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

Slave autobiographies. 005 001

MieSie8ippi Federal Writers ; j Slave Aut obiographie5 Jim Allen, West Point, age 87, lives in a eb.ack furnished by the city. With him lives his second wife, a much older woman. Both he and lits vif. have a reputation for being *queer~ and do not welcome outside visitors. However, he readily gave an inter view and seemed most willing to relate the story of hie life. 9~as, ma i ~t, I members lots about slav ry time, cause I was old nough. I was born in Russell County, Alabamy, an can tell you b out my ~n mammy an pappy an sisters an brudders. M~flUfly 8 name was Darkis an her Marster was John Bussey, a reg lar old drunkard, an my pappy s name was John Robertson an b longed to Dr. Robertson, a big farmer on Tombigbee river, five miles east of Columbus. De doctor hisseif lived in Columbus. ~4 sister Harriett and brudder John was fine fiel han an ~rster kep em in de fiel most of de time, tryin to dodge other white folks. Den der. was Sister Vice an brudder George. Befo I could member much, I members Lie King had a saloon close to Bob Allen s store in Russell County, Alab~d~arse. John Bussey drunk \~ ;;~U;: I ~ ~.e~ng tuk her an my brudder George

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2 Page 2 241-~-.Tim Allen, Clay Co. FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner ~ fer a whiskey debt. . Yes, old Marster drinked dorn up. Den dey was t car ied to Florida by Sam Oneal, an George was jes a baby, You know, de white folks woulthit oftensep rate de mwnmy an baby. I ain t ~\see~n erg since. 1_ _~ ~Did I work? Yes ma m, me an a girl worked in de fiel , \~~rr~in~ one row; you know, it tuk two chullun to mek one han . Did we have good satins? Yes ma m, old Marster fed me so good, fer I was his pet. He never lowed no one to pester zne~n ither. I Now dis Marster was Bob Allen who had tuk me for a whiskey debt, too. 7 Mares &~ssey couldn t pay, an so Marss Allen tuk me, a little boy, t out n de yard w}iar I was playin marbles De law lowed de fust thing / ~der~ian ~ he could take , *1 served Marss Bob Allen UI Gen al Grant come long and had me an some others to follow him to Miss sippi. We was in de woods hidin de mules an a fine mare. Dis was ~ ter Eman.c pation, an Gen al Grant was comin to Miss eippi to tel . de niggers dey was free. As I done t ol you, I was Marse Allen s pet nigger boy . I was called a stray. I slep on de flo by old Miss an Marss Bob. I could a slop on de trun le bed, but ii tas so easy joe to roll over an blow dem ashes an mek dat fire burn.

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Page 3 241..4im Allen, Clay Co. ~ 3 F~C Mrs. Ed Joiner I 01e Miss was so good, I d do anything fer her. She was so good an weighed round 200 poun s. She was Marss Bob s aecon wife. Nobody posed on me, No, Sir. I car i~d water to Marss Bob s sto close by an he would allus give me candy by de double han full, an as many j lce harps as I wanted. De bee thing I ever did eat was dat candy. Marster was good to his only stray nigger. Slave niggers didn t fare wid no gardens capt de big garden up at de Big House, when fiel han s was ct~l1ed to wuk out hers (old&~s ).ii1l de niggers had a sight of goo~d things to eat fruin dat garden ~n smoke house. I kin see old Lady Sally n~, cookin forus niggers, an Ruth cooked in de white folk s kitchen. Ruth an old Ean Pleas a old Lady Susan was give to Marss Bob when he mar led an come to ~ ~ Sandford, klabamy. ( .~.. . ~No, dere wa~t no jails, but ~ guard house. When niggers ~ did wrong, dey was oft n sent dore, but moe allus dey vas jes whupped ~ when too lazy to wuk, an when dey would steal. ~.. ~ SOur clo es was all wove and made on de plan etion. Our ever day ones, we called hick ry strips. We had a plen y er good ~ uns. We was fitted out an out each season, an had two pairs of shoes, an1 all de snuff an 1.~tco we wanted every month.

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f Page4 24L-~.Tirn Allen, Clay Co. FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner ~ No, not any weddin s. It w~s kinder di8 way. Dere Wa8 ~ a good nigger man ~Ii b~ good nigger woman, an ~the M~irster would say, ~ I knows you both good niggers an I wants you to be man an wife dis \year an raise little rdggers; den I won t have to buy em. Marco Bob lived in a big white house wid six rooms. He had a cou t house an a block whar he hired out niggers, jes like mules an COWS. How many slaves did US have? Lss see. Dere was old Lady Sally an her six chullun an old Jake, her husban , de ox driver, fer ~e bOss. Dendere was ol~i Starliri , Rose, his wife an fo chullun. Some of dem was rr~ixed blood by de oberseer. I sees em right now. I knowed de oberseer was nothin but p0 white trash, jes a tramp. Den dere was me an Katherin. Old Lady Sally cooked for de oberseers, seven miles way frum de Big House. ~ Ever body was woke up at fo o clock by a bugle blowed mos ly by a nigger, an was at dey work by sun~up. Den dey quits at sunset. I sho seed bad niggers whupped as many times as dere is leaves on dat groun . Not Marse Bob s niggers, but our neighbors. We was called free, cause Marss Bob treated us so good. The whuppin was done by de oberseer or driver, who would say as he put de whup to de b ack ~raY~ i2~~P~~t S~t

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Page 5 241--Jim Allen, Clay Co. . . ~ 5 FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner ( j SI seed 81bve3 sol oft ener dan you got fingers an toe~3. ~::~ ~ ~ ~ You know I toi you dere was a sellin block close to our sto . De~t \ plen y niggers had to be chained to a tree or post cause he would ; run way an wouldn wuk. Dey would track de rwrnw&y~ wid dogs an someti~s a white scal wag or slacker wud be kotched dodgin duty. I seed as many deserters as I see corn stalks ober in dat fiel . Dey would hide out in day tinie an steal at night. No m I didn learn t o read an write but my folks te ached me to be honest an mm Old Miss an Granny. D~y didn want us to learn how to go to de free country. / We had a neighborhood chu ch an bofe black sn white went ~to it. Dere was a white preacher an sometimes a nigger preacher would sit in de pulpit wid him. De slaves set on one side of de aisle an white folks on de other. I allus liked preacher Williams Odem, an &~ ~ his brudder Danje I de tSlidin Elder (1). Dey come frum Ohio. Marse : ~ ~: ~ Bob Allen was head steward. I members lots of ~y fav rite songs. J Some of Jem was 4p1 I bor~LM~Dtt, ~ ~ ~Y1JaY~ ~ an ~ ~ ~ The preacher ~ say Pull. down de line and let de spirit be a witnes, workin fer faith in de \~_. future frum on high. I seed de patyrollere every week. If de rtiggers didn (1) back slider

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Page 6 s 241-~Jim Allen, Clay Co. FEC MI 8. Ed Joiner get a pass in han right frum one plan ation to nother, dem paty.. rollers would git you. Dey would be six an twelve fri a drove, an dey would git you if you didn have dat piece of paper. No 8Ufl could go down on a pass. Dere was no trouble twixt niggers den. ~ We lay down an reef at night in de week time. ~Niggers in slav ry time riz up in deQuartera,~ you could hear em for miles. Den de cornahucking tuk place. Den we would have singin . When one foun a red ear of corn, dey would take a drink of whiskey frum de jug an cup. We d get through bout ten o clock. Dirnen did~icare if,- ~ dey worked all night fer we had the Heav nly Banners (2) by us. 5ome~j~~ we worked on Sat day a ternoon, ovin to de ~X~O~P 3 but women all knocked off on Sat day a ternoon. Or~ S~t day night, we mos ly had fun, playin an drinkin? whiskey an beer no time to faol roun in de week time. Some went to chu ch an some went fishin ot~ Sunday. On Chris mas we ht~td a time -~ all kinds eatin -wimmen got new dresses men tobacco ~- had stuff to las til Summer. Niggers had good times in moe ways in slav ry time. July 4th, we would wash up an have a good time. We hallowed dat day wid de white folks. Dere was a barbe cue; big table set down in bottoms. Dere was niggers strollin roun: like ants. We was kavin a t~ie n~. White folks too. When a slave died, dere was a to-do over dat, hollerin an singin . More fuss (2) women and whiskey

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J*~) j~ r Page7 241~Jim Allen, Clay Co. FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner thin a little ~ Well, sich a one has passed out an we gwine to de grave to tend de fun ral; we will talk about Sister Saille, De niggers would be jumpin as high as a cow er mule. A song we used to sing was: f Come on Chariot an Take Her Home, Take Her Home, ~ .. ~ ~ ~re Come Ch~iot, les ride, ~ ~ \ Conte on les ride, Come on lee ride. Y~~ sum we believed ha nts would be at de grave yard. I didn pay no tention to dem tho , for I know de evil spirit is dore. Iffen you don t believe it, let one of ein alap you. I ain t seed one, but I ee heard em. I seed son*one, dey said was a ghos , but it got way quick. When we got sick de doctor come at once, and Mistiss was right dore to see we was cared fer. A doctor lived on our place. If you grunt he was right dore. We had castor oil am pills an turpentine 7 au qd*tiaw when needful, an herbs was used. I can fin dat stuff now whatwe used when I was a boy. . ~Some of us wore brass rings on our fingers to keep off croup. good -~ g91q$I~~~~2!:. 500 mine?

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Page 8 241~Jim Allen, Clay Co. 8 FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner Yeesum I knows all bout when Yankees come. Dey got us out er de swamp. I was layin down by a white oajc tree sleep, an when I woke up an looked up an saw nothin but blue, blue, I said, Yonder is my Boss s fine male s, Alfred. He tended dat horse hisself. He took it to heart, an he didn live long afte de Blue Coats took Alfred. Peace was declared to us lust in January in Alabwny, but not in MiSi sippi til Grant come back, May 8th. I ain t seen ky boss eince dem Yankees took me way. I wa8.seven milee down in de swamp when I wae tuk. I wouldn of tol him goodbye. I jes wouldn of leI him. No sir, I couidri have lef my good boss. K toi ~ dem Yankees was comin to take me off. I never wanted to aee him cause I would have went back cause he pertected rae an loved ue. *Like dis week, I lef de crowd. One day, Cap in Bob McDaniel came by, an asked me if I wanted to mek fires en vuk round de house. I said, tied like to see de town whar you want me to go, an den I come to West Point. It wa nt nothin but cotton r s ~ lot of old ehabby shanties, with jea one brick sto , an it b longed to Ben Robertson, an I hope (1) build all de sto ~a in West (1) helped

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. Page9 ~ ~__________________ 241 ~Jim Allen, Clay Co. FEC Wa. Ed Joiner . ~. 9 Point since den. I eeed de KuKiux. We would be workin . Dein people would be in de fiel , an must get home fo dark an ehet de door. Dey wo three cornered white hats with de eyes way up high. Dey skeered de breeches off n me. First ones I got tangled up widwas right down here by de cemetery. Dey just wanted to scare you.. Night riders w~s de same thing. I was one of O fellers what broke em up. / ~~ . Old man Toleson was de head leader of de Negroes. Tryin ~yt,o get Negroes t o go gainai our white people . I spec he was a two :1 ~ faced Yankee or carpetbagger. ~We had. club8 all round West Point. Cap in Shattuck out about Palo Alto said to us niggars one day, Stop your foolishness go live among your white folks an behave. Have sense an be good : citizens. airns advice Was good an we eoon broke up our clubs. ~ .. . 9: ain t been to no school cept Sunday School since Sur- J (4~nder. A good white man I worked with tt&ught me nough to spell t~ conpreetibility and compastibility. I had good membrance an I tt~ could have learned what white folks taught nie, an dey sees dey manners ~ me. ~i rnar ied when I was turnin 19, an niy wife, 15. 1 mar ied at big ~sthod1st Chu ch in N. dmore. Same old chu ch is dere nov. ~ I hope build it in i865. Aunt ~nali~is,Robertaon an Vincent Petty an ~ ~

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Page 10 lA) 241.~J~rn. Allen, C11&y Co. FEC Mrs. Ed Joiner Van McCauley started a school in de northeast part of town two years afte de War. Emaline was Mr. Ben Robertson s cook, an her darter, Calli,, was his housekeeper, an George an Walter was mechanics. George became a school teacher. . ~ Abr aham Lincoln worked by pinions of de Bible. He got his ~ meanin s from de Bibi.. every man should live under his own vine end ~ fig tree. Die ras Abraiam s comandmente. Dis is where Lincoln ~ started, no one should work for another. ~ i~ Jefferson Davis wanted po man to work for rich man. He ~ was wrong in one pinion, an right in t other. He tried to take care ~ of his Nation. In one instance, Lincoln ras destroying us. ~ ~ ~1 j med the church to do better an to be with Christians an serve Christ Die I learned by sociation an harmoniou~3 livin with black an white, old an young, an to give justice to all. De tust work I did after de War ras for Mr. Bob McDaniel who lived near Waverly on de Tombigbe. River. Yes ma am, I knowed de Lees, su de Joiners, but on de river den an long aft, , an worked for em lots in Clay County. . ~ .

Anna Baker. 015 011

~, ., ~~~) *) : ~ 241-Anna Baker Ex..slave Monroe County FEC Mrs. Richard KoIb Rewrite Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara i~. Stokes ANNA BAKER ~ Aberdeen, Mississippi anna Baker, 80-year old ex-slave, is tall and well built. She is what the Negroes term a ~h1gh brown. Her high forehead and prominent cheek bones indicate that there is a sti ain of other than the pure African in her blood. She is in fair health. Lemme see how old I is. Well I tells you jus lak I tol dat Home Loan man ~b hat was ~iere las week. I members a pow fuJ. lot bout slavery times an bout rore surrender. I know I was a right smart s i:ze den so s cording t o dat I ni~is be e rouii bout eighty year old. I amt aho bout dat an I don t want to tell no untruth. I know I was right smart size rore de surrender, as I was a-sayin , cause I meniiere Marster comin down de road. past de house. When I d see im way off I~ d run to de gate an. start singin dis song to im : Here come de mexster, root toot tooZ .~. . Here come Marster, nil my way . Howdy, Marster, howdy doZ What you gwine a~bring prom t own today? Oat would sos nigh tickle him to death an he d say, ~Loos~a(dat was hi& pet name for me) what you went today? I d say Bring me s ~e ~ goobers or a doU or some stick candy or anything. ~ MAn you Can bet 70 bottom dollar he d always bring me somp n . ~ L I .~ ~ ~ A~ ~t4~~- ~ ~ ~

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. One reason Marse Morgan thought 80 much o me, dey say I was a right peart young n an oaugJit on to anything pretty quick. Marster would teil nie, Loosanna, if you keep yo ears open an tell me what de darkies talk bout, dey .l be somp n good in it for you. (He meant for me to listen when dey d talk bout runnin off an such.) t d stay r un de old. folks an make lak I was a-playin All de time I, d be a listenin Den I d go an teil Marster what I hear d. But all de time I mus a..had a right smart mind, cause I d play ro~ m de white folks an hear what dey d say an den go tell de Niggers. ~..Don t gu.ess de marster ever thought bout me dom dat. ni was born an bred bout seven miles from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I was de baby 0 de ~em ly. De house was on de right han side o de road. to town. I had four sisters an one brother dat I knows of. Dey was named Classie, ennie, Florence, Allie, an George. My name was Joanna, but dey done drap de Jo part a long time ago. I don t recollec what my ma s maunny an pappy was named~ but I know dat her pappy was a full blooded Injuri. (I guess dat is where I gits my brown dolor. ) Her maniny was a full blooded African though, a great big woman. . ni reoolle~ a tale my manmiy toi me bout my gra pa. When he took up wi. a n~ graxi mammy de white man what owned her sa~r If you want to stay wid her I ll give you a home if you ll work for me lak de Niggers do t He greed t cause he thought a heap his Black Woman. Da s ~at he called her. ) Ever thing was ail right tU. one o dem uppity overseers tried to act smart. He say he gwine a beat him. My grau pe~py went home d~t night an barred de door. When de overseer en s

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13 some o hls frien s come af~ter him, he say he amt gwine a-open dat door. Dey say if he don t dey gwine a-break it in. He t.11 em to go head. Whilst dey was a-breakin In he filled a shore . full o red. hot coals an when dey c~ie In he th owed it at em. Den whilst dey wasa-hollerin he run away. He amt never been seen again to dis good day. I se hear d since den. dat white folks learnt dat if dey started to whip a Injun dey d better kill him right den or else he might git dem. ~ My manvny s name was Harriet Clemens. When I was too little to know anything bout it she run off an leV us. I don t member much bout her tore she ruxi oft, I reckon I was mos too little. . She toi me when she come after us, after de war was over ai . bout why she had to run away : It was on count o de Nigger overseers. (Dey had Niggers over de hoers an white mens over de plow han s.) Dey kep a~.tryin to mess roun wid her an~ she wouldn have nothin to do wid em. One time while she was in de fiel de over~ seer asked her to go over to de woods wid him an she said, All right, I li go find a nie e place an wait. She jus kep a-gem. She sw~ de river au run away. She slipped back onct or twict at night to see us but dat was all She hired out to some Zolks dat warnt rich nough to have no slaves o dey o~ Dey was good to her, too. (She never lacked forwork to do.) ~ ~ ~ When m~ ma went oft a old ~men called Aunt ~mnaline kep . ($1w kep ai . de orphunt ohillun en dem who s m~as had been s

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. . 14 sent off to de breedin quarters. When dem women had chillun dey brung t em an let somebody lak Aunt ~nmal1ne raise t sx~. ) She was sho mean to me. I think lt was cause de marster laked me an was always a~-pettin me. She was jealous. . She was always a-tryln to whip me for soinethin or nother. One time she hit me wid a iron miggin. (You uses it In churnint ) It made a bad place on my head. She done it cause I 13t some mea . dat she was parchint burn up. Mter she done it she got sorta scared an doctor-. od nie up. She put soot on de cut to make lt stop bleedin . Nex day she made me promise to tell de marster dat I hurt my head when I fell out o de door dat night he whip Uncle 51m for stealin a hog. Now I was asleep dat night, but when he asked me I said, Aunt ~nmaline say tell you I hurt my head faim out de door de night you Whip Uncle 51m. Den he say, Is dat de tru.t? I say, Naw sir. He took Aunt ~mnaline down to de gear houe e wore her out He uldn t eli off on me. He j to . her dat she had no bus ness a- lettin me stay up so late dat I seen him do de whippin . My pa was named George Clemens. Us was all owned by Marster Morgan Clemens. Master Hardy, his daddy, had give us to him when he vided out wid de t o his chillun. ~ (Marster Morgan was a settled man He went un by hisse f t de t line. He never did marry.) My pa went to de war wid Maret er Morgan an be never o orne back. I don t member much bout em i but after del I member de Blue Coats a-.oomin Dey tore de smoke house down an made a big fire an cOoked all de meat dey could. t . Al. . us Niggers had a good time, ~eause. de~y give us all us wanted. One of em put me up on. his knee an ~ 4

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:~ 15 asked me 1f I d ever seen Marster wl.d any little bright roun shiny hi. (He held hi~ hand up wid his fingers in de shape ot a dollar.) I, lak a crazy little Nigger~said, Sho , Marster draps ~i hind de mantelpiece. Dan, if dey didn tear dat mantel down an git his money, I S a sOn-of-a gux4 After de war was over my ma got some papers rrom de *progo marshal. She coins to de place an toi de marster she want her chiliun. He say she can have all capt me. She say she want me, too, dat I was her n an she was gwine a-git me. She went back an got some more papers an showed em to Marster Morgan. Den he ieimne go. She come out to de house to git us. At firs I was scared o her, cause I ~lidn know who she was. She put me in her lap an she moe nigh cried when she seen de back o my head. Dey was awful sores where de lice had been au I had scratched em.. (She sho jumped Aunt ~imaiine t bout dat . ) Us dat day an went right on to Tuscaloosa. My ma had marri ed again an she an him took turns bout carrying me when I got tired. Us had to walk de whole seven miles. I w nt to school after dat an learnt to read en write. Us had white Yankee teachers. I learnt to read de Bible well nough an den I quit. I was buried in de water lak de Savior, I s a real Baptis . De Holy Sperrit sho co~ into my heart. I b lieves in de Sperrit. I b lieves ai . o us when us dies is sperrits. Us jus hovers roua in de sky a- ridln on de clouds. Course s~me folks ~ is born wid a cloud over dey faces Dey can see things dat *1 .Ca~ t. I ~ reckon dey sees de sperrits . ~ . ~.. ~ . . *provoei ~ ~ 5

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1G I know bout dem Kloo Kiuxes. I had to go to co~t one time to testify bout em. One night after us had moved to Tuscaloosa dey come after my step daddy. Whilst my ma an de res went an hid I went to de door. I warnt scared I says Marster Will amt dat He say Sho it s me. Whar s yo daddy?! I toi lin dat he d gone to town. Den~ dey head out for im. In de meantime my ma she had started out too She warned him to hide, so dey didn git lin. - Soon after dat de Yankees he . a trial in Tuscaloosa. Dey carried me A man hei me up au made me p mt out who it was dat o orne to our house. I say, Dat s de man, atht it Marster Will? He couidn say NO , cause he d toi me twas him dat night. Dey put em in jail for si~ months an give ein a big fine. Us moved from Tuscaloosa while I was still a young girl an went to Pickensville, A.labexna. Us stayed dar on de river for awhile an den moved to Columbus, Mississippi. I lived dar tu I was old nough to git out to myse f. . Den I come to Aberdeen an married Sam Baker. Me an $atn done well. He ~iade good money an us bought dis very house I lives in now. Us never had no chiliwi, but I was lef one by a cousin o mine what died. I raised her lak she waa my own. I sont her to school an ever thing. She lives in Chicago now an wants me to come live wid her. But shucks I What would a ol d wc~nan lak me do in a plac e lak dat? I amt got nothin lef now cept a roof over my head. I wouldn have dat cept for de President o de United States. Dey had loaned me some money to fix up de house to keep it from down on me. . Dey said I d have fifteen year to pay it back in. Now course, I 6

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:r4 s, knowed I d be dead In dat time, so I signed up wid em. L year de men dat o ollec nearly worrlt me t o death a-tryin to git some money from me. I didn have none, so dey say dey gwine a-take my home. Now I hear tell o dat barefoot Nig. er down at Colt~nbus callin de president an him bein so good to lin. So I olded to write au tell im what a plight dis Nig~er was in. I dith~ say nothin *noxjous, but I jus toi him plain facts. He writ me right back an pretty soon he sont a man down to see me. He say I needn bother no more, dat dey won t take my house way from me. A~i please de LawdZ Dey amt nobody else been here a-~pesterin me since. Dat trian toi me soon as de old age pension went th ough I d git thirty dollars a mont *stjd o de four I s a..gittin now. Now won t dat be grant ? I C ould live lak de whit e folks on dat much. t se had 1 Igion all my born days . ( I never learnt to read de Bible an terpet de Word tU I was right smart size, but I mus o b lieved in de Lawd since way back.) I se gwine a-go right long an keep a.-trustin de good Lawd an I knows ever thlng gwine a~come out all right. Twixt de Lawd. an de good white folks I know I s gwine always have somethin t eat. President Roosevelt done tended to de roor over my head. *obnox joue * Instead 7

John Cameron. 022 018

~a:~oGO6 18 ~ J OH N O ME R O N Jackeon, Miasi8sippi John Cameron, ex-slave, lives in Jackson. He waa born in 1842 and was owned by Howell Magee. He is five feet six inches tall, and weighs about 150 pounds. His general coloring is blackishbrown with white kinky hair. He is in fairly good k~ea1th. WIese always lived right here in Hinds County. I s seen Jackson grow from de groun up. M11y old Marster was de bee man in de won . I jus wish I could tell, an make it plain, jUS how good him an old Mistis was Marster ~as a rich man. He owned bout a thousand an five hund ed acres o Ian an roun e hund ed slaves. Marster s big two-story white house wid lightning rods standin all bout on de roof set on top of a hill. De slave cabins, cross a valley from de Big House, was built in rows. Us was lowed to sing, play de fiddles, an have a good time. Us had plenty t eat and warm clo es an shoes in de winter time. De cabins was kep in good shape. Us amt never mm workin for old Marater, cause us got good returns. Dat meant good livin an bein took care of right. Marster always fed his slaves in de Big House. ~ . De slaves . would go early to de fielt ~ ~ work in de cotton an corn. Dey had different jobs. . ~ ~ De overseers was made to unterstant to be siderate of us. Work went on all de week lak dat. Dey got off from de fiel s

023 019

. 19 ?\ L?AD ~ ~ ;~ : ~ early on S tu d y evenin s, washed up an done ibat dey wanted to. Some went huntin or fiehin , some fiddled an danced an sung, while de others jus lazed roun de cabins. Marse had two of de slaves jus to be fiddlers. Dey played for us an kep things perked up. How US could swing, an etep. bout by dat old fiddle music always a.goin on. Den old Marster come roun wid his kin ly smile an jov al sp rits. When things went wrong he always knowed a way. He knowed how to comfort you in trouble. NNow, I WB.8 a gardner or yard boy. Dat was my part as a slave. I he ped keep de yard pretty an clean, de grass cut, an de flowers tended to an cut. I taken dat work cause I lak s pretty flowers. I lake to buil frames for ein to run on an to train em to vin ~ roun I could monkey wid em all de time. When folks started a-comin through talkin bout a~ freein us an a- givin us lan an stuff, it didn take wid Marster s slaves. Us didn want notbin to come long to take us away from him. Dem a tellin de Niggers dey d git Ian an cattle an de lak o dat was all fo~alis ness, nohow. Us was a~ livin in plenty an peace. De war broke out spite o how Marster s Niggers felt. Ihen I seen my white folks leave for war, I cried myself sick, an all de res did too. Den de Yankees come through a-takin de country. Old Marster refugeed us to Virginny. I can t say if de. lan was his n, but he had a place for us to stay at. I know us raised nough food stuff for all d slaves. Marster took care o 2

024 020

20 us dore tu de war ended. *Den he come to camp late one evenin an toi us dat US W~S free as he was; dat UB could stay in Virginny an work or us could come to Mississippi wid hint. Might nigh de whole passel bun led up an come back, an glad to do it, too. Dar us all stayed tu de family all died. De las one died a few years ago an lef us few old darkies to grieve over I don know much bout de Klu Klux Klan an all Dey rode bout at night an wore long white ghos -lak robes. whup folks an had meet in s way off in de woods at midnight. done a ~l kinds o curious things. None never did bother bout Marster s place, so I don know much bout em. After de War it took a mighty long time to git things smooth. Folks an de Gov ment, too, seem lak dey was all an threatened lak. 1 or a long time it look lak things bus loose ag in. Moe ever thing was tore up au burned groun . Xt took a long time to build back dout no money. de gran old place it was de firs time. *1 married when I wa~a young man. I was lucky nough to git de nex bee women in de won . (Old Mie was de bee .) Dat gal was so good iii I had to court er moe two years fore she d say she d have me. vu. had six chillun Three of em e still livin I can t say much for my chillun. I don lak to feel hard, but I tried to raise my chillun de bee I could. ~ I educated em; even bought dat. Dey Dey a goin up set gwine to de twant down Den 3

025 021

21 em a piano an give em mueic. One of en iB in Memphis, nother n in Detroit, an de other n in Chicago. I writes to em to he p me, but don never hear from em. l s old an dey is forgot me, I gueBs. Dat seems to be de way of de won now. Ever thing an ever body is too Las an too~rivoleas dese here times. I tell you, folks ought to be more lak old Marster was. I s a Christian an loves de Lawd. I expects to go to him fore long . Den I know I s gwine see my old Marster ant Mist is ag in. B IBLIOGRAPHY .Tohn Cameron . Jackson, Misaiseippi *frivolous rh 4

Slave autobiographies. 026 022

. -~ ifiseiseippi Tsdsral Writers ~ * j 9 Slave AutobiographieB Uncle Gus Clark and his aged wife live in a poverty- ~ stricken deserted village about an eighth of a mIle east of Howls on ~ Their old mill cabin, a relic of a forgotten lumber ~ industry, je tumbling down. They received direo~t relief from I the ERA until May, 1934, when the ERA changed the dole to work I relief. Uncle Gus, determined to have a work card, worked on j the road with the others until he broke down a few days later ~ and was forced to accept direct relief. Now, neither OE~xs nor \ Liza is able to work, and the only help available for them la ~ ~the meager State Old Age Assistance. Gus still manages to tend ~their tiny garden. He gives his storyi ~: l es gWine On bout eighty five. At s my age now. I was born at Rt~haond, Virginny, but lef dere right afte de War. Dey had done surrendered den, an my old mar~ter doan ~ have no mo power over us. We was all free an Bos~ turned us loose. My mammy s naine was Judy, an my peppy was Bob. Clark was de Boss e name I doan member my mammy, but pappy was workin on de railroad afte freedom an got killed. .~ ~

027 023

23 A man come to Richmond an carried me an pappy an a lot of other niggers ter Looe anna jer work in de sugar cane. I was little but he said I could be a water boy. It sho was a rough place. Dem niggera quar l an fight an kills one nother. Big Boss, he rich, an doan low no sheriff ter come on his place. He hoi cou t an settle all eputes hisseif. He done bury de dead niggers an put de one whatkilled him back to work, A heap of big rattlesnakes lay in dem canebrakes, an ~ dem niggers shoot dey heads off an eat era. It didn kill de niggers. Dem snakes was fat an tender, an fried jee lak chicken. ~ ~Der8 in Loos anna we doan get no pay tu de work is laid by. Den we se paid big money, no n~ckels~ Moe of de cullud mens go back to where dey was raised. - Dat was afte freedom, but my daddy say dat de niggers earn money on Old Bose place even dunn slav ry. He give em every other Sat dy fer deyse vee. Dey cut cordwood fer Bose, wimmens an all, Moe of de mens cut two cords a day an de winunene one. Boss paid em a dollar a cord. Dey save dat money, fer dey doan have to pay it out ter nothin . Big Boss didn fail to feed us good an give us our work clo ee. An he paid de Some cullud men saved enough to buy deyee ves frum as free as I is now.

