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Fulkes, Minnie
I was born the twenty fifth of December and I am 77 years old. My mother was a slave and she belonged to Dick Belcher in Chesterfield County. Old Dick sold us again to Golaspe Groves, now fifteen of mother's chillun west with her having de same waster.
Honey, I don't like to talk 'bout dem times, 'cause my mother did suffer miss. You know dar was am' overseer who use to tis gather up in de barn with a rope aroun' her arms up over ber head, while she stood on a block. Soon as dey got her tied, dis block was moved an' her feet dangled, yo' know. Couldn't tech do flo'.
Dis old man, now, would start beatin' her naked 'til the blood run down her back to her heels. I took an' seed th' whips an' scare for my own self wid dese here two eyes. ("was a whip like Dey was to use on horse) it was a piece of leather 'bout as wide as my han' fron little finger to thumb. After dey had beat my mama all dey wasted another overseer. Lord, Lord, I hate white people and de flood waters gwine drown some me. Well honey dis man would bathe her in salt and water. Don't you kno' dem places was a hurtim". Um, um.
I asked mother, what she done for 'on to beat and do her so? She said, "nothin", tother than she refused to be wife to dis man."
An' mama say, if he didn't treat her dis way a dozen times, it wasn't nary one."
Mind you, now mama's marster didn't know dis was going on. You knew, if slaves would tell, why dem overseers would kill 'em.
An' she sed dat day use to have meetings am' sing and pray an' th' el' paddy rollers would hear dem, so to keep th' sound from goin' out, slaves would put a great big iron po at the doer, an' you know some times dey would for git to put el' pot dar an' the paddy rollers would come an' horse whip every las' one of 'em, jes cause peer souls were praying to God to free 'em from dat awful bandage.
Ha! ha! ha! dar was one ol' brudder whe studied for 'em one day an' tel all de slaves how to git even wid 'em.
He tel' 'em to tie grape vines an' other wines across th' road, dem when de Paddy rollers come galantin' wid their horses runnin' so fast you see dem vises would tangle 'em up an' cause th' horses to stumble and fall. An' lots of times, badly day would break dere legs and horses too; one interval one ol' poor devil got tangled so an' do horse kept a carryin' him, 'til he fell off horse and next day a sucker was found in read whar dem vines was wind aroun' his neck so many times yes had choked him, day said, he totally dead. Serve him right 'cause dem ol' white folks treated us so mean.
Well, sometimes, you knew dey would, the others of 'em, keep going 'til dey fin' whar dis meeting was gwine on. Dey would come in and start whippin' am' beatin' the slaves unmerciful. All dis was done to keep yo' from servin' God, am' do you know some of dem devils was mean an' sinful 'nough to say. "Ef I ketch you here agin servin' God I'll boat you. You haven't time to serve God. We bought you to serve us. Us, us.
God's gwine 'rod dem wicket marsters. If hit 'taint 'em what gits hit, hits gonna fall on deir chillun.
In dem back days child, meetings was carried on jos like we de today, some - whatly. Only difference is the slave dat knowed th' most 'bout de Bible would tell and explain what God had told him in a vision (yo' young folks say, "drean") dat dis freedom would some to pass! an' den dey prayed for dis visits to come to pass, an' dere whar de paddy rollers would whip 'em ag'in.
Lord! Lord dey, pow! pow! pow! Baby, "I jes kno' I could if I knowed how to write, an' had a little learning I could put off a book on dis here situation. Yo' kno what I mean 'bout does way back questions yes is a asking me to tell yo' 'bout; as for as I can recollect in my mind.
When Graves bought us, he sold three of us an' three slaves. My brother an' sister wont down south. Mama sed to de cotton country an' too, she say, "they were made to work in th' cotton fields by their new marster, out in don white fields in th' brawlin' sun from th' time it breaked day 'till yo' couldn't see at night an', yes indeedy, an' if God isn't my right'ous judge they were given not half to eat, no not 'nough, to eat. Dey was beaten of dey ask'd for any me'".
