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(Mobile, AL. Ila B. Prine, Federal Writers' Project, Dist. 2, July 23, 1937)
"Aunt" Adeline, who lives on Frye St, Mobile, Alabama, is a tall, gaunt, bright-skinned, colored woman, who sat dozing in a cane bottom rocking chair on a wide porch that extended across the front of the house. This cottage was among a cluster of large oak trees, that almost hid it from view.
When the writer came up on the porch, "Aunt" Adeline opened her eyes, which were covered with a pair of glasses, with one lens badly cracked. The writer told "Aunt" Adeline she was trying to find old people who lived during slavery days, and it acted like an electric shock, for the old woman, immediately sat up straight and said, "Lor', yes, I libed in dose days, an' I tells you I 'members all 'bout dem; do cum in an' set down. De fust white people I b'longed to war a man named Jones, who was a colonel in de war but I can't tell you much 'bout dem, cayse I was jes' a li'l gal den. I war jes' big 'nuff to tote water to de fiel' to de folks wurking, an' to min' de gaps in de fence, to keep de cattle out when dey war gatherin' de crops. I don't 'spec' you knows anything 'bout dos kin' ob fences? Dey war built ob rails an' when dey war gatherin' de crops dey jes tuk down one section ob de fence, so de wagons c'uld git thro'."
After de war broke out ol' Mister Jones went off to hit, an' I 'members de day he lef', he cum to de fiel' to tell all de han's goo'bye, he had a big white plume on his hat. Dat war in Bolivar County, Mississippi. Atter ol' Mister Jones lef' for de war, den de nigger drivers an' o'seer began to drive us 'round lack droves ob cattle. Every time dey w'uld hyar de Yankees war cuming dey w'uld take us out in de woods an' hide us. Finally dey sold us atter carrying us away from Boliver County, sum ob us war sold to people in Demopolis, Alabama, an' Atlanta, Georgia, an' sum to folks in Meridian, and Shubuta, Mississippi. I don't any more know whar my own folks went to den you does.
I 'members afore leaving ol' Mister Jones' place how dey grabbed up all de li'l chillun dat was too li'l to walk an' puttin' us in wagons, an' den de older folks had to walk, an' dey marched all day long, den at night dey w'uld strike camp. I has seen de young niggers whut war liable to run away wid dere legs chained to a tree or de wagon wheels. Dey w'uld rake up straw an' throw a quilt ober hit an' lie dat way all night, while us chillun slept in de wagons.
When us cum to de big river at Demopolis, Alabama, I 'members seeing de big steamboats dere, an' dey said dat de sol'iers was goin' away on dem. Hit was in Demopolis us war sold, an' a man named Ned Collins ob Shubuta, Mississippi, bought me.
"Aunt" Adeline said that the houses the slaves lived in on the Jones plantation were board houses, and that Mr. Jones owned a big plantation and lots of slaves. She said that they had home-made beds, nailed to the walls with mattresses made out ob shucks.
After having been sold to Mr. Collins of Shubuta, Mississippi, "Aunt" Adeline said that life was very hard, not so much for herself, but she saw how hard the other slaves worked. She was the house girl, and had certain tasks to perform. She helped clean house, wash dishes, and take care of the children, and after finishing that work, she had to spin thread, and each day she would have to spin so many cuts, and if she did not finish the required number, she was punished.
She said that her mistress kept the finished work on top of a large wardrobe, and "Aunt" Adeline said that many times she would steal a cut of thread off of that wardrobe to complete a certain task given her to keep from being punished.
As she grew older she did have to go to the field and pick cotton, and "I jes hates to hab to weigh any thing today, 'cayse I 'members so well dat each day dat de slaves war given certain number ob pounds of cotton to pick an' when weighin-up time cum an' you didn't hab de number ob pounds, set hit aside, an' you may be sho' dat you war goin' to be whipped. But hit warn't all bad times 'cayse us did hab plenty to eat, an' 'specially at hog killin' time. Dey wuld hab days ob hog killin' an' de slaves w'uld bake dere bread, an' cum wid pots, pepper, salt, an' atter cleanin' de hogs, dey w'uld gib us de livers, and lights, an' us wuld cook dem ober a fire out in de open an' hit sho' war good eatin'. De usual 'lowance a week ob pickled pork war six or seven pounds, an' if you had a big family ob chillun dey gib you more. Den dey gib you a peck ob meal, sweet 'taters, sorghum syrup, an' plenty ob buttermilk. An' at Christmas times, dey gib you extra syrup to make cakes wid an' sweet 'taters to make 'tater pone. An', Lor', dey w'uld hab big cribs ob pun'kins, hit makes my hongry to think 'bout dem good ol' pun'kin pies.
"An' did dey raise chickens? You knows in Mississippi dat de minks war bad 'bout killin' dem. I 'members one time de minks got in de chicken house an' killed nearly every chicken on de place, an' ol' Mister Jones had de cook to clean an' cook dem, an' he cum out in de fiel' an' eat wide dem, to let de slaves know dat hit war all right. Den us had dem good ol' cushaws an' lye hominy, too.
"De clothes war made out ob homespun, an' made in one piece. I 'members I allus had mine split up de side so I c'uld gir 'bout in a hurry. De women had pantalettes made an' tied to dere knees, to wear in de fields to keep de dew off dere legs. De shoes war made ob cow hide, an' war called red russets. De way dey got dem darker war to take a hog 'gristle' an' hang up in de chimney an' git hit full ob soot, an' den rub de shoes wid dat. Den dey used de darker shoes for dere Sunday best.
"You asked me about huntin'? Lor', yes, dey hunted in dem times, up in dem swamps in Mississippi dere war bears as big as cows, an' deers. Dey bof war bad about cumin' in de corn fiel's an' terain' down de corn. You could hyar dem at nights out in de fiel's. Dey also caught plenty ob possums an' coons.
"Ob course, us got sick but dey had de Doctor, in dos days de Doctor w'uld cup you an' bleed you. I seen a many a person cupped; de Doctor had a li'l square lookin' block of wood wid tiny li'l pen knifes, attached to hit an' on top war a trigger lack is on a gun, an' de doctor w'uld put block ob wood at de nape ob dere neck, an' pull dat trigger, an' den hab a piece ob cotton wid sumpin' on hit to stop de blood when he had cupped you long 'nuf. Dey w'uld allus gib us "calamus" to clean us out, an' den de nex' mawnin' gib us a big bowl of gruel, made out ob meal and milk, an' den us w'uld be allright."
"Aunt" Adeline said that "de slaves warn't 'lowed to go to church, but they w'uld whisper 'roun' an', all meet, in de woods, an' pray. De only time I 'members my paw war one time when I war a li'l chile, he met me on a log by him an' prayed, an' I knows dat war whar de seeds ob religion war planted in my min'. Today I'se happy to tell folks 'bout Jesus, an' thank Him for His goodness to me. Hit warn't be long 'till I'll meet Him face to face an' thank him."
(R.LD., 7-30-37)