028 024

24 ( p ~ ~S1av ry w~s better in 80fl19 ways nfl things is n~. liVe allus got plen y ter eat, which we doan n~. Vie can t make but to bits a day workin out now, an at doan buy nothin at I de sto . Co se B088 only give us work clo es. When I was a ki~ L~ got two os berg (1) shirts a year. I never wo no ahoea. I didn know whut a shoe was made fer, tu I ee t!elYe or thirteen. w. d go rabbit huntin barefoot in de en~. Didn wear no Sunday clo es. Dey me, cauee I bed nowhere ter go. You better you off n de place less ri he give you a pass didn low us to go to church, er to pray er ketched us prayin er aingin he whupped us. you with a book in yo han . Didn low it. de~ reason was. JOBS meanness, I reckin. I marster ever went to church in. hie life, but niggers, cept fer doin things he doan low fer nothin ~ cept farain . Dere wa nt no schools ter cullud people den. We didn know wth~t a achool. was. I never did learn to read. We didn have no mattresses on our beds like we has now. De chullun slop under de big high beds, on sacks. We was put under dem beds bout eight o clock, an W.td jes better not say (1rn) Oanabergs the cheapest grade of cotton cloth wa nt made fer not let Boss ketch to go. My Boss sing. Iffen he He better not ketch I doan know whut doe.n b lieve my he wa nt mean to his us to. Ii. didn care

029 025

25 nothin er make no noise afte den1 All de cullud folks slep on croker sacks full of hay er straw. ~ Did I ever see any niggers punished? Yessurn, I sho has. Whupped an chained too. Dey w~s whupped tu de blood come, tu dey back split all to pieces. Den it was washed off wid salt, an de rigger was put right back in de fiel . Dey was whupped fer runnin away. Sometimes dey run afte em fer days an nights with dem big old blood houn s. Heap o people doan b lieve dis. But I does, cause I seed it myse f. I se lived here forty-five years, an chipped turpentine moe all my life since I was free. I ee had three wives. I didn have no weddin s, but I znar ied em cordin to law. I woan stay with one no other way. My fust two wives is dead. Liza an me has been mar ied bout leven years. I never had but one chile, an at by my fust wife, an he s dead. But my other two wives had been mar ied befo , an had chullun. Simon here, pointing to a big buck of fifty~ five ~itting on the front porch, is Liza s oldest boy. rh

James Cornelius. 030 026

230059 M1881881pp1 Federal Writer8 Slave Autobiographisa J~aI2e~ Coimeliua 1i~es in Magnolia in the northwestern part ot the town, in the Negro settlement. He draws a Con.. tederate pension of four doLlar8 per month. Re relates events ot his lite readily. I does not know de year I was borned but dey said I was 15 years old when de War broke out an dey toll me I se past 90 now. Dey call ~e J~xi~s Cornelius an all de white fOlks says I se a good apectable darkey. nI was borned in Iranklin Loos auna My mciii~iy was nmned Chlo an dey said my pappy was nan~d Henry. Dey b longed to Mr. Alex Johnson en whil st I was a baby my mw~ my brud.. der Henry an me was sol to Marss Sain Murry Sandell an we was brung to Magnolia to live an I niier remember seem ay pappy ag in. Mares MUXX7 didn have aany alave8. His place was right whar young Mister Lampton Reid is buildin his fine bouse jes east of de town. My meu~~ had to work in de house an in de fiel wid all de other ni~gere an I played in de yard wid de little ehulluna, bote white an black. Sometimes we played tosain de ball an a ietimes we played rap-jacket en s~~e~ tiii~es keteher. An when it rai~ted w. had to go i~ de house an Old Mistesa made us behave. . ~ 2G . . . . .

031 027

~: 2~ I was taught how to work round de house hovi to sweep an draw water trug de well an how to kin le tires an keep de wood box tilled wid wood, but I was oraxy to laim how to plow an when I could I would slip off an get a old black man to let me walk by his side an hold de lines an I thought I wa8 big nou~t to plow. 1~ ~ Marse Murry didn have no overeeer. He made de slates I work, an he was good an kind to em, but when dey didn do right %i he would whip em, but he didn beat em. ~e niver stripped ~ ~ to whip em. Yes ~ ~ he whipped me but I needed it. One day I ~ toi hini I was not goin to do whut he toi me to do feed de ~ mule ~ but when he got through wid me I wanted to teed dat mule. ~ ~ I cc~ to live wid ~rae ~ f0 dar ~ a to~ here. I~r ~as only to houses in dia place whezi I Was a boy. I seed de tust train dat OO~ES to die here town an it made so much *oise dat I run trum it. Dat smoke putted out n de top an de bell Wa8 ringin an all de racket it did make made nie ekeered. ~ I heered dem talkin bout de war but I didn know ihut dey meant an on day Maree Murry aaid he had jined de Q~iitman Guards an wae g iii to de war an I had to go wid him. Old \ ~&iaaue cried u.n ay rn~~nny cried but I thought it would be tun. \ He tuk me long an I waited on him. I kept his boots ahinin ~ \ao yer could aee yer face in em. I brung him water an ted an

032 028

28 ~- -- cur jed his hoss an put his saddle on de hose fer him. Old Mi i ~ su. toi me to be good to him an I was. ~ ~ (1) ~ / One day I Wa8 standin by de hoes an a ball kilt de ~ ii (2) 1~ hose an he fell over dead an den I cried like it zaout be my brud~. !~ ~ der. I went way up in Tennessee an den I wae at Port Hudson. I : seed men fall dawn an di.; ~.y was kilt like pige. Marse Murry ~ was shot an I stayed wid him tu dey could git him ho~. Dey ~ let nie behin ~ an Col. Stockdale . an Mr. Sam Matthews bruag a hoas. Marse Murry died an Old MissUe run de place. kind to U8 all an den she mar ied afte while Dat was te de war was over. Whil st I was in de war I seed Mr. ~eff Davia. H. a big hoss an he looked mighty tine. I niver a.ed he was on de hoas. ~ ~ Dey said old man I but frta de way old Marne an ~ he waa a mi~ity mean man. ~: I I doan recollec when dey toi ~ we was treed but j I do know Mr. aetlin wouid prcatse to pay us fer our work an \ when de tiii~ wouid come fer to pay he said he dida have it an ~kep puttin ua oft, an we would work so~ more an git nothin ter it. Old Miasue would cry an ehe was good to us but dey had no money. I)~ killed (2) mi~1ht She to good an Gatlin. was Mr. was ridin him ssptta Abe Lin(~:Qln wa8 de nigger s friend, de sojers talk bout him I thou~1it

033 029

~. 29 s, ~ 7 de war Marse Murry would wake all de niggers by blow~ in a big konk an den when diiner time would core Old Missua would blow de konk an call dem to dinner. I got ao I could blow dat konk fer Old Missua but ohi it tuk my wind. Marse )Lurry would low ~e to drive his team when be would go to market I could haul de cot ton to Gavin ton an bring back whut was to eat an all de oxen could pull was put on dat wagon. We allue had good eatin afte we had been to ~a.rket. ~ Every Chris aus would come I got a apple an ~on~ candy I an mazEmy would cook cake an pies ter Old Missus an stack dem \ on de shelf in de big kitchen an we had every thing good to eat. I Dem people ebo was good an kind to ail niggers. ~ HAfte de war de times was hard an de white an black people was figlitin over who was to git de big office, an den dors was mighty leetle to sat. I~r was plsn y whiskey, but I se kep way frwi all dat. I was raised right. Old Miasu. taught me ter apect white folks an s ~ of dem prcsiised me land but I niver got it. All de land I s. ever got I work mighty hard fer it an I se got it yit. r .-~ NOne day afte Mr. Gatlin said ( way an went to New Orleans an got a e my ~O cente an dinner every day. hi could.n pay me I run job kauii* cotton, an I abo had JAS

034 030

. 30 money den. I stayed dere mighty close on to to years an den I ; went to Tylertown an hauled cott on to de railr~d ter Mr. Ben Lamptoi. Mr. Lampton said I was de bea driver of bis team he ever had caze I kep his team fat. uAtt. I CQD~ back to Miss seippi I iriar ied a wonan named Maggie Ransom. We stayed together 52. years. I niver hit her but one tinie. When we was gittin mar ied I stopped de preacher right in de ceremony an aid to her, Maggie, iffen you niver call ae a liar I will niver call you on an she said, ~im, I won t call you a liar. I said, That s a bargain an den de preacher went 0x1 wid de weddia . Well, one day alte we had been mar ied bout (1) to years, she ast me how c ie I was so late e~in to supper, an I said I found some work to do fer a white lady, an she said, that s a lis, an right den I raised my han en let her have it right by de side of de head, an she niver called me a liar a~ in. No ma a, dat is somethin I woi t stand fer. ~ ~ Ily old lady had seven ohullune dat lived to git growi. Two of em lived here in Magnolia an de others gone North. Maggie is daid an I live wici my boy Walter an his wits Lena. Dey is mighty good to nis. I owns dis here houa. an to acres ~it dey live wid nte an I gite a Confed rate peitsion of to doUais a month. Dat gives me ~y coffee an ~cco. I se proud I se a old so,ler. I seed de n~fl fall when dey was shot but I was not akeered. We et (1) asked

035 031

31 bread when we could git it an it we couldn git it we done widout. Afte I let Mr. lampton I ae so~t hers an went to work teT~ Mr. Enoch at lernwood when his aill was jas a old rattletrap of a iiill. I work fer hi~ 45 ysara. At tust I hauled timber out n de woods an site whU st I hauled lumber to town to build houses. I sornetinies collec fer de lumber but I niver lost one nickle, an dm white folks says I sho was a honest nigger. I lived ber. on dis spot an rode a wheel to J~rnwood an fed de teams an hitched em to de wagons an I late an niv.r stopped fer anything, an ~ wheel niver shop. I niver lowed anybody to prank wid it, an dat broke up by ~y gran ohulluns. Aft. I quit work at de mill l as ~ home an plow gardens fer d. white folks an in~a so~ acre mon y. I 8ho could plow. I Jinad de New Zion Baptist Church here ii agn lia an was baptized in~ de Nnghipoa River one Sunday svenin I was so happy dat I shouted, zae an ny wife bof.. l s. still a me~iber of dat church but I s.~do not preach an I m not no deacon; I ae jea a bench member an a mighty p0 one at dat. M~y wife was buried tria dat church. Dowi know why I was not called fln Sandell, but mai~ said ~ peppy was named Henry Cornelius an I reckin I was give every day, was alTer was in de wheel was

036 032

~. . 32 my pappy s name. When I waa a young man de white folks Baptist Church was called Salem an it was on de hill whar de graveyard now i8 It burnt down an den dey bruxi~ it to towzi an as I was goin to tell yer I went ~O88UR huntin in dat graveyard one . night. I tuk ~y ax an dog long wid me an de dog, he treed a possum right in do graveyard. I eut down dat tree~ an started hoi~e when all to once acme run by me an wnt down dat big road 18k light ning an ay dog was afte it. Den de dog c e back an lay down at ~ feet an roiled on his back en howled an howled an right den I knowed it was a spent an I throwed down my ~po aum an ax an beat de dog hcm~e. I tell you dat was a spent I se seed plen y ot m. Dat ain t de only spent I ever seed. I se seen sa a heap of times. Well, dat taught me niver to hunt in a grave yard ag in. No ma a, I niver sesd a ghost but I tell yer I know dore is aponte. Let me tell yer, anudder time I was goin by de graveyard an I seed a man s head. HI had no tset, but he kep lookin afte me an every way I turned he wouldu talc, hie eye offeu me~ an I walked fast an he got faster an den I ~z an den he run, an when I got havie I jea fell on de bed an hoUera ed an hollered an toi ay old lady, an she said I was ~a skeer~ ed, but I se sho sssI dat 8pSrit an I ain t goin by de grave yard at nigb.t by myee t ag in.

037 033

33 An let nie tell yer dis. Right in f~ront ol dia house yer see dat white hou8e? Well, last J~br ary a good old cuflud lady died in dat house, an alte she was buried de rest of de fainbly moved away, an every night I kin 3.00k over to dat house an see a light in de window. I~t light OOmes an goes, an no~ body liTes dar. Doan I know dat is de spent of dat woman ocmin back here to tell some of her taxably a message? Yea n~a a, dat ii her spent an dat houae is hanted an~ nobody Will 1i~e dar ag in. No ma a, I can t read nor write. lb

Charlie Davenport, ex-slave, Adams County. 038 034

~f L) &i ~) I ~J ~. 34 241-Charlie Davenport, Ex-slave, Adams County YEC ~dith Wyatt Moore Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes CHARLIE DAVENPORT Natchez, Mississippi I was named Charlie Davenport wit * cordjnt to de way I 1 iggers I ought; to be nearly a hund ed years old. Nobody knows my birthday, eause all my white tolks is gone. I was born one night an de very nex mornln my po little maniny died. Her name was Lucindy. My pa Was William Davenport . When I was a little mite dey turnt me over to de granny nurse on de plantation. She was de one dat tended to de little picka. ninnie s . She got a ~m to nurse n~ what had a young baby so I didn know no dif ence. Any woetan what had a baby tbout my age would wet nurse me s o I growed up in de quart ers an was aa well an as happy as aiiy other chil . When I could tote *taters dey d. let me pick em up in de fiel . Us always hid. a pile away where us could git em en roast em at night. Old mat~ny nearly always made a heap o dewberry an ~ sin~non wine. Us little tykes would gather black walnuts in de woods en store em mider de cabins to dry. *accordj~g *S~wetpOtatOe8 1 ~persimmon

039 035

35 At nig)at when de work was all done an de can les was out us d set un de f Ire ex~ eat cracked nuts ~ an taters Us picked out de nuts wid horse-shoe nails en baked de taters in ashes. Den Mammy would pour herse f ait her old man a cup o wine. Us never got none o dat *less?n us be s sick. Den she d mess lt up wid wild cherry bark. It was bad den, but us gulped it down, anyhow. SOld Granny used to sing a song to us what went lak dis: Kinky head, whar tore you skeered? Old snake crawled off, cause he s aSeared. Pappy will smite im. on de back Wid a great big club - ker whaek Ker whackZ Aventine, where I was born an bred, was acroSt Secon Creek. It was a big plantation wid bout a hund sd head o folks -t on lt It was only one o de mar s places cause he was one o de riches a i highes quality gent men in de whole country. j~S tellin you de trufe, us didn b l ng to no white trash. De marster was de Honorable Mister Gabriel Shields hisse f. ~ver body knowed bout him. He married. a Surget. Dem Surget s was pretty devilish ; for all dey was de riches Thm ly in de lan Dey was de out.-fightin es out.cussin es fastes ridin har in out-spendin t folks I ever seen. But LawdZ Lawdi Dey was gent men even in dey cups. De ladies was beautiful wid big black eyes an sof white han s, but dey was high strulig, too. De marster had a town inension what s pictured in a lot o books. It was called Montebella. De big columns still stan at de end Shields Lane. It burnt bout thirty years ago (1937). I, s part Injun. I amt got no Nigger nose an my hair is sunless ~ 2

040 036

? 3G so long I has to keep it ~wropped. I se often heard my mammy wa~ reddsh-lookin wid 1ou~, straight, black hair. Her pa was a full blooded Choctaw an mighty nigh as young as she was. I se been . dat nobody *dast meddle wid her. She didn do much talkin , but she sho ; was a good ~rker. !~r pappy had Injun blood, too, but his hair was kinky. De Choctaws lived all roun Secon Creek. Some ~f had cabins lak settled folks. I eau aember dey las chief. He was a tall pow fui ~ built man named Big 8am. What he said was de law, cause he was de boss o de whole tribe. One rainy night he was kilt in a salOon down in Natchez Under de Hill. De Injuns weht Wild wid rage an grief Dey sting an wailed an done a heap o low mutt in . De sheriff kep a steady watch on em, cause he was afeared dey wo~ild do somethin rash. After a long time he kinda let up In his vig lance. Den one night some o de Choctaw mens slipped in town an *stobbed de man dey b lleved had kilt Big Sam. I members dat weil. As I said b fore, I growed up in de quarters. De houses was clean an snug. Us was better ted den dan I is now, an warmer, too. Us had blankets an quilts filled wid home raised wool an I jus loved layin in de big 1~at feather bed a-hearin de rain patter on de roof. . Ail de little darkeys h~ ped bring in wood. Den us swept de yards wid. brush brooms. Den sometimes us played together in de street what run de length o de quarters. Us th owed horse~~~shoes, jumped poles walked on stilts an~ played marbles. Sometimes us made bows an arrows. Us could shoot em, too jus lak de little Inj une. ~wrapped ~da~ed *stabbed

041 037

~.. A heap o times old Granny would brush us hide wid a peach tree limb, but us need it. Us stole *algs an roasted ein. She sho wouldn Stan! for no stealin 1f she knowed lt. Us wore lowell-cloth shirts. It was a coarse tow-sackin . In winter us had linsey-woolsey pants an heavy cow-hide shoes. Dey was made in three sizes big, little, an *mej~. Tirant no right or let . Dey was sorta club shaped so us could wear em on either foot. I was a teasin , mis-che vious chu an de overseer s little gal got it In for ins. He was .a big, hard fisted Dutchman bent on gittin lches. He trained his pasty- faced gal to tattle on us Niggers. She got a heap o folks whipped. I knowed it, but I was hasty: One day she hit me wid a stick an I th owed it back at her. Bout dat time up walked her pa. He seen what I done, but he didn see what she done to me . But it wouldn a made ~io di! suc e if he had. He snatched me In de air an toted me to a stump an laid nie crost it. I dldn have but one thickness twixt ne an daylight. Gent man! He laid it on me wid dat stick. I thought I d die. All de time his mean 11t1 ,e gal was a.-gloatln in my misery. I yelled an prayed to de Lawd tu he quit. Den he say to me, From now on you works in de fiel . I amt gwine a-have no vicious boy lak you roun de lady folks. I was too little for fiel work, but de nex inornin I went to choppin cotton. Pi ter dat I made a reg lar fiel han When I growed up I was a ploughman. I could sho ~ay off a pretty cotton row, too~ ~vUs slaves was fed good plain grub. Fore us went to de fiel *eggs *medj~ 4

042 038

38 us had a bi~ breakfas o hot bread, lasses, fried salt meat dipped in corn meal, an fried * taters. Sometimes us had fish an rabbit meat. ~hen us was in de ~ie1 two women ud come at dinuer-.tlme wid basketa filled wid hot pone, baked taters, corn roasted in. de shucks, onlo; tried squash, an b? lied pork. Sometimes dey brought buc kots cold butter milk. It sho was good to a hongry man. At supper-time us had hoecake an cold vi tala. Sometimes dey was sweetmilk an couards. Moe ever slave had his own little garden patch an was lowed to cook out o lt. . Moe ever plantation kep a man busy hux~tin aa f ishin all de time. ( If dey shot a big buck, us had deer meat roasted on a spit.) fl ~ Sundays us always had meat pie or fish or fresh game an roasted taters an . coffee. On Chris mus de marster ud give us chicken an barrels o apples axt or~nges. CourSe, ever inarster warnt as free handed as our n was. (He was sho nough quality.) l es hear d dat a heap o cullud people never had nothin good Veat. ni warnt learnt nothln In no book. Don t think I d a took to It, nowhow. Deylearnt de house servants to read. Us fiel han s never knowed nothin cept weather an dirt an to weigh cotton. Us was learnt to figger a little, but dat s su.. 1 WI reckon I was bout fifteen when hones Abe Lincoln what called hisse f a rail-splitter oo~ne here to talk wid us. He went all th o~igh de country jus a-rantln an a-preachln bout us bein his black brothers. De marster didn know nothin bout it, cause lt was sorta secret lak. It sho riled de Niggers up au lots of em nm aWay. I t hear d him, but I d idn pay im no mm . ~sweet potatoes 5

043 039

# 39 . When de war broke out dat old Yankee Dutch overseer our n went back up North, where he b longed. Us was pow ~ul glad an hoped he d git his neck broke. Ater dat de Yenkees come ew down on us . My own pappy took ofl wid em. He j med a c~np ny what *fj~ at Vicksburg. I was plenty big nough to fight, but I dicin hanker to tote no gun. I stay~ ed on de plantation an put In a crop. ~ It was pow ful oneasy times after dat. But what T care t bout freedom? Folks what was free was in misery fi one way an den de other. I was on de plantation closer to town, den. It was called Fish Pond Plantation. De white folks come an to . us we burn all de cotton so de enemy couldn git it. Us piled it high in de fiel s lak great mountains. It made n~T innards hurt to see fire tached to soinethin dat had cost us Niggers so much labor an hones sweat If I could a-hid s orne o it in de barn I d a~done it, but de boss searched ever where. De little Niggers thought it was fun.. Dey laughed an brimg out big armfuls from de cotton house. One little blaek gal clapped her han S an jumped in a big heap. She stink down an down tu she was buried deep. Den de wind picked up de flame an spread it lak lightenin . It spread so fas dat fore us could bat de eye, she was in a mountain o flab. She struggled up all covered wid flames, a-screamln , Law&y, he p meZ Us snatched her out an rolled her on de groun but twant no use She died In a few minutes. ought 6

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40 De marster s sous went to war. De one what us loved bes never come back no more. Us mourned him a-plenty, cause he was so jolly an happy-lak, an free wid his chauge. Us all felt cheered vthen he come f un . Us Niggers didn know nothin bout w~i t was gwine on in de outside t . All us Imowed was dat a war was bein fit. Pusson8lly, I b lieve in what Marss ~efferson Davis done, He done de only thing a gent man could a done. He toi Marss Abe Lincoln to tend to his own t ness an d t t end to t n. But Marss Lincoln was a fightln man an he come down here an tried to rim other folks plantations. Dat made Marse Davis so all fired mad dat he spit hard twixt his teeth an say, t ~t li whip de socks off dem dam Yankees. t8 how lt all conie bout . ~y white folks los money, cattle, slaves, an cotton in de war, but dey was still better off dan mOe folks. Lak all de fool Niggers o dat time I was right smart bit by de freedom bug for awhile. It sounded pow ful nice to be toi : You don t have to chop cotton no more ~ You ca ow dat hoe down an go fishin whensoever de notion strikes you. An you can roam rou.n at night an court gals jus as late as you please. Amt no marster gwine a-.sey to you, Charlie, you s got to be back when de clock strikes nine. 1 was fool nough to lieve all dat kin stuff But to tell de hones truf, taos o us didn know ourse fs no better off. Preedom meant us c ould leave where d been born an bred, but it meant too dat us had to scratch for us ownse fe. D~n what 1sf de old plantation seemed 7

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4:1 so all fli ed glad to git back dat I made up my mm to stay put, I stayed right wid. my white folks as long as I could. My ~hite folks talked plain to me. Dey say real. sad~lak, Charlie s been a dependence but now you can go if you I s so desir~ ous. But 1f you wants to stay wid us you can sbaxe~-crop. Deyts a house for you an wood to keep you warm an a mule to work. We amt got much cash, but dey s de Ian an you can count on havin plenty o vlt als. Do jus as you please. When I looked at my marster an knowed he needed me, I pleased to stey. ~r marster never forced me to do nary thing bout it. Didn nobody make me work after de war, but dem Yankees sho made my daddy work. Dey put a pick in his han *stjd o~ a gun. Dey made im dig a big ditch in front o Vicksburg. He worked a heap harder for his Uncle Sain dan he d ever done for de marster. 1 hear d tell bout some Nigger sojers a-.plunderin some houses: Out at Pine Ridge dey kilt a white man named Rogillio. But de head Yankee sojers in Natche~y tried em 1 or somethin or nother an hung t em on a tree out near de Charity Horspit al . Dey strung up de ones dat went to Mr. Sargen~e door one night an shot him down, too. All dat hangin seemed to squelch a heap lousy goin s~on. Lawdi Lawd~ I knows bout de ~oo ~.uxes I ~iows a~ plenty. Dey was sho nough devils a-walkin de earth a..seekin what dey could devour. Dey larruped de hide of n de uppity Niggers an *drjT de white trash back vthere dey b longed. Us Niggers didn have no secret meetin s. All us had was church meetin s in arbors out in de woods. De preachers ud exhort us dat us was de chillun. o Israel in de wilderness an de Lawd done sont us *di OTe 8

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42 to t eke dis au milk an honey. But how us gwlne a-take lan what a already been took? ~ I sho amt never hear d. bout rio plantations bein vid d up, neither. I hear d a lot o yaller Niggers spoutin off how dey was gwine a-take over de white folks lan for back wages. Dem bucks jus took aU dey wages out in talk. Cause I amt never seen no lan vided up yet. In dem days nobody but Niggers an *shaw1.~trop folks voted. Q,uality folks didIL have nothin to do wid such truck. If dey had a-wented to de Yankees woulda a-let e~n. My old marster didn vote au if any~ body knowed what was what he did. Sense didn count in dem deys . It was pow ful ticklish times au I let votin alone. De shawl strop folks what come lxi to take over de country t us dat us had a right t o go t o all de balls church meet in s an tainments de white folks give. But one night a bunch o uppity Niggers went to a tainment in Memorial Hall. Dey dressed dey~ef s fit to kill an walked down de aisle an took seats in de very front. ~ut jus bout time dey got good set down, de curtain *~app~d an de white folks *rjz up widout a-sayin airy word. Dey marched out de buildin wid dey chins up an lef dem Niggers a-settin in a empty hail. Dat S de way lt happen ever t irne a Nigger tried to git too uppity. Dat night after de breakin up o dat tainmeut, de Kloo Kiuxes *rld th ough de lan I hear d dey grabbed ever Nigger what walked down dat aisle but 1 ~ amt ~ hear d yet what dey done wid em. Dat seine thing happened ever time a Nigger tried to act lak he was white. ~ *C~pet baggers *rode 9 *d~ropped .: *aZ!oae

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43 WA heap o Niggers voted for a little black man what had office. He was named Lynch. He up in Washington. Us had a sheriff named Winston. Nigger an pow ful mean when he got riled. Sheriff an , if lay mem ry amt failed me, so was Lynch. My granny toi me bout a slave uprisin what took place a little boy. None o de marster s Ni~ggers ud have nothin it. A Nigg~r tried to git em to kill dey whit~ folks an take But i~that us want to kill old Marster an. take de lan when dey frien s us had? Dey caught de Nigger an hung im to a limb. Plenty folks b lieved in charms, but I didn take no stock in such truck. But I don t lak for de moon to shine on me when I S asleepin . De young Niggers Is headed straight for hell . All dey think bout is d,rinkin ha.vd likker, to dance halls an a-ridin in a old rattle trap car. It beats ail how de~ brags an wastes thingsf D y amt one whit happier dan folks was in m~r day. I was as proud to git a apple as dey is to g it a pint likker. Cours e, schools p some but looks ~ak all moe o de young n s is studyin ~ bout is how to git out o hones labor. ~ I se seen a hear o fools what thinks cause they is wise in books, they is wise in ail things. Mos all my white folks is gone, now. Marse Randolph Shields is a doctor wayS off in China. I wish I could git word to im, cause I know he d look after me ii~ he knowed I was ou charity. I prays de Lawd to see emellwhenldie. while. Dey was a cut a big f igger He was a ginger cake Winston was a slave when I was to do wid dey lan . was de bes 10

