. ~ :n~:~cin, ~wine up North, dey said, and dey said dey found me standing I

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AlahaIi~a ~ 2 iT) ~E~r side de road crying for my mammy. Aunt Josie, she say: Pore little ~ YOU gwine wid us. Us aintt got m ch, but us can t let you die. AnCi Unker J h~, he say: Poor chile, us mustn t leave her disaway.1 He ii~ t ~:ie U~ ifl de wagon and us drive twell de mule gin plum out, and den ~ r~A~*J us StOP and took up on a place not fur ~ Mon gorne~y, on Mr. Willig Biles ~ 1J9 live dar twell I was grown woman, and Mr. Biles sho was a good ::an to live wid and he treat us right every year. ~ Dp~ I married Taylor and us kept on living wid Mr. Elles and all t!reE of us s chillun was borned dere. Den Taylor died wid d fever, ~n . :10 i~ad Insho ance what us pay a dollar a mont for de longest and he ~ jt take care me and de chillun when he gone. Bless G-od, dat money ~~ t take care nobody cept de doctor ~nd de burying~raan. Dey hofe got ~e1 ~rt and lef me jes two dollar and seventy cents, dat s all. Mr. ~ s~iy dey ou~ht to he w1~ped for ch~rgin me lak dey did. Den he ~e~t ~c ~ee teTt, and cussed em out, and dey sont back twenty dollar. I r ~ -.~~1:~e no more money on insho ance, no ma arn~ tu had a hard tir~e keeping my chilluri and working de crap too; hut r, ~ he ~10~ me a mule, ses lak he do Taylor fore he dIed, and us :~.e ~~~Jj2 i)aL~S of cotton de fust year and fIve bags de nex year~ I pica 9r:~ lock of It myself ~ jes me and dem little chilluns. Den Rufug he come along and he thought us had all de insho ance r~: , .~nd he court me so hard and so reg lar dat I act a fool and married T, ~ ~ e turn out to be de no~-countest nigger dat ever lived. Steed of :~ ~..~)rtjr,:~ rae, US had to support him for nigh bout ten year, me and ~ ~{e had a misery in he back, and couldn t do no hard work lak ~ ~ nd hoeing. It~rt hehack to pick cotton and pull fodder, and ~esI ~.et trount and make a few baskets and eat lak a hoss. 1. ~r. Wilu~ Biles he d ed, and he boy, Mr. Joe, he took. de place and

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~ ~ ~ ~ L ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A1aba~8 -. ~ rufl it for he i~a. Mr. Joe told Rufus twan t nothing de rn~tter wid him but ~j~fl lazy, and. if he don t git out and he p ~.e work, he gonna. set de Ku Klux On him. Den us got soared and moved nigh bout to Uniontowri, and ~ live wid Mr. Bob Simmons for seben years hand~rurining, and he treat us ~ r :ht every fall bout de settlement. Mr. Bob he say tain t nothing de ~etter wid ~ jes lak Mr. Joe say, and RuThs say he gwine rn verto tov~n whar he kin git work to suit him. ~ ~ o, Us move to town, and. ~ he gone all dp looking for a job and don t find nothing to suit him. I has to take in washing front de white folks to feed. us and dey charge two dollars rent f~or de little shack us live in0 Twan t right to do dat; cause I ain t never paid. no house rent tn all T2~ bo n days, twell den. And de fust t ing I know, dat tnt 1iri~: Rufus he done sell de mule and wagon and got trunk and lost ~de res o~ de money. Us was sho in a bad fix.,~Why didn t 1 quit Rufus? ~assum, I ~ects I ought to done dat; but he so humble when he sober up and pray .E~ ~tror~~:. He say de Lord. done call him outen he meanness and. he gwine preach Jesus. He make lak he need dem preacher clothes, and us skimped a1o~ and saved nough to buy R~f~g de suit of clothes wid a long tail Coat. He ~ot a high-up ha~~and a Bible, and he sho did look gran . Us \!~9$ ~roud. to see him all fix up and goirg out to labor in de iineyard of cl~e Lor.~ Us give ~ de las t~ee dollars us could scrape~and he got on ~e ~ra n and went to Mon gomery, but us ain t seen hair nor hide of at fliT~er sence. In bout a year us got a letter f~ ~im in Juliet, ~ ~riir -~r~ Illi~~i~, wharever dat is, and he say he in de pen tenshry Thr ~ rear, cause dey scuse him stealing a woman s jew lry, and would I ~et ~ ~1les and 14~ Simmons to do what dey can to get hirn out. He ne ent ~nci been washed in de blood of de Lamb sence he been in jail. And e ~ ~ anybody write me dat he runnedoff from Mon goaery wid nother

260 254

2M ~ v~ :iafl and dat he got a wi ~e in Chicago, lt s a lie. Dat fix me wid dat triflin nigger, and. ~r. Sain Broady, what s a iav7er, he got me a vorceruent and. gin rae back my fust name, Leslie. Now I~s t roug h wid. marrying. L~y chillun lone all gone and. got married, and. I con~e hack here whar I come ~ and Brantley, is de place. Hew old I is? I was five year old, corne de Surrender-. how old. c~.t :~ake me? Sebenty-seben? Dat s right and I be sebenty ~~~ dis time flex -rear. How I know I be living dis time nex year? Cose, I will be ll~n:J I always notice dat when I lives t rough March, I lives de res of (le rear, and ain t March jes now gone, huh? I1-In~r de way wals ironed. suit you, 1V118S3r?tJ !psb. Copy, /i5/~?. -4-. Aiabar~a

Dellie Lewis knows cures and "cunjer." 261 255

. 7~ Mary A. Poole, Mobile L,d ~ John Morgan Smith. 2~ DELLIE LEWIS KNOWS CURES AND UCUNJER, ~ To begin at de beginnin , white folks, said Dellie Lewis, I vras bawrt on de plantation of Winston Hunter at Sunflower in washington County, Alabama. Its on de Southern Rai~.road. De fus thing dat I re ~:~e::iberS was when de OEran Trunk Railroad cut dere right of way through near Sunflower. Dey had a chain gang of prisoriersdat warn t slaves avcorkin on de road, an me an anudder lIttle nigger gal was sont wid bic: cans of buttermilk to sell em. One day a handsome white gentmari rode to our house an axe me f0t a drink of cool water. He was de f ~ ~ian On de road. Jus as soon as I handed it to him he done fell offen 1~i1S 11058 on de groufl . I run to de ~iistis an she got some of de nig~ers roufl de place to ca ay de gentbmart~to de big house, ai do ~rou ~ it, white fOlkS, dat man, he neber open his eyes again! He kep ~ pa calllnt de L~jgtjg his mammy, but he neber open his eyes to see dat ~ s~e v:arn t his mammy. He died a little later wid a conjested. chill. Den I remembers one of de Alabama River floods, dat swep ober 2e l~ ~ washed away lots of de food. De gover. ment sont some sup~ Plies of meat, meal an lasses. De barrels was marked U. S. an one ni~er, bein tired. of vraitin an bein powerful hongry toi us dat le ~J . S. on de barrel meant Us so us commence to eat . Then de ober~ SC~1~ co:: ie to gib us de meat an lasses, us be done et it all up. Ug slaves useta git up at dawn; de oberseer blowed a cow hawn to C(~.I1 :.s to work. De Hunter slaves was lowed to go a~isitin udder SlE~:es atter work hours a~t on Sundays, ~ iffen we was to meet a patty~ roller. ~ he axe us whaT we f um an who we b long to all US had to ~a:r ~ 1 ~unter nlggers; an dat pattyroller didn t do nothln , .c~aze de Hunter niggers warn t neber whupped by no pattyroller. Some Alabam a

262 256

256 niggers when dey was kotched. eben dough dey warn t Hunter niggers, (t ~ say it jus de same craze dem pattyrollers was always fraid to fool long wid. a Hunter nigger. Massa Hunter, he was somp n . Dunn de Christmas celebration, us all hadgif~s. Us had. quilting bee s wid. de white folks, an iffen a whitegent man th~owed. a quilt ober a white lady he was titled to a kiss an a hug fum her. Atter de ce1ebra~in we all had a big supper. \~ An speakin of cures, white folks, us niggers had em. My c~:randraammy was a midwife an she useta gib~ women cloves an wh1sk~3~ to ease de pain. She also gib em dried. waternielonsee~ to git rid. of de oTabel in de kidneys. For night sweats Grandniammy would put an axe under de bed. of de sick puseon wid de blade asittin straight up. An iffen yot is sick an wants to keep de visitors away, jus putt a fresh laid. aig in front of de do an dey wort~t come in. If you is anxious fo yo sweetheart to come back f um a trip put a pin in de ~roun v~ id de point up an den put a aig on de point. When all de insides runs outen de aig yo ~ Yassuh, white folks, us useta hab games. Us useta play; puss ~n de cavrner~ next dO~ neighbor an fox an geese. I kin gib you ~ Soue of de songs we useta sing: Old sweet beans and barley grows, Old sweet beans an barley grows, ~ nor I nor nobody knows, Where old sweet beans an barley grows. UG0 choose yo east~ Go choose yo wes G~o choose de one dat you love best, If she s not here to take her tart, Choose de flex one to yo heart. I is always been a piscopalian in belief, white folks. I ~1atied Bill Lewis when I was fifteen year old In Montgomery an us had. three chilluns. I is strong in my faith. Alabama - 2-

