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(Baldwin County, Alabama, Federal Writers Project April, 1937. Gertha Courie, Ira S. Jorden)
Few of the ex-slaves will readily admit that they were were field hands in the old days. Generally they prefer to leave the impression that they were house servants, or at least stable boys or dairy hands.
But "Aunt" Mary Rice, age 22, who lives in Eufauls holds no such view about the superior social position of house servants. She was a "big missy gal" ('teen age) during the War, and about her duties on the plantation of Dr. Cullen Battle near Tuskegee, where she was born, she said:
"Honey, I lived in de quahter. I was a fiel' nigger, but then I was a lil' gal, I helped around de milk-house, churnin', an washing de pails and de lak, and den give all de little niggers milk.
"Massa Cullen and Mistis' Ma'y Jane was de bes' Marster and Mistis'in de worl'. Once when I was awful sick, Mistis' Ma'y Jene brung in de Big House and put me in a room dat sot on de der side of the kitchen so she could take kere of me herself and it was a right fur piece to de quahter and I had to be nussed day and night.
"Yassum, I was jes' as happy bein' a fiel' han' es I would'er been at de Big House; mebbe mo' so. De fiel' han's had a long spell de crops was laid by in de summer and det's when Massa Cullen lowed us to 'jubilate' (several days of idle celebration). I was happy all de time in slavery days, but dere ain't much to git happy about now, 'cep'n I's livin'
- thank de Lawd.' Massa Cullen was a rich man, and owned all de worl' from Chestnut Hill to de ribers, and us always had eberything us needed.
"Niggers dese days ain't neber knowed whut good times is. Mebbe dat's why dey ain't no count. And dey is so uppity, too, callin' dereselves 'cullud and havin' gold teeth. Dey see de mo' gold teeth dey has, de higher up in chu'ch dey sets. Huh!"
(Wash. Copy, L.H., 4-23-37)