Gabe Emanuel, ex-slave, Claiborne County. 048 044

44 - ~ 241-Gabe Emanuel Ex slave Clalborne County FEC Esther ~ Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes GABE EMANUEL Port Gibson, Mississippi Gabe E~nanuel is the blackest of Negroes. He is stooped and wobbly from his eig~aty$ive years and weighs about one hundred and thirty-five pounds. His apee~h Ls somewhat hindered by en unbelievable amount of tobacco rolled to one sid of his mouth. He lives in the Negro quarters cxf~ Port Gibson. Like most ex-~slaves he has the courtesy and the gentleness of .a southern gentleman. Lawsy~ Dem slav ry days d ie been s long ago I jus member a few thixir~,s dat happen den. But l s sho mighty pleased to relate dat what I recollec . I was de house boy on old 5ud~e Stamps plantation. He lived bout nine miles ea t o Port Gibson an he was a mighty wel1- to-~do gent man in dem days. He owned bout 500 or 600 Niggers. He made plenty o money out o his fie .ts. D~n Niggers worked for dey keep. I dare, dey sho did. Us ud dike out in spiok an span clean cloth s come Sund ys. Ev~er body wore hcmespun clo es den. De mistis en de res o de ladies in de Big House made moe of em. De cullud wirzznins wore some kin o dress wid. white aprons an de mens wore overalls an homespun pants an 1

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45 .~ shirts . Course all de time us gits han - ins-downs from de folks In de Big House. . Us what was a-servin in de Big E~ouse wore de marster s old dress suits. Now, dat was somep n ! Mos o de tinie dey didn fit Iaa3rbe de pants hung a little loose an de tails o de coat hung a little long. ~e bein de house boy, I used to look mighty sprucy when I put on my frock tail. De mistis used to teach us de Bible on Sund ys an us always had Sund y school. Us what lived in de Big House an eiren some o de fiel han s was taught to read an write by de white folks. De fiel han s sho had a time wid dat man, Duncan. He was de overseer man out at de plant tlon. Why, he d have dem poor Niggers so dey didu know if dey was gwj.ne In circles or what. One day I was out In de quarters when he brung back old man roe from runnin away. Old roe was always a-runnin away an dat man Duncan put his h un dogs on Im an brwig im back. Dis time I s speakin bout Marster Duncan put his han on old roe s shoulder an look him in de eye sorrowtul-lak. 50e he say, I s sho pow ful tired o huntin you. I spect I s gwina have to git de inarster to sell you soxne r s else. ~Anotber marster gwina whup you in de groun 1f he k tch you runnin way lak dis. I s sho sad for you if you gits soi away. Us gwlna miss you t roun dis pl~r~tat Atter dat old Toe stayed close in an dey warnt no more trouble out o him. ~ Dat big white man called Duncan, he seen dat de Niggers b have deyse ves right. Dey called him de Boss Man. He always carried a big whup an when dem Niggers got sas sy dey got de whup orost dey hides. 2

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Lawsy~ I s recallin de time when de big old houn dog what fin de run away Niggers done die wid fits. Dat man Duncan, he say us gwina hoi fim al rites over dat dog. He say us Niggers might better be s pow ful sad when us come to dat fun al.. ~n dem Niggers was sad over de death o dat poor old dog what had chased em all over de country. Dey all stan roun a-weepin an a-mournj~ ~ Ever now an den dey d put water on dey eyes an play lak dey was a-weepln bitter, bitter tears. Poor old dog, she done died down dead an ean 4 kotch us no more. Poor old dog. Amen! De Lawd have mercyP De Judge was a great an for ~ tainment He always had a house fui o folks an he sho give em de bee o food an likker. Dey was a big room he kep all polished up lak glass. Ever now an den he d th ow a big party an vite mos ever body in Mississippi to come. Dey was Niggers 1x1 de quarters what could sing to beat de ban an de ~rudge would git ein to sing for his party. I member how cited I d git when one o dem shindigs ud c~e off. I sho would strut den, De iiistls ud dress me up an I d. carry de likker an drinks rouit mongst de peoples. Would you prefer dis here mint julip, Marst er? Or maybe you d relish dis here special wine o de Judge s. Dem white folks sho could lap up dem drinks, too. De Judge had de bee o ever thing. Dey was always a heap o fresh meat in de meat house. De pantry fairly bu sted wid all kin o preserves an sweetnin s. Lawdy2 I mean to tell you dem was de good deys. I member I used to hate ever Wednesday. Dat was de day I had to polish de silver. Lawsyl It took me mos all day. When I d 3

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think I was bout th ough de inistis was sho to fi some o. dat sliver dat had to be did over. Den de war broke out. De marster went way wid de sojers en graduai de hardness come to de plantation Us never kaowed when dem Yankee soj ers would o orne a few weeks at de Big House. Dey d eat up ail de marster s vit als an drink up ail his good likker. I member one tinte de Yankees camped right in ~1e front yard. Dey took ail de meat out n. de curin house. Well sir! I done dde by xnyse f dat no Yankee gwina eat all us meat. So dat night I slips In dey camp; I stole back dat meat from dem thievin sojers an hid It, good. Hoi Hoi HoZ But dey never did fft~ dat meat. One time us sot fire to a bridge de Yankees had to cross to git to de plantation. Dey.had to camp on de other side, cause dey was too lazy to put out de fire. Dat s jus lak I figgered it. When de war was over my mamny an pappy an us five ohullun travelled here to Port Gibson to live My rnaumiy hIred out for washin . I don t know zackly what my pappy done. Lincoln was de man dat sot us free. I don t recollec much bout im ceptin what I hear d in de Big House bout Lincoln dom dis an Lincoln dom dat. Lawdy I I sho was happy when I was a slave. ~ De Niggers today is de same as dey alweys was, ceptin d~ s gittin more money to spen . Dey amt got nobody to make em have deyse ves au keep em out o trouble, now. . 4

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48 I lives here in Port Gibson ait does ever in o work. I tries to live right by ever body, but I spect I won t be here much longer. I se been married three times When de time comes to go I hopes to beready. DeLaWd God Almighty takes good care o his chillun if dey be s good an holy. 5

Dora Franks, ex-slave, Monroe County. 053 049

ic~ f~_~J ~ I j I. .. V 241 Dora Franks, Ex~S1av~, Monroe County F~C Mrs. Richard Koib Rewrite, Pauline Loveles8 1~dited, Clara E. Stoke8 DORA FRANKS Aberdeen, Miasiasippi Dora Franks, ex-slave, live8 at Aberdeen, Monroe County. She is about five feet taU. and weighs 100 pounds . Her hair is indined to be curly rather than kinky. She is very active and does most of her o~n work. si was born in Choctaw County, but I never knowed zackly how old I was, cause none o my folks could read an write. I reckon I be s bout a hund ed, cause I was a big girl long time f0 Surrender. I was old nough to marry two years after dat. My mammy coins from Virgiriny. Her name was Harriet Brewer. My daddy was my young Marster. His name was Marater George Brewer an my mammy always to 1 me dat I was hi n I knew dat der e was some dif ence tween me an de res o her chullun, cause dey was all coal black, an I was even lighter dan I is now. Lawd, it s been to my sorrow many a time, cause de chillun used to chase ~e round an holler at me, fOld yallow Nigger. Dey didn treat me good, neither. AI stayed in de house moe o de time wid Mis9 E~taline. 1

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~: 50 Misa Ji~nma1ir&e 8 hair was dat white, ~ I loved her cause she ~as so good to me. She taught me hou to weave an spin. Fore I was bigger n a minute I could do things dat lote o de old han s cou .dn come nigh dom . She an )Larse Bjll had bout eight chi .lun, but moe of em was grown when I come long. Dey was all mighty good to me an wouldn low nobody to hurt me. I members one time when dey all went off an lof me wid a old black w man call Aunt Ca line what done de cookin round de place some o de time. When dey lef de house I went in de kitchen an asked her eor a piece o white bread lak de white folks eat. She haul off an slap me down an call me all kj~ o names dat I didn know what dey meant. My nose bled an ruint de nice clean dress I had on. When de Mietie come back Marse George was wid er. She asked me what on earth happen to me an I tol er. Dey call Ca line in d room an asked her if what I say was de traf. She tell em it was, an dey sent er away. I hear tell dat dey whup her so hard dat she couldn walk no mo . ~ Us never bad no big fun ale or weddin e on de place. Didn have no marryin o any kin Folks in dem days jus sorter hitched up together an call deyae vee man an wife. All de cullud folks was buried on what dey called Platnum Mill. Dey didn . have no ~arkera noi n$ hin at de graves . 1~y was jus sunk in placee. My brother Trank showed me one e where my maimny was buried Us dida have no preachin or singin or nothin neither Us didn~ even git to have meatin e on Sund y less us slip off an go to som ther 2

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51 plantation. Course, I got to go wid de white folkB sometime an 8et in de back, or on de step8. Dat was when I wae little. Lots o Niggers would slip off from one plantation to de other to see some other Nigger8. Dey would always manage to git back fore daybreak. De wore thins I ever heard bout dat was once when my Uncle Alf run off to jump de broom. Dat was what dey call ed go~ ~ to ~ee a woman. Fie didn come back by daylight, so dey put de Nigger hounds after im. Dey smelled hi~ trail down in de swamp an foun where he was hidin . Now, he was one o de biggest Niggera on de place an a powerful tas worker. But dey took an give him 100 lashes wid de cat o ninety nine tails Eis back was somethin awful, but dey put him in de fiel to work while de ilood was still a-runnin . He work right hard tu dey lei Den when he ~ot up to de end o de row nex to de swamp, he lit out ag in. Dey never foun im dat time. Dey say he foun a cave an fix him up a room whar he could live. At nights he would come out on de place au steal enough t eat an cook it in his little dugout. When de war was over an de slaves was freed, he cone out. When I saw him, he look lak a hairy ape, thout no~ clothes on an hair growin all over his body. . Dem was pretty good days back in s lay ry times . My ~Lareter had a whole passel o Niggera on his place . When any of em would git sick dey would go to de woods an git herbs an roots an make tea for em to drink. Hogweed an May apples was de bee things I 3

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~. 52 knowed of. Sometimes old Mistis doctored em herse f. One time a bunch o us chillian was playin in de woods an foun some o d~n May applee. Us et a lot of em an got awful sick. Dey dosed us up on grease an Sani8on snake root to clean U8 out. An it eho done a good jobs I se been a~usin dat snake root ever since. De firs thing dat I member he~&rin bout de war was one day when Marss George come in de house an tell Mise ~nmaline dat dey s gwine have a bloody war. He say he feared all de slaves ud be took away. She say if dat was true she fee . lak jumpin in de well. I hate to hear. her say dat, but from dat minute I started prayin for freedom. All de roe o de women done de same. De war started pretty soon after dat an all de rien folks went off an 1sf de plantation for de women an de Niggers to run. Us seen de sojers pass by moe ever day. Once de Yankees come an stole a lot o de horses an sornp in~ t eat. Dey even took de trunk full o federate money dat was hid in de swamp. How dey fc~un dat us never knowed. Marss George come k~oxne bout two years after de war start.~ ed an~ r.~rried Miss Martha Ann. Dey had always been sweethearts. Dey was promised fore he let . Idarse Lincoln an Marse Jeff Davis is two I m~bera bout But Lawz ee t Dat was a long time back Us liked Marse Jeff Davis de bee on de place. Us even made up a song bout him, but, I clara fore goodness, I can t even member de fire line o dat song. You see, when I got ligion, I as~.d de Lawd to take all de 4

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.~ 53 other songs out o my head an make room for ~ia word. Since den it s de hardea thing in de won for me to member de 8Ofl~8 U8 used to dance by. I do member a few lak Shoo, Fly Old Dan Tucker an Run, Nigger Run, de Pateroller Catch You. I don member much o de worde. I does member a little o t Old Dan Tucker . It went dia way; Old Dan Tucker was a mighty mean man &~ bat hie wife wid a fryin pan. She hollered an she cried, I s gwineter go, Dey s plenty o men, won t beat me so. Git out o de way, Old Dan Tucker, You come too late to git yo eupper. t Old Dan Tuck er he got drunk, Fell in de fire, kicked up a chunk, Red hot ooal got down hi8 shoe Oh Great Lawd how de ashes flew. Git out o de way, Old Dan Tucker, ~ You come too late to git yo supper. - . sien de war was over, my brother Frank slipped in de house where I was til3. a stayin . He toi me us wa~ tree an for me to come out wid de res P ore sundown dere warnt one Nigger lef on de place. I hear tell later dat de iat~e an de gals had to git 5

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out au wotk in de fiel s to kie p gather in de crop. Frank foun ue a place to work an put us ai . in de fiel . I never had worked in de fiel before. I d faint away moe ever day bout eleven o clock. It was de heat. Some of ein would have to tote me to de house. I d soon come to. Den I had to go back to de fiel . Us was on Maree Davis Cox s place den. 9~wo years later I met Pet Franke an us married. De ox s was good folks an give us a big weddin . All de white folks an de Niggers for miles a round come to see ~ue git married. De Nigger. had a big eupper an had a peck t est. Us had eight chillun, but amt but tkiree of em livin . Me an Pet amt been a-livin together for de las twenty-three years. Us jus couldn git long together, so us quit. He lives out at Acker s J~iehing Lodge now en dose de cookin for e~. . 0$1 flOV t will forgit de K1u Klux Klan. Never will ~ ~or~ git de - way~ dat horn soup at night when dey was a-goin aft er some mean Nigger. Ue d all run an hide. Ue was livin on de Troup place din, near old Hamilton, in one o de brick houses back o de housi whar dey used to keep de slaves. Marse Alec Troup was one o de lUta Klux s an so was Marse Thad llj.Ltia dat lived close by. Dey d make plans together somet ime an I d hear ~. One time dey caught me lis nin , but dey didn do nothin to me~ cau8e dey knowed I warnt gwine tell. Us was all good Nigger. ou his place. Lawd, Miss, dese here young folks today is gwine straight to de Devil. AU dey do all day an all night is run round an 6

059 055

drink corn likker an ride in automobileB. I se got a grand~daughtor here, an she s dat wil . I worries a right smart bout her, but it dont do no good, oauae her mammy let her do jus lak ehe pleas. anyhow . Den I tella yoi~ de one thing I worries bout moe~ ; Dat i8 de white folks what lives here monget de Niggers. You know what kinda folk. dey is, an it ho is bad influinci on em. You knows Niggere amt s posed to always know de right from de wrong. Dey amt got )f XSters to teach em now. For de white folks to come down here an do lak dey do, I tells you, it amt right. De quality~ white folks ought- a do sonethin bout it. I s had a right hard life, but I puts my faith in de Lawd an I know ever tkiing gwine come out all right. I ~lived a long life an Will 800fl be a hund ed, I guess. I s glad dat elav ry is over, cause de Bible don t say nothin bout it bein rig~it. I~. a good Christian. I gits sort a res leae moe o de time an has to keep busy to keep from thinkin too much. 7

Pet Franks, ex-slave, Monroe County. 060 056

: 5G o)M)~~ ~ I A~~JU~ I A 241 Pet Franks, ix-Slave, Monroe County F~C Mrs. Richard Koib Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes PET FRANKS Aberdeen Mississippi Uncle Pet, 92 year~old ex slave, is the favorite of Ackers Fishing Lodge which is situated 14 miles north of Aberdeen, Monroe County. He is low and stockily built. His ancestry is pure African. Scarcely topping five feet orte inch, he weighs about 150 pounds. Though he walks with the slightest limp, he is still very active and thinks nothing of cooking for the large groups who frequent the lodge. He has his own little garden and chickens which he tends with great care. I knows all bout slav ry an de war I was right dere ou de spot when it all happened. I wish to goodness I was back dere now, not in de war, but in de slav ry times. Niggers where I lived didn have nothin to worry bout in dem days. Dey amt got no sense now a-days . All dey b lieves in now is drinkin an~ carousin . Dey amt got no use for nothin but a little corn likker an a fight. I den% b lieve in no such gwine on no sir ree. s de reason I stays out here by myse f all de time. I don t want to have nothin to do wid em. I goes to town bout once a mont to git s ppliea, but ~ I don never fool roun wid d em- Nigger. den. I gits long wid I

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Inh white folk., too. All de mene sn wiminene what coz~es out to de club i~ poi ful good to me. ~I wae born up near Bartley e Ferry right on de river. De way I cal olete8 my age inakea ma bout 92 years old. My firs Marster was name Mr. Harry Allen. He died when I was a boy an I don t member much bout him. De Mistis, dat was his wife, married ag in an dat husband s name was Mare e Jimmy Tatuza. D ey was eho good w~iite folks~ My mammy an pappy was name Martha an Martin Yranke Marse Harry brung ~ em down from Virginny, I thinks Or else he bought em from Maree Torn Franks in West Point. Anyway. dey oome from Yirginny an I don t know which one of em brotzght em down here . Dey did long to Mare e Tom. I knows dat . aBartleyls used to be some place. My folks had a big hotel down on de river bank. Dey waa a heap o stores rigfrt on de bank, too. De river done wash em all we~ now. Dey amt nothin lef . But Lawdyt ehen I was a kid de boats used to come a~sailin up de river bout once a week an I used to know de names o all de big ones. Dey would atop an pick up a load o cotton to carry to Mobile. hen dey coins back dey would be loaded wid all kin o gran things . Us chillun had a big time playin roun de dock. Us playod ~iide de Switch an Goos e and Gander in de day time . ~ Den at nighttimewhen de moon was ehinin big an yaller, us d play 01e Molly Bright. Dat was what u~ call de moon. Us 4 make up stories bout her Dat was de bes time o all Sometimes de old f olks would join in~ an tell tales too Been so long I forgita de tales but I know ~ ~ ~ ..~ . :~ ~ . . ~ ~

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~. 58 dey was ~ood na. When I got big nough to work I he ped roun de lot most~ lyr. Fac ii Ibe forked right roun white folks mos all my days. I did work in de fiel 8onie, b~t u~ hud a good overaeer. Hi8 name was }ktrao Frank Beeks an he was good as any white man dat ever lived. I dortt never member him whippiri one d e s lave8 1 eastways not real whippin s. I do member hearin bout slaves on other places gittin whipped sometimes. I guese Niggers lak dat wished dey was free, but I didn want to leave my white folks, ever. U8 kiWi preachin an sirigin . Dey was some mighty good meetiu e on de place. Old Daddy Young was bout de bee preacher us ever had. Dey was plenty o f Niggers dere, cause it was a power fui big place. Old paddy co uld sho make em shout an roll. tie have to hoi some of em dey d git so happy. I knowed I had ligion when I got baptized. Dey took me out in de river an it took two of em to put me under. When I corns up I toi em, turn me loose, I b lieve I can walk right on top o de water. Dey don have no ligion lak dat n w-a-days. All de Niggers on de Tatun place had dey own patches where dey could plant what ever dey wanted to. Dey d work ein on Satu d ya. Then dey sol anything from dey patch Mistis wi let em keep de money. When de boats went down to Mobile us could sen down for anything us want to buy. One time I had $10.00 saved up an I bought lote o pretties vid it. Us always had plenty t eat, too. All de greens, eggs, wheat, corn, meat, an chitlina dat anybody d .3

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59 vaut. When hog kuhn time come us always have some meat lef over from de year. befo Us made soap out o dat. When de war broke out I went right wid de lLarster up to Corixith. I stayed up dere in de camp for de longea time a- waitin on de aojera an nussing de Sick 0fl08 I never seen much o de real uightin . &tt I heard de C~flflOfl8 roar an I wait ed on de soj era what got woundei Aft er dey moved camp d e Maret er aont me back home to he p look after de Mietia an chillun. De edaratea had some cattle hid way in u3 pasture an I looked after em. One night when I was comin home I met bout a hund ed Yankees comi~! over a hi l Dey eaw de cattle an took bout ha f of em. I akid oed. Dey amt &otche~ ~ me yet . . After de W82 de Yankees called deyee vee Publicana. Dey c ome down here an wanted all de Niggera to vote de Publican tioket Den, leinrzie taU. you, I went to work for ~y white folks. Dey was a holdin big meetin a an speakin a but I was workin too. On lection day I bruii~ in 1500 Niggers to vote de Democrat ticket. De folks what saw us cornin over de hill eay us look like a big black cloud. ~ I reckon tie 8ouncLed lak one wid all dat hollerin an ehoutin . NAIl fly folks was dead aoon, ~ an I went bout lak I was in a trance for awhile. I went fire one place an den nother. When I. was on de Cox place I met Dora an us married. Dat was a big weddin an a big teas . Den us moved over to de Troup place an stayed dere for a long spell. While us was dere I 4-

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60 member de Klu Kiuxera an all de carryin on. Dey would dreaa up in white 8heets an come 1roun an scare ai . ~e Niggers. Dey d whip de bad orie~. Some of em would git cow home an put on dey heada. One time dey chased a Nigger plumb under de house jus a playin wid im. Dey was a bellowin jus lak bulls. 1: can t read an write. I amt got much use for a Nigger wid a little education. I went to~achool twict. De firs teacher I had, dey come an carried to de pen for signin hi8 old Marster s name. De nex teacher, dey put in jailfor stealin . So I jus tided twas jus better for me not to know how to read n write, 1e58 n I might git in some kinda trouble, too. Dora an me is got. three out o eight chillun livin . Dora an nie don live together no more. She likes to stay in town an I ai.rit got no patience wid city slickers an dey ways. She stays wid us gal, Nanny. I stays out here. I goes in to see her I bout onc e a mont . n : don t git lonesome. Lawdee, no m . I s got my two dogs. Den de white folks~is always a~oomin out here. Dey is good to me. Dey is one right pert Nigger woman what lives down de road a-piece. Her name is Katie, an I goes down dere when I gits tired o eatin my own cookin She sets a plumb good table, too. 5

Nettie Henry. 065 061

~.. ~ ~ ~) ~ 1~ ~ ~ NETTlE HENRY . Meridian, I iaaissippi I Net-tie Henry, ex-slave, 19th Street, Meridian, Lauderdale County, is 82 years old. She is five feet tall and weighs one hundred pounds. De ~ 1 s place was at Livingston, Alabama, on Alarnucha Creek. Dat s where I was born, but I jus did git borned good when Mies Lizzie she was Marse Chil s girl ~ married Marse John C. Higgins an moved to Mer-ree-dian. Me an my mammy an my two sisters, Liza an tempe, was give to Miss Lizzie. I amt no country Nigger; I was raised in town. My manmiy ~ c3oked an washedan . ironed an done ever thing for Mj~8 Lizaie. She live right where Miss Annie she was Miss Lizzie s da ghter lIve now. But den de house face Eighth Street stead o Seventh Street, let it do now. Dey warnt any other houses in dat block. Fore de Surrender, dey turni de houes to face Seventh Street cause de town was growiri an a }~eap o. folks was buildin houses. I tell you somp1int-~ - -bout Seventh Street in a minute . Couldn nobody dat lived in Msr ree-dian right after de Surrender ever forgit Seventh Street an where it head to. ~ ~ ~ ~ *My~ pappy didn go wid us t o i~er ree-dian He b lo~iged to one set o~ iiiltepeople, you see, an my m~mniy b longed to another. HOld: ~ to see us till de War started, den his folkS jus1 kinda ~ 1 .

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P LAC E H O L D E R

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63 white folks Can tell you bout Mr. Preacher Hamlin. He was a preacher an a school teacher mixed. He had de firs boardin school for young white ladies. It s stai~din rigrit dare on Eighth Street right now. I members de firs one to *gragurate frum it. ~tV li, Mr. Hamliri nitiated my pappy right dere in de white folks s church, de Firs Baptis Church; it burnt up long time ago. My pappy was Isam Alibrook. He was de firs cullud deacon ordained in Mer~ ree ~dian. I. was ten years old at de 5urrerider, but I took notice. Dem was scarey times an when you is scared you takes trigger notice. It wa~ nex to de las year o de War fore Sherman got to Mer ree~dian not Shernan hisse f but ~iis sojers. Dey burnt up dat big house on Eighth Street hill an built camps for de sojers in de flower garden. De cap ns went an live at Marse Greer s house. Marse Greer had done sunk all de silver in de duck pond an hid out de horse3 an cows in de big cane~brake what used to be on dis side o Sowashee Creek. But, Lort it didn do no good. Sherman done caught on by dat time bout how to fin things. Dey got ever thing an burned Marse Greer s barn. Dey lef de hou5e an didn bother de fam ly cause dey called deyse fs company. De good Lord knows Marss Greer didn vite ernt But de Cap ns bein dore kep de *rip~.rap sojers frum tearin up ever thing. When word come dat dey was comin it souri lak a moanin iin in de quarter ~ver body was a- sayiri De Yankees is commt ~ De Yankees is comin ~ Us chu1iu~ was scared, but it was lak Sund y, *gr~juat e *rjff..~ff /

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64 too, nobody dom nothin . U march roun de room an sorter sin~1ak, De Yankees is commt ~ De Yankees is commt t~ Dey wouldn let us out in de big road. Well, dey come. Dey burn up seventy houses an all de stores. Dey tore up de railroad tracks an toted off ever thing dey couldn eat. I don un erstan nothin bout how come dey act lak dat. 1J5 amt done nothin to em. Well thinge kep gittin worse an worse. After de Sur~ render Niggers got mighty biggity. Mos of em was glad jus to feel free. Dey didn have no better sense. Dey forgot ~vouidn be nobody to take care of em. Things warnt healthy an my mamxny an me kep close to de white folks. Course, Tempe she was grown an could do what she please. She sho done sornp in when she n~rried Cal. Dat was de meanes Nigger . He nail up a board over de gate p05 what say, No visitors allowed!. Sho nough didn no visitors want to go to his houses II don know how corne things got so urtnatchel after de 5ur~ render. Niggers got to bein all kin o things what de Lawd didri inten em for, lak bein policemen an all lak dat. it was ecan lous~ Course, it was de Yankees what done it. Dey promise to give ever body forty acres o Ian an a mule. A lot of em didn have no better sense dan to believe ein. Dey8d go head an do what de Yankees ud tell em. Well, dey didn give em nothin , not even a rooster. Didn give emn~}ii~ but trouble. I don know how carne ~v1r. Theodore Sturges brother was a Ya~~kee. But after de Surrender he come to Mer~ree~dian an got to 4

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65 be Mayor. Didn none o de white folks lak dat. l~!ir. Theodore d1dn lak it hisee f, but nothjri he could do bout it. Things got so bad de *}floo.~(Juxes atarted ridiri at night an *~po~jrj o bad Niggers. Den one Satu d y night Mr. Theodore s big sto got set fiah to an de Mayor he tried to blame it on de Kloo ~.uxes. Course ever bo4y knowed de Yankees done it. You see de Yankees was a ~ tryin to git de Gov nor to run de Kloo~K1uxes out. Dat was one ~twfu1 fiah. Near bout de whole town burnt up down town an ever nice white man was down dare a-fi~h~i~i de fish. . Plenty o Nigger8 was out too, dom devlishruent Three of em got rested an dey had de trial Monday. In de meentirne, all de Yankee-lovin Niggers had a big meetin an de loudes rnouf dere was dat big buck Nigger Bill. kie &il time call hisse f De~nie when he don call hisse f Clopton. Here dey goes, all het up frurn makin speeches an a~ drinkin , an packs de courtroom full. then Mr. Patton got up on de stan an say, he ~ho done hear Bill Dennis say somp in , Bill he holler out, Dat s a U.e . Only he say a bad word dat I wouldn say. Den Mr. Patton, raise up his walkin stick an start toward Bill. Bout den Bill jerk out his pistol an shoot at Mr. Patton. He miss Mr. Patton an hit Judge i~rexnlette. Yes m, kilt him corpse- dead right dere on hLs high pulpit chairt ~ Bout dat time ever thing bue loose. Near bout all de white gent mun in d court rooa take a shot at Bill. He falls, but he amt dead yet. Dey put hirn in de sheriff s office an 1sf two white men wid him. But things was a -happenin sofas by dat time dey *fl~u Klux *dj sposir~g 5

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66 couidri Stan it. Dey th owed Bill out o dat two~story wir~ow an run down to git h) de fight. De white folks was plumb wo out by dat time wid all de devilishment o de Yankees an de fool Niggers. Even a mean Nigger got sense nough to know when he done gone too far. Dey all git away as fas as dey could an scatter over town, den after dark dey come a~creepin back to de quarters. Dat was she de wron~es thiri~ to do. Dat night, all de sho nough white men came a~rnarchin out Seventh Street on dey way to d~ quarters. I had did up Miss Lizzie s parlor curtains dat very day an de boy was puttin up de mouldin frame roun em when us hear dat trompin soun . It didn souri lak no ever day xnarchin . It souri lak Judgemerit Day. De boy fell off de ladder an run an hid b hind de flour barrel in de pantry. Miss Lizzie was peepin out twixt dem white lace curtains an I was right b hin er. I spect Seventh Street was lined wid wirrnnin-folks dom jus what us dom , cause dey husban s, sons, an sweetheartawas out dere in dat march~ line. Well da~ ~ night ended all d e troubles De line done stop at Mr. Theodore Sturges house fore it git out far as us. ourse, ever body know ~tr. Theodore an Miss Allie was sho nough fol ks but d ey was b ound to have dat Yankee brothe r his n . De yard was plumb full o white men ready to burn de house right down on Miss Alliets head lessen dey d give up dat Yankee ~IIayor. Mr. Theodore corne to de door an say, Gent xuun, he amt here. lint nobody believe dat. Dey ~ a~ fixin to bus on in anyhow, when

