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1. Name and address of informant---Laura Shelton, 1518 Pulaski Street, Little Rock, Arkansas.
2. Date and time of interview---
3. Place of interview---1518 Pulaski Street, Little Rock, Arkansas.
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant---
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you---
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.---
STATE---Arkansas
NAME OF WORKER---Samuel S. Taylor
ADDRESS---Little Rock, Arkansas
DATE---December, 1938
NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT---Laura Shelton, 1518 Pulaski, Little Rock.
1. Ancestry---mother, Susan Barnett; father, Ben Bearden; grandfather, Harvey Barnett.
2. Place and date of birth---Arkansas, 1878
3. Family---Three children.
4. Education, with dates---
5. Places lived in with dates---Jerome, Arkansas and Little Rock. No dates.
6. Occupations and accomplishments, with dates---Farmed, wash and iron.
7. Special skills and interests---
8. Community and religious activities---Belongs to Baptist Church.
9. Description of informant---
10. Other points gained in interview---
"My mother used to sit down and talk to us and tell us about slavery. If she had died when I was young I wouldn't
have known much. But by her living till I was old, I learned a lot.
"My mother's old master was Tom Barnett, so she said. No, not 'so she said' because I have seed him. He give her
her age and all at that time. I have it in my Bible. He said that she was twelve years old the Christmas before the
surrender. The surrender was in May, wasn't it?
"My mother's name was Susan Bearden. She married Ben Bearden. She worked in Tom Barnett's house. She milked
and churned and 'tended to the children and all such as that. He never allowed her to go to the field. Neither her
mother, my grandmother. She was the cook. My mother's name before she married was Susan Barnett.
"An old colored lady that they had there seed after the colored children. She looked after my mother too. She was so
old she couldn't do nothin' so they had her to look after the children. My grandmother was kept busy because she
had the white folks to cook for and she had all the colored folks to cook for too.
"There is an old lady down on Spring Street that can give you a lot of information about slavery times.
"A boy was telling her that somebody was going 'round asking questions about slavery and she said she wished he
would come and see her.
"My mother never had any chance to go to school before freedom and she never had any chance to go afterwards
because she didn't have any money. Than they turned them loose the white folks didn't give 'em anything, so they
had to work. They didn't allow them to pick up a piece of paper in slave time for fear they would learn.
"My mother remembered the pateroles. She said they used to catch and whip the colored men and women when they
would get out.
"My mother's old master was the one that told mama she was free. He told her she was free as he was. After they
learned that they were free, they stayed on till Christmas.
"After Christmas, they went to another plantation. My gran'pa, he come and got them all to come. My gran'pa's
name was Harvey Barnett. His old master's son had married and he had been staying with him. That made him be on
another place. There was a good many of the children in my grandmother's family. Mama had a sister named Lucy,
one named Lethe, one named Caroline, one named Annie, and one named Jane. She had two boys---one named
Jack, and one named Barnett. She had another sister named---I don't remember her name.
"After freedom, we sharecropped for a number of years up until my father died. He died about twenty-four years
ago.
"After that mama washed and ironed for about ten or twelve years. Then she got too old to work and we took care
of her. My mother died last March on the ninth day. She always had good health for an old lady. Never got so she
couldn't get up and do her light work such as dress herself, cooking, sweeping, and so on. She would even do her
own washing and ironing if we would let her. She would hide from us and pick cotton till we stopped her.
"She was sick only one week and the doctor said she died of old age. He said it was just her time. She didn't have
nothin' the matter with her but jus' old age he said so far as he could find. Dr. Fletcher was our doctor. She died in
Jerome, Arkansas about sixteen miles from the Louisiana line. Leastwise, they tell me it's about sixteen miles from
the line. She always told us that she had her business fixed with the Lord and that when she taken sick, it wouldn't
be long. And sure 'nough, it wasn't.
"I farmed until my mother and brother died. Then I came up here with my sister as I had no children living. I jus'
wash and iron now whenever I can get somethin' to do.
"I have been married once. I had three children. All of them are dead. My children are dead and my husband is
dead.
"I belong to the Baptist church down on Spring Street. I always unite with the church whenever I go to a place. I
don't care whether I stay there or not.
"My mama's master was good as far as white folks generally be in slavery times. He never whipped my
grandmother nor my mother. He was good to the field hands too. He never whipped them. He would feed them too.
He had right smart of field hands but I don't know just how many. I don't think he ever sold any of his slaves. I think
he come by them from his father because I have heard them say that his father told him before he died never to 'part
with Rlack Mammy. That was what he called her. And he kept them altogether jus' like his father told him to. His
father said, 'I want you to keep all my Negroes together and Black Mammy I don't want you to let her be whipped
because she nursed all of you.' She said she never was whipped 'cept one when she got a cockle berry up her nose
and he got it out and gave her a little brushing---not as much as grandma would have given her.
"He kept them all in good shoes and warm clothes and give them plenty to eat. So many of the slaves on other
plantations didn't have half enough to eat and were half naked and barefooted all the time."
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