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Alabama . . . ~ 25~ ~ ~ HI~ mercy, not in wrath, Rebuke me, gracious Lawd Les when Dy whole displeasure rise, I sink beneath Dy rod.t Yassuh, I remembers de war. I seed de Yajikees ~marehin through our place an down de road dat led to ~ortIand in Dallas County. Dey was mighty fine looking wid all dere brass buttons and nice lookin uniforms. Dey didn t gib us much trouble. Dey had a Cap n dat was ~oo~ an kin . I heered him say dat dere warn t agoin to be no stealirl a t atrampin through folks houses. Dey slep outen de yard for one niF:ht den dey went on in to Portland. Mr. Munger was ou~ oberseer, but he had money of his own. He v as better dan mos oberseers, an dere warn t no p& white trash, dem onery buckers libed. further back in de woods. When us was sick Dr. Lewis Williams, who was de doctor of de uassa, tended to us slaves. I rememb rs sittln in de doctor s lap vihile he tried to soothe my ailments. ~1Us house servants was taught to read by de white fo ~ks, but my cran S-mammy Alvain H~~t er dat dnt t have no 1 but dat knowed. de Bible bac1~ards an farward.s, made us study. When me an my brother Was learnin outen de Blue Back Speller she say: How s dat? Go ober it.t u Den we would laugh an anSWe~~ ~ H~w you know? You ~ t read u t Ju t s raght . De Lawd t e 11 me when I s raght. ~ You-all can t fool me so don t try. When de marriages was preformed, de massa read de ceremony an ~ ~e coupleg would step off over a broomstick for luck. Den we all had a bir~ supper, an dere was music an ciancin by de plenty.~ nash, Copy, 5/26/37. L. H.

Psychology of a runaway slave. 269 263

263 A1ab~ma David Holt Mobile ~ PSYCHOLOGY OF A RUNAWAY SLAVE Of course you know that we always called the older colored ~nen Wncle arid the older colored women NAunt.1 It was proper manners. Old ~Unole Louis was the oldest slave on the plantation, ~ Uncle Toby having died. Louis was a Guinea nigger. His ancestors bad been brought from the Guinea coast of Africa. I~e had the characteristic marks of his tribe, being short, strong~and very black, with heavy neck, thick lips, flat nose and eyes like those of a hog. He had great knowledge of wild plants, claimed to understand the language of birds and beasts. He prided himself on his powers as a hunter and also claimed intimate friendship with ghosts and. spooks. Being what was known as a Nyard servant,9 he had picked up much of the talk of his white masters and spoke his own version of their language. Old Louis was what was called a runaway nigger. He would run away in the latter part of the summer once in every two or three years and come back in time to help dig sweet potatoes. I was out j_n the sweet potato patch one morning when he returned. The doctor was there, also. Then Louis walked up he simply said, Hello, Louis; are you well? Yas sir, Marster. Well, take that basket and go to picking up potatoes. Not a Word was said about his running away. After the hands had knocked ~ off work and Louis was sitting in front of his cabin, I went to him

270 264

~-) fl~ ~ Alabama 2 for an Interview. Und e Loul s what make e you run away? You don t get whipped of abused in any way. The old slave scratched his grizzled head, puffed at his clay pipe and pondered the subject for some time before he replied: Marse Davie, I does oau e de woods seems to call me. When de fall insec s IS singin in de grass an the SinUnOns is gettin soft an de leaves is beginnin to turn, I jes natcherly has ter go. De wild sloes, de red haws ant de crab apples is ripe. De walnuts an de hickory nuts an de beach mast drappih an de blue smolte comes over de woods, an de woods birds an de yard birds goes sout wid de cranes an ducks an wil geese an de blackbirds an de crows goes In droves ~ it seem lack all dat Is jes callin me.N There do you go? I asked. Lorsy, Marse Davie, I never goes otr de plantation. I always go to de woods back o de past er. 01e Master knows whar I is an so does Henry. Don t you know dat holler dat come down on de lef han sIde of de branch de fus holler you comes to, not more dan two hundred yards In de woods? I knew It well. Don t you member a big green oak tree growin on de right han si de of de holler bout a hunder yard up de path? Well, sir, dat tree Is my home. I done to~d some poles an Some sedge gress Up dar an made me a bed - but you Canot see it from de groun When I gets UP dar I can see all roun . I seen you an Marge Joe de las time you go fishin . I lays dar all day and listen to de birds an critters talkin . A chicadee tole me you was COmin long befo I seen you. Den a jay bird caught a sight of you an he

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r)I- ~- Alabama tole me. Can t nobody come along widout de birds tellin me. Dey pays no mm to a horse or a dog but when dey spies a man dey speaks, I done tame a squ l so he comes see me ever~day~ De birds an critters sho is good coinp ny. I done made frens wid. up all but de ow . and de hawk, Dey is jes natchally bad an de other critters hates tern. A oie red-.breast hawk come an lit in a dald pine tree. I seen him so plain tu I knowed. what he was thinkin about. He was jes mad clean down in his craw and was cussin ever thin . A little pewee bird seen him an begin to fuss. A crow fly over and hear de pewee, den fly down close an take a good look at mister hawk den he fly up and start oal in de other crows. In a little while a whole drove of crows is flyin roun dat pine tree. Den de jay birds corne an dey is callin for a fight, but de oie hawk never move. Den de mocking birds oome an dey sair right in and starts pecking at de hawk until he dove into de woods and. gets away, an all de birds begin to talkin bout bugs an things. The old man was wound up for an interminable talk on his ~ favorite theme, the talk of critters, and to change the subject I I asked: Uncle Louis aintt you afraid of ghosts? ~i Lor , chile, I ainttfeared of no ghos or spook, as I s ~ seed lots of both. All a ghos do is jes show hise f. You never ~ ~ hear of one dom nOthin to nobody. Dey is sociable an wants to be I near livin people. When folks gets soared it hurts do ha nt s : feelin s an dey goes somewhere else. Dey has all de ~ dey .. had when dey was livin You wouldn t stay by wid folks date fear d ~ of you an want to run away from where you is. s La s ~ ni ght when I was up i n my ne ~ an my f ir e had di ed out,

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Alabama c-4- ai . sept one little chunk, an de moon was shinin like day, I lay down, I did, an I take a 1i~1 nap o sleep. Den I wakes up sudden an looks roun ag in. Well, sir, de norf side of de hill was covered wid ghoses an spooks;de was layin down, standin up and leaflin agin trees, but inos ly dey was jes sittin on de groun , all loolti& at me hard as dey could, widout battin an eye. De neares one to me was a little white coman. She war sittin flat on de groun holdin a baby in her lap. She look mighty pitiful an I say please Missis can I hope you an yo baby?! I a be b .eeged if you tell me. Her lips move but I couldn t hear no sound. Den I lay me down an drap off to sleep agin. When I wakes up de ghosses is all dere an de little white ooman look lak she want to say somethin , but can t, an I say, I am nothin but a poor runaway ni gger, but my Maret er I s a mighty 1 man he Il sholy hep you~ but she didn t say nothin an I goes back to sleep. De next titne I wakes up de sun was nein an I jes lays dere an watches de ghosses an spooks got thin~an fade away like a fog. The old Negro was sitting in the twilight, talking in a low, impressive monotone, in a language we both understood but which I find difficulty in transcribing after all these years that intervene. A screech owl was NmiseryflyingN in the faintly grave yard back of the quarters, a fitting abligato to the narrative, Though creepy Rensations crawled up my spine, I still had my doubts. Uncle Louis, do you really believe you saw all that, and dIdn t dream it while you were curled up in your nest? I asked. The old man seemed aggrieved at my doubts as he replied:

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) ~ Alabama ~ ~It ain t no be .eevin about it. I knows what I knows an I sees what I sees, De ghos is what lives when de body is done wore out, but it don t die.0 tIt s all imagination, I said, in def ense of reason and nature, as I understood these things. I wants to ax you what does de izuagiflih , It s your ghos that does the imagine so you can see other ghosses an spooks. In recognition of Louis knowledge and powers of reasoning mi brother William wrote a diploma in Latin and presented it to him. after that he was called Dootor Louis. I recall that it was about that time that I read a book on ~sycbology but later discovered that there were those on the :3iaritation who had a better working knowledge of the subject than was taught in the book. BIbi lography: Old Plantation Days, an unpublished work by the Venerable David Elred Holt, late Archdeacon of the Sacreniento Diocese, (Protestant episcopal) of California and a native of Buffalo P ~ntatjnn, near Natchez, Mississippi.

