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R.F.D., Madison, Arkansas
Age 70
"I was born in Releford County, Tennessee, ten miles from Murfreesboro. My parents belonged to Dr. Jimmy
Manson. He was off and gone from home nearly all the time. He didn't have a Negro driver. Because he didn't they
called us all Manson's free niggers. Folks didn't like it because we had so much freedom. One day a terrible thing
happened broke up our happy way of living on Dr. Manson's place.
"Grandpa was part Indian. Dr. Jimmy didn't whoop. He visited and he'd get a jug of whiskey, call his niggers and
give them a little, make them feel good and get them in a humor for working. Dr. Jimmy had a nigger overseer.
They was digging a ditch and making a turnpike from Dr. Manson's place to Murfreesboro. They told grandpa to
drive down in the ditch with his load of rock and let the white folks drive up on the dump. They was hauling and
placing rock on the dump to make a turnpike. In Tennessee it was a law if a man owned a nigger he had to whoop
him or have him whooped. If he didn't he had to sell him. They told grandpa if he didn't do as they said they would
whoop him, then they said they would break his back. They took the fussing to Dr. Jimmy for him to whoop
grandpa. He sold him to migger traderz and they drove him to Mississippi. Mother never seen him no more.
Grandma died of grief. She had nine girls and no boys. After freedom seven went North and mama, was Jane, and
Aunt Betty lived on in Tennessee, and I lived some in Mississippi. That's the reason I hate Mississippi to this very
day.
"The day they fit on Stone River in Tennessee, brother Hood was born. He was born during the battle. I guess they
moved off of Dr. Jimmy's place at freedom, for I was born on Jack Little's place.
"The times is passing faster than I want it to and I'm doing very well. I don't never meddle in young folks' business
and I don't 'low them meddling in mine. Folks is the ones making times so hard. Some making times hard for all rest
of us can't help ourselves. It is sin and selfishness makes times so hard. Young folks no worse than some not so very
old. It ain't young folks making times hard. It's older ones so greedy. They don't have no happiness and don't want
to see old ones live nor the young ones neither."
Interviewer Samuel S. Taylor"
