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(Lee County, Alabama, Preston Klein)
In passing one day, out in the colored section, I saw this grayhaired old woman and in talking to her, said she came, just lately from Cusseta, AL to live with her daughter, her own name being Minerva Meadows, and I said, "O, are you Mrs. Alsobrook's Nervy?" "Yas'm, I sho Lord is."
Things were real nice and clean; "Nervy" is sick now and old, so had to give up her place she had lived for years and years in Cusseta, she is eighty odd years old but can't figure exactly.
Her mother was Liza Combs and had three children, Minerva, Henry and Wallace.
"De houses us lived in wus two-roomed log and mud and stick; y'asm dey had plank floors, sech as wus in dem times and our beds wus nailed to de wall wid one post at de foot and us used straw and shuck mattresses but I guess us slept very well.
"I wus big enough to help sum in de field, clean off new ground, burn de brush, toat water to de hands and helped as house-girl in Marse Jim's house and Honey I'll never fergit, ter my dying day, I wus bringing in biscuit ter de table one day and I dropped one on de floor and I jest stooped over and picked hit up and put hit right back on de plate, sted-er me leaving hit and taking hit back ter de kitchen but Mistess didn' scold me fer hit neither.
"Us used ter cook de best ash-cake bread in de world, big fire shortening bread and I means hit wus good. All de little niggers wus fed by Mary, de cook, outer wood troughs up in de big yard under a big old oak tree and give um wooden spoons; dat wus all done fore night and git em out er de way er de hands and dey wus put ter bed too. Didn't have no sech way as dem settin' up all night lak dey do dese times.
"Marse Jim and Miss Haley Combs, where us lived, dey wus good to de niggers, course us had ter work. Dey lived in er big fine two-story house. Dey chillun wus named Jane and Jim.
"Whoo-ee, I sho members when dem Yankees cum, hit wus on Sunday and Mr. Lonney Combs dropped dead, he wus so skeered. Dey give one er the niggers er old worn out horse, er day'en, and when he got good en stout Marse Jim tuck hit er'way frum de nigger. Atter freedom, us staid on.
"I married Orse Floyd fust time and had thirteen chillun, six is living, Penella, I lives wid; Hattie, Bennie, John, Liza and Bob. I married Jno. Meadows the second time.
"Us had to work hard 'course but dey tuck good keer er us and us sho did have plenty ter eat too.
"You ax me why I jined church, Law honey, I don't know zactly but I know I felt mighty good and wanted God ter pardon my sins."