A whuppin' wid de trimmin's. 274 268

~1aba1Ua John Morgan Smith 268 ~ (Photo) A WHUPPIN WID DE TRIMMIN S t, Iviornin ~ said. unoleTomMeAlpin, how is you dis morn-. jn ?~ The o1d~s .ave spoke cordially with a definite twinkle In his muddy eyes though his age had. passed the fo~~soore and ten mark. His mind. was alert his memory vivid, and his faculties of speech quite unusual. Tom MeAlpin was indeed a remarkable man. There was really a sincere note of welcome in his voice as he ea~ie forward, placed a large piece of cast-.iron pipe against the steps of his house, 1928 Ave. D. So., Birmingham, and looked up at me showing a mouth of straggly teeth in a. warm smile. Yas suh, ~ he continued in hi s high-.pi tehed voice af ter our salutations, ~I~11 be glad to serve you as bee I kin wid. my know-. 1ed~e of de pas years. Jus you set down in dat chair, he pointed to what was left of an ante-.bellum wicker seat; I ll set on dese steps an us ll go over de whole thins from de beginnin s. 11 Fu t thing I gu e g s y ou wan s to know I s whar an when I was born. Yassuh, an who I b long to. Well, Boss, I was born in ~ }Lartersville, Alabani.y. Dat s five miles southwest of Talladega. j I corne into dis oie won on a sunny day in June, eighteen fawty ~ b . I belonged to Dr. Augustus MoAlpin, an from dat da~y to dis, ~ I is seed many things come an go, an I is aiinin to see a lot mo befo I cross to de udder side. De docte j~s had a small plantation, bout 100 acres, I 4 se, an1 he didn t have but 12 slaves, caze dere warn t no need ~ for no mo He was busy in town adoetorin folks. He didn t have I~~I rio time to do any real farmin . ~ My job arouri de place was to nues de chilluns, white an . ~ig~er. We all played roun together. Sometimes we play coon an ; rabbit, fox an hOUfl~ and snatch, but what was de mostes fun was a-.

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j~abaIfla 2 ~ ridin oie ~t. Sut was a donkey an u~ useta hitch him to a wagon, an six of de chilluns would ride in de wagon an I d. ride on his back. Sonietiines us d ride all de way into Tailadega wid Sut. Nawsuh I ain t neber got no whuppin but one, an it was a sho nough complete one, boss, wid. all de trimmin s. It all happened when de Massa told me bebetter not cotch dein hogs in de corn, an iffen he did, I was agoin to git a whuppin . Well, boss, dere was one oie hog dat I jus coulan t keep outten dere so I tuk a needle an1 sewed up his eyes. Course I was jus a little black un an didnt t know whut I was adoin but I sho sewed up dat hog~ eyelids so s he couldn t see nothin . Dat kep hirr~ outten de corn all raght, but when de Massa found it out he gave nie a lickin dat I ain t forgot ylt. Boss, dat was de onlies lesson I ever needed in my life. It done de wuk. ~Yassuh, dere was pattyrollers rouzi our place, but dey never coteried me, caze I was too swift for ein. Boss, I could take holt of a nosses tail an nm ro~~ de pasture an keep up wid him. I wag sho fas on my feets. Nawsuh, us wan t never given no money for noth.tn , but I learnt how to make baskets an I would take em in to Talladega on Sat~day evenings an sell em to de white folks for fifteen cents. Den when I needed sornp n lak bacca or a little piece of chocolate, I could go to de sto ~flt buy it. Lots of slaves on yuther plantas. ttons warn t ~ lowed to make any money dough. ~Nawsuh, I ain t never had no schoolin , ceptin who~t I could ~tt Outen de little white folks books ~nyself. Us niggers useta tote ~ere books to school for em an on de way I would look in de book an ~it a little learnin . 17~nen us nig~ere On de McLlpin place et~us et ra~t at de same

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~A~labama 3 ~ . ~ table dat de white folks et at. Atter dey finished dere meal, us slaves would sit down raght atter dein an eat de saine kinda food. Ya s $uh. Sho I members de war. I members when de war commence, Jeff Davis called for volunteers; den a little later when de south needed mo mens to fight, Jeff Davis officers would go th ough de streets, an grab up de white mens ~ put ropes roun dere wrists lak dey was takin em off to jail. An all de while dey was jus takiri eru off to de war. Dey made all de white mens go. It was called de scription. Some niggers went too. Dem niggers fought raght side of dere masters. Some went as body guards an some went as soluiers. Yaesuh, Boss, I recalls de time dat de federate soldiers, bless dere souls, hid ere few hosses in de basement of de old ~E~sOfl1C institute in Talladega an hid. dere amunition in de hollow ~ stone pillars. G en l ~ileon an his raiders come th ough dar, but ~ dey never did. fin dem Federate supplies. Dem Yankees jus lak to ~ scEire eve ybody roun de place to death. Dey shot up de town an ~: de~ blue coats tuk eve ythirig we had: cotton,~ sugar, flour, hams, pie erves, clothes, corn, eve ything, Boss, eve ythin~. Dej even DUrreo up some houses. ~ tEut Bose, dere ain t never been nobody afightin lak our Feoer~teg done, but dey ain t never had a chance. Dere was jee tco i~any of dem blue coats for us to lick. I seen OUI~ Federates ~o o . leughmn an say; full of life an health. Dey was big an i~1i 84r~~r~, astngth Dixie an dey jus knowed dey was agoin to win. ~2~P1 1085, 1 seen em come back skin an bone, dere eyes all sa~ an ~iC~GIiO~T, 1~~nt thre clothes all ragged. Boss, dey was all lookin ~:ste :, De sperrit dey lef wid jus been done whupped outten dem,

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2~I ~UabaE1a but it tuk dem Yankees a lone time to do it. Our Federates was de bes fig~tin~ mai dat ever were. Dere warn t nobody lak our Federates. I was in Richmond dat cold day dat Gen l Lee handed hie sword over to de yuther side, an I seen Jeff Davis when he made a speech bout startin over. I seen de niggers leavin dere homes an awander~ in off into de won to God knows whar, asayin good bye to dere white folks, an atryin to make dere way de bes dey kin. But, white boss, it jesi seem lak you let a nigger ~o widout a boss an he jes no good. Dere am t much he kin do, ~ caze dere aifl~ t nobo&y to tell hini. Yassuh, I was sont to Richmond to brine home some of our wounded Federates. Dey sont me eaze dey knowed I was agoin to do my bes , an eaze dey knowed I warn t afeered of nothin . Dat s de way I ve always tried to be, white boss, lak my white people what raised me. God bless em. ~~Tash. Copy R.L.D. 7~ 1C~3 r~

I shouted three days. 278 272

Alabama Preston Klein, Opelika 2~ .~ ~ Jack Kytle, Editor 10112 ~ ~ ? ~ .~ ~ I SKOtJTED THREE DAYS . ~ ~ -~ -~ ~ ~ 3ible records place ~ine ~addox s a~e at 113. ~ie lives in a tiny cabin with her youngest child, Zora, about eight miles from . C3elii~5. She is very feeble now and had to be wheeled out on the :ront. porch to have her picture made. Anne lives exclusively in th~ past. To her, the present f v:orl~ is full of de devil an ~ettin worser every day. ~-ie likes ~ to tslk about the old days, but her voice is feeble and barely above \: ~:i1is~Der. ni se heerd a heap o talk bout Mr. Abraheni Lincoln, ~1 she ~ an I had a picture o ~ him onc t; but I don t know nothin bout him. ~ Anne t~es her reli~ion seriou sly and. is devoutly confident t~t she will Inherit de promise. II jined de church in Gold Hill, Alebama, she re alled, an ~ ~3fley, I felt 50 ;~ood I don t know jest how I did feel. I shouted ~ ~ ~ ~ys an wouldn t eat a bite. I couldn t even drink water. ~ The old slave was born in Virginia in l8~4 and belonged to ~ ~L~for3. She was later sold to Bill Maddox, of Alabama. ~ ~ come from Virginny, she said, us travelled in wagons ~:c~ :~iept in tents. Eve y niornin Us was niadeto clean ourselves ~ n c~fess up; den us wuz put on de block an bid on. ~VMte peoples 1~~ ;L ~ere from everywhere; de face of de earth was covered by dem. : ~ : tlitrteen den, an I kin remember four wars~ i:y ;~iother and father W8~3 Charl~e an RhodY HeF~th, an I had t ..o irothers ~J1 two sisters. Our house8 was l ~k horse stables .~ T~e of loge wid. niud an sticks dobbed in de erack~. Deyhad no a

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H ~ .~ floors. Dere warn t~no furniture oept a box fer de ~.reeser wid a piece of looking glass to look in. Us had to sleep on shu~ck rnat~ tresses an uscooked. onbig fireplaces wid long hooks out over ~.e fire to hang pots on to bile. Us fried on three-legged skillets over de fire an cooked ash-cakes on de hearth wid hickory leaves on de bottom flex to de ~~ecrtti. Tain t no sech good cookin flO)N~ as den. Bout four o clock in de evenin all de little niggers was c~1led up in de big yard where de cook had out milk in a long uooden troug,h an crumbled ash cake in it. Us had pot licker in de trough, too. Us et de bread an milk wid shells an would use our :riands, but it was good. ~ 01 ~arster hunted a heap, but us never did git none of what he browzht in. Us had plenty. of cl9the s, si eh as was, but dey was E~)Ufl an v~ove at home . Us had home~made shoes, hard brogans, called tJ,:c~.:cori ties. Dey had brass caps on de toe an would rub blisters on ~e feet. De ~l&ntation had several hundred acres. I was up wid de fust ii~~ ht to dr&w water and help as house~.girl. When dat task was done I ~ to ~o to de fiel . Dey blew a big hawn to rouse de slaves in ~:.e ~crni~ ~, sometimes fore day. . -~ ~ was good. to us niggers, dough. He never lowed us to :e ..:upped; Jist scolded us. If U~ went anywileres, us had to be back .~- n~:~-.n. I once seed some ~1aves workth roads in chai~~wid a ~:~ .~: ii b9n~Zin on b th1fl~. It WUZ pUfliebJilent fur UeEflfless. ~ s~id the sl&ves on the Maddox plantation vrere never allowed ~ :~~rn to read arid write, decl~rthg: It W~s too bad if dey kotehed A1ab~fla