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MjE~$ Allie come out. She come d~ht down dem steps mongst all dein ir~d folks an say, calm an lady~1ak, G~nt mun, my brother~ir~law ie here, cert riy. Where would he ~o for safety cepn to his brother e house? But I give you my word d~t he gwine stay right here till you put him on de fir train headin navth. Den no mo blood Will be spilled. An dat s what dey done. Ye8 m it was all mighty bad, but plenty good things done happen in ~er ree- dian, too. I se seen dis town grow frurn nothin . ~Then us come here fore de War, dey was hitchin dey horses to little oak bushes right in de middle o town where de bigges stores is now. I was a grown girl by den an could n~ke horsemint tea for chills an mullen leaves for fever good as anybody; an horehound tea for colds, bitter as gall. I jus now caught up how to cook an sew. I married when I was nineteen years old. I had nine chillun an five of em s still livin . Dey looks after me right nice, too. My son in Chicago gimme dis house an I lives here by myse f. I ke epe it ni c e an e 1 san j lak I j. earnt h ow t o d o f ruin de whit e folks where I used to work. I amt never work for no common folks. I tries to live lak a Chri~ti~.n an do jus lak Old Mistis 8ay. Den when I die I can go to Heaven. 7

Smity Hodges, ex-slave, Pike County. 072 068

~ ~t 1~Ussiasippi Federal Writers ~ 68 Slave Autobiographies Fanny Smith Hodges lives in Berglundtown, in the northern part of town, in the only Negro settlement within the corporate limits of k~cComb. My n~ue s Fanny Hodges. I was Fanny Smith befo I was uiar ied. L{y manmiy W88 .Jane Westheraby, an she b long ter old man ~eathersby in Amite County. He was de meanes man what ever lived. ~y pappy was soi befo I wa~ born. I doan know notbin bout him. I had one sister her name was (XLara and one brudder his name was Jack. Dey said my peppy s name was George. I doan know. uMawmy said when I was jes big nough to nuss an wash leetle chulluns, I was soi to Marse Hiram (.aseedy an dat man give me ter hie darter, kiss Mary, to be her maid. De Cassedys she was good people. I was big nough to draw water, an put it in a tub an was& Miss Mary, Miss Annie, an Misa July. 1 had to keep em clean. I had to comb dey hair an dey would holler an say I pulled. I was toi not to let anything hurt dem chulluns. ~ I slep in de Quarters wid de other niggers. Befo sunup I kied to git to de Big House ter dress dew cnulluns. I doan member wiiut kind of bed I had, but reckin it was good. I et in de kitchen. Dey ~ fed fine. I et whut de white folks 1.1 , an sometimes dey had possum Ian tater8. Dey was good. ~_#~ Marse Cassedy was a big Judge. He went to all de cou ts, an rode in a fine carri ge with two big horses hitched ter it, an a driver. He wore fine cio es an ever body said he was a mighty big man. He had

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~ Page2 ~ 241- SnLity Hodges, Ex-slave, Pike County FEC ~ Mrs. W. F. Holmea Iota an lots of money. I doan know how many acrea in hie plantation, but he had niore n 50 slaves. ~Then lEarse Cassedy was gone, his oberseer would be hard on de slaves, but Marse Cassedy would tell hirn not to be too hard. He never lowed his driver to draw de blood when dey whupped. He fed his slaves. Dey all had gardens and he tuk care of us. He had money in every one of us. De oberseera was white men workin fer wages. WI was never whupped afte I went to Marse Cassedy. Slaves was whupped when dey wouldn t work right. Sometimes dey was lazy. De oberseer blowed a horn every mornin and de slaves knowed to git up, an when dat horn blowed agin, dey knowed dey must go to de fiel . Dey blowod de horn at dinner an night. Afte supper, we set bout an sing an go places. Sometimes de men would steal off an go ter other plantations, an wnen kotched dey got a whuppin . If de pataroller got em, dey 8 1O~ kotched it. Dey was w~iupped an~ brung back. .. :~ ~ ~ ~ c ~De white folks nad big dances in de Big House and de niggers : played de fiddle. Dey Wa8 fine times. Dey had good things ter eat, an . I allus got some of whut was lef . Christmas time de slaves had dances~ ~ I could sho shuffle my feet. Shucks, folks doan dance like dat any more. ~ --.~ .~ When slaves was sick, dey ~nt to de woods and got roots an herba ter doctor em wid. If dey had runnin off of de bo~~le, dey got red oak barks an boiled it an made em drink it. Tt s de beat thing right now to cure runnin off of de bowels. If young gals had pains in dey stomachs dey made tea out n guru bark and dat would bring em round When babies W~8 born, dey had good midwives to wait oi~ em. Dat was good money.

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70 Page 241$mity Hodges, Ex-~1ave, Pike County FEC krs. W. F. Holmee When Mise July got mar ied dey had two cooke in de ~ kitchen makin pound. cake fer more n a week, an pies, an chicken pie, an dey killed a hog. Dey had ever body in de country savin ~ butter an eggs fer a long time. I didn see de weddin but de yard Lwas full and we had ever thing to eat. _ KMy folks was rich. Marse Cassedy went to de War an he was a bi~g man dire. He was gone a long time. Dey kep tellin US de Yankees was comin and Mise Fanny had her silver put in a bag and hid. Dey had de money put in a wash pot and buried, an dey ain t found dat money yet. Oh, dey had more moneys Didn I tell you dey was rich? No main, dey wasn t p0 when war was over. Dey had ever thing. When de Yankees come, dey carried off all de meat in de smoke house, an de blanket an quilts, an every thing dey wanted, dey he ped deyee ves. None of de slaves went wid rem. When Mar80 Cassedy come home he had de oberseer blow de horn bout ten o clock arid toi em all dey was freed. He said he d work em fer wages, an nearly ever one of em stayed fer wages. I stayed wid Miss M~ary bout ten years. Den I mar ied. No, Jake an me rid. hor8e back an went to Magnolia an got mar ied. I doan know who ma~ ied us - eoznehody in de cou t house. ~e an lake went to ~uinmit ter live . We had to work mighty hard. Sometimes T plowed in de fiel aU day; sometimes I washed an den I cooked, an afte while, we moved down to de new town. I come here when dia town tust started. I cooked fer Mrs. Badenhauser, while he was

075 071

Page4 241. Smity Hodges, Ex- slave, Pike County FEC M~ra. W. F. Holmes mayor of de town.~ey worked me hard. Me n .Take e had some hard tz1~s an downs. Ihad to chullun, none of dem livin dat I know of. /1 U~1ght have some grandchulluna but if I do, dey live up North. ; I m old an can hardly git about. I se got a cancer. De ~ doctor done cut my let brest clear offen me, but dat hurts me somtirries ~yjt. *x niver jined any church tIl bout 20 year ago, right here in Borglundtown. My church is flowery Mbunt Bapti8t Church, an my Brudder Washin ton 18 ~7 pastor, an he is~ de beet preacher what ever lived. ~o, M8.rse ~assedy didn t have no church fer de slaves. Dey went to de white folks church. . ~ How do I live? Well I~ gits a pensiou of fo dollars ein I try to wash a leetle fer de colored folks, an den I beg. stay here long but God WQfl t low me to starve. Bless God, he s -~ fer me some day. a month, I can t comm4 ji

Wayne Holliday, ex-slave Monroe County. 076 072

Mississippi Federal Writers Slave Autobiog~aphies I W~8 born an raised i~ Abex desza an I se been s railroad nigger to moe of ~ days. I 8e retired now oau8e dey say I too o 4 to work any longer, but shw~Ica, I ain t liait dead yet. I was bora in 1853 right here Close to whar I live now. My folks b longed to de Hollidays -~ you know de grand folks of Mies Maria Evans? An we stayed right der. in de lot whar de white folks lived. My pa an ay ~a was named Jrank an Sarah Holliday an de Cunel brwig dea wid hia trum North Car li*a. Dey was lot niggers afl~ never worked in de fiel t~ lived in de Qparters. My pa was on~e of de best oarpsntere in de country. I was too young to work auok but soenetias I h. ped hi~& roun de house but aoe of de tiuie, I joe played wid ay bruddsra an sisters an de white chullun what lived aroun . We played marbles, ridin de stick hoes, an play house jee lek de ohullun do now days, but I think we had zo fun. Dey was fo teen of us in our family an we ailus had somebody to play ild. An den li l M~rse Ben, he wa nt *uoh older daaus . . Our ~arster~s neas was Cwi~l J~o1 & Holiday. He got dat title in a war before de elav ry war. H. was too old to fight in dat one, or I ~pe t he d got saother title, lak Gen ral or scn~ethin . He an Mis8 Julia ~ dat washia wife was mighty ~ t ~ ~ ~ . ~

077 073

Page 2 241-Wayr~e Holiday, Ex-slave Monroe County ~FEC Mrs. Richard Koib good to us an so was Marse Torn and Marse Ben, an Miss Maria an all. When de Cunel fust come to Mississippi he bought a plantation in de prairies an lived dere for a while. But later he cided to build him a house in town so he got my pa to he p him build it an it was one of de purtiest houses in Aberdeen. It look jes lak it allus did to me now. Co se dey is worked on it several times since den, but dey ain t ehangd it at all. My raarr~ay did de cookin for de white folks dere. Dey all thought a lot of her I never knowed much wh~: t y ry was t botit to tell de truf. De .~Olk8 never tr ated Us wrong an ChUI1UU in dem days didn get to run aroun lak dey do today an we didn get to hear no gossip bout de other niggers. Since we didn live in no quarters we didn hear nQthin. Our folks never said nOthin cause day was very well sati8fied lak dey was. We never hear of ho whuppin 8 or runaways either, tu afte de War an when we got older. I member de War tho . Marse Tom, he went tust, wid de Vim Dorns. He was made a capt in or somethin ca se he was so brave. He fought long wid de fust an was one of de fust to get hit. Dey brui~ his body all de way from Richmond, or Virginny, I fergit which, and lawzy, if de Ounel an de Miss take on

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Page3 241- Wayne Holilday Ex~s lave Monroe County :~Ec Mrs. Richard Koib s aethin awful. Dey sho loved dat boy an so did all of de niggers. Afte dey buried him dey took bis sword an hung it on de wall ot de parlor. I reckin it still dar. Marse Ben went afte dat. He was jes old riough to . go but he went an foug,ht je s de same He coi~ie back when de war was over an dey was sho some rejoicin . Time wa nt much diffrunt den dan it was fo de War. We stayed on wid our folks for a long time. Den rriy pa started gettin a li l work here an dar an purty soon he got all his chullun started out purty well. We all wer~t to de colored school what dey had down whar de railroad crossin is now, an dat was whar i: l arned to read an write. I ~idn iaarry for a good while an den I went to work on de I.C. Railroad. 1 was fust a coal heaver an den a coach porter. I was faithful to my job an made good money an soon built me a house of my own whar I raised my family. I sent all my chullun to 8chOOl an dey is dom well. My wife worked right long wid me. She died bout two years ago. I se thaxikful I ain t got no sad mem ries bout slav ry times an dat I an my folks is done as well aa ~ey have. T is de work of de Lawd. ~ Wayne Holliday, who lived in slavery times, and whose father was a slave, i8 84 years old, a dried~.-u~p looking Negro ot

079 075

75 Page 4~ 24l-~ayne Holliday, Ex~s1ave L~ onroe County Lii~s. Richard Koib light tan color. ~ppro~cimate1y 5 feet three inches high and weigh ing about 130 pounds, he is most active and appears much younger than he really is. He is slightly bent; his kinky hair is intermingled white and gray; and his broad mouth boasts only one visible tooth, a particularly large one in the extreme center of his lower gi~. ~ Wayne has the manner of a Negro of the old South and ~ depicts, in his sxr~ill way, the gallantry of an age gone by. lb

Prince Johnson, ex-slave, Coahoma County. 080 076

. e)a~,~ ~ e 76~ 241 Prince Iohneon Ex slave Coahoma County FEC Mrs. Carrie Campbell Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes ~ PRINCE JOHNSON Olarlcsdale Mississippi Yes mam, I sho can tell you all bout lt cause I was dore when lt all happened. My gran pa ~ Peter gran ma Mill le pa ;rohn an m~r ma, Iranoes all come from Alabama to Yazoo County to live in de Love fam ly. Dey names was Dennis when dey come, but, after de custom o dem days, dey took de naine o Love fran dey new owner. Me ~ an all o my brothers an sisters was born right dere. Dey was eleven head us. I was de oldea . Den e orne parry ~obu, William, Henry, Phillis, i~ olly, Nellie, Virginny, Millie, an de baby, Ella. Us all lived in de quarters an~ de beds was home made. Dey had wooden legs wid canvas stretched oroet em. I can t m~ber so much bout de q~iartere cause bout dat t line de young mies married Colonel ~J oImeon an moved to dis place in Carroll County. She carried wid her over one hund ed head t darkies . ~ ~ Den us names was changed from Love to J~obuson. My new marster was sui e a tine gent man He lived in a big twostory white house dat had big. white poets ix~ front De flowers ~fl. t roun lt jus ast it oft. :1.

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Marster took me ~or de houae boy. Den I sho carried i~ head high. He d Bay to me, Prince does you know who you is named for? An I d say to him, Yes sir. Prince Albert. An den he d say to me, Well, always carry yo se f lak he did. To dis good day I holds xnyse f .ak Marster said. On certain days o de week one o de old men on de place took us house servants to de fiel to learn us to work. Us was brought up to know how to do anything dat come to han Marster would let us work at odd times for outsiders au us could use de money tor anything us pleased. My gran ma soi nough corn to buy her two feather beds. Us always had plenty t eat. De old folks done de cookin for all de fiel han s cept on Sund y when ever fern ly cooked for dey ownse f~. Old Mie ud come over ever Sund y moruin wid sugar an white flour. Us ud moe ingen ally have fish, rabbits poss~s, or coons. Lord, chu I Dem possums was good eatin I can tas em now. Folks dose days don t know bout good . My marster had a great J4g garden for ever body an I amt never seen such t tatars as growed in dat garden. Dey was s o sweet de sugar tut us right th ough de peelin when you roasted em in de ashes. Old Auat ~nily cooked for au. de chillun ~ de place. Ha f a hour b~ de sun, dey was all cafled in to supper. Dey had pot likker an ash cake an such things as would make em grow. Chillun dn didn know nothin bout all de fancy ailments what ehillun have now. Dey run an played all day in dey shirt tails 2

082 078

~. 78 in de summer time. When winter come dey had good warm *010 ~ es same as us older ones. One day MarBter s chillun an de cullud chillun slipped oft to de orchard. Dey was jus a-eatin green apples fas as dey oou 4 when long come de master, bisse t. He lined em ai). up, black an white al ike an cut a keen switch. Twant a o~e in dat line dat dIdE git a few licks. Den he catled de old doctor w~an an made er give em ever one a dose o medicine. Dey didn a one ;r em git sick. Marster an Old Mie had five chillun. Dey is all dead aIL gone now, an I s still here. One o his eons was a Supreme ~rudge :rore he died. ~ My folks was sho quality. Mai ster bought all de little places roun us so he wouldn have no p0 white trash neighbors. Yes sirZ He owned bout thirty-five hund ed acres an at leas a hund ed an fifty slaves. ever mornin bout clock us could hear dat horn blow for us to git up an go to de fiel Us a .wa~s q~uit ~rk Thre de sun went down an ne-ver worked at night. De overseer was a white man. His name. was rosh Neighbors, but de driver was a cuflud man, Old Man Henry. He wasu t lowed to mistreat noboby. If be got too uppity dey d oaU~ his han right now. De rule was if a Nigger wouldn work h us be sol . Nother rule on dat place was dat if a man got dissati fied, he was to go ~ to de marster an ask him to put im in his pocket. Dat meant he wanted to be an de money be brought put in de mar s pocket . I amt never known O but two askin to be put in de pocket. *clothes 3

083 079

79 Both of t em was 1 . Dey had jails in dw~ days, but dey was built for white folks. No culiud person was ever put in one of em tu a ~ter de war. Us didn know nothin bout dem things. Course, Old Mie knowed bout ein, thing. I recouse she toi me one day dat she diffe ent languages. None o us didn have no learnin atall. D t is us didn book learnin . Twant no teachers or anything lak dat, but us taught to be hrjstjans. ~ver thing on dat place was a blue Presbyt erlen. When un y e orne us dressed aU clean an nice to church. Us went to de white i olks church an set In de cause she knowed ever -. had learnin In five . have no sho was stockin an went gal ry. Us had a fine preacher. His name was Gober. He could t give out de ~rds t wisdom. Us ddn have big baptis ins lak was had On a heap o places, cause Presbyterians don t go down under de water lak de Ba do. If one o de slaves di ed he was give a grau Christian fun al. All o us mourners was on han . Services was conducted by de white preacher. ~ Old Mie wouldn stan for no such things as voodoo an ha nts When she ~ spected i~ts once a week, you better not have no charm roun yo neck, neither. She wouldn even *~low us wear a bag o *aefjttjdy Mos folkab lieved dat would keep off sickness. She called such as dat superstitIon. She say us was lightened Christian Presbyterians, an as such us mus conduc ourse Th. *inspected *8110w .~ 4 *as~f et Ida

084 080

?~ 80 Nobody worked after dinner on Satu d y. Us took dat time to scrub up an clean de houses so as to be ready for spection Sund y morilin . Some Satu d y nights us had dances. De same old fiddler played for us dat played for de white fo1k~. An he sho could play. When he got dat old fiddle out you coiildn keep yo foots still. Christ mus was de time o all times on dat old plantation. Dey don t have no Buch as dat now. ever chu brought a stockin up to de Big House to be filled. Dey all wanted one o de ~nistis stockin s, Cause now she weig~hed nigh on to three hund ed pounds. Candy an presents was put in piles for ever one. When dey names was called dey walked up an got it Us didn work on New Year s Day. Us C oui d go to own or anywhere us wanted to. De moe fun was de c am Dey was two e aptains an ea h one picked ~de ~ ones he wanted on his side Den de shuckin started. You can t make mention o nothin good dat us didn bAve t e~t after de shuokin . i: still studies bout dem deys now. . Dey was big parties at de white fOi~ks house, me, all dressed up wid*taller on n~ face to make it shine, a~~servin de*gue&eS. One time, jus when ever thing was a- goin fine, a sad thing happened. My young mistis, de one named for her ma, ups an runs off wid de son o de Irish ditch digger an marries im. She wouldn~ a done it if de1y d a-let er marry de man she wanted. Dey dldn think he was good nough for her. So jus to spite em, she married de ditch digger s son. Old Mie WOUI I have nothin more to do wid er, same as it she warnt her own chu . But I a go over to see er an carry milk an *gue$te 5

085 081

81 things out o de garden. ~ flit was pitiful to see my little mies poor. When I oouldn stan it no longer I walks right up to Old Ute an I says, Old Mie , does you kaow Miss Farrell amt got no cow. She jus act lak she amt hear I me, an put her lips together dat tight. I couldn do nothin but walk off an leave her. Pretty soon she called, Prince! I says, Yes marn. She says, Seem you is 80 concerned bout Miss Farrell not havin no cow, you better take one to er. I foun de~rope an carri.ed de bee cow in de lot to Miss Farrell. . Shortly after dat I lef wid Old Marster to go to North Carolina. rus fore de war come on, my marster called me to im en toi me he was a~.goin to take me to North Carolina to his brother for safe . Right den I knowed me was wrong. I was a-wishin from de bottom o ~y heart dat de Yankees wJ stay out o us business eilt not git us all sturbed in de mm. Things went on at his brother s place bout lak dey done I stayed dere all four years o de war. I~ couldn leave men folks all. went to de war an I had to stay an rt de at home. cause de women folks. De day peace was declared wagon loads o people rode all th ough de place a tellin us bout bein free. De old Colonel was killed in battle an his wife had died. De young marster called us in an said lt was all true, dat us was free as he was, en us could leave whenever us got ready. He said his money warnt no good anymore an he didn have no other to pay us wid. I can t recoflec it he got new money an paid us or not, but~ I do member ever las one o us stayed. 6

086 082

I never lef dat place ttjl my young marster, Mr. 31m Yohnson, de one dat was de Supreme rudge come for me. He. was -in in South Carolina den. He took us all home wid im. Us got dere in time to vote for Gov nor Wade Hamilton. Us put im in office, too. De tirs thing I done was join de D~nocrat Club an *hoped em run all o de scalawags awsy from de place . My young marster had always t me t o 1 ive for my country an had seen nough o dat war to know j us what was on. I se seen many a patrol in my lifetime, but~dey dassent come on us place. Now de ~K .Qo Kiuxes tas ditf ent. I *rid wid em many a time. Twas de only way In dem days to keep order. When I was bout twenty-two year old, I married Clara Breaden. I had two chilluns by her, Diana an Davis. My secon wi s name was Annie Bet Woods. I had six chillun by her: Mary, Ella, John D., Claud William, an Prince, Jr. Three boys an two gals Is still livin I lires wid my daughter, Claud, what is farmin a place bout five miles from C .arksdale. I has bout fifteen head o gran chillun en~ ever las one ot em s farmers. Things .15 all peaceful now, but de won was sho stirred up when Abrah~a Lincoln was lected. I m~ber well when dey killed im. Us had a song bout im dat went iak dis: Zfefferson Davis rode de milk white steed, ~ Lincoln rode de mule. ~eff Davis was a mighty fine man, An Lincoln was a fool. One o de little gals was a-singin dat song one dey an she mixed dem names up. She had it dat Marse Davis was de fool I se laughod bout dat many a t line When Mistis finished wid e~ she had ~ ~help d ~ 7 ~

087 083

broke her from suokin eggs. I knows eli bout what slave uprisin s is, but never In n~y life has I seen an~ything lak dat. Never! Neverl Where I was brought up de white man knowed his place au de Nigger knowed*hIs?n. Both of ~n stayed In dey place. We amt never had no lynchin s, neither. I know ai . bout Booker T. Washington. He come to de state o Mississippi once an hei a xneetin In ~ ackson; He made a gran talk. He made mention bout puttin mone~ In de bank. LOts o? darkies made m~nbrance o dat an done It. He toit ~ de tirs thing us had to learn was to work an dat ail de sohoolin in de won wouidn mean nothin If us didu have no ~inother wit. It s a pity us amt got ~re folks isk him to guide us now dat us amt got no marst er an mist is to learn us. I s a Nigger what has been prosperous I made a..plenty cotton an I teached my ehiliun to be good blue stoekin Presbyterians. All tin de o ountry I was knowed an ever body b lieved in me. Maybe things Is better lait dey is today. Moe folks says SQ anyway. But it Old Marster were a-livin I d be better off. I know dat to be so. ~ WI can hear im say to me now, PrInce Albert ~ who is you~ aemed for? Well den b yo head high so tolks can see you 18 quality. this. ~energy & coimnon sense

Slave autobiographies. 088 084

~r ; j~ )a. ~tIpi 3~~dsra1 Writsrs ~r~Q( ~ ~ ~ J Slave Aut obiogriiphies Uncle Hainp Kennedy, a farmer, y8 years old, weighs about 13,5 pounds, ~nd is about .5 feet 9 inches high. Hie head je bald with a little gray fuzz over hie ears and growing low toward the nape of his neck. Fie does not wear spec~tec~ e nor smoke a pipe. lus face is clean shaven. ?hysically active, he does not use a crutch or cane and his hearing, eyesight, and mind appear alert. The old Negro cannot read or write, but he has a remarkable memory. He seems very happy in liii little cabin where he and bis wife live al ne, and his eyes beam with interest when he remembers and diacusees slavery times. I was jes a little nigger when de War broke out bout fo years ol , my white folks say. I had a sister an three bruddere. My Ulafl2ULy an peppy was Mary Kennedy an Lon Kennedy. My nian~my was Mary Denhaiu befo 8he mar t~.d. I was born an raised at Mahned, Miaeiesippi. Old Mise Bill Griffin was my miseus. D. Yankees ekio come to our house yes sir, dey did. De Lust time dey kotched our hogs an cutoff de bind part an take bit wid ,m. De front part dey hf in de fiel . Dey carries cqrn in~ . de saddle begs an thi owed hit out to di chickens. Den when

089 085

~) 85 ~ de ckickens come up to eat dey kotched em by de head an ~ ing ~ hit off an take all de chickens wid em. ~ Our white folks buried all dey silver in de groun an ~ hid dey hoases in di deep gullies neerde plantation. Even dey clo es an meat dey ride, an de soijers didn find nothin cep in de bosses, an dey lef dey tired ones an tuk our fre8h . (~fl~8 wid em. Dey burned de fiel s an orchards so our white folka couldn he p feed our soijers none. ~/ On, time I member when Aunt Charity an Winnie Mclnnis, ~ ~ two niggers on our plantation, tried to swim some of our hoases : ~ cross de riber to asve em fruui de 8oljers an dey rode cross ~ ~ ~ in a little boat. Well, when de hosses got in de middle of de I water, up comes a gator (:1.), grabs one hoes by de ear, an we ta~in t neber seed him no mc . When nigger. run way trum de plantation dey was whupped, but dey had to go to di sheriff to be whupped. D sheriff, hi would tie de nigger to a tree an whup him till di blood run out. ~ Bout d. only recr ation us niggera had in dem days was ~ candy pulliri .. Wi all inst at one house an toi ghost stories, sung plantation songs, an danced de clog while de candy was cookin . Dem was de good old days. Dey don t do dem things no 1fb . ~ (1) alligator

090 086

.~ 8G When a nigger died, we had a wake an dat W88 diffrunt too trum whut tie today. Dey neber lef a dead nigger lone in de house, but all de neighbora wae dare an hoped (1). Dey turned de mit tors to de wall cauae dey say once a long time ago, a nigger died an three daya afte wards hie people looked in a minor an dore dey see de dead nigger plain as day in de mirror. At de wake we clapped our han s an kop time wid our : ~ feet Walking~Egyj~, dey calls hit - an we chant an hum all \ night till de nigger W8B f~e a1i~j~,. \. , ~ If we heerd a little old shiverin own (2) we d th ow salt in de fire an th ow a broom cross de do fer folks say dat twas a sign of bad luck, an a charm had tobe worked fae to keep BUfl2pifl terrible trum h&ppenin , an if a bi~ow1 hollered, we wasn t lowed to say one word. Fire was Ybo~t de hardes thing fer u. to keep. Den wa ni no matches in dem days, an we toted fire frum one plantation to nother when hit burned out. We put live coals in pans or buckets an toted it hor . Sometimes we put heavy waddin in a old gun an shot hit out into a brush heap an then blowed the sparks UI de fire blazed. 1~ver body had flint rocks too, but few nigger s could work em an (i) helped (2) screech owl

091 087

de ones d~t could alitas had dat job to do. My gren mairimy come trum South Ce iria an libed fuet at New Augusta, kieeiasippi. She ueed to pick big Cat~ba leaves an roll her dough in em an bake hit in a log heap, pilin aehee over hit. Some called hit ash cakes an hit sho wasgood. Nothin )ak hit dose days ~ no sir. . We had pl.n y to eat ~ amoke sausage, an yes sir, possum when we wanted hit. w, didn git any pay fer our work but we had plen y to eat an clo es to wear. uur clo ee was coarse but good. M08t of era was wove on de looms an our socks an stockings was knitted by de wiminin. De white folks though, dey wear linen an fin, silk clo es fer de big times. We made blankets coverlets, too. i~_~~ We had bout 60 slaves on our place, an if a nigger man on : ~:Cfle plantation fall in love wid a clave girl on nother place, dey .~.. ~ c~: ~jue com to her plantation an jump ober de broom an d.n dey ie ~rsar ied. D. elabee never had preachers lak dey do at weddin s . ~e8e days. I~ di girl didn t l ve di boy an he jumped Ob.r:~e ~ro~ora an ehe d idn t den dey we nt n~ ed. Den w*e no echoole in dsm days either, an I can t read an ~ it~ today. Soue 0.1 de white folks taught de younger nigger. beef, borne ~de lard,

092 088

88 den dey tuk dey lessons an etudied et dey cabin of night8 afte dey had fini8hed work. ~We h8d prayer meetin s in sach others houees dunn de week. One plent8tion owner built e little churcki on kils place an de ni~er8, dey ~o in de back do an sit in de back, &i white folk8 dey come in de front of dechurch an sit. De Free- byterin ck~iu ch W88 de ohly one round dere an dey sprinkled ever body - jes poured water ober dey heads frurn a glass an den patted hit ~ut~n tdemonstrated). Twas funny one time Joe an Green, two niggere on our place, et dey supper an run way at night an afte dey was kotched, dey toi us dat when dey was passin through de woods dat night a great big old gran daddy owl flopped his wings an Joe said we d better turn back. I alius heard hit was bad luck fer to hear a owl floppin lack dat, but Green said twant nothin , jes a old owl floppin , but he jas naturally flopped ~ diffrunt dat night, an Green walked on bout 15 ete~a an somebody i shot hin dead. Joe said he tu ned back an run home. ~ ~ All our niggers had to have passes to leave de plantation an when de patiiroller kotched ein wid out n ~ pass, de nigger was whupped. Sometimes de plantation owner did hit an sometimes de

093 089

sheriff. Dey used a long leather strop cut at d. ends. We used snake root, hohound weed, 1ff. everlastin weed, horse mint, an sassafras as u~edicine. When de War was right on us, grub was times litt .e niggers only had clabber milk an trough wid de pigs, an sometimes deyonly had crusts at night when dey et on de cabin flo . afte de War. Nother time one nigger run way frwn our plantation an hid by day an traveled by nig~it so de nigger dogs wouldn t git hinz an he hid in a hollow tree. Dere was three cubs down in dat tree an hit was so slick inside an so high UI he couldn t clini out, an afte while de oie bear came back an throw in half a hog. Den she go way an come ag in an throw in de other half. Bout a hour later,~ She came back an crawl in back ards hsrse f. De nigger inside de tree kotched her by de tail an pulled hiaself out. Hit scared de bear so til ehe run in one direction an di nigger in nother. But de nigger, he run in di direction of hie niarster s plac. an said he d neber run off again as long as h. ~ ..* libed. scarce an some~ dey et it in de pie crusts an bread Dem was hard times ni can t member de old songs but dose niggere today can t

094 090

90 sing lak det neither cause dey ain t libed back dere, an dey can t feel hit lak us old folks. ~ Dein was de good old days ellrigkit, an dey was hard days too.

