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Clarendon, Arkansas
(Back of Mrs. Maynard's home in the alley)
Age 77
"I've forgot who my mother's owner was. She was born in Virginia. She was put on a block and sold. She was
fifteen years old and she never seen her mother again after she left her. Her master was George Birdsong. He bought
my papa too. They was onliest two he owned. He wanted them both light so the children would be light for house
girls and waiting boys. Light colored folks sold for more money on the block.
"The boss men over grandpa and grandma in Virginia was John Glover. But he was not their owner. My grandpa
was about white. He said his mers was good to him but now grandma had a pided back where she had been
whooped. Grandpa come down from the Washington slaves so my papa said. That is the reason I holds to his name
and my boy holds to it. Papa said he had to plough and clean up new ground for Master Birdsong. He was a young
man starting out and papa and mama was young too.
(She left and came back with some old scraps of yellow and torn papers dimly written all over: Anna Washington,
born 1860 at Hines County at Big Rock. Mother born at Capier County. Father born at White County, Virginia--d.)
"This is what was told to me by my papa: His grandmother was born of George Washington's housemaid. That was
one hundred forty years ago. His papa was educated under a fine mechanic and he help build the old Statehouse at
Washington. Major Rousy Paten was the Washington nigger Ministrator.
"I had a sister named Martha Curtis after his young wife. I had a brother named Rousy Patton. They are both deed
now. Pa lived to be ninety-eight years old. My mama was as white as you is but she was a nigger woman. Pa was
lighter than I is now. I'm getting darker 'cause I'm getting old. My pa was named Benjamin Washington.
"I heard my pa talk about Nat Turner. (She knew who he was o.k.--ed.) He got up a rebellion of black folk back in
Virginia. I heard my pa sit and tell about him. Moses Kinnel was a rich white man wouldn't sell Nellie 'cause of
what his wife said. She was a housemaid. He wrote own free pass book and took her to Maryland. Father's father
wanted to buy Mellie but her owner wouldn't sell her. He took her.
"My mother had fourteen children. Me and Archie was the youngest.
"Moses Kinnel was a rich white man and had lots of servants. He promised never to sell Nellie and keep her to raise
his white children. She was his maid. He promised that her dying bed. But father's father stole her and took her to
Maryland.
"Pa run away and was sold twice or more. When he was small chile his mother done fine washing. She sent him to
go fetch her some fine laundry soap what they bought in the towns. Two white men in a two-wheel open buggy say,
'Hay, don't you want to ride?' 'I ain't got time.' 'Get in buggy, we'll take you a little piece.' One jumped out and tied
his hands together. They sold him. They let him go to nigger traders. They had him at a doctor's examining his fine
head see what he could stand. The doctor say, 'He is a fine man. Could trust him with silver and gold--his weight in
it.' They brung him to Mississippi and sold him for a big price. He had these papers the doctor wrote on him to
show.
"Then he sent for my mama after they sat him free. His name was Ben Washington.
"He never spoke much of freedom. He said his master in Mississippi told them and had them sign up contracts to
finish that year's crop. He took back his old Virginia name and I don't recollect that master's name. Heard it too. Yes
ma'am, heap er times. My recollection is purty nigh gone.
"I don't get no younger in feelings 'cause I'm getting old."
Name of Interviewer S. S. Taylor
The first thing I remember was living with my mother about six miles from Scott's Crossing in Arkansas, about the
year 1866. I know it was 1866 because it was the year after the surrender, and we know the surrender was in 1865. I
know the dates after 1866. You don't know nothin' when you don't know dates. If you get up in court and say
somethin', the lawyers ask you when it happened and then they ask you where did it happen, and if you can't tell
them, they say "Witness is excused. You don't know nothin'."
My mother was born in North Carolina in Macklinberg [Mecklenburg] in Henderson County. I don't know when she
came to Arkansas. and I don't know when she went to Tennessee.
My father was born in Tennessee. I don't know the county like I did in North Carolina. I don't know the town either,
but I think it was in the rurals somewhere. The white folks separated my mother and father when I was a little baby
in their arms. The people to whom my father belonged stayed in Tennessee, but my mother's people came to
Arkansas. It must have been along in the time of the war that they come to Arkansas.