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Alabama ~. ~ a nigger wid p ncil an paper in his hani I was made to carry Marster s chilluns to school, den ~o back fur ein, she said. t,Q~, Mistis read us de Bible, an us went to c v. ite folks church an sat in de back, wid de white peoples sit- tin up front. ~ dem patterollers was bad. ~ I .sho would run from dem tMn~s, too. Arme s mind leaps in fast succession from one subject to another, ~ric~ at times it is difficult to keep up with her intermingled thoughts. ~ 01 Marster give us plenty of licker, she seid, an us laked dat. ~- ~L r e of de funniest t~hin~s us had aroun de ple.ntation was a little \Lio~.t ~E~t could walk a fence jist 1~1~ us little niggers. when de Yenkees come, gran d~ddy was at prayer ineetin an 01 :.~r~ter come runnin an told de ni~ers to hitch up de mules an ~a~~ins. Dey was toi to hide all de food an jewelry, but bout det LLi~ 1A5 seed de Y~inkees comm1. Dey didn t do us no harm; ~ho did ~ ~Je~ pl~ces, dough. T w8flt long fore iarster csll all us niggers up to de house an toi us d&.t u~ w&s free. He s&id us could ~o away or stay wid him. : ~ t~li v~-uz grown an married Doc Liaddox. Us had five c:1 ~iun, ~7~1ter, FEiler, Siney, Zora an Job~nny. I don t know how ::~n-~ rcn chilluris I se got. ~ ~ . Co;y F~ . L . D. :-. ~.:~rt7 . )

Mandy (by the day.) 281 275

Alabama ~ Daphn e L E Curti s pf~/ 10242 ~ Fairhope, Ala. ~ 1~L1L~~ 2 ~ 5 i j ~f d~ ~ : ~ ~~j~jby the day . ) ~ ~ ~ ttHow~5y Miss. Vie is sure got a purty day fer de scrubbin job. Hit will dry as fae as we turns hit loose. Now jes look a yonder, ef she ain t got gold-$ishes an ever thin~ heart could wish1.~-~~Is they got ary increases?~-Yagsum,~~ dat s good; rnebby ~o you can sell some. t1i~e got chil1un?.~-.-~we11 I is borned three head uv em, but dey all died right now; didn t live .a minute. Then I dopted. me a baby boy. A little b tty girl borned. him, ~ 9f she didn t want him,....-.he was in her way. She said. she d kill him, an I didn t want ner to git in no trouble, so I tooken him. ~3ut sho ~ you bawn I is sorry I done dat t ing,..~-~dat nigger so tr1~1in , ne is goin on fourteen now, an he ain t no help to me at all. H only come home when he hongry, an that s plenty often. U~t dis yere husbin whut I is got now, he spicions me about other men s all de time, and. de boy an him togedder, keeps ever t ing riled up rnos ly, twell I1ll be glad effen you was to say, you need. nie to Eleep on your place. C~o to gch~~l? Yassum I ~ho did. I had three months a year ~or t~~ree years, and a extra i4onth onc t, that my mammy paid for. Dat ~ ten months for nie. I was de forwarde~ chile my mammy had.. Then ey ~ any readi.n to do my m~nmy sont fer me. Sis Kate kin turn o~more work then I kin, but I can mek more ~ OtLOfl Oncet I won a contest wid. a man an made 480 pounds. Dey ta~e a hundred pounds for dom it. ~ arid Ta~,ylor, he w my other husband, the one that died, we used. o i o mei~t bales near ~bout every year, but di.~ yer husband whut I got

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~io AIaba~~~a ROW, he don~t do nothin but jalous me, loo~ la~.he d know I didn w~flt no man, but jes fer company; ~n dat boy I brung up, he jus runs nights twell I am jes plumb skeered. So one night I sont for fly sister s boy, she is my dead. brother s wife, an~ Miss, dat rascal, lie would steal my las dime look likes Miss he would steal 5~e har offen your haid could he jus ~it a holt, so I jes sont him back. I talk to him nice befo I sont him, but hit didn do no good so I up an sont him. L Then I~iiss Nellie (She that keeps the fillin station) tooken ~* hira an he stole~whole ~in~er ale an a coky coly, an she cotch hirn ~~T1(1 em. No ~ 81fl he didn t ~it era open, effen he had uv, he would uv drunk tern both, he would f~t sure. An S im tellin folks he married a rich widow. Huh:;., Wir. Corte ~ ~ ne say ~iiiandy you is getting yo se f messed for shop He did so Miss, an~ he done tole de truf f0 God., he sho did. I is sho messed up wid 1ei~1 bofe. t1But L.Iiss, hit was de biggest cullud weddi.n , you ever see, an le as black as I is. Dey was three tables for de white folks, an I J, ~on~ know how many cakes, an Liiss Bessie give m/ my xnarryin~ dress, ~ ~tster Harry he give me a dollar, antHjm? o yessum, he been A ~ befo!;~ he is got eight head uv chillun. His fust wife s bring~ p) em up, up in Dallas County, an him carryin on like he is down It1 ailus wantedthiliun, a house plum full of I em, en I done los li I could mek, so now effen I could of had me some widout em I ever woul . of had ary hUsb8fl a tall. No a~. ~ 11.:e dance? No am I is j ined to de Church. 1iIi~~ Emily she showed e ~ white folks dancin oncet, but I thought they was gettin too LC~~t ~o~)eOEaer. In my day they used to swing corners.

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~bama 27~ t1House parties, yassum I is served a many of 1era~, that s what bre~j~:s YOU down, though; day an night an ~y ~ night. Vieil good bye Miss, I sure do thank you for my dollar, an~ ray cup, an ever thin~. i is shore enjoyed ray day wid. you~ me ~ you ~s real t;ood frien s now, ain t we? Hits been jes like a partyin . Now I ll be gettin to Sis Katie s, she will mo n likely want if.e to carry her Lodge dues up, An Miss, please you ast the bus man, ~ ~1d yO telephone,,piease ~ir wait for me jes a minute. F.. D. ~ ~.:~ ~ o~ ~

Broom-stick weddin's. 284 278

~ ; 2~S Alabama Preston Kl~e~ 0pelika. ~ Pettersen Marzoni,Ed.itor. BROOM- STIC~ WE S. ~ ~- ~ ~ Frank Meriefee/of ~pelika is eighty-four years old. arid still healthy. He says/, kids was brought up right in dem days but don t ha~re no sich now, ~c~ze de switch was one o de best medicines ever made . He was born in Loachapoka, Alabama. His mother and. father were Susan and Monroe Menefee. They had six other children, Patsy, Sally, Lula, Mary, Melvina, and. ~hi1more. Susan Menefee carne from ~efferson County and Monroe from G~id Hill, Alabama, and belonged to Willie I~Lenefee, near Roberson s Miii. My mother s father an mother was Milt~~ and ~atey Footman whut corne frum Meridian Mj88 . and. dey paid. *3500 for dem, Frank boasts. I se never seed. inside a jail, never paid a nickel in council, aintt never gwine to steal flothiflt whut dOn t belong to me aria ain t never used a cuss word in my life. I always tried to do whut was rIght an I plowed ever day us could. Us cooked~on dem great big fireplaces, bout six f ~et wide an two ant three feet deep, with pots ant kitties hangin out over hIckory an oak fires. Nobody better not spit In dat fireplace neither. Sho never was better eatint collard.e dan d~ern, All the ctiillun had. a tin plate ant a tin cup with but ter milk in hit. ni was whut dey called a shirt~ tail fellow, had long shirt ~Lresse$ of orsenberg dyed with red mud an cinnamon bark. In winter ~ey d~ouhled de orsenberg to be warmer. My daddy was a shoemaker. He rr:a~~13 dem outer cowhides an even lef de hair on dem sometimes. Yuther ~i1~e~ he clean em in de wash pot to git de hair offen em. nus had good Marsa and Mistiss, iffen you wukked an haved