James Lucas. 095 091

~ . 91 ~:. M~s LUCA$ Natchez, Mississippi . ~axnes Lucas, ex slave of 3efferson Davis, liTes at Natchez, Adams County. Une le fim i s small wrinkled and slightly at ooped. His woolly hair is white, and his eyes very bright. He wears a small grizzled mustache. He is always clean and neatly dressed. Mis~you can count up for yo se f I was born on October li, 1633. ~r young Marster give ins my age when he heired de prope ty O b his uncle, Marse W. B. Withers. He was a- goin through de papers an a burnin some of ein when he ftun de one bout me Den. he says, s ~riri, dissen s bout you It gives birthday. I recollec a heap bout slav ry- tirries, but l s all by xnyse f now. All o my frien s has lef i~. Even Marse Fleming has passed on. He was a little boy when I was a grown mane I ~ born in a cotton fiel in cotton pickin time, an de ~ . winmiins fixed my meinrriy up so she didn hardly lose no time at~all. My n~an~y sho WELS healthy. Her name was Silvey an her maii~j cc~ie over to dis country in a big ship. Somebody give her de name o Betty~ but twant her right name Folks couldn un erstan a word she say. It was some sort o gibberish dey called gulluli talk, an it soun dat tunny. My pappy was Bill Lucas. When I was a little chat I used to wear coarse lowell.. cloth shirts on de week~a-days. Dey was long an had bi~ collars. ~ I r ~

096 092

i~ When de seams ripped de hide would show through. when I got big enough to wait routi at de Big House an go to town, I wore clean rough clo es. De pants was white linsey woolsey an de shirts was rough white cotton what was wove at de plantation. In de winter de sewin wiirimin3 made us heavy clothes an knit wool socks for us. De wimmins wore linsey.-woolsey dresses an long leggin s lak de sojers wear. Dis was a long narrow wool cloth an it wropt roun an roun dey legs an fas n at de top wid a string. I never went to no church, but on Sund ys a white man would preach an pray wid us an when he d git through us went on bout us own business, t?~t Chri s mus de M~trster give de slaves a heap o fresh ins at an whiskey for treats. But you better not git drunk. No.msir_reel Den on. Chris mus Zve dey was a big dance an de white folks would cc~ an see de one what dance de bes . Marster an Mistis laugh fit to kill at de capers us cut. Den sometimes dey had big weddixi s an de young white ladies dressed de brides up lak dey was white. Soi~et1mes dey sont to N awleans ~f r a big cake. De preacher married em wid de same *testixnony dey use now. Den ever body d. hRve a little drink an ~? sOEne cake. It sho was *larj~pj~? Den ever body d git right. Us ~ ~ could dance near bout all night. De old-time fiddlers played fas music an us all clapped han s an troinped an s~ray d in tine to de music. Us sho made de rafters ring. Us slaves did pay no tenti on t o who owned us leastways * eremofly every g0o4 2

097 093

; 93 de young oxies didn I w~s raised by a marster what owned a heap o~ lau s. Leinxae see, dey is called 4~rtonish, Lockdale, an Lock1eairen~ Dey Is plant~. tions long de river in v ilkinson County, where I was raised. Dey is all lone together. I s sho my firs raarster was L~arse STirn Staxaps an his wife was Luiss Lucindy. She was nice an sof goin . Us w~s gl~d wheii she stayed on de plantation. Nex thing I knowed us all b longed to ~Larse ~ithe~ s0 He was from de nawth an he didn have no ~~ife (~I~sters wid out wives was de d&~bil. I knows a-plenty wht I oughtu tell to ladies. Twant de narsters whut was so x~ean. Twas dem p0 white trash overseers an agents. Dey was mean; dey was meaner dan bulldogs. Yes m, wives made a big diffe nce. Dey was kin an went bout raongst de slaves a-look~ in after em. Dey give out food an clo es an shoes. Dey doetered de little babies.) when things went wrong de wixnrnins was all de time puttin me up to tellin de Mi~t1s. Liarse D. D. Withers was my young marster. He was a little man, but ever body stepped when he come tro~t, t rightly know how it e orne bout Lenmie see Z De be I member my flex? Marster w~s Pres dent .Tefferson Davis hisse f. Only he warnt no pres dent den. He wu.s jus a tall quiet ~ent man wid a pretty young wife what he married in Natchez. Her name was Miss Vanna Howell, an he sho let her have her way. I spec l s de only One livth whose eyes ever seed em bote. I talked wid ber when dey come in de big steam boat. Fore us got to de big bouse, I toi her all bout de goins -on on de plantations. ~ie was a fine lady. ~hen I wa~.. a boy bout thirteen 3

098 094

~.. 94 y~ars old dey took xae up de country toward Vicksburg to a place call Briarsfield. It mus -a been named for her old home in Natchez what was called de Briars. I dldn b lon~ to Marse eff no great while, but I amt never git de look 0 ~ im. He waa always e aim lak ant savin on hIs words. His wise was jus de other way. ~he t8lked more dan a plenty. I b lieves a bank sol us nex to L~rse L. ~. Chambers. I members him well. I was a house-servant an de overseer dassent hit me a lick. Marster done lay de i&w down. Mos planters lived on dey plantations jus a part o de year. Dey would go off to Saratogy an places up nawth. Sornetin~s Marse L. ~. would come down to de place wid a big wagon filled wid a thousan pair o shoes at one time. He had a nice wife. One day whilst I was a~waitin~ on de table I see c1d Marse lay his knife down jus lak he tired. Den he lean back in his chair, kinda still laJc. Den I say, V hat de iaat~:er wid L~rse L. q.? Den dey all jump an scream an , bless de Lawd, if he warnt plumb dead. Slaves didn~ know what to spec frani freedom, but a lot of eI11 hoped dey would be fed an kep by de gov ment. Dey all had diffe nt ways o thinkin bout it. Mos ly though dey was jus lak me, dey didn know jus zackly what it meant. It was jus scrnp n dat de white folks an slaves all de time talk bout. Th~tt s all. Folks dat am never been free don rightly know de feel of bein free Dey don know de z~anin of it. Slaves like us, what was owned by quality folks, was sati fled an didn ~sing none of dem freedom songs. I recollec . ~ 4

099 095

~ . 95 one song dat us could sing. It ~yent lak dis: Drinkin o de wine, driakin o de wine, Ought-a been in heaven three-thousan yeahs 7 ~-drinkin o d~at wine, a-drinkin o dat ithie. . Us could s1~out dat one. I was a grown~up man ~Jid a wife an two chillun when de ~ar broke out. You see, I stayed wid de folks 1i1 long curn de Yanks. Dey took n~e off an put ins in de viar. Firs , dey~shipped me on a gunboat an , nex , dey xaade me he p di~ a canal at Vicksburg. I was on de gunboat when it shelled de town. It was turrible, seem folks a-tryin to blow each other up. Whilst us was bull~do~gin Vieksburg in front, a Yankee army slipped in behin de Rebels an penned em. up. I ~fit at Fort Pillow an Harrisburg an Pleasant Hill an fore I was ba f through wid it I .was in Ba timore an Virginny. I was on han when Gin l Lee handed his sword to Gin l Grant. You see, Miss, dey had~ him all hemiaed in an he jus natohelly had to give up. I seen him stick his sword up in de groun . - - ~ Lawl It sho was turrible times. Dese old eyes o mine seen more people crippled an dead. I se even seen era saw oft legs wid hackesaws. I tell you it aintright, Miss, what I seen. Itaint right ataU. ~ ~ flj~~ ~ was put to buryin Yankee sojers . When nobody was look~ in I stript ~ de ~ dead of dey money. Sometimes dey had. it in. a belt un dey bodies.. Soon, I gpt e. big roll o foldin money. Den I oome a-trai~ap-. in back hi:une. My folks didn have no. nioxiey but dat wutbiess kin . lt ~- ~ ~S:. 811 dey k~iows4. boi~it.. ~ 1~hen I grabbed soins ~f it ~i throwed it ~n \ *~ought 5

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90 de blazin fiali, dey thought ~I was crazy, tu I toi ~ dat amt money; it s no countZ Den I give ny daddy a greenback an toi him what it was. Aftah de ~rar w~s Over de slaves was worse off dan when dey had aarsters Sonie ~ of em was put in stockades at Angola *LOO a~a, an soiiie in de turrible corial at Natchez. Dey warnt used to de stuff de Yankees fed em. Dey fed em wasp nes bread, stead o cox n-~pone an hoe cake, an ail such lak. Dey caught diseases an died by de hund eds) jus lak flies. Dey had been f.ooi~d into thinkin it wcuid be good tiraes, but it was de wore times dey ever seen. Twant no place for ein. to ~o; no bed to sleep on; an no roof over dey heads. Dem what could git baek haine set out wid dey min s made up to stay on de ian~ .~ .Most of dey mistis took em back so dey wuked de Ian ag in. I me ns dein what lived to git back to dey folks was more n glad to wuk~ Dey done had a sad lesson. Sortie of em was worse n slaves after de War. Dem Ku Kiuxes was de debbil. De Niggers sho was scared of em, but dey was more after dem carpet baggers dande Niggers. I lived right in monget em, tut I wouldn tell. No Ma mZ I knowed em, but I dasn t~lk. 5cmetin~s dey would go right in de fiel s an take folks out an kill em. 14nt none of ein let now. Dey is all de~d an gone, but dey SIiO wa s rabid den. I never got in no t rouble wid ~ em, cause I tended my business an kep out o dey way. I d. a been kilt if I d a run rouri an done any big talkin . I never knowed ~arse Lino um, but I beard he was a pow. fui good man. I members plain as yesterd Z when he got kilt an how all *~Uj3j~fla . 6

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97 de flags hung at t f trias De ~Iaw~h nearly went wil wid worryixi an blamed ever body else. Sc~ixe of em even tried to blame de kuhn on Marse Davis. I fit wid de Yankees, but I thought a mighty heap o . L~rse Davis. He was qj~ahity. I guess slaT ~ 1,y was wrong but I members us had some mighty good tixues. Some m&rsters was mean an hard but I was treated good alh I One thing I does know is dat a heap of slaves was worse off after de War. Dey suffered cause dey was too triflin tc~ work widout a boss. Now dey is got to work or die. In dem days you worked an rested ant knowed you d be fed. In de middle of de day us rested an waited for de horn to blow to go back to de fiel . $laves didn have nothin turrible to worry bout 1f dey acted right. Dey was mean slaves de same as dey was niean marsters. Now~a -days ~olka don live right. In slav ry times when you ~ot sick a white doctor was paid to gi1t you well. Now all you gits is . soins no count paten medicine. You is fraid to go to de horspital, cause de docters might out on yo stuxninick. I thuzi.k elav r.y was a lot - easier dan de War. Dat . was de debbi . s own us. i olks what hankers for war don know ~that dey is askin for. Dey am never seen no blood.- shed In war-times a man was no more dan a varmint. 9Vhen I ~ white folks toi us us was free, I waited. When de sojers oon~ dey turnt -us IGose lak animals wici nothin Dey had no business to set us tree 1a1~ dat. Dey giinme 160 acres of Ian , but twant no count . It was in Mt . :~you, Arkansas an was low an swampy. TWau;t~7Q Ian tO keep 1eesen~you lived on . t~ You had to clear it - 7 -

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p 98 dreen It, an put a houseon it. How I gwine-~a dreen an clear a lot o lan wid nothin to do it wid? Reckon somebody livin on my I~an now. One of de rights of bein free was dat us could move rowi and change bosses. But I n~:ver cared nothin bout dat. 1 heer somebody say us gwine-a vote. ?dh~t I wanta vote for? I don know nothin bout who Is runnin . nI drews a Federal pension now, If I lives tU flex year I ll git ~125 a mont . It sh o oraesin handy. I paid ~8OO for my house an , if I d-a thought, I d..a got one ~id mo lan . I don WSJlt to plant nothin . I do want to put a iron fence a~roun it an gild it wid sliver paint. Den when I s gone, dar it will be. Yes m. I se raised a big fambly. Dem what amt dead, some of em looks aS old as I does. I got one ~ran ehil I loves jus lak my own chillu~i. I don rightly member dis minute how many chillun I had, but I amt had but two wives. De ~lrs one died ~.ong bou1~ seventeen years ago, an I done wh~it de G~ood Book - say. It say, when you goes to de graveyard to bury yo firs wife, look over de crowd an pick out de nex one. Dat s jus w~iat I done. I picked ~anls McCoy, cause she amt never been married b fore. She s a good cook, even if she does smoke a pipe, an dont know much bout nothin . nI sho don live by no rules. I jus takes a little dram when ever I want s I t an I smokes a pipe . cept in when de Mi s t Is g ive .~. .a~eegar. I oan t chew tobacco on count my teeth is gone I *cigar e

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99 been sick in bed but once in seventy years. I is five feet, five inches tall. I used to weigh lbO pounds, but dis old carcEss o mine done los fifty pounds of meat. Ncw a-~d~ys I has a hc~ap of misery in my knee, so I can t ride rotin no no . Dunn de War I got a muskit ball in my hip an now dat iiiy meat~s all gone, lt jolts a~-roun an hurts me worse. l s still right sprightly though. I can jui-iip dat drainage ditch in front of de house, an I sho can walk. Moe every day I walks to de little sto on uniOn Street. Dar I rests long enough to pas;3 de time o-day wid ray neighbors. ~y eyes is still good, but I wears glasses for show an for sesint close. De longer I lives de plainer I see dat it am right to want mo dan you can use. De Lawd put a-~plenty here for ever body, but shucks I Us don pay no mm to his teachin Sometimas I sits loneson~ for de frien s I used to know, cause amt nobody 1sf but nie. l s sho beenlef a *fur piece b hin 0 De~white folks say, Old Jim is de las leaf on de tree, an I spec dey s bout right. *J.ong way 9

Sam McAllum, ex-slave, Lauderdale County. 104 100

~:3()~ .: ( ) i . .\IOO ~N ~ 241-Sam MoAllum, Ex-slave Lauderdale County FEC Marjorie Woods Austin Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara L Stokes SAM MOALLUM Meridian Miss les ippi To those tethliar with the history of Bloody temper as recorded, the following narrative from the lips of au eye-witness wiU be heresy. But the subject of this autobiography, carrying his ninety-five years more trimly tbaxi many a men of sixty, is dedared sound of mind as weLl. as of body by the Hector Currie family, prcininent in Mississippi, for whom he has ~rked in a position of great trust and responsibility for fifty years or more. . While this old Negro may be mistaken at some points (the universal failing of witnesses ) his impressions are certainly not more involved then the welter of local records. Mrs. Currie states that if Sam said he saw a thing happen thus, it may be depended upon that he is telling exactly what he really saw. . Sam MoAllum, ex-slave, lives in Meridian, Lauderdale County. Sam is five feet three inches tail and weighs 140 pounds. De town I ever seen were Dexaib in Kemper County. De Stephenson Plantation. where I were born warnt but bo W~thirteen miles north o DeKaib. I were brn de secon o September in l84~2. r My memn~ t longed to de Stephensons an my pappy longed to Marster

105 101

101 Lewis Barnes. His plantation wasn t so very far from Stephenson. De Stephensons an Barneses were kin white people.. My pappy were a old man when I were born I were de baby chu After he died, my maxrii~y marry a MeAllum Nigger. Dey were bout thirty slaves at Stephenson. My maim~y worked in de fiel an her mammy, ~4l1ie, were de yard-woman, She looked after de little cullud chillun. I t recoil e any playthings us had cpt a ball my young inarster gimme. He were Sam Lewis Stephenson, bout my age. De little cullud chillun ud play Bun Man Him an jus what. ever come to hen . My young marster learned me out o his speller, but Mistis whupped nie. She say I didn need to learn nothin cept how to count so s I could feed de mules widout colicin eu. You give em ten ~~years o corn to de mule. If you give ein more, it ud colic em an dey d. die. Dey cos more n a Nigger would. Dat were de firs whuppin I ever got ~ when me an my young marster were a-spellin . ~ nI atayedwid him special, but I waited on all de white fbolk~s chillun at Stephenson. I carried de foot tub in at night an washed dey foots, an I d pull de trun le bed out from under de other bed. All de boys slep in de same room. Den I were a yard boy an waited on de young marster an mist is. Hadn been to de fiel den - hadn worked yet. Mr. Stephenson were a surveyor an he fell out wid Mr. MoAllum an had a lawsuit He had to psy it in darkies Mr.McAllum * ears 2

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had de priv11~ge o takin me an my m~inmy, or another ~man an her two. He took us. So us come to de M~A 1um plantation to live. It were in Kemper, too, bout eight miles from Stephenson. Us come dere endurin o~ de war. Dat were when my mannny~ marry one de MoAllum Niggers My new pappy went to de war wid Mr. MoAllum an were wid im when he were wounded at Memassas Gab Battle. He . brung im home to die an he done it. Den de Yankees come th ough DeKaib huntin up~ e annona an guns an mules . Dey did. eat a heap . Us hid all de t things la.IC silver, an ~ driv de stock to de swamp. Dey didn burn nothin but us heal cl tell burnin s in Soooba en Meridian. I were a-plowin a mule an de Yankees made me take him out. De las I seen o dat mule, he were headed for Scooba wid three Yankees a-strsddle of im. Times were tight ~ ~ not a grain o offee an not much else When us ~ clo ee were plumb wore out, de mistis an de Nigger wiinmins made us some out o de cotton us had raised. ~ granny stayed de loom- J room ail de t line De other winmins done de nn an she done de f weavin She were a oo u . ~ ~De M&O(Mobile & Ohio Railroad) were a-burnin wood, den. Dey couldn git coal. Dey used ~ taller pots stead oil De engineer had to climb out on de engine hisse ~ an tend to dem taller pots. Dey do djfle n.t now. Dey were such a aca city o men, dey were a puttin em in de war at si~ty-f1v~.~But de war end fore dey call dat list. Mistis didn have nobody to he p her endurin de war. She had ~ do de bee she could, . . * drove ~ ~ * t&J~ow. 102

107 103

1.03 When she hear d de Niggera talkin bout bein tree, she wore em out wid. a e owhide. She warnt a pow tul-built woman, neither. ~he ~ had to do it herse t, cause twant nobody to do it for er. Dey warnt t a Nigger e ould do but an up an take it. S ie folks treated dey slaves mighty bad - put Nigger dogs on em. All my whit folks were good to dey slaves, cordin to how good de Niggers b haved dey3e fs. Course, ~ou couldn leave no planta- J t ion widout a pass or de pat d git you. I amt c~untin dat cause dat were sonithin ever body knowed torehan . Dey were a heap o talk bout de Yankees a-givin ever Nigger rorty acres au a mule. I don t l iow how us come to hear bout lt It us kind.a got arun I picked out my mule. All o us did. Times were mighty tough. Us thought us knowed trouble endunn de war. Um~mim1 Us didn know nothin bout trouble. Dey were so many slaves at McAllum s dey had to thin em f out. Mistie *p~~ us out. She sent me to Mr. Scott close to Scooba. I were moe a grown boy by den an could plow pretty good. Come de surrender Mr. Scott say Semb, I t t have to pay ~ mist is for you no more. I have to pay you if you stay. Niggers ja free. You is free. t I dicmn b lieve it. I ~rked dat crop out but ~ I dIdu ask for no pay. Dat didn seem right. 1 didn un erstan bout freedom, so I went home to my old mistia. ~e say, S~bo, you don t b long to me now. . Dey bound us yc~ung Niggers . out Dey sent me an my brother ~ to a man dat were goin to give us some leai x~in ~ ~ long wid armin. ~is name were Overstreet Us worked dat crop out but us amt never seen no spolier, nor nothin . *hire~ us out 4

108 104

Den us went back to Stephenson 8 where us were born, to git us age. ~ Old mistis. say Sembo, you amt twenty- one yet. She cried, cause I had to go back to Mr. Overetreet. ~ut I d dn My m~niny an me went back to McAllum s an stayed until a man give us a patch in *turn for us he pin him on his farm. I know bout de ~ Eluxes. I seen em. Bout de firs t ime I seen em were de t Mut nobody kx~ow *zack 7 ~ bout dem Kloo fluxes. Soins say it were a sperrit dat hadn had no wate since de war. One rider wou2.,d drink to or five gallons at one time - kep us a totin buckets as us could carry em. It were a sperrit a evil sperrit. But folks dat amt acted right liable to be found moe any time tied up cm r s : De Niggers were a.-havin a party one Satu d y night on Hampton s plantation. Come s ome men on horses wid some kin J o scare-face on em. Dey were ai . ~wropped up, disguised. De horses f were ~ up, too. Dey call for Muer Hampton. He were one o de Hampton Niggere He been up to mein I don t know what he done but dey say he done somethin bad. Dey didn have no trouble gittin hirn, t cause us were all scared us d git kilt too . Dey carried im off wid ~em ait kilt him dat very ni~it. Us went to DeKaib nex day in a droure __t ask de white folks to he p us. Us buy all de amnninition. us could git to take de sperrit, J t cause us were nother party de nex week. Dey didn come to dat party. ~ I t know why dey don t have no Kloo Uuxes now. De sperrit still have de same power. *I!eturn *KlU Uux s 5 : *8~~.tly ~ S. *oOve~ed

109 105

Den I go to work for Mr. Ed McAllum In DeKaib -~ when I amt workin for de Gullies. Mr. ~d were my young inarster, you know, an now he were de jallor in DeKaib. 1 kriowed de Chisoims, too. Dat s how come I seen all I seen an know what amt never been toi . I couldn tell you dat. Maybe I s de only one still livin dat were grown an right dere an seen it happen. I amt scared now nothin ud happen to nie for tellin Mr. Currie d see to dat I jus amt never toi . Dem dat b longed t~ my race were scared to tell . Maybe it were all for de bes Dat were a long time ago. Dey give out things den de way dey want ed em to soun an dat s de way d~ done e orne down: t It started wid Mr. sohn Gully gittin shot. Now 1~Ir. Gully were a leadin man raong de white democratic people in Kemper, but dey amt had much chance ~or bDut seven years ( I disrem~nber jus how long) on count o white folks lak de Chisoims runnin ever thing. Ever body were sho it were some o de Chisoim crowd, ~ut some folks knowed it were dat Nigger, Walter Riley, dat shot Mr. Gully. (But amt nobody evor 3. de sho ~ nough reason why Waiter shot Mr. ~Tobn Gully,) t De Chisoims warnt Yankees but dey warnt ~1te d~ocrat1c pe ple . Dey do say de Chisoims an folks lak em used to run roun wid de Yankees Maybe da s how came dey was if ut Even Thre de Yankees come a tail, when Mr. Chlsolm were on us side, he were loud *~ff.. ed bout lt. n Mr. Tohn Gully he p Mr. Ohisoim git to be judge, but he turnt out to be worse dan dein he had to judge. Mr. Gully an de others made 1m resign. I reckon maybe . s wby he quit bein a Democrat le *~uthed 6 105

110 106

ail started i uctlona wid Mr. Gully. n, Come de surrender, Mr. Chisoim, he got to be a big leader on de other side. An he seen to it dat a lot o de white democratic men got ke p from votin an a lot o Niggers step up an vote lak he t t em ( dey were scared not to) . So de Chisolms kep gittin all de big places. . n, A lot o widders an folks lek dat what couldu he p dey-. se fs los dey homes an ever thing dey had. De papers d~ grau jury make out bout it were stored in de sheriff s oftici. De sheriff give out dat his office done been broke open en all dem papers stole. u Den Mr. Ohisoim s brother got hisse f *p~jnted sheriff an make Mr. Chj5o j~ deputy. Da s when he started runnin things ?nough. Nex thing you know, Mr. Chisoim is de sho nough sheriff, hisse f. w t Den he gather all his in folks roun im an dey make out a black lis De folkses na~s dat were on it were de ones de Ohisoims didu need. It were talked roun dat de firs name on dat I were Mr. 3~ohn Gully s name. A heap o Kloo Kiuxes names were on it, too. Mr. Chisoim send de Uoo Kiuxes na~s to de Gov nor an spec him to do s~nethin bout rtnrnint em out. But, course, he couldu do nothin bout dat cause it were a sperrit . But ever now an den some-. body what s name were on dat lis ud git shot In de backe N, Afore de lection come in November (it mus a-.been in 75) de Niggers had been a-.votin an doi ever thing de Chisoims say. Dey were still a-.harpin back to dat forty acres an a mule dey were promis-. ed what dey amt never got. It were turni4 out to be jus de same wid 7 s ~iOG

111 107

107 ever thing else Mr. Uhisoim had been apromisin to give em. Dey amt never got none of lt. De white democratic folks won dat lection. w ~ Soon Mis. Uhisoim run tor somthin or nother an got beat bad. Den he were mad sho nough. He went to 3ackson to see de Gov nor bout it. Soon a heap o white democratic men in Kemper got arrested for somethin or nother. p Den Mr. Yohn Gully got shot an ever body were sho de Chisoims done it. ~er body were dat mad. Chisoim an dem had to go to court. But dey were slIppery as eels an Walter Riley s neme c~e out. (He were a Nigger. ) Dey give out at de trIa . dat Walter were hired to shoot im by de Chisolm folks. Dat were not de reason, but dey was blood fore folks eyes by dat time. n, it got worse dat Satu d y when Mr. Gully were buried. Folks all over K~nper done hear d bout it by now, an by nine o clock Simd y morrLin people were a comm in over ever road dat led to DeKaib Dey all bad loaded guns. It were on a Sund y when all de killin happened I mean, de windin -up kilhin . I were dere tore a gun were fired. I were dere when de firs man were wounded. t De cullud people had gathered in DeKaib at de Methodis Church. Dey hada a gun fired yet. Mr. Henry Gully goes to de cullud. people s church. He walked in at de front door an took his hat off his head. Dey were a-packed in de house for preachin He walked down de aisle tu he got 14 front o de preacher an he turn sideways an speak: I want to ask you to 4ismiss yo~ congregation. Dey is goin to be some trouble take place right here in Delaib an I don t want any oullud person to git hurt. De preacher rise to his feet, ever Nigger in de house 8