My mother lived in a log house chinked with wood chinks. The This information given by Eliza Washington, 1517
West Seventeenth( )
Little Rock, Arkansas
Place of Residence
Occupation Washing and Ironing (When able ) Age About 77 Name of Interviewer --S. S. Taylor
Subject -- Slaves: Dwellings, Food, Clothes
Story or Information
The chinks looked like gluts. You know what a glut is? No? Well a glut looks like the pattern of a shoe. They lay
the logs together, and then chink up the crasks with wood blocks made up like the pattern of a shoe. These were
chinks, wooden things about a foot long, shaped like a wedge. They were used for chinking. After the logs were laid
together, chinks would be needed to stop up the holes between the logs. After the chinking was finished, clay was
stuffed in to stop up the cracks and make the house warm. I've seen a many a one built.
Wide planks were used for the floors. The doors were hung on wooden hinges. The doors were never locked. They
didn't have any locks on them. You could bar them on the inside if you wanted to. They didn't have no fear of
burglars in them days. People wasn't bad then as they is now. They had just one window and one door in the house.
The chimney was built up like a ladder and clay and straw was stuffed in the framework.
I have seen such houses built right down here in [Scott's.] My mother was a field hand. She lived in such a house in
Tennessee There wasn't no brick about the house, not even in the chimney.
This information hiven by Eliza Washington (Negro)
Place of Residents -- 1517 W. Seventeenth Street, Little Rock, Ark. Occupation -- Washing and Ironing ( When
able ) Age -- About 77 Name of Interviewer -- S. S. Taylor
Subject -- Dwellings, Food, Clothes
Story or Information In later years, they have covered up all those logs with weather boards and made the houses
look like what they call "modern", but theyr'e the same old log houses.
My mother said her white folks fed her well. She had whatever they had. When she came to Arkansas, they issued
rations, but she never was issued rations before. When they issued rations, they gave them so much food each week
-- so much corn meal, so much potatees, so much cabbage, so much molasses, so much meat -- mostly rubbish-like
food. We went out in the garden and dug the potatoes and got the cabbage.
But in Tennessee, my mother got whatever whe wanted whenever he wanted it. If she wanted sale, she went and got
it. If she wanted meat, she went to the smokehouse and got it. Whatever she wanted, she went and got it, and they
didn't have no times for issuing out.
The biggest time I remember on the plantations was corn shucking
This information given by Eliza Washington ( Negro woman)
Place of residence -- 1517 W. 17th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas Occupation -- Washing and Ironing ( When able )
Age -- About 77
Name of Interviewer -- S. S. Taylor
Subject -- Corn Shucking, Dances, Quiltings, Weddings among Slaves time. Plenty of corn was brought in from the
cribs and strowed along where everybody could get to it freely. Then they would all get corn and shuck it until near
time to quit. The corn shucking was always at night, and only as much corn as they thought would be shucked was
brought from the cribs. Just before they got through, they would begin to sing. Some of the songs were pitiful and
sad. I can't remember any of them, but I can remember that/ they were sad. One of them began like this:
"The speculator bought my wife and child
And carried her clear away."
Then they got through shucking, they would hunt up the boss. He would run away and hide just before. If they
found him, two his men would take him up on their shoulders and carry him all around the grounds while they sang.
My mother told me that they used to do it that way in slave time.
They didn't dance then like they do now all hugged up and indecent. In them days, they danced what you call square
dances. They don't do those dances now, they're too decent. There were eight on a set. I used to dance those myself.
This information given by Eliza Washington ( Negro woman )
Place of Residence -- 1517 W. 17th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas Occupation -- Washing and Ironing ( When able )
Age - About 77
Name of Interviewer -- S. S. Veylor
Subject -- Quiltings ( Continued ) Weddings, Worship among Slaves
Story or Information I heard mother say she went to a lot of quiltings. I suppose they had them much the same as
they do now. Everybody took a part of the quilt to finish. They talked and sang and had a good time. And they had
somethin' to cat at the close just as they did in the corn shucking. I never went to a quilting.
Some of the Niggers went to church then just as they do now, and some of them weren't allowed to go.
Reverend Winfield used to preach to the colored people that if they would be good niggers and not steal their
master's eggs and chickens and things. that they might go to the kitchen of heaven when they died.