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Alabama (~ yourse f. Dey was marsaWillis an kiss Hannah Menefee. Dey jes had two ohillun Wjllj~ an Willie. Willie weighed two hundred pounds when he was very young too. De Big House stood in a oak grove wid one bIg oak tree raght by it. 0L~r. Sadler, de overseer, was good, too, but you sho had to wuk . He s got a great-great -grands on Sam 5adler livi ng n ow in ~ ~ Wa\Terly, Alabama. De poor white peoples rourt dere used to hof~s wuk. I disremembers our carriage driver s name but us had one dat drove ~istiss about, an de carriage house was close to de Big kiouse. Marsa had seven or eight hundred acres in de plantation an I je$ don t know de number of slaves he did have. Dey got us up by daylight an fo . Blowed a cockle shell to get us n~ggers up. 1ff en you didn t wuk, dey tended to you. Dey slashed one nigger an he died ~nex week. Us plowed twell dark an lots an lots of times all night ~1ong wid a lantern tied to front an back of de plows. We was picking COtton all night long too, be ready to take dat wagon to de gin by ~e or four o clock in de morning. Sometimes dey would put de slaves ~.fl chains. When dey wuk clearing up new groun dey had chains put roun dey ankles. Non Sunday rnornin Mi~ti~~ would try to teach us niggers de ible. Den us would go to church at white church an1 sit in de back wid rite folks in front. De preacher was ~ev ren Frank Hugely. Dat Sunday ~rn n breakfast sho was good to us n~ggers. US had meat, sugar, l9~I d butter. I used to love to hear dem sing. !i2:~~~~ ~I 8O~ ~ ________ ~ ~I~e~ence 2~ ~I ~ i.t~~d ~ Satisfied. I wasb~tised at eleven I Clock by Dave Hill 8.Tt I sho ~ got happy. I shouted an ~ sung: I se ~ drunk rio whiskey in my life. When any of de niggers would pass old ~Istisg would stand over de casket and weep. Us would pull off hats an marga was nice as he could be, too. Hit was a home made

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Alabsifla 280 box dyed black. Mi~ti ~ she would see to de fixin ot de shroud. De patrollers sho would get you an date one thing made you 3tick to your wuk. UQ~ ~adday nights us would frolic an dance all night long 1ff en you wanted to, buok dance, sixteen-thand reel and cake walk. Dey would bIo ff reed quills an have all the licker dey wanted. Mi~t1s~, dey ain t ~e~ now drinkin licker. Oh, dem cornehuckings~ 8huck corn, drink an holler all night long. Sometimes dey d sing Dark cloud arising like gwine to rain, Nothing but a black gal coming down the lane, Nigger stole a puinkin an started uter town; ~4igger heered. it thunder, Lord, an throwed. dat pumkin down. !~agtiss, I don t wanter tell you no mo of dat. ~ZWhen us n.tggers rna ied, dey didn t have no preacher. We jes over de broo an went on an lived together. Iffen a gal went dey beat her nearly to death. Iffen you moved de place when you de other niarsa had to buy you. De li l niggers had big times. Us used to play, Green grow the Iwliiow tree, you swing my gal an I swing yourn. Green grow de willow rree. Dey used to sceer up us niggers bout Raw dead an Bloody Bones, ~W~e to ketch us dat was so sceer bad Iffen us didn t mind em, but ~:1 aLn t never seed nor believed in ghostes. U9 didn t get sick much ~ caze us didn t have no trash to eat an Mi~tig~ g1v~ us ebony of yarbs us wore sacks of yarbe roun our necks too. The Yankees did plenty of harm. Marsa shot at some of dem; an~ ~ ~ off our cabin wagons. When us was freed dey singed, I se gwine k~:~k ~ Dixie, no more my heart to wander, never see my moster no mo . ~Marsa called us all up an told us we was jes free as him. He ~LVC u~ ~ a suit of clo es, some money, a nule, a cow, wagon, hog and ~J~1 corn to start off on. U9 moved to Dr. Lawrence Smiths near L&- jwiiped . wrong, niai led

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Alabama Fayette, Alabama. !lLater years I ma~ ~ J~L;~ Drake at the cafe in Opelika, Alabama, and by de jedge at twelve o clock. She died, den -~ ma ied Phobe Ethen Drake, Borne says de church can t save you, but ! shot feels safer in hit, an I jined caze ~ wants to be better dan I was an try to be saved. ~ ~?ashington Copy, 6/14/37. L. H.

Isaam Morgan. 288 282

Alabama MaPY A. Poole, Mobile, 282 J~h~ Morgan Smith, Editor. f ~~r~mf-~ .L i~Li j, L ISAAM MORGAN. ~Mistie, ~ was bawn in 1853, SoordinS to oie Mj8848 Bible, near Lotts Landing on the Alabama River. N It was Isaam Morgan who spoke from his porch at 165? Sligo Street, Mobile, Alabama. made a special trip back dar a few months back to de oie place, an Mistis daughter looked it up for me caze I done had forgot. Mr. ~ was my Massa, an hie wife, MiSB Della, was my ~ ~i1stis . My mammy1 s name was Ann Morgan an aa for my pappy I done forgot his rx. I was raised raght dar in de white folks house, an I had my own special place to sleep. I was de house boy, an when I growed older I drive Mistis aroun in de Ca iage. ~ Ug niggers lived in sho~nuffatyle, Us had our regular quarters lived~1n white log cabins chinked wid mud, an de slaves had built 1 a big open f ireplace whar dey cooked . Us had plenty d~9~p!n eat. All us had. to do was to ask for it an de ~assa done de res . rations was gib out to us eve ySadd~y. Some of de bes food. us ever was possu!nan~taters . t a go out at night wid a big sack, an a of houn s an twarnt long befo we done treed a possum. Atter we treed him, de dogs would stan aroun de tree an bark. Iffen de was small, us could shake hirn out. Iffen it was big, one of de nig hadda climb up it an git oie ~r. Possum hieeelf. ~ things about possums, Miss; de bigger dey is seem lak de de tree dey picks to go up. It IS sho- nuff fun, dough, to go a th ough de woods atter a possum or Coon. De coon ll give you chase, but he ain t no good eatin lak de opossum. I seen a r~ ~fle time when he was cornered bite de tip of a houn s nose off. Mas sa Morgan soi wood to de steam boats an us slaves hadda cut Wood, an split it up into smaller pieces. Any time a slave worked

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~1abafl1a over time or cut mo~ wood dan he s pose to, Massa pay him money for it, caze whenever crie of us slaves seen eomp n we 1~k, we did. jus1 lak de white folks does now. U~ bought it. 11Massa never whupped. none of his slaves; he jus tole us whu t to do an iffen we didn t do it, he d. call us to him an he would say in his sorta way: Nigger~ how m~y mo~ times is I gotta tell you to d.o lak . you tole? Dat s all he would say, an believe me Mi~tis he hada a way j of 100km at you at made you jump. When he bought a new slave dat !wasn~t u~e to doiflt what he was toi , twarn t long befot massa had him j~in lIne. UNo~rn none o ~ our slaves ever tried to run a way. Dey all knowed. ~dev was well off. We didn t haire no oberseer but once. He was a mean un ~too. He tried to fight an whup us slaves, ant one night six big nigger ~ jumped on hirn an scairt him flics to death. Atter dat de massa ~Jdn~t never have no mo oberseers. He tended to dat business hisself. What we do atter we finished work? Go to beds Dat was de onl es ~lace we was fittin for. U~ was so tired us mildn t lie down two minutee ~~Co us was sleep. On some moonlight nights us was lowed. to pick de ~ Den us~d git a little res de nex day. t~Massa an his fambly used brass lamps an candles for light an few of us slaves had brass lamps too, but most of de niggers used lIghts. H3orne of de plantations had a calaboosewhar dey putt de slaves dat Thuidn~t beh~jve. Dis calaboose was built of logs fastened together wid :~t rooes an sunk into de groun , but ~assa didn t need no calaboose ~J:E~ hj~ riiggers behave. ~Yasgum us had remedies for ailments. We used. wild hoa~hound ~ ~1e chills an fever, an sweet gum turpentine, an mutton suet. ~ ~ all good uns too. But shucks Warn t nothin much ever de matter LLS fliggers.

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A)~abama . ~ ~Q Yassum we used rock art cotton to start d~e fires on de plan-. tatiOfl, an Massa had. afl1nt,~ ockr1f1e, too. ~ De slaves had. d,ere own special graveyard:an ua d. make de cof-. fins raght on de place dar. When someone die, he was taken in a ox cart to de grave, wid. all de ~1avee a-.walkin long behine d.e cart singin 1e spirituals. Our clothes was made ~nostly outen orsenbarg wove on de plan-. tation. We had wool clothes for de winter time dat was carded on de -------~------~-------- ~*-~~- ~ ~ place. Vie had shoes made by our own cobbler an tanned. e plantation. We called dese brogans. Atter de surrender, de Yankees camped near our place, an bought aigs f urn us. Dey offered me a hoes iffen I would go nawth wid dem, but I jus couldn t leave de Massa even dough ~ did wanted dat hoss mighty bad. I was twertty-.one years old. when Massa came to me one day an say I~aam, you is a grown man now. ~ is got to boss your own business. ~t~s up to you to fin work. I cari t keep you no longer. Good. luck Baaffi. ~ has been a good nigger, an you Is gonna make 8Omebody a good. worker. SAtter J. lef Massa .1. worked at diff ent jobs, sich asloader, roust~hout ort different steamboats an cottonpioker. I worker on de ~ ~ay Boyd, Lula D. an de (~ ardner. One of d~ oie songs sang on de boats ~ went sornp n lak dis: De J~h~ T. Moore De Lula D. An all dem boats is mine I~ you can t ship on de Lula D. ~ ain t no man o mine. II been ma ied three times, Mi~ti~, ~ bawd chile I done for-. got ~te name of my fust wife. I guess she still livin somewhere caze ;Bhe was too mean to die. My secon wife was named Dora, an she is daid. ~I got a wife now name Lily. She pur ty good.