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were up, au he dismiss ~. (Mr. Henry Gully were Mr. John Gully e brother an a leadin man o de right,) I t De town were a-mill t wid tolks from ever where Chisoim an dem done got In de jail for safety an Mise Cornelia Chisoim went back arde an f or ards to de jail. Dey thought she were a carryin ammunition in her *o otee to her father. Mr. MoClendon he were one of t em - were wid her twiot He were on d e right hand side. Some b lie~ed he were de one dat killed Mr. Tohn ~u1ly. Dey toi im~dey d burn his house down if he stay in it, but if he d go on to jail, dey d give im a fair trial. w Well, Mr. MoClendon were shot down side Miss Cornelia. I seen him when he f.ll on his face. De man dat fired de gun turn him over an say, Well, us got tin. Misa Cornelia run on to de jail tiere de ~bounc e de tam i~r were. ~ e, t Dem out side say, Boys it t li never dol Dey amt all in dere yet. Let s sen to Scooba an git Charlie Rosenbaizn an YQhU Gilmore to come help dey frien s. De~ b longs to dat Chiso .m crowd an we want dem, too. t So dy come Somebody say, L e conmience right here. I never seen a battle b tore, but I sho eeen one den. It were lak dis: Mr. Ca ~ Hull was de only den~oratio white trien )fr. Rosenbaum had. He stood twixt his white den~cratio frien s ant Mr. Rosenbauxfl. He put his arme over Mr. Rosenbaurn an y, Boys s a f rien t mine It you kill him, you kil . me . Mr. . Rosenbaum o rawled over to de o ourthouse wall, an e~uatted down, an stayed dere. Mr. Hull stood over im, pertectin im. *c ,othe, 9 *bel anee

113 109

4 109 But Mr. lohn Gilmore make for de jail an , when dey open de door for lin, de shootin start. Right den were when Mr. Gilmore got his. Mies Gornelia were struck in de wris . It mortified en after while she died train it. I know I amt to ~ de sho nough reason M~r. ~Fohn Gully got killed. Maybe de time done come for de tru.t to be toi . Hope won t no~ body think h~d o me for tellin : u Mr. ~Tohn Gully had a bar..roc~n an a clerk. A white man by de nam~ o Bob Dabba ~walked b hin dat counter. Dis Nig~er, Walter Riley, I Was a-tellin you bout awhile ago, were a-oourtin a ~yaller woman. (Dey warnt so many or ens in dein days, ) ~ Mr. Dabbe say, Walter, if I ever *kotch you walkin wid (he called dat yaUer women s name) I ll give you de worst beatin ever was . Welter were Icotoli wid er ag in. Dat Frid y night he come a-~struttln into de bar..room. Mr. Dabbs say, Come he p move dese boxes here in de nex room. Walker walked in lak a Nigger will when you ask im to do somethtn an Mr. Dabba turnt de key. Git orost dat goods box, he say. . i ll give you what I promised you. Mr. Dabba got im a piece o plank an! burnt Walter up. . t All dis here were a~goin on 1bout de time Niggers were a~ vot in an dom things roun white folks . Dey thought dey were pertected by de Chisoim crowd. n, De nex Frid y ight Walter walked .r~,ht into dat bar~room ag in. M ?. Dabba say What you dom here Nigger? Walter say, You member what you done to me tonight one week? An he say, Well, ithat s to it ? Den Walter sa~ !WeU I come to settle wid you. Mr. Dabba say, Let me see if I oan t hurry you u,p some,, an he *r,toh his hen back *o:I.e*ed 10 *Y U W *cat h *reached

114 110

his hail to his hip. But fore he could*draw out, Walter done run back to de door. Dey were a chinaberry tre ~ close to de door en Walter got b hin it an fired a pistol. Mr. Dabbe were hit wid his arm a-layin crost de counter wid his pistol in his han . I,, Me an Mr. ~d ( cause he were de jailor), we put him on a mattress in de room back o de bar. An he died. dat night. De word jus kinda got rotin dat some o de Chisoim crowd done killed 1~iIr. Gully s oie rk. t Walter ru~n off to Memphis. Mr. Gully were pursuin after t 1m to ketch t im. Walter sho got tired him pursuin after im. t~t were de evidence Walter give out fore dey put de rope on his neck an start him on his way to de gallows but twant nobody dere to put lt down . jus lak it were. t Mr. Sinclair were sheriff by dis time, an my young marster an me went wid i~ to git Walter to take im to de gallows. Mr. Sinciair say, 1~d, you goin to de jail-house now? Here s a ha f pint o whiskey. Give it to Walter make tin happy ~ den if he talk too much, nobody will b lieve it. Mr. Ed say, Come on, Sat~o, go wid me. He retched down 831e got a han fu . o goobers an put em in his We were eatin em on de way down to de jail..house. He say, Walter, Mr. Sinclair done sent you a dram. Walter say, Mr. MeAllum, I see you an Sam eatin peanuts coniin along. ~Tus you give me a han ful an I ll eat dem on de way to de gallows. 1 don t want no whiskey. ~ ~ n Den us got on. de wagon. (I can see Walter. now, standin dere w~d his cap on de back his head ready t o pull down over ~ his eyes after *draw his gun u 110

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111 he git dem. ) Dey were a pow tu). crowd roun dat wagon. n, Den come a rider from Scooba, pull a paper from his pocket, an han lt to Mi . ~lnc1air. He read lt an say, Let de people go on to de gallows. De wagon turn roun an go back to de jail. De Gov nor had stopped de hangin tu de case were vestigated. (D. people etendin dere a-waitin for Walter to be hung didn know what were de matter. ) ~ n, Dey placed Walter back In jail en his coffin long wid 1m. De lawyers would vis lt 1m to git his testimony. t d show Im his coffin all ready en ask him did he do dis kuhn or not. Dey want im to say he were hired to do It. Dey fixed it all up. Tient nobody to~ tell jus how it were. ~ were married by dis time to Laura. She were de nurse maid to Mr. ZE B:. Currie. Sh s been dead twenty years now. When de Curries come to Meridian to liv dey g ive me charge . o dey plantation. I were de ~ leader an stayed ati ~orke~ de plantat ion for ~. Dey been 1 ivin in Meridian twelve years s married now to dey cook. Mr. Hector toi me jr I d come an live wid em here, he d glnune dis house here ~1n de back yard an paint it an Lix it~ail up lek, you see it. It s mighty pleasant in de shade. Folks used to always set dey houses In a grove but now dey cuts down more trees den dey keeps. Us don t cut no trees. Us porches is always n~oe an shady. ~ I se got to boys ilvin . One son were in de big strike in de automobile plant in Detroit au couidn come to see me las ChrIs ~as. I~e U come to see me nex year if I s still here. . Maybe folks goin a-think hard o me for te34in what amt 12

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never been toi b fore. I been asked to tell what I seen an I done it.. WDat~s tellin what I never thought to tell. 15 .112

Charlie Moses,ex-slave, Lincoln County. 117 113

fl ~i ~z 1~e) ~ t)~j~ .j~ ~ :&13 241 Charlie Moses, Ex slave, Lincoln County FEC Eether de Sala . Rewrite, Pauline Loveleaa Edited, Clara E. StokeB CHARLIE MOSES ~ Brookhaven, Mississippi Charlie Moses, 84 year old. ex~.s1ave, lives at Brookhaven. He ~OSBB8B68 the eloquence and the abundant vocabulary of all Negro preachera. lie is now confined to hie bed because of the many ailments of old age. His weight appears to be about 140 pounds, height 6 feet 1 inch high. When I gits to thinkin back ou them slavery days I feels like nein out o this here bed an tellin ever body bout the harsh treat- . nient us colored folks was given when we was owned by. poor quality folks. My marster was mean an cruel. I hatee him, hates him The God Almighty has condemned him to eternal fiah. Of that I is certain. - Even the cows ami horses on his pl~itation vas scared out o their minds when he come near em. Oh Lordyl I can tell you plenty bout the things he done to us poor Niggers. We was treated no better than one o hie houn dogs. Sometimes hedidn treat us ae good as he did them. I prays to the Lord not to let me see him iihen I die. He had the devil in bis heart. Rie name wae ~ Jim Rankin an he lived out on a plantation over in Marion County. I was born an raised on hie place. I spec I was

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114 bout twelve year old at the time o the war. ~O1d man Rankin worked us like animale. He had a right smart plantation en kep all his Niggere, cept one house boy, out in the fiel a workin . He d aay, Niggers is meant to work. That e i~iat I paid my good money for em to do. He had two daughters an two eons. Them an his poor wife had all the work in the house to do, cause he wouldn waste no Nigger to help em out. His family was as scared o him as we was. They lived all their live. under his whip. No Sirt No Sirt There warnt no meaner man in the world than old man Jim Rankin. My pappy was Allen Rankin an my mazwny was Ca line. There was twelve o us chillun, nine boys an three girls. My pa was born in Mississippi an sol to Mareter Rankin when he was a young man. My mw~vny was married in South Carolina an e ol o Mareter Rankin over at Colun~bia. She had to leave her L amily. But ehe warnt long in gittin her another man. *Oh Lordy~ The way us Niggers was treated was awful. Marster would beat knock, kick, kill. He done ~ ever thing he could cept eat us. We was worked to death. We workedall Sunday, aI . day, all night. He whipped us tu some jus lay down to die. It was a poor life. I knows it amt right to have hate in the heart but God Almighty It s hard to be forgivin when I think of old~ man }tankin. 2

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115 sIr one his Nigger8 done something to di.pleaae him, which was nios ever day, he d whip him tu he d moe die an then he d kick him roun in the dust. He d even take his gun an , before the Nigger had time to open his mouth, he d. jus stan there an shoot him down. We d git up at dawn to go to the fiel s. We d take our pails o grub with us an hang em up in a row by the feue e We had meal au pork an beef an greens to eat. That was znos ly what *e had. Many a time when noontime come an we d go to eat our vittals the xnarster would come a~.walkin through the fiel with ion or twelve o his houn dogs. If he looked in the pails an was displeased with what he seen in em, be took ein an dumped em out before our very eyes an let the dogs grab it up. We didn git nothin to eat then ~il we corne home late in the evenin . After he left we d pick up pieces of the grub that the dogs left an eat em. Hongry - hongry ~ we was so bongry~ We had our separate cabine an at sunset all of us would go in an shut the door an pray the Lord Marcter Jim didn call us out. We never had much clothes ceptin what was give us by the rnarst er or tb~ niietis Winter t lins we flevr ~ had nough to wear nor nough to eat. We wore homespun all the time. The ~rst3r didu think we needed anything, but jus a little. We didu go to church, but Sunday. we d gather roun an listen to the mistis read ~ a little out o the Bible The mareter said we didn need no religion an he finally stripped her from in to us. ~ten the war eome Marat er ~ was a captain of a regiment . He went away tu ~ stayed a yeair. ~ Wkien he come. back he was even meaner than before. 3

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When he come home from the war he stayed for two weeks. The night fore he was a fixiri to leave to go back he come out on his fror~t porch to smoke his pipc. Me was a atandin leanin up ag iu a railin when somebody sneaked up in the darkness an shot him three times. Oh my LorcU He died the nex inornin . He never knowed who done it I was glad they shot him down. Sometimes the cavalry would come au stay at the house an the mis~tis would have to tend to em an see that they got. plenty to eat an fresh horses. I never seen no fightin . I stayed on the plantation tu the war was over. I didn see none o the fightiu . I don t member nothin bout Jefferson Davis. Lincoln was the man that set us free He was a big general in the war 01 member a eng we sung, then. It went kinds. like thiB; Free at las , Free at las , Thank God Almighty l s free at las . ~m,u~m~mmm. NI only seen the Klu Klux Klan onet . They was a~pat~ the streets here in Brookhaven. They had a Nigger that they ~as a~goin t~ tar an feather. ehen the mistle toi us we was free (my pappy was already dead, then) my mammy packed us chillun up to move. We travelled on a cotton wagon to Covington, L~ouiBia~ia. We ai . wGrked on a farm there bout a year. ThenaLl cept me moved to Mandeville, Louisiana an worked on a. farm there. I hired out to Mr. Oharlie Duson, a baker. Then we moved to a farm above baton Rouge, LOuisiafl~ an worked for Mr. Abe 4 116

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117 Manning. We jus travelled all over from one place to another. Then I got a letter from a frien o mine in ~aineevil1e, )tississ. ippi. He had a job for me on a boat,h~alin lumber up the coast to Bay St LOUi8 ~ Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport an all them coast towns. I worked out o Gainesville on this boat for bout two year. I lost track o my family then an never aeon ein no more. In the year 1870 I got the call from the Lord to go out au preach. I left Gainesville an travelled to Summit, Mississippi where another frien o mine lived. I preached the words o the Lord a& travelled from one place to another. In 1873 I got married an decided to settle in Brookhaven. I preached an all my flock believed in me. I bought up this house an the two on each side of it Here I raised seven chillun in the way o the Lord. They is all in different parts o the country now, but I sees one of em ever now an then. Las April the Lord seen fit to put me a-~bed an I been alun with misery ever since. The young folks now. a-days are happy an don t know bout w~r an slavery times, but I does. They don t know nothin an don t make the mark in the won that the old folks did. Old people made the first roads ~n Mississippi. The Niggers today wouldn know how to act on a plantation. But they are happy. We was miserable. *Slavery days was bitter an I can t forgit the sufferin . Oh, God I hates em, hatcss em. God Almighty never meant for human beings to be like animale. Us Niggers has a soul au a heart au a miii . We amt like a dog or a horse. If all marsters had been good like some, the slaves would all a.~been happy. But marsters like mine ought never been allowed to own Niggers. 5

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*1 dicin spec nothin out o freedom ceptin peace an happiness an the right to go my vay as I pleased. I prays to the Lord for us to be free, always. That s the way God Almighty wants it.N 6 118

Henri Necaise, ex-slave, Pearl River County. 123 119

~:~o j. () 241-Henri Neoai.s, ~x-81ave, Pearl River County j~C lire. C. ;~. Wille Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara L. Stokes HENRI N~CAIS~ Nicholson Mississippi Henri Nocaise, ex-slave, 105 years old, lives ~. half-mile south of Nicholson on US Il. Uncle Henri lives in a small plank cabin enclosed by a fence. He owns his cabin and a small piece of land. Me i8 about five feet ten inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. Hie sight and hearing are very good. I was born in Harrison Cour~ty, 19 long d e ridge road from 4 e swamp near Wo lt Ursan Ladnier. De Miatie name was Pop ne. My father was a white man, Anatole Necaise. father, cause he used to call me to him an oldee eon. . miles from Pass Christian, River. My Meister was Us W~ all French. i: kn~wed he was my tell me I was his sI never knowed my mother. I was a slave an my mother was aol from me an her other chilluns . ~ Dey to 1 n. when dey s ol I er my sister was a-holdin we in her arme She was standin behin de B~g Iiot~se peekin roun de corner an seen de las o her mother. Iseen her go, too. Dey tell me I used to go to de gate a huntin for ~y mammy. ~ I used to sleep vU my sister after dat. 1 .: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 119

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120 Jus lemme 8tudy a little, an I ll tell you bout de Big House. It was bout 60 feet long, built o hewed logs, in two p82 t8. De floor8 wae made o clay dey didn have lumber for floor8 den. Us lived right close to de Big House in a cabin. To tell de truf, de fac o de business is, my Marster took care o me better n i: can take care o xnyse f now. When us was slaves Mar8ter toi . us what to do. He say, Henri, do dis, do dat. An us done it. Den U8 didn have to think whar de A6x~ mea . comm1 from, or.de nex pair o shoes or pants. De grub an clo e8 give us was better n I ever gits now. Lemme think an count. My Marster didn have a lot o slaves. Dere was one, two, three, fo , ye~ ni,jus fo o us slaves. I, was de stockholder. I tended de sheep an cows an such lak. My Marster didn raise no big crops, jus corn an garden stuff. He had a heap o cattle. Dey could run out in de big woods den, au so could de aheeps. He soi cattle to *N awlins ~ Mobile, wkiere he could gitde bee price. Dat s deway folks does now, amt it? Dey sells wherever dey can git de moe money. Dey didn give me money, but, you see, I was a slave. Dey sbo give me ever thing e ls e I need do es an shoe s I always had a~plenty t eat bett er n I c an git n~ ~ I was bett er off when I was a slave dan I is now, cease I had ever thing.furnished ~e den. Nowlgottodoitallmyse f. My Marster was a Catholic. One thing I can thank dem godly white folks for, dey raise me right. Dey taught me out o *New Orleans 2

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121 GOd 8 word, Our Father which art in Heaven. Ever body ought-a know dat prayer . (Note. In thi8 Wolf River territory in Harrison County, ~where Uncle Henri wae born and raised, all the settlers were French Catholics, and it was the scene of early Catholic miaeione.) UI waa rais a Catholic, out i~hen I come here twant no church an I joined de Baptis an was baptised . Now de white folks lenmie go to dey church. Dey amt no cullud church near nough so s I can go. I spec its all rig~it. I figgers dat God i8 ever where. My Listis knowed how to read an write. I don know bout de Marster. He could keep sto anyway. Us all spoke French in dem days. I near bout forgit all de songe us used to sing. Dey was all in French anyway, an when you don speak no French for bout 60 years, you jus Lorgit it. 01 se knowed slaves to run away, an l es seen ein whup pod. I seen good nareters an mean ones. Dey was good slaves art mean onee. But to tell de tria!, if dey tol a alave to do anything, den he jus botter do it. 01 was big nough in de Civil War to drive five yoke o steers to Mobile an git grub to feed de wiiwni-ns an chilluns. o de mena waa a-figkitin an some was a runnin an hidin . a slave an I had to do what dey tol me. I carried grub into swamp to men, but I never knowed what dey was a hidin from. (mi. may be explained by the fact that Uncle Henri waa Some :i: was de 3

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122 owned by and lived in a eettlement of French Peopi.. I~ny of whoa probably had no convictions or feeling of loyalty, one way or the other, during the War Between the $tatoe.) *My o~4 Mar8ter had to eons, an de youngee one went t de war an was killed. NDe Tankeee come to PaBB Chriatian, I was dere, an seen em. Dey come up de river an tore up things as dey went along. NI was 31 years old when I was set free. My Marster didn tell US bout bein free. De way I foun it out, he started to whup me once en de young Max ster up an says, You amt got no right to whup him now, he s fru. Den Marster turnt me loose. ~ It was ~ dem Carpetbaggers dat stroyed de c ountry . Dey went an turfted us loose, jus lak a passel o cattle, an didn show us notbin or giv us nothin Dey was acres an acres o lan not in us , an lots o tin~ber in dia country. Dey should~a give oach one o us a little farm an lot us git out timber an build house8. Dey ought to put a white Marster over us, to show u. an aake~us work,.only let u~ be free stead o slaves. I~ think datwould-a been better n turnin us loose lak dey 4ous.~ . ~ ~ ~ WI l.f~ my Mareter an went overto de Jordon R4~er,an derel staye4 an worked. I saved my money an dat giv me a start. I never touched i t tu de year was winded up. To tell de truf, de fac s o d jj~s~jjer ja, it was my Marsters kinfolke I was workin for. ~ ~ . . ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ .. ~ ~ ~: 1 b~ught me a schooner wid dat money an sarriedohar.. 4..

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123 coal to N awlinz. i: done die for !bout two yeari an den I los my schooner in a storii off o Bay St. Louis. After I Los my schooner, I cone here an got married. Dia was in 1875 an I was 43 years old. Dat was my firs time to marry. l as got dat Same wife today. Sb. was born a slave, too. :i didn have no chillun, but my wife did. She had one ga . chil . She lives at Westonia an is de mammy o ten chillun. She done botter n us done. l as got a lot o gran ohillun. WIIat does yo* call de nez den? Lemme see, great grsd chillun, dat e it. UI never did b lieve in no ghos an hoodoos an charma. I never did look for to git nothin after I was free. I had dat in my head to git me 80 acres o Ian en homestead it. As for de gov ment making me a present o anything, I never thought bout it. But Jus now I needs it. ~ *1 did git me dis little farm, 40 acres, but I bought it an paid for it niyae f. I got de money by workin for it. Wh.n I come to dia country I dug wells an built himney8 an houses. (Once I dug a w ll 21 feet an come to a coal bed. I went through d~e~ coal an foun water. Oat was on de Jordon River.) i~at clay chimney an dis here house has been built 52 yeara. X e still livin in em. Dey s mine. One acre, I giv to de Lawd for a graveyard an a churchhoua . I wants to be buried dare myae f. A white lady paid my taxes die year. I raises a garden an gite de Old Age 5ietance. It amt nough to buy grub an clo es for ins an de old ~rnan an pay taxes, so us jus has to. git f long 5

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le bis us can wid de white folks he p. It amt none o ity business bout whether de Niggere je better off free dan slaves. I dont know cept bout me, I was bet-. t er off den. I did earn money aft er I was fr ee but aft er all you know money is de root o all evil. Dat what de Good Book say. When I was a slave I only had to obey my Israter an he furnish me ever thing. Once in a while he would whup me, but what was dat? You can t raise nary chile, white or black, widout chastisin . De law didn low dem to dominia. over us, an dey didn try. I . gittin mighty old now, but I used to be pretty spry. I us ed t o go 6e miles out on d e Gulf o Mexi.co as terpr et er ou dem big ships dat o orne front Franc e Dat was for e I done forgot my trench talk what I was raised to speak. De white folks is mighty good to me. De riches man in Picayune, be recognizes me an gives me two bits or to bits. I sho has plenty o. good fri en V~ ~ ~f ~ gite out o grub I catches me a ride to town, an 1 comes back wid de grub. ~ *D, good Lawd, he don t forgit me. 6 124

Slave autobiographies. 129 125

~) ~ G Mississippi Federal Vlriters . 125 Slave Autobiographie. rV~4y name s James Sin~1eton. I se Baptist preacher. I W88 born in 1856, but I doan .know zactly what date. My mammy was Harr et Thompson. Her inarster was Marse Daniel Thompson over in Simpson County on Strong River at a place called Westvil .e. My pappy, he coz~ie fruin South Ca lina (tharleston an was give to de old folks darter. His name was John Black an he was owned by ~r. Frank Smith over in Simpson. He was brought dowx~. f runi South Ca lina in a wagon long wid lots mo . Me, I was soi to Marse Harrison Hogg over in Simpson when I was bout six years old, and Marse Hogg, he turn right roun , and t me an sis ter Harr et an bro ther John nex day for fo thousan . Two thousan fo John, cause he s older an bigger, an a t1~usan f0 }Iarr et an m. Miss Annie an Marse Elbert Bell bought us. liarse ~lbert had three mo sides U8 mekin six. Us slap on pallets on de flo , an all lived in one long room made out ~ of logs, an had a dirt flo an airt chimnbly. There was a big old iron pot hangin over de hearth, an us had possum, greens, taters, and de lak cooked in it. Had coon~ometimes, too. Marse E .bert, be lived in joe a plain wood house wade (ali fo nia styl., wid a front room an a shed room where de boys alep . Dey had two boys, ~iettie an William. $11 reckin dere was bout a hun erd an sixty acres planted in taters an corn, an dey made whiskey too. Yesaum, dey had a stiflery ~l) hid down in de woods where dey made it. . (I) distillery

130 126

126 My ~ an peppy W88 fiel ban e, an I wae mighty litj1. to do 80 mUCh. I joB minded di cow pen, ~d. firee in de Big Houee, en wep de kiouae. When I ixisde de fires, iffen dere we nt any live coale lei , we had to use a flint rock to git it ata t.d. ~Dere was a bell ringin every mornin bout to clock fer to call de alavea ter git up en go ~o di fiel s. De,y wuked UI aundown. Dey wee fed in de white folie kitchen, and Cook cooked fer uc jas lak she done fer de white8. D. kitchen was built off a piece frum de houe , y know. ~ Mare. never did whup any ofus li . ohullun. Miss Anni., ahi tried once to wthap ~i cause I chui~ked rocke at her li l chickene, but mighty little wkiuppin ehe done. Dere wa nt no ovsreeer. . Ohrie maa time, we had two or three ~daya to play, a~ had extry food. ~ Il een pattyrollere ridi.n. bout to keep de darkie~ trum .rirnnin rotin widout puces. I never eisn em w~iup none but day toi U, we d git twen .y.nins hake iff.n w. got caught by em. I seen darkios git ~uppin e on other plantation. whup em half a da~ some~ ~ times, gen ly when dey tried to run away! ~ 01, didn have no dancin dt I member, but had plen y log rollin s. Had fiddlin , an ail would jin. in aingin songe, lak, Run nigger run, pattyroilera ketch you, run nigger run, it s breakin . deys.~ .1 still fiddle dat chune (1). liii, you ses, dey jes roll,sd up (1) tUn*

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127 all d. olddead loge an trees in a big pile, and burned it at n~ight. NI seen de Yankee sojere when dey passed our house but dey didn bother us none. None didn even stop in. Dey was wearin blue Jackets an had gold buttons on caps an Jacket.. But when de Confed rate sojere come along, dey stopped an killed a rat cow er two, an taken de fat hoes sri lof a lean one, an taken ver thing ei8e dey seen dey wanted. No m, didn none of de slaves run off wid dem dat I knows of, an de Yankees didn try to bother us none. Well, afte de War, )Larse ~lbert toi us dat we was frei now, an peppy come an got us an taken us to live wid de cook on kr. Elisha Bishop . place, an he paid Mr. Barren. Bishop to teach us. He taught us out of Nsbster s Blue Back .Spellin B ok. My pappy, h. had a stolen jucation- at was cause hie : mistress back in SouthCa Line hoped him to learn to reed an write f0 he 1sf there. You see, in dem days, it was ag inst de law f :~ slaves to read. ~ /#_ *i was g)~ad to be free cause I don t b lii~e sellin an ~ is right. I certainly does think religion is a good thing, cause I ee a Baptist preech~~ right now, and I lxvi bout six miles fruni Grystal 8priflgs. I farm too. ~ ~ ~ ~

Berry Smith, ex-slave, Scott County. 132 128

~:3()(~c4 241-Berry Smith, 1~x s1ave, Scott County F!C W.B. AUl on Rein ite, Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes BERRY SMITH Forest Mississippi Uncle Berry anith Is five Thet two or thre 1nc~es tail. He is scrupulously neat. He is very independent for his age, which is caloulat ed at one hundred and s ixt ee~ years He bel ieves the figure to be c orrect Hie mind is amazingly clear. I was born Slk bred In Suxnpter County, Alabezna, in de praiz ie miles from Gainesviile Dat s where I hauled cotton. ~ It to Livingston, Alabama, where we lived. I was twel ve years old when de stars fell. Dey tell late in de night an dey lighted up de whole earth. All de chaps was a-~runnin rotin grabbin for em, but none of us ever *kotched one. It s a wonder some o:r em didn hit us, but dey didn . Dey never hit de groun ataU. When dey ruEned de Injuns out de country me an chap kotched one o dem Injun s ponies an *h~g him up in de He said it was his pony au I said it was mine. ~Marse Bo s boy to . ~us his daddy was gwine a whup us for siLealin dat pony so we ~ hid out in de cane for two nights Marse Bob an~ hi e brother whupped us tU. we dd want to see no snore injuns or *oaught. . 1 ~ ~ ~ up ~ . . lan , six was close another grape vines.

