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Brassfield, Arkansas
Age 50 ?. didn't know
"My mother was named Jennie Bell. She was born in North Ca'lina (Carolina). She worked about the house. She
said there was others at the house working all the time with her.
"She said they daresn't to cross the fence on other folks' land or go off up the road 'lessen you had a writing to show.
One woman could write. She got a pass and this woman made some more. She said couldn't find nothing to make
passes on. It happened they never got caught up. That woman didn't live very close by. She talked like she was free
but was one time a slave her own self.
"Mother said she would run hide every time the Yankee men come. She said she felt safer in the dark. They took so
many young woman to wait on them and mother was afraid every time they would take her.
"She said she had been at the end of a corn row at daylight ready to start chopping it over, or pull fodder, or pull
ears either. She said they thought to lie in bed late made you weak. Said the early fresh air what made children
strong.
"On wash days they all met at a lake and washed. They had good times then. They put the clothes about on the
bushes and briers and rail fences. Some one or two had to stay about to keep the clothes from a stray hog or goat till
they dried. And they would forage about in the woods. It was cool and pleasant. They had to gather up the clothes in
hamper baskets and bring them up to iron. Mother said they didn't mind work much. They got used to it.
"Mother told about men carried money in sacks. When they bought a slave, they open up a sack and pull out gold
and silver.
"The way she talked she didn't mind slavery much. Papa lived till a few years ago but he never would talk about
slavery at all. His name was Willis Ball."
Interviewer Miss Sallie C. Miller"