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Alabama 4 ~ ~ 283 Yes maani you can take my picture, but lemme git my hat, caze I ain t got no hair on my haid, an I looks better wid. a hat. I&ae got to be fixed up aty1ish.~ Washington Copy, 10/ii/37. L. H.

A slave interviews a slave. 292 286

~- ~ ~ ) ~T1 Aiabama ~aAeOis L. ~taz~, ~4 4~~ ~~partment. ~L ~ ~ ~) ~ 8 ~ SI4VE. ~N~ViEWS A Si kV~~. Ge orge W~hington ext oiling the virtue s of a p1~in, home spun suit~granite-jawed Andrew Jackson defying the British at ;ensaco1a-~horror ~nd mass$~cre at Alab~na s old Fort Mims sava~res skuLking near the fort, their bronzed bodies glistenir~g lai the hot August sunlights The se were among memori e s c~ p~chmen.t skiime d Uncle Tony ~ ~ who was iifterviewed on Oct. 1, 1884~by Jim Thomas, another s lave and a r ec oi~ ~ of the e onv rsati on held in the fi le s of a . fa~~:ily in IId Mobile Alab~ana~ Une le Tony wa~ 105 ye ars old th en. The story i s told by Thomas former slave o ~ the Diard ~ Uncle Tony was the slave ~f Mobile Judge H. Toulinin, ~fandfather of the later Judge H. T. Toulmin, vtho was appointed a ~ ~e by Pre s ident Jeffers on. ~ According to Jim Thomas, Uncle Tony told him: t, Di a I knowe d Gent 1 Andrew Jack son? Lord b le s s you honey, \ :r~ I Imowed him and remember Gentl George Washin~ton afore him. Unc le T on y e~cp laine d that he ace ompa~iie.d General Jacks on ~.~1;%~ri the war-loving Temiessean marched from L~obile against Pensa ooia :1~ri 1814. He said he was serving as a wagoner, and remembered distinctly that the British surrendered on November ~ 6 He recalled t;~at, diJring the battle, Jackson was St~tLdifl~ talkii~ with a group (Y~: of ficers when an enemy shell e~ploded near him. ~i~~e away . general the old Negr o quote d one of the -~ficers as saying, they ll kill YO ~ And Jackson replied in a characteristic maimer: ~& f \~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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. . . . ~ ~ 0Damti ~ exiL... -1 11 have ~ ~ e~a ail in he il tomorrow~ . .. Concerning Ge orge Wash ington, ~ Uncle . ~ny told Jim Thomas that i;he j~Teat Afllericafl leader vLsited the town of Fr~nkfort, Ky. and ~~hi1e there i~de an addi ss. ~He wore a home~spun suit, which he ~ )ointed Out ~s an example of ~that pe~le might do in utilizing their ::2i~ O(9:v~Cts. Frankfort was highly excited when Washington arrived in the ~ ~fld Uncle Tony told of a tiny urchin exclaiming with bitter disappointaflent in hisvoice: lJkiy Pa., . he ain~ t noth Ing but a man~t Uncle Tony1 s memory of whab occurred at J?ort Minis was vivid~ according to Jim Thomas. The older slave related that he was one c:ii* uany iegi~oes in the fort at the time. He said the defenders had : ~e~-~ sleeping off a night of dissipation the morning W lliem .:~t;-Ler~~ord1s warriors attacked. Len women and children were butchered in the ensuing biau~jiter and the buildings were fired. The massacre continued until :~ on, th~c~e Tony said, ~then the Indians retreated with scalps and s~.r~rai .~egro prisoners to their camping site, called the Holy :~1~nc1. Here, the half-starved ~Negroes lived in constant dread that . ~ ~ ~~ccu1d be butchered by war-~inf1arned Creeks. Uncle Tony also recalled carrying the mail from .E ort Stod-~ in Alabama, through the State and Mississippi. On several ions he barely escaped being scalped by Indians, he said. The old .Negro related further that his father was a w~oner J1~ -~ji~ ~ornv,~llis when that general surrendered to Washington at o~::t ov~-~. Ala:Qalfla Concernfl~ his age and birthplace, Uncle Tony told Thomas he

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Alab ama AA vr;:~ S b orn in ~nvil1e. Ky . ab out 1779 . Re ~ t o Mobile in 1805 ~v i.t,ii Judge Toulmin. At the time of the interview the old slave was extremely ~eebie and lame, and walked with the aid of a cane. His skin was rie~ and wrinkled, and cataracts on his eyes had totally derived hL~ o2 his sight. Despite these handicaps, however, Thomas said th~J 01G ffl~fltS mind was exceptionally clear, and his recollection of eve:~ts occurring almost a century befccre were remarkable, -~:a ~ ~ Copy, ?~ C Th /C)I~ d~J. 28

Uncle Mose - a true story. 295 289

Alabama I ~ Mildred Sc ott Taylor ~ ... ~ ~J(~45 ~ ~ Georgi~a, A1ab~a. ~89 UNCLE MOSE - A true Story. The early spring sunshine sifted through the honey~suck1e vines clustering around the cabin door, and made a network of dancifl~ light upon the floor. ~ little Negro boy sat on the steps gazing silently up the dusty road and idly listening to the insistent buzzing of insects hovering about the honeysuckle blooms. Don t yer see nothint of her yet, Jerry?~came in a querulous voice from a bed in a corner of the cabin. Naw, Unc I~i~ose. She ain t in sight yit, but it s mos time fer er. Hit ~e pear lak dis mis ry is er gittiri wus all de time, the voice went on. uIvIiss Sally say dat limerurnunt gwine he p it essayed Jerry consolingly. It don do no good cep in jess whilst Aufl Judy is er rubbin . De rubbin does mo good dan de limerurnunt. Dar she is, rat now! exclaimed Jerry presently. Praise de Lawdt fer de oie man sho is hongry en got de rnis ry from his haid to his heels. Dar s ernudder lady wid Miss Sally. Sarter looks lak er ~ ~t ~ ~iVii~iS be some er oie master s gran dahters come on er visit. ~ft~yn t yer come an sit some cheers out an dus em ~2.fl~ straighten dis quilt stead er settin dar lak er black P;~tch on de sunshine? Don yer know how ter ack when de quality is COLTijfl ? By the time the chairs had been arranged to his

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Alabama 9n ~ ~) notion the visitors were ut the door. Good morning, Uncle 1~ose, s~d the older woman brightly, ~s she put a covered basket down on a table by the bed. She had a strong, sweet face and smooth white hair, and the ~~racious dignity of a queen. I hope you rested well last ni~ht and are feeling very much better. I have brought some one to see you : Now guess ~ho she is ~ and she placed the girl where the sunshine fell across her face. Uncle L~ose turned his head on the pillow, and gazed eagerly &).t his visitor. Then his old black face wrinkled into a smile. ~ honey, you sho mus be one er I~~ars E~ddard s frum de avor~ YOU are right, Uncle k(ose. It s L~iss Caroline.tt I m so sorry to find you in bed, Uncle I~iose, said the ~ir1, coming closer, while i~1iss Sally began t4~ing an appetiz~ ifl~ breakfast from the basket ar~ putting it on the table. ItFather told me not to come home without seeing Uncle kose. He talks of you so often. The old man beamed with pleasure. Den ~r. ~ddard s done fer~:ive me for not choosing him dat time, he said with a ei;uckle . Did you ebber h yar bout dat time I choosed rnah L ~ster? Now, Uncle Liose none of your reminiscence until Jerry has :~ven you your breakfast. Then I know that Caroline ~i1I he de ii~hted to hear all about it, and hiss Sally smiled indulgently. tri:ie~e, C-~roline, put these flowers in water where Uncle ~iose can se(_~ them, while I measure some medicine for hiqi. Dat sho wuz er good breakfus , ~ Sally, said the old

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~labaina - 3 _ . 291 negro with a sigh of content, as Jerry gave him the last bit of waffle. 01e hun Jincy allers wuz er good cook, en her ma be f0t er. Cquldn t nobody beat Aun ~. Lucy cookin in dem days. Cdn~er cakes? She made de $ es ginger cakesl Miss Sally, you ~~ernber dat time 01e Marster give me an i~ars Wat er whole silver dollar en we walked two miles to Mars Water s sto en spent I ev ry bit er it fer ginger cakes? Er whole dollar s wuth er ginger cakes, an Aunt Lucy rat dar at home er cookin de bes one$ is de countrys Mars Wat sho wuz er sightt and Mose lay looking with dim eyes into a happy, long~ vanished past. ttNOW tell me about when you chose your master, said Caroline, drawing a chair closer to the bed. Ito, dat time; I members dat mornin jess lak it wuz yistiddy. hit wuz in the spring-~time lak dis en oie I~1ose wuz er lii black rascal lak Jerry dar. I wuz playin rotin de cabin dot enh yer corne Jim de ke ge driver, en say oie Marster wanted me rat erway. I sho wuz skeeredil But I couldn t think o no meanness I had Gone so I jess helt up mah haid en marched up de road ter de Big Houses En dar I foun 01e Marster standin on de steps, en in er row on de po ch wuz Mars Eddard, en Mars Ted, en Mars. Wat, en I.ars. Tom. Come h yer M~se, say 01e Marster in dat big way er h~~s n. Come htye.r en choose yer marster. I m gwine to give yer ter de one you picks out I gan at Mars Eddard . He wuz older en 111e an~ sorter se rus lak so I passed him by. I looked at ~ars Ted er long time sorter hes tatin , but den I jess chanced t~r look at Mars Wat, en dem blue eyes er his n wuz fa rly dancin ~~)id surnp n sorter lak oie Nick en I say ter inahself dats de