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:129 dey ponies, n~ther. ~ . ~ I was born a slave to Old Marse T1m Harper an I fell to Marse Bob Marse J 1m bought my pa an nia from a man by de name Smith, an Pa kep de name. Dat s how come I is Berry Smith. Dey didn have no sohools f oi~ us an ~ didn teach us in but work. De bull-whip an de paddle was ail de teachin we got . De white preachers u ed to preach to de Niggers sometimes in de white folks church, but I didn go much. We had tun in dem days in spite o ever thing. De pranks we used to play on dem paterollera Sometimes we tied ropes orost de bridge an de paterollers d hit it an go in de creek. Maybe we d be fiddlin an danoin on de bridge (dat was de grown folks, but de chaps ud come, too) an dey d say, Here come de paterollersi Den we d put out It we could git to de marster s house we was all right. Marse Bob wouldn let no pateroller come on his plac e. Marse Alt woiildn neither. Dey said it was all right if we could git home widout kotohed but we have to take dat chance. At de Big House de~ had spilmin wheels an a loom. Dey made all de *03,0 es on de place Hcmespun was what dey o ailed de goods. My ma used to spin an weave in de loom room at de Big House. Dey was two plantat ions in de marster s Ian an dey worked a heap o Niggers. I was a house boy an didn go to de fiel much. ~ We had overseers on de place, but dey was jus hired men. De~ was pc, White folks ~ an onll got paid bout three or to hund ed dOl ars a year. *clothes 2

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130. When we lef Alabama we come to Mississippi. We went to de Denham place near Gerlandeville. We brought eighteen Niggers. We walked a hund ed miles an it took five days an nights. De women an little chaps *rid on de wagons (dey had tive mules to de wagon) an de men an de big chaps walked. My pa an ma come along. We stayed on de Denhem place bout three years. Den we moved to Hcmiewood an stayed five years. I hung de boards for Marss Bob e house in Homewood Den we come to Forest. Dey brought all de fam ly over here all my brothers an sisters. ~ Dey was five of em Wash an East is de two I members. All o us b longed to de Harper f~m ly. Marse Bob owned us. My ma an pa both died here in Forest. I he ped to build dis house for Marse Bob. I cleaned de lan an ie~ de trees where he toi me. He lived. in a little old shack whilst we built de Big House. Mr. M.D. Graham put up de firs store here an de secon was put iAp by my marster. I worked in de fiel some, but moe ly I was a house servant. I used togo all over de country a-.huntin eggs. an chickens for de tem ly on count dey ~as so much comp ny at de house. . A heap o white tolke was good to dey Niggers, jus as good as dey could be, but a heap ol ~ ~ was mean, too. My mistis was good to us an so was Marse ~ im Harper. He ul let de boys buse us while he lived, but whenhe died dey was Wild an cruel. ~ y las hard tasImi~stere. We was fed good three times a dey, but we was whupped. too 3 *i.ode

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131 unich. Dat got me. I eouldn Stan lt. De old marster give us good dinners at ~ Chri~s mus but de young ones 8topped ail da. De firs t~a1n I ever seen was in Brandon. I went dere to carry some horses for my marster. It sho was a fine lookin en~ gine. I was 100km at it out of a upstairs wIndow an when it ~hi8tled I d a-jumped out dat window if Captain Harper hadn a grabbed me. I didn see no fightin in de war. Vlhen Gen l Sherman come th ough here, he come by Hilisboro. Marse Bob didn go Jo de war. He *tliated, but he come right back an went to gittin out cross ties for de railroad. He warnt no sojer. Colonel Harper, dat was Marse Alf, ~ ~ de sojer. He warnt scared o nothin or nobody. ~ De Yankees ask me to go to de war but I em, I amt no rabbit to live in de woods. )~r nmrster gives me three good meals a day an a good house an I amt a~goin . Marse Bob used to feed us fine an he was good to us. He wouldn let no overseer touch his Niggers, but he ~hupped us, hisee f. . Den de Yankees t ol me I was tree same as de~r was I c~e an Marse Bob I was agom . He say If you don ~ t go t o work, Nigger you gwine a-git whupped. So I run away an hid out in d e woods. De nex dey I went to Meridian. I cooked for de sojers two months, den I come back to Forest an worked spikin ties for de railroad. . ni hear d a heap o talk bout eff Davis an Abe Lincoln, but did.n know nothin bout em. We hear d bout de lankees fight in to free us, but we didn b lieve it tu we hear d bout de t.ightin at Viokeburg. *e~ ,isted ~ 4

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132 I voted de pub .lceu ticket after de eurrender, but I didn bother wid no politics. I didn want none of em. De ~~K1oo fluxera was bad up above here, but I never seen ax~y.~ I htar d tell of em whuppin folks, but I don t know nothin bout it, much. Mos ail de Niggers dat had good owners stayed wid em, but de others lof . Some o~ em come hack an s~e didn . I hear d a heap o talk bout ever Nigger gitt In forty acres au a mule. Dey had us fooled up bout it but I never seen nob dy git nothin .. . ~ ~ I hope dey won t bo no more war lu m~r time I~t one wa~ turribis.. Dey can ai . go dat wants to, but I amt a-goin . ~ I seen Gen l Grant at Vioksburg after de war. (He was a little short men, ) ~ All de Niggers went dere for ecznethin - me mongat ~rI I don t know what we went for. I took to steemboatin at Vioksburg cause I could *out . cotton so good. (I could cut cotton now wid a cotton hook if I warnt SQ old.) . . ~ . . II steemboated t~w1xt New Orleans an St ~ on de Common- wealth, ~ frei. ght packet way up yonder in St . Lo~4s . I t know what country dat was in. But de rousters bad a big fight one night in ~New Orleans, ehootin an outtin , so I lef . When I got back to Vieksburg, I quit. I picked cotton in de Delta awhile, but de folks, vthite a& black, :j~. too hat d. De~ don t ~e;~e bOat nothinJ . I was in Greenville *K:Izi1ux~s . ~ *pla~. .tor storage Or ~ shipment

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when de water come. I hear d a noise like de wind an I asked d~i Niggers, Is dat a storm? De~ seid, No,dat s de river eomin th ough an you bett er come back fore de water *ketch you. I say, If it ketch me it gwine a-ketch on my way home. I a nt been back since. Den I come back here an went to farmin an I been here ever since. I bought forty seven acres an a nice little house. De house burnt down, but de white folks built me a better one. Dey s good an kin to me. Dey say I s a goo4 man. My wife was six year old at de surrender. She b longed to Alf, but we was free when we married. ~ We had s-ixteen ehillun. of t ~u lives roua here. Some in Newton sonie in Scott an in Texas. ~~Iy wiTh died two years ago las March. Verse Bob died right here in dis here house. He died a ~0 man If my old inistis had a-been here she wouldn a.let ~ treat him like dey done. It I d a.~been here I woulda a-~let eni done like dat, neither. I been a- .ivin by myse t since my wife died. My son, Oscar, lives on de Ian an rents it from me. n : don t know what s gwine a happen to de young folks nowa-deys. Dey know better, but deyts wild an don t care bout nothin . I amt got no time to fool wid em. Looks like dey don t care bout workin at nothin . . I been a-workifl ai . my an se seen g ood t lines an bad times. I loves to work yet. I s gwine out now soon s~ I g~ ~ Marse Moe some 6 ~catch 133

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dinner an he p finish pickin dat patch o cotton. I can pick two hund ed pounds a dey an I s one hund od an sixteen year old. I picks wid both han s an don t have to stoop much. My back don t never ache me ate. .l. My mau~ny tsac~ied me to pick cotton. She took a pole to me if I didn do it right. I been a-pickin ever since. I d ruther pick cotton dan eat, any day. But I se seen enough. I s jus a-waitin for de call to meet all my folks in Heaven. Dey s a better place den dIs an Its a tryin to treat ever body right so s I can git to go to it. I s listenin hard for dat call an I L~iow it won t be long a canin . 7

Susan Snow, ex-slave, Lauderdale County. 139 135

23(),03 r 241-Susan Snow, ex-slave Lawierdal e County YEC w. B. Allison Rewrite, Pauline Loveless Edited,. Clara L Stokes SUSAN SNOW Meridian, Mississippi . Aunt Sue Snow, a rather small and profusely wrinkled 87-year-old ex-slave, lives in the Negro quarter8 of the South Side in Meridian. In spite of her wild escapades her reputat ion for honesty and reliability is high and she carries and exhibits with pride numerous lett ers attesting that fact. . . She often finds it necessary to stand and act the story she is telling. Her memory is amazing and she turns with equal readiness to copious quotations from the Scripture and other pious observations to amusing but wholly unprintable anecdotes of her somewhat lurid past. I was born in Wilcox County, Alabama, in 1850. W.~r. Snow was my old marster. He bought my ma from a man named 3~erry Casey. : t Venus was ter name, but dey mos ly called her Venie. I s workin now for otis o my old folks. I can t work mnch - jus carries things to er an such. She s n~ old mistis own J daughter an she s got gran!.oliiliun grown au married. All de chillun J dat s 1~vin is older n me. ~ j When her pa bought my n~iwtny, I was a baby. Her pa owned ~ . S,.,,, ~ 1

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a heap o Niggers. I s de only one still hangin aroun . ~ My ma was a black African ail she silo was wild an mean. She was so mean to me I cou.ldn b lieve she was my maw. Dey couithi ~hup her widout tyin her up firs . Sometimes my marster would wait tu de flex day to git somebody to he p tie her up, den he d forgit to whup er. Dey used to say she was a cunger an dey was all scared of er But my ma was scared cungere too. All de Niggers on de place was born in de fam ly an was kin o ept my ma. She toi me how dey brought her from Africa. You know, like we say President in dis country, well dey eaU him Chief in Africa. Seem like de Chief made rangements wid some men an dey had a big goober grabbin for de young folks. Dey stole my ma en some more an brung em to dis country. I don t member nothin bout havin no pa. You know, honey, in dem days husbands an wives didn b loflg to de same folks. My ma say her husband was 80 mean dat after us let klabama she didn want to marry no more. A man didn git to see his wife eept twict a week. Dat j was Wednesday an Sa d y nicht . De women had to walk a chalk line. I nev r hear d tell o wives ~unnin roun wid other men in dem days. I was raised in Iasper County. Marster bought lan from ever body roun t il he had a big plantai ion. He had Niggers horses, mules, cows, hags, en chickens. He was a rich man, den. Ever Nigg~r had a houae: .~ O his own. My ma never would 2 136

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have no board floor like de ree of em, on count she was a African only dirt. ~ (Dey say she was 108 year old when she died1) vils went to church wid de white folks if us wanted to. Dey didn make us. I didu go much, cause I didn have ligion, den. Us didn have no schoolin Us could go to school wid de whit e chillun if us wanted to, but didn nobody teach us. I s educated, but I amt educated in de books. I s educated by de licks an bumps I got. My white folks was good people an didn whtt~ nobody, less dey needed it. Some o de Niggers Was sho nough bad. Dey used to take de marster s horses out at night an ride ~n down. One Nigger, Sam, got dat mad at a mule for at cotton he cut his t ongue out. Course, Marster whupped him, but when he went to look for im bout a hour after, he foun lin soun asleep. Said he ought to kill lin, but he didn . When we was sick dei had a doctor for us jus like dey done for deyse ves. Dey called im in to scribe for us. I was snakebit when I was eight year did. Dey used to be a medicine named lobelia. De doctor give me dat ~ an whiskey. My ma carried me up to de Big Rouse ever mornin an ist me an carried me home at night . . Old Mie ud watch over me in de day time. 1~r young rnarster me dat when I got to be ten year old, I d have a snake coiled up on niy liver. Dat scared me moe to death tu I was past ten year old. ~ Dey made all d Nlggers *o1o~es on de place. Homespun, dey called it.. Dey had spinuin wheels an carde en looms at de Big 3

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House. All de women spinned in de winter time. I never knowed what it was to wear more dan one garment ) tu I was moS grown. I never had a pair o shoes o my own. Old Mie let me wear heZ n sometimes. Dey had shoes for de old folks, but not for de chillun. I got morewhuppin s dan any other Nigger on de place, cause I was mean like my mammy. Always a-fightin an scratchin wid white an black. I was so bad Marster made me go look at de Niggers dey hung to see what dey done to a Nigger dat harm a white man. I s gwine tell dis story on myse f. De white chiflun was asingin dis song: ~eff Davis, long an slim, Whuppedold Abe wid a hick ry limb. 3_9ff Davis is a wise man, Lincoln Is a fool, Jeff Davis rides a gray, an Lincoln rides a mule. I was mad anyway, so I hopped up an sung dis one: Old Gen 1 Pope had a shot gun, Filled it full o gum, Killed ~n as dey come. Called a Union band, Make de Rebels un erst an To leave de lan , Submit to Abraham. Old Mie was a standin right b hin me. de broom an laid lt on me. She made me submit. I don t you forgit lt. n : didn know it was wrong. I d hear d de Niggers sing it an I dldn know dey was a-slngin in dey sleeves. I dldn know nothin bout Abe Lincoln, but I hear d he was a tryin to free de Niggers She grabbed up caught de feathers, 4 138

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an my msnuny .say she want to be free . tDe young folks used to make up a heap songs den. Dey d *decop~pQse dey own songs an sing ~. I never will forgit one song dey sung when dey buried anybody. It made Old Marster, Mistis, an all of em cry. Us chillun cried, too. It went like dis: My mother prayed in de wilderness, In de wilderness, In de wilderness. My mother prayed in de wilderness. An den I m ai~go1n home. Den I m a goin home, Den I m a-goin home. We ll all make ready, Lawd, An den 1~ m a-goin home. She plead her cause in de wilderness, In de wilderness, In de wilderness. She plead her cause in de wilderness. An den I m a-~goin home. Old Aunt Hannah f~ell had twelve chiliwi ~~wo on an de littlest was named Eve. Rachel an Leah. Dey missed my nussin mos all de time. My ma was de Cause o my marster a-firm all de overseers. (Dey blamed ever thing on her cause she was de only bought Nigger.) Marster say she was a valuable Nigger, but she was so mean he was afraid dey d kill her. He sas, She ll work widout no watchin an Chorus (Repeat chorus) to my xaarster from his daddy. She de p1 ~tce. De . was named Adam She had two twins what was named mistis two twins. Dey kep one a~ *eompose 5

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14() overseers amt notitin t ~ Dey was a white man I amt lyin I know hiza an I seen him. He had Nigger houn s en he made money a-.huntin runaway Niggers. als own Niggers kilt t 1m. Dey hung ein for lt. Two was his Niggers an one b long to somebody else. My young marster used to work~ in de fiel wid us. He d Niggers . Dey e ailed im Bud but us a .l called lin Babe. I sho did love dat boy. trWhen de war come dey used to tease him an say Bud why don t you go to de war? Dey laughed an teased im when he went. But twant no laugliin when he come honte on a furlough an went back. Dey was cryin den. An well dey *mo~g~t cry, Cause he never come back no more He was kilt in de war. Endurin d war, de white folks made dey clo es same as de Niggers. Old Mis made dye an dyed de thread. She made pretty cloth. My ma was de firs to leave de plantation after de surrender. All de other Niggers had a contrac to y, but she didn . She went to Newt on County an hired out She never wanted to stay In one place, nohow. If she had a crop ha f made an somebody made her mad. she d up an leave it an go some r s else. You 1~now, dey was mighty strict, bout den, wid cullud folks, people too. De Kloo ICluxes was out nights I hear d tell whuppin people. B~it d~y never bothered me. Dey was speakers g~iue aroun tel .in de Niggers what dey was gwine a.git. Dey never got notbin to ~ ~owledge, cept de *mlgh~t ~: 6 boss de Honey, an white bout ~

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gov nient let em homestead Ian . My ma homesteaded a place close to Enterprise, Scott County, but she got mad an lef lt like she always done. She was a-glttin long In years af~ore she got ligion. (She was good to me after data She eouldn learn de Lawd s Prayer, but she used to pray, Our Father, which are In Heaven; Hallowed be Thy name. Thy mercy, Lawd, You ve showed to others; That meroy show to me. Amen . She went to in it too I went to ~iterprise den t o Meridian, u.s ve-~usin when I could) an workln out. I never ~rked In de fiel 1f I could he p it. (Old MIs hired me out as a nuss firs when I was eight year old,..) When I come to Meridian, I cut loose. I S tellin de truf I s a woman, but I s a prodigal. I used to be a old drunkard. My white folks kep teflin me if I got locked up one more time dey wouldn pay my fine. 3u~t dey done it ag ln an ag in. De Niggers called me Devil. I was a devil tU I got liglon. I warnt baptized tu 1887 . Den I foun peace. I had a vision. I toi it to a white lady ail she say, Susie, dat s ligion a~callin you. ( But you know, honey whit e ligion amt like t ).igion . I know a wc~en dat uldu member de Lawd s Prayer, an she got ligion out o prayin Ianuary February, March ~ . ) I didn join de uhureh tU 1891, after I had a secon vision. I s a member in good stendin now. I done put all my badness b hin me, cept my temper. I even got dat under more control. 7

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I dld:ri used to be scared o cunjers. I s scared now, cause I had it done to me. I went to bed well an healthy an de nex mornin I ouldn git up atali. l s tellin de truf. ~ cullud man done it. He was a crippled man, an mean as he could be. I was good to him, too. He toi me bout it, hlsse f: n, He went to de graveyard an got some o de nieanes dirt he could f t ( I t know how be knowed which was de meane grave) an put it under my doorsill. He sho fix nie. I ask him how come he done it to me an I been so good to him. He smile kinda tickle.lak an say, LIt s a good thing you was good to me, cause, if you hadn a-been you d a-been dead an in yo grave by now. I amt got nary soul what s kin to me dat I knows of. I don t want none of ~n o 0mm to me now an a-sayin Don t you member yo own i? My white folks he p me when I needs it. Dese young Thlks. Shucksl Chile, dey s worse n what I was, only dey s more slyer. Dat s all. I s glad I se got ligion, cause when I dies I s gwine to de Good Place. 8

Isaac Stier, ex-slave, Lauderdale County. 147 143

241 Isaac Stier, Ex-slave, Lauderdale County ?~r~ -~. ~_J Edith Wyatt ~oore Rewrite Pauline Loveless Edited, Clara E. Stokes ISAAC STIER Natchez, Mississippi Miss my name Is Isaac Stier, but folks calls me Ike. I was named by my pappy s youns~ Marster an I amt never toi no~ body all o dat name. It s got twenty-two letters In it. It s wrote but in de fam iy Bible. Dat s how I knows I ll be one huiid ed years old if I lives tu de turn o de year. I was born in Jefferson County tweeri Hamburg an Union Church. De plantation joined de Whitney place an de Montgomery place, too. I b longed to Marse eems Stowers. I don t rightly member how many acres my Marster owned, but twas a big plantation wid eighty or ninety herid o grown folks workin it. No tellin how many little black folks dey was. My mammy was Ellen Stier an my pappy was rordon Stier. He was br ught to dIs country by a s1~ve dealer from Nashville, Tennessee. Dey traveled all de way through de Injun Country on afoot . ~ Dey come on dat Trace road. Twant nothin but a Injun Trail. . When d~r got to Natchez de slaves was put in d~ pen tach ed to de slave markets. It stood at de forks ~ St. Catherine Street an de Liberty road. Here dey was fed an washed an rubbed down lak race hosses. Den dey was dre~ sed up an put through de paces 1

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:144 dat would show off dey muscles. My pappy w~s sol as a twelve year old, but he always said he wes nigher twenty. De firs man what bought him w~s a preacher, but he only kep im a little while. Den he was sol to Mr. Preacher Robinson. He was a ~ethodis . De slaves was well treated when dey got sick. My Marster had a standin doctor what he paid by de year. Dey was a horspital building near de quarters an a good old granny woman to nuss de sick. Dey was five or six beds in a room. ~ One room was for mens an one for wimmins. Us doctor was name Richardson an he tended us long after de war. He sho was a gent man an a powerful good doctor. Us had a overseer on de place but he warnt mean lak I s e heard o other folks havin . He was Mr. William Robinson. He wa good to ever body both white cullud Folks mm for him, cause ~ he sp ke kin . But dey sass im. He was poor. ~ pappy b longed to his pa, Mr. 3~o1rn Robinson. Dat was a nice fam ly wid sho nough ligion. Whilst dey warnt rich, dey had learnin . ~ As a little tike L wore long slip-lak shirts. Then dey sont me to town I put on britches an stuffed de tail o my slip in em so s it pass for a shirt. I always lived in de Big House an played wid de white chillun. I aorta looked after em. I oax ried~1 em to school. Den whilst dey was in school I roamed de woods a ~ huintin . Sometimes I d git a bigbag o ~geme, rtios lyused to feed de.. slaves.. ~ . . S ~ ~ ~ 2 ~ .

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145 ~ My mistis was Miss Sarah Stowers an she teached me how to reed. She teached me how to be mannerly, too. On church days I *d:rivt de carriage. I was proud to take my folks to meetin . I always set in de back pew an heard de preachin de same as dey did. De best times I can member a1way~ come roun de Fourth o? ruly. Dat was always de begthnin o camp-meetin . Amt nothin lak dat in dese days. Ever body what had any standin went. Dey c~oked up whole trunks full o good things t eat an driv over to de camp groun s. De preacher had a big pavilion covered wid sweet-gum branches an carpeted wid sawdust. Folks had wagons wid hay an quilts whar de men folks slep . De ladies slep in little log houses an dey took dey feather beds wid em. I always driv de carriage for ~iiy white folks. Whilst dey was a-worshipin I d sliD roun an tas out o dey basket. Ever day I d eat tu I was ready to bus . One day I got so sick I thought I d pop wide open. I crawled down to de spring an washed my face in col water, but I kep gittin worse an worse. Den somebody calledout: Captain Stier, yo Nigger s a.~dyin ~ My marster called de doctor. He sho was shamed in public cause . he knowed pos tlve I d been a-~piiferin in dem.baskets. Dem sho was good old days. ~ I d love to live e~x over ag in. Us slaves mos ly sung hymns an *~t~yj~~ ~ I member ne song bout a frog pon~d an one bout ~Tump Mr. Toad I s too wordless to sing em now, but dey was funny. Us danced plenty, too. Some o ~ de men clogged an pidgeoned, ~ but when us had dances dey was 3

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real cotillions, lak de white folks had. Dey was always a fiddler an , on Chris mus an other holidays, de slaves was lowed to vite dey sweethearts from other plantations. I use to call out de f iggers: Ladies, sasshay, Cents to de lef , now all swing. Ever body lak my calls an de dancei~s sho moved smooth~ an pretty. Long after de war was~ over de white folks would gage me to come rotin wid de band an call de figgers at all de big dances. Dey always paid me well. Old Mie ud let us cook a gran supper an Marse ud slip us some likker. Dem suppers was de bes I ever et. Sometimes dey d be wil turkey, fried fish, hot corn pone, fresh pork hein, baked yams, chitlins, pop corn, apple pie, pound cake,raisins, an coffee, Law, Miss! de foLks now-rna days don t know nothin bout good eatin , nowhow. When de big w ~~r broke out I sho stuck by my marster. I *fjt de Yankees saine as he did. I went in de battles long side o him an bot fit under Marse Robert E. Lee. I reckon ever ho~1y has heard bout him. I seen more folks dan anybody e ould count . Heaps of em was all tore to pieces an cryin to God to let em die. I toted water to dem in blue de same as dem in gray. Folks wouldn b lieve de truf if I was to tell all I knows bout darn ongodly times. Fore de war I never knowed what it was to go empty. I~ niarster sho set a fine table an l ed his people de highes . De hongriest I ever been was at de Siege o Vicksburg. Dat was a time I d lak to forgit. De folks et up all de cats an dogs an den went to devourin de mules an hosses. Even de wimmin an little chillun was a starvin . Dey stuntdcks was stickin to dey backbones. Us *foug~t 4 14G

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Niggers wa~ sufferin so us took de sweaty hoss blankets an soaked em In mudholes where de hosses tromped. Den us wrung e~n out in buckets an drunk dat dirty water for pot-.likker. It tasted kinda salty was strength nm lak weak soup. I tell you, dem Yankees took us by starvation. Twant a fair fight. Dey called it a vict ry an br~gged bout Vlcksburg a~4allin , but hongry folks amt got no fight let in em. Us folks was starved into surrenderin . De slaves spected a heap frOm freedon dey didn git. Dey was led to b lieve dey would have a easy time go places widout passes an have plenty o spendin money. But dey sho got fooled. Mos of em didn fin deyse ves no better off. Pussonally, I had a harder time after de war dan I did endurin slav ry. De Yankees passed as us frien s. Dey made big promises, but dey was poor reliance. Some of em meant well towards us, but dey was mistol bout a heap o things. Dey promised us a mule an forty acres o lan . Us amt seen no mule yet. TJs got de lan all right, but twant noservice. Fac is, twas way over in a territory where riothin ad grow. I didn know nothin bout farmin , nowhow, I d always been a coachman an play companion to de white chillun. De war was over in May 1865, but I was captured at Vicks burg an hei in jail tu I greed to take up arms wid de Nawth. I figgered dat was bout all I could do, cause dey warnt but one war at Vicksburg an dat was over. I was ail de time hopin I could slip 5 147

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ofT an work my way hack home, but de Yankees didn turn ~e loose tu 1866. Den I worked in a saloon in St. Louis. flat was bout to do. All de time 1 was a cr~vin to come back to It sho suits my tas better n anywhere I se ever been. ~hen I landed back home my white folks welcome me. After awhile I married a gal what wris real smart bout farmin an chicken raisin . So us share-. cropped an raised a farn ly. Someftow us ai ways scrapped along. Someti~~es it was by de hardes , but us always had plenty t eat. All de cullud folks what lived to ~it back home took to ag in. If dey xnarster was dead dey went to his frien s an to share crop. Dey was all plwnb sick o war. Is sho is business. I never will forgit de fearsome sight o seem fore dey time. War sho is de debbil s own work. De Klu Klux 1~aan didn bother me none. Course, I was feared of em at firs , but I soon learnt dat long as I b haved my se f an tended my business dey warnt after me. Dey sho disastered dem what meddled wid de white folks. Nobody but a smart Alec would a-do~ne dat. Only Niggers huntin trouble mixed into white folks bus ness. Onot or twict I seen Khi Klux s ridin by, but dey always traveled fas an I kep my *niouf shut. After de war my marster corne back home. De fences was gone, de cattle was gone, de money an de Niggers was gone, too. On top o ail dat de whole country was over-run an plumb took over all I kaowed Mississippi. de lan offered ongodly men die 6 148

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by white trash. It was cautious times. After awhile, robbers an low down trash got to wearin robes an pretendin dey was Klu Klux s. Folks called dem de white caps. Dey was vicious, an us was more scared of em dan us d ever been o de Klan. When dey got likkered up de debbil sho was turnt loose. Mr. ~Tefferson Davis was pretty good bout some things. But if he hadn a-~been mulish he cou1d~a cepted de propo~ition Mr. Abe Lincum made im. Den slav ry would-a lasted always. But he flew into a huff an swore dat he d whip de Yankees wid corn stalks. flat made Mr. Lincurn mad, so he sot about to free de slaves. Mr. Lincum was a ~ood man, but dey tells me he was poor an never cut much rigger in his clothes. Dat s why he never did un erstan how us felt bout us white folks. It takes de quality to un erstan such things. Right now, I loves m~r marster an his wife in de grave. Dey raised me an showed me kindness all dey lives. I was proud of em. At de present time I s under treatment o young Dr. Stowers, my marster s gran cbll . I trusts him an he is sho good to me. I rents a place on Providence Plantation bout three miles south o Natchez. De trip to Natehez in a rickety old wagon is moe too much in ~ hot weather. My heart s moe wore out. I can t las long, cause I s had a heap ~ sposure. l s jus a bag bones now, but onet I stood nearly six feet in my stockings an weighed bout one hundred an eighty *expos%u~e - ~ 7 ( 149

154 150

15O~ pounds. 1 was well muscled, too. Now I s gittin kinds gray an gittin ba1d~ at de same time. Black folks lak me don t hardly ever git bald. I s gittin real feeble. De doctor Say I got a bad heart. Sometimes I jus has to set on de curb an res myse f a spell. I gits kinda windless when I thinks bout all I been through. My wife is been de -id bout seventeen years an my chillun is so scattered dat I don t know where dey Is. D~ folks I~. stays wid is powerful good to me an sees after mesame as dey was my own. I reckon I don t need nothin else. Dis generation amt got much sense. Dey s tryin to git somewheres too faa . None of em is sat fied wid plain livin . Dey wants too much. Nobody needs more dan dey can use nowhow. . ~! ~

Jane Sutton. 155 151

23()(A)7 :151 JANE SUTTON . Gulfport, Mississippi Jane Sutton, ex-slave, is 84 years old. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She is what the Negroes them~ selves call a brown-skin. I was born in Simpson County, near old Westville, on a big farm what b long to Marss Jack Berry. I was 12 years old when de surrender coins, so my oie Mie say. Her name was Mie Ailsey an all us cuilud folks call her 01e Mi~. She an Old Marster had twelys chiilun: Marthy, Lizabeth, Flavilia, Mary, Jack, Bill, Denson, Pink, Tally, Thomas, Albert, and Frank. My pappy s naine ~s Steve Hutchins. He b long to de Hutchins what live down near Silver Creek. He jus come on Satu d y night an us.don see much of im. Us call him dat man. ~ Mammy toi us to be more spectful to im cause he was us daddy, but us amt care nothin bout im. He amt never brung us no candy or nothiri . My mammy was neme Lucy Berry. She always g& by de white folks name what she live wid. She amt never marry. She had f o boys an three girls. Dey ~as name Delia, Sarah, Ella, Nathan, Isom, Anderson, an Pleas. She work in de fiel an Old Marster say she s de only woman on de place what could plow lak a man. i: mezub ers my g an ma t o o Us always call her Granny~ I

156 152

152 She say d ey st o . e h er b ack in Vi rginny an b rung er t o Mis si ssippi. an sol hr to Marse Berry. Her name was Hannah. She was my maxnmy 8 MafllYfly. I don member nothin boixt~ my pappy s folks cause I never seen none of em. Old Marster was a rich man for dat day. He had a sawmill, a cotton gin, an a gris mill. Us always had plenty t eat an wear. Dey spun an weaved dey own cloth an made us clo es out-a it. I can jus see de white folk s house now. It~was a big house, nice an clean, but twant painted. It had a row o rooms cross dis way an a-nother row dat way wid a hell between. Dey had plenty o rooms for all dem boys an gals . Some of em was bout grown. De *quarters was in de back o de house. De cook s house was closes to de Big House, den nex was Granny s house where us stayed. Den come a long row way down to de back fence. Deydidn have no overseer or driver. Dey was nough o dem boys to look after de work an Old ~Larster say he don need no overseer to look after his slaves. My white folks was all Baptis an dey nude us go to f,r~ ~ church, too. De church was called de Strong River Church. Dey had \. . ; big baptism s. i members when I joined de church. De white folks preacher baptised us in de creek what run from Marss Berry s mill pond. I was dressed up in a white lowell slip. When us dress up in Sund y clo es us had *~~jjk~r dresses. Dey sho was pretty. I members a dress now dat Old Marster bought for my granny. It was white an yaller, an it was de prettiest thing I ever seen. *s a~ve quartera *cal j CO z

