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(Week ending 30 April 1937, S-260. Ila B. Prine, Identification No. 019-5302, Federal Writers' Project, Dist.2, WPA Project 3014, Mobile, AL. AMANDA ELLIS, A SLAVE)
Amando Tellis, a tall, thin, light luletto women, who was born a slave November 30, 1854, lives in Ellenville, a negro settlement about four miles north of Mobile, Alabama.
Amanda's father was a spaniard, whose name was John Quick, and her mother's name was Sallie Fugh, Ker mother having the same name as the people who owned her. Sallie, Amanda's mother, was born a slave in Charleston South Carolina, and she and her mother were vrought to Alabama and sold when Sallie was twelve years old. The mother was sold to someone in Demopolis, Alabama, while Sallie was sold to the pugh family in Grove Hill, Alabama.
Amanda was born in Grove Hill, Alabama and Mr. Keredith Pugh was her master, and Mrs Fannie Pugh was her mistress. Her young "Missus" was Miss Hugh a daughter, one of seven children in the Fugh family. Amanda says she willed to "Miss Maria" and she nursed and took care of her until the surrender. Many times when Amanda would be promised a whipping for not doing things as she should have. Miss Maria would save her from the whipping, by throwing herself back from the table and screaming for them not to touch her nurse.
Aside from caring for "Miss Maria", Amanda said she spun three cuts of broad a say, and when the writer asked what a cut was, she said: "A cut was broach full." During the war, (meaning the Civil War,) Amanda said she and her sister Nancy spun 160 yards of cloth, and they finished the last on the day or the Surrender, when the Cannons were fired at Fort Morgan, and they are mustering the men put.
Amanda's life was a very easy one in comparision to some of the other slaves. She said she had seen many of the slaves cruelly mistreated, but her people were fortunate in having a good master end mistress.
However, at the close of the war, Amanda was told to pretend she had a chill, and go to her mother's cabin, so she did as she was told. When she reached the cubin, her mother, brothers and sisters each had a pillow slip, filled with clothes and she was given hers and they ran away, and came to Kt. Vernon, Alabama. Amanda was only eleven years old then.
Her life had been veried since, having married three times. Her first husband was Scott Johnson, and was the father of all of her children, seven boys and one girl. Amanda lives with this girl now. Her second husband was Ray Stokes, and her third was S. T. Tellis, a negro Methodist preacher. Amanda said her was "no count and I did not stay with him long."
Amanda is now confined to her bed and has been for the past seven weeks, her body has wasted away, until she is skin and bones. Her eyes however are st still bright and keen, her hair snow white and she still has a few teeth. Her mind seems to be clear, and her memory good, in fact the past is now a part of her, and she told the writer she was so happy because she had come to ask her about it, before it was too late.