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r ~ -4-, Alabama marst r fer kose so I say out loud I chooses ~1ars Wat, ~ en bress yer h~~art, honey, I am nebber been sorry er minute sence. But de res er 01e Marsters boys nebber did fergive Mose fer d at ~ and ~ he chuckled at the remembrance. Caroline laughed. Th~p1~ you, Uncle M~se, I ve enjoyed hearing about it. I must go and see ~1ammy now. Next time I come I hope you will be better. De oie man am had his foots ter de flo in five weeks dis commt Sadd y ~iiss Ca line. Good bye, i~iiss Ca line honey, come ergin. . ~~d now Jerry, you run tell Aunt Judy to come up at once (:~fl~ rub Uncle Liose s ankles,tt said Miss Sally as Caroline left the cabin. ~ I~1l warm this liniment and have it all ready. She stopped before the open fireplace and raked up the embers iflt3 a little blazing fire, and putting the saucer of turpentine on the floor at some distance, she stood up and turned tovQard the bed Just then a spark from the fire fell into the sducer~ and the turpentine b1a~ed up. Lii1~S Sally, startled, sprang back, but in so doing, her light cotton morning gown c~ne in contact with the blazing turpentine and was quickly i~nited. She caught up her skirts and tried to put it out with her bands, but could not. F02 several second I~Iiss Sally stood face to face with an awful death. Liy God-er-bightyt cried Uncle Liose, and with the agility of youth ~ health he sprang from the bed dragging a blanket vdth him, and throwing it around her, wrapped it close, ex tin~uishing the flames just as t~untt Judy and Jerry appeared

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Alabama ~ 5 - 293 in the door. tt Je Lawd in HebbenL 1 cried fat Judy her swift glance taking in L!iss y s white face burned garments and helpless hands, and Uncle Mose tottering back to his bed. Po ~lamb1 now jess look at dem han s! Lemnie tie em up in vet sody this minutel You sho mos got burned up, honey. I would have, but for Uncle Mose, s~ J\~iis Sally faintly, as she sank into a chair. Aunt Judy turned stormy eyes upon the poor groaning Old man. I cl lak ter know ~ how cum Une Mose j ess un out he kin walk? bhe inquired belligerently. I lowed some time ergo dat Mose \~1US pOSSU1fli.fl~. I sho am gwine to waste mo elbo grease on dat o ici hyp cri te Hush, Judy, said her mistress sternly, Uncle Mose is no hypocrite. He has inflamatory rheumatism. It was a miracle~tt she added reverently. Dat s hit~ exclaimed ~Lose, eagerly. Er miracle! Hit wuz de Lawd-~er4iighty let 1~iose git up den. Fer how you reckon I d ~ eber facr i~rs Wat ergin ef I had to tell him I jess lay in de ~ bald en let my lii mistress burn up? Mose done promus ~r~ Wat ter tek keer er Miss Sally, an oie man done de bes he could. Told by Edith Taturn, Greenville, Alabama. i~sh. copy, 1/19/37. L J~. ~

Slavery was all right in its place. 300 294

Alabama 294 Preston Klein, ~ ~ Lee County. SLAVERY WAS ALL RIGHT IN ITS PLACE. When I was looking for Sally Murphy, ~L went into a clean, four room cabin and found a small, neat Negro woman. Are you Sally ~urphy? L asked. I m abc is, honey, and who is you? Lawd.y chile, you knows I now kir. Pompy ~my father). Sne laugned.. I ll tell you anytriing I flows. ~ I was jes bout ten years come slavery done. I was borned down ~n de Clayton place at Smith s Corners. My pappy he come from South ar~lina, where his pappy was sold. He name was Calop and my mammy was Lannah Clayton. There was eight of us chillun. Fred, Silas, Calop, la ry, Dora, Lula and me. Us all lived down in de quarters, was five log houses, daubed. wid mud. Dem logs was big ones, han& ~ and de fireplaces was big, too. Us went to de fiel s early in morning and picked US a mess of young hick ry and oak leaves to scald ~ cook in de pot wid meat. Dey made good greens and. us had poke salad, J . ( Made from the leaves of the pokeberry). When dey dried de fruit us would cook our kind of fruit cake. t recollect what went in it. Dere was a plenty though. Misti~ had fruit dried on tins in de yard, and at twelve o clock every day all went to de house and turned de fruit. ~ur beds was homemade, scaffold bedsteads wid ropes wove acrost top what could tighten up. Sometimes us had. homewove bedspreads on t beifl mc st every day but in gent ally dat was for Sunday only. Our rnenfolks used to hunt possums and wild turkeys, but dey h~It flh~gg roun none wit3. rabbits. They didnt waste time on fishing aEvy morning in May Mistis would call us little niggers to de

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Alabama 295 house and. evy other morning give us oil arid turpentine. We made our oWfl cloth for clothes. Ourmammleswove us long drawers outeri cotton. ~ Dey bougrit wool and f .annelet to maice us pantalets. us wore homemade ~ t1oL~1espun drest~es. Some o~ i~it was~yeian~. some checked. Us Jiad shoes reg lar in winter. 11 Q~ e Marst er J oe and s e Ro sa Clayton was good as gold. Dey had. Sara, Jane, henry, and doe. De live in a big, two story house wid. six rooms to hit and. had a brick kitorien off from de house out in de yard. 01e Marster had a big plantation and ~h1s two aunties live d.ere, too. - was Mi~g Easter and. Mj~~ Charlotte. De slave women folks what had chiliuns was lowed to go home hail by de sun to wasxi ev y day, and ev y Sunday morning all de little llun had to be wastied and. carried. to de Big House for de Mistis to -~t oem. Us mostly stayed. at home and didn t go about none, and. effen us .~it to Mt. Jefferson Church us had to bave a pass or de pateroflers ~1d sho git you. I did think dat ~ark~~t~hetornb in 4~~il )Ufld, how careful, how careful den ought I to live, Wid. what religious ~yI* was de prettiest thing, and i sho did love to hear dem sing hit. never seed de baptising, ca se i used to go to de Piscopal Ohurctx ~.d ~1stis and. open gates and hold. de hosses~ I sot ifl de foot of her L ~ Cnristmas dey d. give us provisions and de chillun some trash ~mean-~ toys). Dey sho had good times on moonlignt nights at de cornshuck . ~a. Dey would haul de corn from de fields and put it i n a big ring, as dey shucked dey would throw lt in ring and. den into de crib. ?tirnes dey was so much corn it would stay on de ground tweil it ~Mr. Dickey Wiiliame mother, Miss Emily, ma ied while us was dere

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A1abai~~a and my grandma cooked de cake. My daddy made de cake stand. Hit had. ~ tnree tiers, each one full of little cakes wid. de big cake on top. lit I~ S~1O was pretty. ~ Dey let de little niggere have all de fun dey wanted. Us played. ~ jurip rope and swung in de grapevine swings mostly. Den us had r~g dolls. ~ when any of us got sick, we was give horehound tea and rock candy. Some ti~~ies effen dey wasnEt looking ar~ us got a criance us spit it oi~t. Dey got de doctor effen us needed it. One of our Marsters was killed in de war and brought home and buried. tie was Mr. Joe. All de silver was hid out enduring de war but de so ers never did come to our house. One day my daddy says, kLannah, Marster said us is free now to do ~ ~nat ~ e want to do. ~ B~t us etaye on two years mc~ . In a few years I tnatied ~41ton heard and had a calico wedding dress and judge Reed. ma~ied vs In Opelika in de oie plank court house. I didn t have no chill~n ~nd I lives now wid my niece, Sally Thomas. li1 don t know wflat J. think bout Abraham ~ I don t know flottii i~1 bout him. Slavery was all right in its place, I guess, ca se onie ~ieeded it to make em work. ~ get so sinful J. thought I was safest in de onuroh. I be ~iPve ~Dd intended for all us to be religious. ~3~ L, Z~Opy, - 3

