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Hazen, Arkansas
Age 77
I was born near Houston, Mississippi, in 1860. We lived about three miles north when I can first recollect. My
mistress was named Frankie Hill and my master was Littleton Hill. I had some sisters and brothers dead but I had
four brothers and one sister that got up grown. The first house I remembers living in was a plank house. Then we
lived in a log house wid a stick-and-dirt chimney. I was wid my old master when he died of heart trouble. She lack
to died too. We setting by de fire one night and he held the lamp on one knee and reading out loud. It was a little
brass lamp with a handle to hook your finger in. He was a Baptist. He had two fine horses, a big gray one and a bay
horse. Joe drove him to preaching. Miss Frankie didn't go. He said his haid hurt when dey went to eat dinner and he
slept all the evening. He et supper and was reading. I was looking at him. He laid his haid back and started snoring.
He had long white hair. I say "Miss Frankie, he is dieing." Cause he turned so pale. He was setting in a high back
straight chair. We got hin on the bed. He could walk when we held him up. His brother was a curious old man. He
et morphine a whole heap. He lived by himself. I run fast as my legs would take me. Soon as I told him he blowed a
long horn. They said it was a trumpet.
You never seen such a crowd as come to reckly. The hands come and the neighbors too. It being dot time er night
they knowed something was wrong. He slept awhile but he died that night. I stayed up there wid Miss Frankie
nearly all de time. It was a mile from our cabin across the field. Joe stayed there some. He fed and curried the
horses. Nom I don't remember no slave uprisings. They had overseers on every farm and a paddyroll. I learned to
sew looking at the white folks and my ma showed me about cutting. There wasn't much fit about them. They were
all tollerably loose. We played hiding behind the trees a heap and played in the moonlight. We played tag. We
picked up scaley barks, chestnuts, and walnuts. Miss Frankie parched big pans of goobers when it was cold or
raining. Some of the white folks was mean. Once young mistress was sick. She had malaria fever. I was sitting
down in the other room. Young master was lying on de bed in the same room. A woman what was waiting on her
brought the baby in to put a cloth on him. He was bout two months old, little red-headed baby. He was kicking and I
got tickled at him. Young master slapped me. The blood from my nose spouted out and I was jess def for a long
time. He beat me around till Miss Polly come in there and said "You quit beating that little colored girl. You oughter
be ashamed. Your wife in there nearly dead." "Yes maam, she did die." I never will forgit Miss Polly. I saved one of
the young mistress little girl bout seven or eight years old. Miss Frankie raised a little deer up grown. It would run at
anybody. Didn't belong at the house. It got so it would run me.
It started at the little girl and I pulled her in on the porch backwards and in a long hall. Her mama show was proud.
Said the deer would paw her to death.
I remembers everybody shouting and so glad they was free. It was a joyful time. If they paid my folks for work I
didn't know it. We stayed on with Miss Frankie till I was grown and her son Billy Hill took her to Houston, Texas to
live. Miss Sallie and Miss Fannie had been married a long time. We always had a house to live in and something to
eat.
I show never did vote. I would not know nothing about it. I think the folks is getting wiser and weaker. Some of us
don't have much as we need and them that do have wastes it. I always lived on the farm till eight years ago when my
husband died. I wasn't able to farm by myself. I didn't have no children. I come to Hazen to live wid dese here girls I
raised. (Two girls.) They show is good to me. No maam I ain't never got no old age pension. They won't give it to
me. We come to Arkansas in 1918. We lived down around Holly Grove. We had kin folks wrote about out here and
we wanted to change. Long as I was able I had a good living but since I been so feeble I have to make out wid what
the children bring me. I don't know if de times is getting any better, don't seem lack the people training their
children a tall. They say they kaint do nothing wid em. I allus could do something wid dem I raised. I used to look at
them and they minded me. The trouble is they ain't learning to work and won't do nothing less they going to get big
pay. Then they run spend it fast as they can go for fool-bait.
Name of Interviewer Irene Robertson
Subject HERBS - CURES & REMEDIES, ETC.
If you borrow salt it is bad luck to pay it back. Parch okra seed grind up or beat it up and make coffee. Parch meal
or corn and make coffee. In slavery times they took red corn cobs burned them and made white ashes, sifted it and
used it instead of soda. Beat up charcoal and take for gas on the stomach. Sift meal add salt and make up with water,
put on collard leaf, cover with another collard leaf put on hot ashes. Cover with hot ashes. The bread will be brown,
the collard leaves parched up, "It is really good" Roast potatoes and eggs in the ashes. In slavery times they made
persimmon bear. Had regular beer barrels made a faucet. Put old field hay in the bottom, persimmons, baked corn
bread and water. Let stand about a week, a fine drink with tea cakes. It won't make you drunk. Comb hair after dark
makes you forgetful. Asafoetida and garlic on the bait makes the fish bite well. Rub fishing worms on the ground
makes them tougher so you can put them on the hook.
This information given by Josephine Hamilton
Place of Residence Hazen, Arkansas
Occupation Field word and washwoman.AGE____
(Pine Bluff District, FOLKLORE SUBJECTS)
Hame of Interviewer Martin - Pettigrew
Subject Negro Customs
My mother made three crops after she wux freed, and I wux born when she made her third crop, so I thinks I was
born 'round 1858. I was born in Boliver County, Mississippi. My mother and father were slaves and belonged to the
Harris family. Only one I 'members is my sister, she died. My brothers went off and worked on ships, and I never
saw them no mo'.
After freedom, my mother kept working for her marster and misstis, and they paid them for their work. They stayed
on the same plantation until I was almost grown.
At Christmas time, we had heaps to eat, cakes, homemade molasses candy that you pulled, popcorn, horse apples
which was good, mo' better'n any apples we get these days.
The white folks give gifts in the big house and mammy went to the house and the white folks give her the things to
put in we nigger chilluns' stockings.
This information given by Peter Hamilton
Place of Residence Near airport - Pine Bluff, Ark.
Occupation______________________________ Age 68
We hung up our stockings in our house and up at the white house too. 'Fore Christmas, the white folks would tell us
if we stole chickens, eggs, ducks and things, or go in the apple orchard, and was bad, Santa Claus would not come
to us. But if we were good, he would bring gifts to us. 'Fore Christmas, the white folks would make a Santa Claus
out of clothes and stuff it, put a pack on his back, and stand him up in the road. Colored chillun feared to go near
him.
I have never been arrested, never been in the jail house or calaboose. Went to school when I could.
Traveled all over, worked on canal in South America.
Name of boat I was on was the "Clamshell, No. 4", with Captain Nelson, fum Nov York.
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