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Us white folks was good to us . Dey warnt always a-beatin an a-knocicin us roun . De truf is you couldn fin a scar on nary one o us. Course, son~tirzes dey whup us but d ey didn gash us lak some o de old rrarsters did dey Niggers. When Old Marster died t didn know nothin bout him bein sick. He took a cramp coliciii de night an was dead fore mornin . I hear somebody a-cryiri at de Big House an Granny tol us dat Old Marster done die in de night. Dey had a big fun~al an ~ ll de folks come. De men carried him to de graveyard by de church. Dey didn have no hearses dem days. Twant far to de graveyard so dey jus toted de coffin to whar dey buried im. Dey put flowers in cups an vases on de grave, so s dey wouldn wilt. Us was all sorry when Old Marster died. I cried cause I s aid Now us won git no mo re c andy. ~ He us ed t o b ring us o andy when he went to town. Us d be lookin for im when he come home. He d say, Whar ~ all my little Niggers? Den us d come a-runnin an he d han it to us out-a his saddle bags. It was mos ly good stic~k candy. I members de paterollers. Whenever de cullud folks would 8lip off an have dey frolics dout gittin a ~.ss from Old Marster~ de paterollers would come. Lots-a time dey d come while us was a~ dancin an a~havin a big time. Dem patero .lers would swarm in de room lak a lot o bees. Fore anybody knowed it, dey d begin grabbing at d e mens If dey didn have d ey pass wid em dey took em down in de woods an ~iup em for runnin off wid out asking dey white folks. 3

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Dey didn bother de i~cLn~nins much. De wimmins moe always got away while dey iias catchin de mens. Onct I slipped off wid another gal an went to a party dout asking Old Mis . When dem Night Riders come dat night, de Nig~ gers was a-~runnin an a-dodgin an a-jumpirh out-a winders lak dey was scairt to death. I runs too, me an dat other gal. I fell down an tore my dress, but I warnt studyin dat dress. I knows dat dem white folks had dat strap an I s gittin way fas as I ~could. When Miss Lizabeth got n~rried to Mr. Ras Laird, dey had a big weddin an all dey folks come to see em married. Den dey went to live in Rankin County an took me wid em. Old Marster had give me to Miss Lizabeth. I members when de Yankees come to de house. Us heard dey was comin , so us hid all de hams an shoulders up in de lof o de Big House. Dey didn git mu~h. Dey was so mad dey jus tore up some of Old Mie clo es what was inde wardrobe. Us was sho scairt of em. . UI members dey promise to give de cullud folks all kin o things. Dey never give em nothin dat I know s about. Us was jus turnt loose to scratch for us ownso ves. Ue was glad to stay on uid de white folks, cause dey was de bee frien s us had. ~ don know nobody what got a thing cept what Old Marster an Old Mie give t em. After freedom I went back to Old Mie . I walkedafl. de way back from Rankin County. It was a long way, but I wanted to see 154

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155 Old Mis an my Mammy an my brothers an sisters. when de surrender come bypappy come to git me. I didn wan -a go. I toi im I s gwine stay wid Old Mie . So he goes an gits de sheriff an takes me anyway. I runned away twict an come back to Old Mie . He whupped me de firs time, but de nex time I hid from him an he couldn catch me. He went back home an lamine lone. Den I went wid my mammy to live wid Marse Tally Berry. He was one of Old Marster s eons. Dey used to come an tefl me dat dat old Nigger was gwine kill me if I didn come wid him. But I jus et ayed hid out ti 11 h e went away . I ~pec all my white folks is dead now. 1. wish I could go back to em now. Dey h&p me. Dey was good to us after de War was over. Dis one would want me to live wid dem, den de other one would want me to live wid dem. Sometimes I quit one an go live wid de other one. All of em sho did treat me good. l s havin a heap harder time now dan I ever had in slav ry times. I sho is. Dey raised de young folks better dem days. Dey learnt em to work. Dey didn mm work. Today dey don care bout nothin but havin a good tim. Dey sin studyin bout no hereafter, neither. De Relief give me a little son~thin t eat an wear one tiir~, but dey amt never give me no money. I s old an needy, but I s trustin de Lord an de good white folks to he p me now. All de white folks I used to work for has moved away from town now. I don have nobody to look to but my daughter. She looks after me de bee she can. Dey is some neighbor wimmins dat cones an sets wid 5

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156 me sometimes, l s gittin deaf an I amt got a tooth lef in my head. I s too feeble to he p make a livin , but maybe I ll git dat Old Age Pension fore I die. 6

Slave autobiographies. 161 157

MisSissippi P dexa3. Writers ~ ~- ~ ~:~uj:~ ~ 1~ ~ I ~ ~ Slave Autobiographie S ~ ~ ~ ~ I Mollie i~illiams, who lives two miles west 6f Terry, i~i1iss., tells her story: Iffen I lives ti.l flex September 15, I ll be eighty fo l I was born bout three ailes fruin Utica on de Newsonie place. Me an brudder ifanip b longed to Max~e George Ne~~some. Marse George was named aflte George Washington up in Virginny whar he come frum. Miss 1~iarg.urite ~ias our nilstiss. My mar~xy? ~Jell, I ll have to tell you now bout her. You see Marss Ge orge come off d own here fruin Vir~ ginny lak young folks venturin bout, an mar ied Mis I~iargurite an wanted to start up livin right over thar near Utica whar I was born. But I~arse George we s po an he sho foun out ye can t make no crop wid out n a start of darkies, so he writhome to Virginny fer to git some darkies. ~l dey - ~ sont him was fo mens an old &.mt a~rriet fer to cook. One day Marse George an his Uncle, Mr. .Tohn Daven.. port ~ now thai was a ri. ch man ter ye why he had two earn ge drivers - dey rid over to Grand Gulf whar dey was a sellin slabes offen de b2~..4~2 Mr. John toi Marss George to pick hisseif out a pair of darkies to mate so s be bould git hisself a start of darkies fer to chop his cotton an like. So Marse George pick ~Th 1

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~58 out my pappy fast. My pappy come fruin North Ca lina. Den he seen my mammy an she was big an strengthy an . he wanted her pow ful bad. 3~ut lak I toi you, he didn have nough money to buy ein both, so h18 Uncle .~ohn saj he d buy max~imy an den he v~ouid loan her over to Marse George fer pappy. An~ de fust chile would be Mr. 3~o1in s, an de secon Marse Geor~e ~3, an likewise. Mammy was a Missourii:13n name ~iaryiin Napier avenpo t. Afl~ pappy was name Mar-S tin Nev~soxae. Darkies ilbed In li i old lo~ houses wid dirt chimbleys. Dat is, de rest of de darkies did. Dey kep me up in de B1~ House, bein raarnrnyless lak. i~os ly I slep in de trun le bed wid Mies I~iary Jane tillI&ot so ~ had tomek a pallet on de f10 fer me. Dey was Mr. Bryant, ~r. A.D., LeLia~ M~rthe, Miss Ann, Miss Helen, Miss Mary ~ ne an Mr Ceo rge all longin to Marse Ge orge an Mia~ Margurite. Mammy was a fiel han . ~he could plow an wuk in de fiel s jea ~ lak e. man an my pappy he done de same . Mammy she hated house wuk . ~ak me. I jeamnatu~lly loves to be out runnin ~ rc~trn in de fiel s an bout. I neber lak d to do wuk roun de house none t all. We wo lowell clo es an brass toed brogans. Miss Max gurlte made our dresses an lak, an afte aunt Harriet died, she done de cookin too fer all de slabes an de fambly. She fix up ~

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dinner fer de fiel han s, an I taken it to em. I~rse George had old powder horn he blowed mornin s fer to g t de darkies up fo day good, an dey come in bout sundown. Je growed corn an taters an cotton plentiful, an we orchids (1) an penders (2). Den, sheeps an hogs an Miss Mar~urite had a piany, a cordian, a ~1utena, an a fiddle. She could play a fiddle good as a man. Law, I heerd many as three fiddles goi.n in dat house many a time. ~n I kin jes see her li l o).d fair han s now, playin jes a8 tast as 1ignt-~ fin a chune (3) bout -~ . I ~~ father he cried, my uioth ~r she cried, I i wasn cut out fer de army. I o~ Capt in c~injc, my hoss me ~ But feed his hoss on CQtII an beans j All s port de gals by any means! ~ Cause I iii a Capt in in de army. All us chu,llun begged ter play dat an we all sing an dance ~ L~11t ~ One song I riiember rfiaxiiniy singin : had cows gran an lak. 7 (1) (2) (3) orchards peanuts tune 1~9

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160 s~ Let me nigh by roy cry, ~ (~1~ ~ Give me Jesus. ~ ~ ( You may h~tve all dis ~or1d, L But give me Je sus Singin an shoutin , she had ligion all right. She b longed to Old Farrett back in Miesouri. de did.n git sick much, but in~nimy made yeller top tea(1) fer chills an fever an give U8. ~ Den iffen it didn do no good, 7 Miss Margurite called t~er Dr. Hunt lak she done when her own chullun got sick. Noue of de darkies on dat place could reQd an write. Guess Misa Helen an Miss ~nn would a learned nie, but I was jes $0 bad an didn lak to set still no longer n I had to. I seen plenty of darkies whupped. Marse George buckled 11W rX1afl~Y down whupped her cause she run off Once when Marse George seen pappy stealin a bucket of 1as~es an totin it to a ~:~1 9X1 nother place, he whupped him but didn stake him down. Pappy toi him to whup him but not to stake him - he d stan ter it wid out de stakin so I member he looked jes lak he was jurnpin a rope an i PrayMarser ever t ime de strop hit im. I heered bout some people whut nailed de darkies a tree an beat em but I neber seen none whupped dat (1) dog fennel (2) ears

165 161

I neber got no whuppina frum Marse George cause he didn whup de chulluns none. Li l d~rky ohullun played long wid white chullun. Iffen de old house is still thar I spec you kin fin mud cakes up under de house whut we made out n eggs we stole trum de hen nests. Den ~Je milked jes anybody s cows we could ketch, an churned it. We s all tiras in ter soIns mischief. Thar was plenty dancin mong st darkies on L~~rse George s place an on ones nearby. Dey danced reels an l~ik in de moonlight: f Mamma s got de I e ough, ~ Daddy a got de measles, ~r_7 ~ Dat s whar de money goes, I Pop goes de weasel. ~ I ~ I Buffalo gals, can t you come out tonight, ~ ~ ~ Come out tonight, an dance by de light of de moon? ~enuie, put de kettle on, Saille, bot . de water strong, Gennie, put de kittie on An le s have teaZ Run tell Co1exi~an, ~ ~ Run tell everbody Dat de niggers is iiIt Z 161.

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162 Run nigger ru~n, de p~tterro11ers ketch you -~ Run nigger run, fer hits ~iImos day, De nigger run; de nigger flew; de nigger los His big old shoe. Vihen de War cc~ie, L(i rse George went to fight back in Virginriy. Us ~1l thought de Yankees ~as some kin of debils an we was skeored to death of em. One day Miss Mary J~1ne, }Ielen, an me was playin an we seen III IIS all dressed in blue coats wid brass buttons on dey bosoms ridin on big fine hosses, drive right up to our po ch an say to hunt Dalla whar she was sweepin : ~ t, Good morning, Madam, no men s about? When she toi em wa nt no mens bout, day ax fer de keys to de smokehousean went out an hep ed deyse ves an loaded dey wagons. Den dey went out in de pasture mongst de cheeps an killed off sanie of dein. Nex dey went in de buggy house an all together shuck down de ~arr i ~e so we neber could use hit no rrio . Yessum, dey done right smart of mischief roun thar. Some of de darkies went off wid de Yankees. My brudder Howard did, an we ain t heard tell of him since. I ll tell you bout it. You see, Mr. L)avenpo t owned hirnen when he heard bout de Yankees comin dis way, he iont his white driver an Howard in de ~arr~ ~~d nj,). his valuables to de swamp to hide,

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~in while dey was thar de white driver, he we~it off to sleep an Howard was prowlin roun an we u~1 jes reckin he went on off wid de Yankees. You ~uean hoo doo? ~)at s whut ra~ pappy done to ~y lflan Iny. You se&, dey was al .us fussin bout fust one thing, den t nother naniiny got mad caus n pappy slipped her ob e s out n her ches an taken over to de other gals fer to daiic~ in, an when he brung em back man~iy would see finger Prints on em whar he been t rnin em ~ oun an she sho be mad an fight him. She could lick hirn too caus n she w~s bigger. One day peppy come in an say to rnaxux~ iy: t Does you want to be bigger an stronger dan whut you already is ? An mamy say she did. So nex day he brung her a liti bottle of soxaethin blood red wid soniethin looked like a gourd seed in de middle of it an he toi her to drink hit iffen she want to be real strong. Frum de fust drink she fell off. Place of walkin off, she jes etuinbled an got wo seran wo sar till she plum los her mm . Fer a long time, dey had to tie her to a tree. Den afte de War, she let Mr. Davenpo t s an jes traveled bout over de country. I stayed on wid Miss Margurite he pin her jes lak I d been dom . One day xaa~y come afte me an I run an hid under a pile of quilts an laked to smothered to

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O S :0. ~ O ~ lb0. ~. ~ ~ . O ~ .: . O ~ . ~ ~ O, ~ ~ S J / S 164 I death waitin fer her to go on off. . Nex time she come, she brung a written letter to Miss ~iJargur1te trum de Free ~ Board t taken me wid her. down fer myself. I had three chullun, but ain t noue livin ~ . O ~Ye jes went frum place to. place til I got itiar ied an settled

Slave autobiographies. 169 165

~4 ~ Mississippi Federal Writers $lave Autobiographieo :~ ~ My naine 1g Toni Wilson an I ae eighty fo years old. ~5 My mammy w~s name Ca line an my pappy wa8 Jeff Wilson. Ua lived right out on de old Jim Wilson place, right by New Zion Chu ch. I live8 that, now ~ owns me a plot of groun an farm8. Well, us blonged to Marse Jim an Mise Nancy Wilson. I vas born right out thar, but my mammy was brung dc~rn fruin Ten see. She come by heirto Mai se Jim but fo that her was soi for ten hun erd dollars. My mammy wa~ a big sportly woman an brung a lot er money an my pappy, he brung nine hun erd. Marss Jim bought him offen de block, but I don t know jss wher trum. I jog niember8 bout hearin him tell bout bein sol . : z~Bofe of dein was fiel han s. L.aw, mammy could plow jes lak a man all day long; den milk twen y head er cows afte she quit de fi.l at night. --.~ ~De Big House was made out n logs an reckin hit had bout seben er sight rooms in hit, an de kitchen sot a piece trum de maineet house. Thar was one brick chiably an one dirt one to hit, an a great big wide po ch cross de front of de house. I member Mie Nancy an white folks ud set out that of an evenin an mek us li l cullud chullun dance an sing an cut capers fer to muse ca. Den dey had a trough, built bout lak a pig trough, an dey would mek de t~ook bake a gr. t big slab er co n bread an

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I put hit in de trough an po milk er lasses over hit, an tu n : ~ li l cullud chullun loose on hit. An I se tell n y ai ~ much of hit went in our hair an eye. an ye~ s (i) ae went in ~ ~ our meufs. (2) NI reckin thai was bout two er three hun srd acres in Marie Jim e place. Ui raised cotton, taten, an hog.. No m, slaves didn have no plots er dey ~n. Marie Jim give us our rashins every week. Well, moi er de cullud people ud cook dey victuals over de fire place in dey ~n houese. U~ sho did have poisum an taten. My aaany wuked in de loom room at night by light of a pine knot. In de Big House dey had taller (3) can le. cause I member my msuiay moulded em. No m, de spinnin wh ele was kep inde kitchen of de Big House. Hit had a dirt fie . Us jes.. wo 1~ t 1 old uiti made out n lowell cloth whut mammy wove on de loom, I dean member weanin no ehoee. $1 j,i played rotin bout de place an h. psd wid de ~ cleanin up an dish washin . Kinder houee boy, I was. / __~__~ When us got sick, msniny made us pills out n herba. She taken May apple roots an boiled hit d~n to a syrup; den ehe lit ~ da~ dry out an rolled hit inter pille. Dey she vai fin fo \~. e anything w. might . have. - \~?~ y (1) ears (2) rnouth (3) ~ll~

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1G? Chria mus was a mighty glad time fo us. Yessuin, us got extra rsehins an had time off ter play an kick our heels. ~ ~ . - : Gen ly (1) had bout a week off. Tell you whut Maree Jim ud do S- ~ when Chrie tnus come ~oun . He d sen one er de cullud mens out ~ to git a log an say, Now long as die log burn, y all kin hare ~:; off n wuk . Co se ua d hunt de biggee gum log an den soak hit ~ in de strewn so hit wud burn on a long t line . Dey d put hit on ?~ back er de fire an hit wud las moe a week. Couldn none of us read er write, an us wa nt neber learned tu alte us was set free. Den some went to 11.1 schools fer tie cullud people. sI abo has seen a inwnmy an lots i~ git whuppins. Marse Jim, he had a strop er leather stuck in de ilit end of a. staff, an he abo did whup em layed cross a barrel. Once n pappy run away*n Marse Jim got de bloc~d houn s afte him, an catched him .. ~ up f0 he could gtt fur, an dat day he lay him cross de barrel, an whupped him frum sun up tu sun down. When he quit off, n pappy couldn talk no more n a whisper aca cely. ~Pattyrollers, I heard of en aliright cause dey abo would git you iffsn y went abr~iad widout a pass trum Marss Jim. *One day us li 1 cullud ohullun was frollicin out in de front yard an Mie Nancy an sora mo was settin on de po ch an aU of a sudden I see om.buddy comin down de road an I says Look, whut s dat? (1) generally

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168 An white folks run to de WOOdB an hid out caze dey ~ ~ : seen hit was Calv ry bout a mile long comin down de road. Sojer rid right up to me au stuck his bay net at ~ an eaye, ~ Boy, wh~r de tat.er. house? An I eho did show him whar twas. Dem eajera &ho was starved. Dey take thirty tater purika, fif. teen er twenty chickens, and five hams. Den dey went ~.n de smoke house an grabbed off five er ten poun e er sausage, middlin s, and aides. T),y take nough grub to load three wagons an take hit over to New Zion Church bout er mile trum us. An right thar dey camped that night. ~Th&t was afte de Siege er Vickaburg. ~rse Jim didn keer, but he sont u. ober nex monin to git de leavin ., an thar was a wagon load er jas de leavin .. //~ 1 members when us was sot free aliright. Tisa in de ~ middle of de winter y kn~, an Marss Jim was so mad bout hit t;~ he went off down to a li l stream er water s.n broke de ice an \ jumped in, an bodied bout two veeke afte of de pewmonia. (1) L ~ ~i was glad to git in freedom cause I got out n frum under dem whuppine. *Aft,, dat ue bought lan trum de Wileone whut was let an I been a fa min thai ever since.* (1) pneumonia

Slave autobiographies. 173 169

~) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Misaisaippi. B~d ra1 Writeri ~ f ,~ ~ J *J ~ z ~ Slave Autobiogra~~hi~s ~ ~ t~cte_ Clara C. Young, ex~-s1ave, Monroe County; is approximate ~ ~ ly 95 years old, about five feet two inches tall, and weighs 105 ~ pounds. ~he is a treu, dark skinned Negro, with the typical broad nose and the large mouth of the southern Negro. ~er physi cal condition is especially good for a wo~aan of her age. She is very talkative at times, but her memory appears to c~ ne and go, I 80 that she has to be prompted at intervals in her story~te11ing ~: by her daughter or granddaughter, with whom she lives. Fami1iar~ ~ ~ ly known as hunt Classie, she is very proud of her age and more ~ especially of her long line of~ descendants. ~ Law, Miss, I doan know when i was born, but I do know . ~ dat I se sebenteen years old when I was tust sol . Dey put me an . my brudder up on de auction block at de same tizue. He brung 4~1400 but I dis members zeotly what dey paid ter me. Wa nt dat much, tho fer big strong x~iens brung mo dau~ixnrs~ens an gals.~ ~ Long pauses accentuated the quavery voice of the old Negro, whOse head resembled a nappy patch of cotton, and who w~s so enthusiastic over remi~n~soing about the days when she was young ~ . ~ and carefree. I was born in Huntsville Alabamy my mammy pappy wasname Silby an Sharper Conley. Dey tuk de las name ~ ~rum de old lflar8ter dat owned em. I lived dar wid em til de ~ . ohullun drew dey part8 an us was vided out. While I was wid

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old marster, he let Miss Rachel - dat was his wire - have me fer de house. She lamed me how to cook an wait on de table, an I declar , she call me her vei~~ sr~iartest gal2 Sometimes, tho , I wouldn coxiie right quick la.k when she ring de bell fer me, an she d start ringin it harder an harder. I knowed den she was mad. When I d get dar, she d fuss at me an n ~iy dress up an wimp me - not hard cause she wa nt so strong - but I d hollers~iie. * ~. Dey had a nigger woman to teach all de house darkies bow ~~to read an write an I lamed how to sign my name an got as fur as b-~a-k~-e-r in de Blue Back Speller. L_______ Marss Conley an ~4j~g Rachel had fo chullun, Miss Mary, Miss Alice, MissWillie, an Marss Andrew, an when de tiras coins, dey give me to Marss A~idrew.~. ~He led me an de rest out t o Texas ~har he thought be would go an git rich. We neber stayed long, ~9 fer l ts of de niggers runned way tO de Free State an Marse ( 2t ~ \ ~ ti~r~ didn lak dat. \ ~r~ ~ It was when he brought us back to Huntsville dat I was ~! sol All de white folks was a gjt~b~ scared dey was gwineter lose ~ dey slaves an ~sre. was a pow ful lot er nigger sellin goin on den. I\__ _ . ~ Marse :Ewing bought me frum him an car ied me to his plantation near Aberdeen, Mississippi. Den I started to workin in defiel wid de rest of de hands. De oberseer dat we bad was right mean to us when

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we didti work our rows as fas as d~ others, an soi~ietirae he whup us, win3Llen an all. When he did dat some of us most nigh allus tell de marster an he would jump on de oberseer an tell him to lay off de wixurnen an chullun. Dey was allus sort of thoughtful of us an we loved old marster. I heerd tell one time, tho , of de hired man (he was a nigger) ii de oberseer whuppin one of my cousina til she bled; she wa~ jeS~ sebenteen years old an was in de fatably way fer de fust tixue, an couldn work as hard as de re~t. Nex riiawnin afte dat she died. De hired man toi de rest if dey said anything bout it to de marster, he d beat dein to death, too, so ever body kep quiet an de inarster neber knowed. t We worked hard in de fiel all day, but when dark coi~ie we would all go to de ~:~:~rt~rs ~.fl afte supper we would set roun an sing an talk. Moe of de time we had good food to eat cause mos of us had our gardens, an de quarters cook would fix what we wanted if we brung it to her. Dunn de last years fo de surrender, we didn have much to eat tho ; an made out de best we could. ~ ~f ~ De inos tun we had was at our xneetin s. We had dem moe I ever Sunday an dey lasted way into de night. De preacher I laked ~ de bee was name Mathew Ewing. He was a comely nigger, black as ~ night an he could read out of hi s han He neber lamed no

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. ~ r ~a1 readin an writin but he sho knowed his Bible sri would I hoi his han out an mek lait he was readin an preach de pur~ tiest preachin you ever heered. De ineetin s. last frum early In de mawnin tU late at night. When dark come, de men folks would hans up a wash pot bottom ards in de little brush church house us had, so s it would oat h de noise an de Oberseer wouldn hear us sixigin an shoutin Dey didn mi us meetin in de day time, but dey thbu~ht iffen we stayed up ha f de night we wou1dii~ work so hard de nex day an dat was de truf. You uld a seen some of de niggers get ligion. De best way was to carry em to de cemetery an let em stand ober a grave. Dey would start singin an shoutin bout seem fire an brimstone ; den dey would sing scine mo an look plum sancti.~ fled. . When uS had ~ our big ineetin s d4ie would allus be some ~ darkies frum ae plantations aroun! to come. Dey would have to \ slip off cause dey maratera was afraid dey would git hitched up .~ ~ ~- wid 80The other black boy er gal on. de other plantation an den dey ~ s would either have to buy er 2e11 a nigger to you could git any ~. t %~2rk out of him. We neber knowed much bout de War, cept dat we didn

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have as much to eat er wear, an de white men folks was all gone. Den, too, Old Miss cried a lot of de time. ~ ~--~ De Ya~ees come ro~ ft de War an toi us we s \ ~ ~ ~1~:~- ~ 1~ free an we shouted an sang, an had a big celebration fer a few j . days. Den we got to wonderin bout what good it did us. It ! ~ didn feel no diffrunt; we all loved our marstei~ an missus an \~ stayed on wid em jes lak nthin had happened. De Yankees tried \ tc) git some of de men to vote, too, but not many did cause dey : ~J%~3 scared of de Ku Kiuxera. Dey would come at night all dressed up lak ghosts an scare us all. ~ Je didn lak de Yankees anyway~ L~y Wa x t good to us; when dey lef we would allus sing dat . leetle song what go lak dis: t Old Mister Yankee think he is so grand, Wid his blue coat tail a draggin on de ground! I stayed on wid Old Marster afte de surrender, wid de res tu i met 3!oshua. JOshua Young was hi$ name an he b longedto deYoungs whut lived out at Waverly. I moved out dar wid him aft~ we ~uar ied. We didn have no big weddin cause dere wa nt much money den. We had a preacher an den went along ja lak we had allus been ied. ps~~\ f J~osh, he s been daid fer a long time now but we good. life out at Waverly an many a night stood outside de L) had a parlor

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do eu watch de white folks at dey big dauces an parties. I~ folks was pow ful nice to us an we ruised a passel er chullun ~~ dar. All oi~ exa ceptin three be daid now. George is de oldes of those lef . He s a bricklayer, caroenter, preacher, au laos anything else he cides to call hisse f. He s got 19 or 20 chullun, I dis mernbers which. Edith ain t got so many. She live up North. I lives wid i~iy ~ther darter an ~her gal. I named her afte ray sisters. Her name is Anna Luvenia Hulda Larissa sane Bell Young I~IcL 1i11an, Dere may be more n dat now, but any~..~ys dere is five generations livin . ~ ttWhat I think bout slav ry? Vieil, leetle Miss, I ttell you, I wish it was back. Us was a lot better off in dem kays dan we is now. ir dem Yankees had leV us lone we d ( been a lot ~appie r. ~e wouldn been on lief an old age pen~ i~ sion fer de las three years. ~n Janie May, here, I b lieve, J sure as goodness, would a been de Missus very smartes gal, ~ an would a stayed wid her in de Big House lak I did. Note: This autobiography is exactly as related by the Negro to the field worker with.exception of a few changes in spe1ling~ Phraseology is the same.. ~ B.Y. :r~4

066 062

62 went to Texas. I don know why zackly cep maybe it warnt so healthy for em roun Livingston. Dey didn go to de War or nothin . I spec nice white folks talked bout em an wouldn have nothin to do wid em. So dey took an went to Texas an took my pappy wid em. But after de War he come back to us, walked mos all de way frum Texas. He rented some lan frum Mr. Ragsdale. My pappy built us a shack on dat lan . It s tore down now, but it was built good. Us all he ped. I pulled a cross-cut saw an toted de boards up on de roof on a ladder. De chimley was built out o mud an rocks. Den us moved in an started growin us somp in t eat. Us didn have no horse an plow; Yankees done carried off all de horses an mules an burnt up ever dthing lak plows. Us dug up de groun wide a grubbin hoe an raised pun-kins an plenty o chickens an ever thing. Us lived nice. My people was smart. My white people was good white people. Dey warnt brutish; never whupped us or nothin lak dat. I don know nothin bout no meanness. Mr. Higgins he died pretty soon an Miss Lizzie went to teachin school. Her chillun Miss Annie an dem would try to teach us. Den us carried Blue Back Spellers to Sund y school an a old Baptist cullud preacher would teach us out o it. He say, de same words is in dis book what s in de Bible. You chillun learn em de way dey is fixed for you to learn em in dis here Blue Back Speller, den de firs thing you know you can read de Bible. Use went to de white folk s church endurin o de War an right after. Any o de 2