As to marriage, when a slave wanted to marry, why he would les ask his marster to go over and ask do tother marster could he take unto himself dis certain gal for a wife. Mind you now, all de slaves dat marster called out of quarters an' ha'd make 'em line up see, stand in a row like soldiers, and de slave man is wid his marster when dis askin' is gwine on, and he pulls de gal to him he wants jes' de marster den rake both jump over broom stick an' after dey does, dey is pronounced man an' wife, both stays' wid same marsters (I mean of John Marris Sallie John stay wid his el' marster an' Sal' wid here but had privileges, you know, like married folks; an' of chillun were bean all of 'em, me matter how many, belonged to de marster whar do woman stayed.
If I made a mistake, I think it was in April when do war surrendered an' mama an' all us was turned aloose in May. Yes dat el' wench, a el' heifer, oh child, it makes my blood bile when I think 'bout it. Yes she kept mama ignrunt. Didn't tell her nothing 'bout being free 'til den in May.
Don her mistess, Miss Betsy Godsey, tel' her she was free, an' she (mama) coul' seek for her jos th' same dat she would give her something to eat an' help clothe us chillun, dat was of numa continual' to stay wid her an' work.
You sea, we didn't have nuthin' an' no whar to go, um, um, um so we all, you know, jes took on stayed 'til we was able wid God's help to pull us salves together. Put my God it was 'ginst our will, but, baby, couldn't help ourselves.
My fathers master tel' him he could farm one haf fer th' tother an' when time rolled 'roun' for dem 'viding crops he took an' give to him his part like any honest man would do. Ah, Lord child, dem was terrible time too, ah! it makes me shudder when I think of some slaves had to stay in de woods an' git long best way dey could after freedom done him' clared; you see slaves who had mean master would rather be dar den whar dey lived. By an' by God opened a way an' dey got wid other slaves who had huts. Yes see, after th' render no white folks could keep slaves. Do ye' know even now, honey, an' dat done bin way bac' yonder, dose ol' white folks think us poor colored people is made to work an' slave for dem, look! Dey aint give you no wages worth nothin'. Gal cook all week for two an' three dollars. How can you live off it, how kiss, you his yell
My father waited an soldiers and after do s'render dey carried him on' his brother as for as Washington D.C. I think we all use to say den, "Washington City. Mist you dome heard folks talk 'bout dat city? 'Tis a grade big city, dats whar de President of dis here country stay; an' in dem days it was known as 'vidin' lin' for do North an' South. I done hear dem white folks tell all 'bout dem things, dis line. As I was tellis' you, hos brother was kept, but dey sent father has' home. Uncle Spencer was left in Prince Williams County. All his chillun ar' still dar. I don't know de name of Yankee who carried him off.
Lord, Lord, Honey, dem times toe ever sad, cause Yankees took lots of slaves away an' dey made homes, An' whole heap of families lost sight of each other. I know of a case whar after hit was ten years a brother an' sister lived side by side an' didn't know dey was blood kin.
My views 'bout de chillun is dem bas! days is dat does here chillun what is new sewin' up is too pison brason for me.
Mod jes' lemme tell you how I did I married when I was 14 years old. So help me God, I didn't knew what marriage meant. I had an idea when you loved do man, you an' he could be married an' his wife had to seek, clean up, wash, am, from fer him was all. I slept in bed he on his side an' T an miss for three months an' dis aint no lie. Miss Sue, he never got close to me 'cause mama had sed don't let no body bother yo' principle, 'cause dat was all ye' had. I 'boy my mama, an' tol' him so, and I said to go an' ask mama an' of she sed he could get close to me hit was alright. An' he an' I went to gether to see and ask mama.
Den mama said "Come here chillun and she began tellin' me to please my husband, an' 'twas my duty as a wife, dat he had married a pu'fect lady."
Dese here chillun don't think of deir principle. Run purfectly wild. Old woman too. Dey ain't all 'em true to one, but have two.
Jos what is gittin' into dis generation; is hit do worl 'comin' to an end?
Ha! ha! ha! I goin 'tel' yo' som'thim' else.
I had a young man to come to see me one evenin' an' he sed dis to me, "Miss Monre" "Let me jin my fence to your plantation."
I give him his hat. I say, "no" yo' go yo' way an' I go mine. I was through wid him, an' mind yo' I from dat da' 'til dis aint knowed what he was talkin' 'bout an' was ashamed to ask Monre; but I thought he insulted me."
I didn't never go to school. Had to work an' an working now an' when hit breaks good weather, I go fishing. And who works dat big garden out dar? No body but me."
You know I'm mother of eleven chillun, an' 'tis seven living an' four of don ded.