And old lady once said to me, "I would give anything if I could have Maria in heaven with me to do little things for
me." My mother told me that the Niggers had to turn the pots down to keep their voices from sounding when they
were praying at night. And they couldn't sing at all.
I can remember that they used to have wedding when I was a child around the years 1867 and 1868. My mother told
me of marriages and weddings. She never saw no paint on anybody's face They used to have powder, but they never
used any paint. Girls were better then than they are now
This information given by Eliza Washington, Negro woman ??ence -- 1517 W.17th St. Little Rock. Arkansas
Name of Interviewer -- S. S. Taylor
Subject -- Slaves: Fight with Master (Junior)
Story or Information
My mother's first master was named Easly, and her second was named yeely. She and her young master. John
McNeely, who was raised with her and who was about the same age as she was, got to fighting one say and she
whipped him clear as a whistle. After she whipped him that fight went all over the country. She was between sixteen
and seventeen years old an he was about the same. She had never been whipped by the white folks.
She was in the kitchen. I don't know what the trouble started over. But they had an argument. There were some
other white boys in the kitchen with her young master, and they kept pushing the two of them up to fight. He
wanted to show off; so he told her what he would do to her if she didn't hush her mouth. She told him to just try it,
and the fight was on. So they fought for about an hour, and the other white boys egged them on.
She said that her old master never did whip her, and she sure was n't going to let the young one do it. I never heard
that they punished her for whipping her young master. I never heard her say that anybody tried to whip her at any
other time. My mother was a strong woman. She could lift one end of a log with any man.
This information given by Eliza Washington ( Negro Woman )
Place of residence -- 1517 West 17th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas Occupation -- Washing and Ironing, when able (
Age about 77.)
Name of Interviewer O- S. S. Taylor
My mother used to say that when she was about fourteen/years old. ( That was about the time that the stars fell, and
the stars fell in 1833.* So she must have been born in 1819. In 1833. She was sold for a fourteen year old girl. That
was the only time that she ever was sold. That left her about eighty-three years old when she died in 1903. ) She
used to say that when she was about fourteen years old, and was living in North Carolina in Macklinberg,
(Mecklenburg Co.,) in Henderson County, that the white folks called all the slaves up to the gif big house and kept
them there a few days. There wasn't no troutle on my mother's place, but they had heard that they was an uprising
among the slaves, and they called all the Niggers up to the house. They didn't do nothin' to them. They just called
them up to the house, and kept them there. It all passed over soon. I don't know nothin' else about it.
I've "heared" old Brother Zachary who used to belong to Bethal Church tell about the surrender. Brother Zachary is
dead now. He was a soldier in the Confederate army. He fought all through the war and he used to tell lots of stories
about it.
You know, Lee was a tall man, fine looking and dignified. Grant was a little man and short. Those two generals
walked up to each other ex with a white flag in their hands. And they talked and agreed just when they would fight.
And then they both went back to their armies.
Information given by Eliza Washington, (Negro Woman) Place of Residence--1517 West 17th Street, Little Rock,
Arkansas Name of Interviewer -- S. S. Taylor
Subject -- Confederate Army Negroes; Ex-slave Occupations
Story or Information and they fought the awfulest battle you ever "heered" of. The men lay dead in rows and rows
and rows. The dead men covered whole fields. And General Lee said that there wasn't any use doing any more
fighting. General Grant let all the rebels keep their guns. He didn't take nothin' away from them.
I saw General Grant when he came to Little Rock. There was an old white man who had never been to Little Rock
in his life. He said "I just had to come up here to see this great general that they are talking about."
We always worked in the field in slave time. I don't know nothin about share cropping because I always did days
work. I used to set four and five dollars a week for washing. But now they wants the young folks and they don't pay
them five dollars for everything. I can't get a pension. Why you reckon they won't give me one. They don't
understand that that little house I own doesn't even keep itself up. Wy daughter-in-law is good to me but she needs
everything she makes. I can't get much to do now, and what little I gets, they don't pay me such for.
I don' remember nothin' else.
This information given by Eliza Washington
Place of residence 1517 W. 17th Street, Little Rock, Ark.
Occupation -- Washing and Ironing -- Age about 77
Leonid 1833
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
