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Biscoe, Arkansas
Age 65
"I was born at Holly Springs, Mississippi. My mother was fifteen years old when the surrender come on. Her name
was Alice Airs. Mama said she and grandma was sold in the neighborhood and never seen none of her folks after
they was sold. The surrender come on. They quit and went on with some other folks that come by. Mama got away
from them and married the second year of the surrender. She said she really got married; she didn't jump the broom.
Mama was a cook in war times. Grandma churned and worked in the field. Grandma lived in to herself but mama
slept on the kitchen floor. They had a big pantry built inside the kitchen and in both doors was a sawed-out place so
the cats could come and go.
"My father was sold during of the War too but he never said much about it. He said some of the slaves would go in
the woods and the masters would be afraid to go hunt them out without dogs. They made bows and arrows in the
woods.
"I heard my parents tell about the Ku Klux come and made them cook them something to eat. They drunk water
while she was cooking. I heard them say they would get whooped if they sot around with a book in their hand.
When company would come they would turn the pot down and close the shutters and doors. They had preaching
and prayed that way. The pot was to drown out the sound.
"They said one man would sell off his scrawny niggers. He wanted fine looking stock on his place. He couldn't sell
real old folks. They kept them taking care of the children and raising chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and made
some of them churn and milk.
"My stepfather said he knowed a man married a woman after freedom and found out she was his mother. He had
been sold from her when he was a baby. They quit and he married ag'in. He had a scar on his thigh she recollected.
The scar was right there when he was grown. That brought up more talk and they traced him up to be her own boy.
"Hester Swafford died here in Biscoe about seven years ago. Said she run away from her owners and walked to
Memphis. They took her up over there. Her master sent one of the overseers for her. She rode astraddle behind him
back. They got back about daylight. They whooped her awful and rubbed salt and pepper in the gashes, and another
man stood by handed her a hoe. She had to chop cotton all day long. The woman on the place would doctor her
sores.
"Grandma said she remembered the stars falling. She said it turned dark and seem like two hours sparkles fell. They
said stars fell. She said it was bad times. People was scared half to death. Mules and horses just raced. She said it
took place up in the day. They didn't have timepieces to know the time it come on.
"Young folks will be young the way I see it. They ain't much different. Times is sure 'nough hard for old no 'count
folks. Young folks makes their money and spends it. We old folks sets back needing. Times is lots different now. It
didn't used to be that way."
Interviewer Mrs. Bernice Bowden"
