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1881 East Barrages St., Pine Bluff, Ark.
Age 85
"Oh don't ask me that, honey. Yes, I was hers in slavery days. I reckon I was here before the Civil War; I was born
in '58. I'm right now in my birth county about four miles from this city.
"I san remember my young masters that went to war. One was named Ben and one Chris. Old master's name was
James Scull. He was kinda mined up -- he wasn't the cruelest one in the world. I've heard of some that was worse
than he was. I never suffered for nothin' to eat.
"I can tell you about myself as far back as I can remember. I know I was about thirteen or fourteen when the war
ended.
"My father's birth home was in Virginia. His name was Flem Price and his father was a doctor and a white man.
Mother's name was Mary Price and she was half Indian. You can tell that by looking at her picture. She was born in
Arkansas.
"I can remember seeing the soldiers. I had to knit socks for them. Used to have to knit a pair a week. Yes ma'm I
used to serve them. I had it to do or get a whippin'. I nursed and I sewed a little. My mother was a great seamstress.
We did it by hand too. They didn't have no sewing machines in them times.
"When my white folks want on summer vacations -- they was rich and traveled a great deal -- mama always west
along and she just left us children on the plantation just like a cow would leave a calf.
She'd hate to do it though. I remember she want off one time and stayed three months and left me sick in the white
folks house on a pallet. I know I just hollered and cried and mama cried too. There was another old colored lady
there and she took me to her house. We lived right on the river where the boat landed and I remember the boat left
at high noon and I cried all the rest of the afternoon.
"I remember the first Yankee I ever saw. They called his Captain Hogan. I had a white chile in my arms. He set
there and asked the boss how many Negroes did he have and the boss said what was the news. He come out to let
the Negroes know they was as free as he was and told Marse Jim to bring all of then back from Texas. I know I run
and told make and she said 'You better hush, you'll get a whippin'."
"They sho didn't burn up nothin' -- just took the rules and horses. Now I remember that -- they didn't burn up nothin'
where I lived.
"I heard of the Ku Klux but I never seen any. We was expectin' an though at all times.
"My grandmother belonged to Creed Taylor and after freedom mama got her and she lived there with the Sculls two
years. My mother and father was paid a salary and they paid me too -- four dollars a month. And I remember mama
never would let me have it -- just give me what she wanted me to have. They treated us botter than they did before
the war. Cose they was a little rough, but they couldn't whip you like they did. They could threaten it though.
"I want to school just a little after freedom. Mama and papa wan't able to send me. Wasn't no colored teachers
competent to teach then and we had to pay the white teacher a dollar a month.
"I had very strict parents and was made to mind. When I went out I knew when I was comin' in. I had one daughter
who died when she was eight years old and if I could bring her back now, I wouldn't do it cause I know she would
worry me to death.
"I used to sew a lot for people in Pine Bluff but I am too old now. I own my home and I have some rooms rented to
three young men students and I get a little help from the Welfare so I manage to get along.
"Well good-bye -- I'm glad you come."
Interviewer Mrs. Bernice Bowden"
Hardridge, Mary Jane -- Additional Interview
1531 W. Barraque, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age 79
"Well, I don't believe in signs much. My sister was sick about a year case. They said she had the T. B.
(tuberculosis). One day I was there and she said, 'Sis, do you hear that peckerwood? He's drivin' a nail in my coffin.'
and sure enough she died not long after.
"But let me tell you I had a peculiar dream yesterday morning just before day. There's a little child here. His mother
died and left his, the baby child. I dreamt his mother brought his to me. She said, 'I brought my boy here and I want
you to keep him.' I thought he come to me just as naked as he could be. He kept sayin', 'Come on, Mrs. Hardrige,
and let's go home, I'm cold.' He didn't have a garment on. His mother was with him and she's dead you know.
"I mentioned it to one of my neighbers and she said it was a sign of some woman's death.
"I was very much devoted to the child. I love him, and that dream stayed with me all day. I don't know but I've
always heard if you dream of the dead it's goin' to rain.
"I ain't four miles from where I was born. I was born across the river. We belonged to Jim Scull. I've lived all my
life in Jefferson County."
Interviewer Pernella Anderson
Person Interviewed O. C. Hardy
Age 69 El Dorado, Ark.
lack? KWF
"O. C. Hardy is my name and I is 69 years old. I like a lot of being a real old time slave, but I tell you I am a slave
now, and ain't no 1800 slave. I was born way down in Louisiana. We lived on a plantation with some white people
by the name of Chick Johnson. That is the first place I remember we ever stayin' on. My ma and pa slave for them
folks. All of the children worked like slaves. What I mean by working like slaves - we didn't stop to get our breath
until night. I was slavin' for just the white folks then and since I got grown and married I've been slavin' for my wife
and children and the white folks. My mama and papa went in the name of their mistress and master's name and so
did I, so we was all Hardys.
"Sixty-nine years ago the time wasn't like it is now. Everything was different. There was no cars, no airplanes, a few
buggies, no trains. The go was ox teams and stage coaches. People used ox teams in place of mule and horse teams.
Sometimes you would see ox teams with twelve and fourteen oxen. The ox wore yokes that sometime weigh a
hundred or more pounds. The reason of that, they were so mean they had to wear them yokes to hold on down. One
yoke would go across two oxen's heads. They could pull - oh my! - as much as some big trucks. We made much
better crops back in the 1800s than we do now. The winters was much harder and you know the harder the winter
the better the crop year you have. We always plowed and turned our ground over in the hard of winter - that was in
order for the cold to kill all insect and germs in the ground. You see, worms eats up your seed and plant, and germs
do your seed and plant just like they would do your body. So we got rid of them little hinderings. In January we was
ready to get our corn ground ready for planting, and man! we raised some crops. I recollect one year way back
yonder we had what they called a centennial snow - that was the biggest snow that's ever been and the best crop
year I ever knowed. I started plowing when I was about eight. Before then all I can remember doin' was bushing.
After gathering crops we split rails and built fences. We played on Sunday evening. Our sport was huntin', fishin',
and bird thrashin' and trap settin'. To catch fish easy we baited snuff and tobacco on the hook. We used to be bad
about stealin' watermelons, eggs, chickens and sweet potatoes and slippin' way down in the woods and cookin'.
"Wasn't no such things as screen windows and doors. That is some of this 1900 stuff to my knowing. Flies and
mosquitos was plentiful. Our cooking was plain boiled or fried cause we cooked on fireplaces. Wasn't no stoves.
We used all brown sugar from syrup that turned to sugar. White sugar is about forty years old to my knowings. My
ma used to cook the best old syrup cake and syrup potatoes pudding. She knitted all our socks and sweaters for you
couldn't buy things like that because stores was few and she spun and wove for the white folks and knitted too."
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