Autobiography of Reverend W. E. Northcross (1897). 305 299

Mabama Levi D. Brielby, Jr., ~Co1ored). 299 AUTOBIO RAPHY OF REVEREND W. ~. NORTHCROSS, . .~ (189?) ~Q~ ~ ~ (Chapter 1, ~ How Reared) I was born a slave in 1840, in Colbert County, Alabama. Edu cation was denied me, hence I grew up in ignorance. ~y motner and fattier were carried from rae when I was only nine years old, but as soon as chance presented itself I ran away and went to them. My white people brougtit me back, arid. as they were not cruel to their slaves they did not ~bu~k me. L stayed with them until I was fifteen summers old. During this time my mistress made all the children, both girls and boys, come to her every 8unday, and. she taugflt Sunday School. The book used. was t~ie old. fashioned Cateci sm. ~Jesus keep me near the cross, There s a precious fountain, Free to all, a healing stream, Flows from Calvary s mountain. It was against the law for them to learn to read and write, so s1~e taugtit them the Lord s prayer and a few other things in the book. 3ne said that she wanted tPem to know how to pray, how to tell the truth arid not to steal, and always try to do right in the sigrit of ~ everybody and. in the sight of od. With these influences I confessed a hope in Christ at the age of thirteen years. Ani I a soldier of the cross, A follower of the lamb, \ And shall I fear to own his cause, Or blue li t o spt~ak hi s name? When she did not teac~i herself, she had an adopted girl to do ~e same. Finally the adopted girl married and moved to the farm where wae born, the farm from which I ran away. About this time, I wa~ ~ er~ty years old. I felt that there was something for me to do. I I ~::t0 lead prayer meetings. Still i: felt that tflere was more for me

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~Al&DaTfla 300 . . ~Chapter 2, ~ Entering The Ministry). I felt sure that I was called to preach, though unlearned and Ignorant . I trembled at the thought of preaching the gospel, but some~ ttulng seemed to ~isti me forward in that direction. so i asked the people to let me preacri. This request was granted. The people at that time riad no place or house o~ worship. I began to fast and pray ni ght and day. Being unlearned and ignorant (Act s 4 : 13 1 my heart ~ silently murmured ~i Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, Feed me till i want no more. ~ Tn~s was the only school I attended, both day and night. At this time ~ I did not know A0 from B, but I met a man who could read a little. ~ This man liked me and promised to teach me how to read, provided I ~ would keep it secret. This I gladly promised to do. 1~ ~ am weak Thou art mighty Hold me with they powerful hand. ~ ~ I secured a blue back speller and went out on trie mountain every ~ Sunday to meet this gentleman, to be taught. I would stay on the moun ~ ~ tain all day Sunday without food. I continued this way for a year and ~ Succeeded well. I hired my own time and with my blue back speller went ~ to tfle mountain to have this man teach me. The mountain was the great SCho31 which I attended. I went from there to the blacksmith shop to ) ~ . z wor~, ~~rom that place I was captured by the Yankees and. carried to war. As I was cr~pp1ed I was allowed to remain in the commissary de partrnent for about six montns. While we were ,t camp at Athens, Alabama eneral Forest came upon us and defeated, captured, and killed until hey were almost literally wiped out of existence. I had been kind. to ~ OIL!C little white children, by which i had won their love, and of course, he love Of their parents, and stayed with them three days during ttie attle . I came to a river and turned aside to a farm from which all the eol)le had gone to save themselves from the~ War, 1 got a man to help

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3- Alaba ma 3O~t reaC~1 an island where I worked three days without anything to eat except grapes and musoadines. I preferred to die on the laland than to be killed by the soldiers. Thererore, in time of danger, X rushed to this house and ~he good people xiid. m~ and changed my clothes. lience, wtien 1 was found I was taken for one of the gentleman s slaves. When I was permitted by the man to try to return to L~aGrange, and had gone some distance, I was caught by deserters from the Southern army, who voted to stioot me. They bound me arid kept me overnight, intending to do away with me the next day. It was a lonely desert on the Tennessee river. could not sleep s o aU night I prayed to Gad, and the wives of the men / j prayed to ~od for the poor nigger, and also prayed to their cruel hUa b&nds . Their prayers prevailed, and ~ was robbed and let go. I bad vowed not to reveal their whereabouts. I left loving God and believing in his providence as I had never believed~before. Earth has no sorrow tnat ~ieaven cannot heal. I went home and got another spelling book, aitnough lt was not ~ alloweth Some of my own people told my master that I had a book trying ~ to reacL He sent for me to come to the nouse I obeyed, tnoug i J dread ~ed to meet him, not knowing what the consequence would be. But his fleart had been tou hed by Divine power and ne simply told me that he fleard that I bad a book, and if ~ was caught with it I would be hung. so I thanked him and departed~ Notwithst&iding my maeter s counsel I tr~rsted for knc yledge and got some old boards arid carried them to my flouse to make alight by which ~ could see how to read. I would s iut ttie doorG, put one end of a board into tile fire, and proceed to study; ~tut ~flenever I heard the dogs barking ~ would throw my book under the e ~ ~ p e ep and li at en t O see what was UP If no one was n ear I would. r~wI under the bed, get my book, come OUtS lie flat Ofl my stomach, and roeped to Study until the dogs would again disturb me. I did this for

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AlalDaifla 9 tJ~ ~~ many nIghts. I continued jr~ this way to try to learn to epell and read as best I could. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after rigriteousness, for ttiey shall be filled. I, like the Ethiopian, wanted a guide. I moved to Mre. MoReynoId ~. G od bless hers Sne gave me a lesson every night for a period of four years. Then I went to my old master s brotr~er, whose wife help~ed me every night as long as I would go to her for help. Rev. Shackle~- ford. t~white) greatly aided me for a period of triree years. Boys arid girls, grasp these golden opportunites wnicti are now ~ extended you from the school room. Unlearned and ignorante as I was I carne along that way until the present time. My readers have better ~ enances tnan I had. So I hope that they will make good use of their time and make my ~ieart feel glad to see them setting their marks high and oreparing theraseives for the (~reat Beyond wnere all must go. Tnitner all nations will be called. before the mighty judgment seat of the ktuler OL the universe to give an account for the deeds done in this world. My ~yer for the reader is, tnat they may make strong, useful, wise and ~ j ~ttan men. and women, and at the end of time meet their God in peace. ~Chapter 3, ~ My Work). I will endeaver, in this cLiapter, to tell sometiiing about my works md wnereabouts. I was ordained to the gospel ministry in 186 ? by Rev. ~. Siater (white), and Rev. ienry Bynurn. Rev. Stepnens Coleman and Rev. ~nry 13ynum, aided by Dr. Joseph Shackleford ~white) laid down the f oun~tth~ stones for the colored Baptist churones in Morgan, Franklin, Col~E~rt, Lauderdale, and Lawrence counties, Alabama. I am now pastor of b~e ~1rst baptist Church, at Tuscumbia, Alabama, which is the best Negr~ ~iTICe in North A1aba~. This church was organized thirty-~five years :o, by me, with seventy-five members, but it now had a membership of

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5 Alabama 303 nine hundred. I ~ve pastored. it for lo~ these many years. T~j5 church is an excellent brick edifice. A few other breti~ren and myself organized the Muscle Shoals Baptist Association ~ one of the oldest anu largest associations in Alabama. I have been ~oderator for four years arid itS freasurer for six years. I built the church at Ruaseliville, ~1ahama, and pastored it for four years and then ordained Bro. P. tones and. recommended him as pastor. I built the Barten churori and pastored it for a period of fifteem years, after which ~ recommended ~ Rev. Jardes hampton there as pastor. I pastored the Cherokee church five ~ years, ordained Bro. Dennis jackson and recommended him there as pastor. ~ J. pastored i4berty Baptist church for tnree years, ordained Bro. Alex : 3ro n and recommended him there as pastor. I served luka, Mississippi for five years and then recommended a Brotfier from the West, who belong- ed to the i~It. Olive ~ssoc1ation, to it. I built up tne Sheffield ~ c:~irci~., pastored it three years and then recommended Bro. G. B. Johnson rL~ tr~ere as shepherd. I also built up Mt. Moriati church at Prides, Alabama. :~ ~ frequently uttered these words: ~ Wnere Jesus leads me I will follow and his footsteps I ll pursue. I organized St. Paul ctiurch (Colbert County) and pastored it for ~tro :7ears. Rev. E. C. Wnite, who is now Assistant Moderator of the ~Scie 3hoals Association, was ordained by me. I have ordained more L~hafl twenty preacners to the gospel ministry, baptized six ttiousand ~rsons, united in marriage five thousand couples, and buried about ve~ tnousan~ persons. I have been faithful to every Oflarge. 11Hark the voice of Jesus calling, Who will and work today? Fields are white and harvest waiting, Who will b~ar the sheaves away?11 ~ iave never left the old land mark. Not an one of the churefles which ~Ve Pastored flas brought a onarge against we.

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304 T ~te deepest secrets of our hearts shall shortly be made known. J~ have been married three times and have known no woman but my v~~fe, though unlearned and ignorant. I never had but one fuss with y wife. I told her at one time to husti and she failed to do so, then j slapped t~ier, after which I went to the Lord in prayer and asTzed to be forgiven. I regret very much indeed to inform the world In print that _L have been drunk from intoxicating liquors twice, which was before I profesE~ed religion. Notwithstanding I have ever held up temperance and ;~. aimed to keep it high until Shiloh comes to gatner up his jewels. The ~~1Io~ 1ng recommendation will show what the best people of Tuscumbia :~ ~ ~ me ~ . Tuscumbia, Ala., March 13, 1897. ~: To whom it may concern:- .~ We take pleasure in stating that we have known the bearer .~ of this letter, Rev. Wilson ~ort