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Biscoe, Arkansas
Age 60 ?
"Mother was born in Alabama during siavery. Her name was Levisa Halsey. Neither of my parents were sold.
Mother was tranferred (transferred) to her young mistress. Sae had no children and still lived in the home with her
people. Her mother, Emaline, was the cook. Master Bradford owned and dnother and grandfather both and my own
father all. Mother was the oldest and only child.
"I don't lmew whether they was mean to all the slaves or not. Seems they were not to my folks. The old man died
sometims before freedom. The young master want to get a overseer. He brought a new wan to take his own place.
He whooped grandma and auntie and out grandma's long lair off with his pocket-knife.
"During that time grandpa slip up on the house top and take some boards off. Grandma would sit up in her bed and
knit by moorlight through the hole. He had to put the boards back. She had to work in the field in daytime.
"During the War they were scared nearly to death of the soldiers and would run down in their master's big orchard
and hide in the tall broom sage. They rode her young master on a rail and killed him. A drove of soldiers come by
and stopped. They said, 'Young man, can you ride a young howse?' They gathered him and took him out and
brought him in the yard. He died. They hurt him and scared him to death.
"Another train come and loaded up all the slaves and some freedom come on, my folks was here at Arkadelphia.
They said fear of the soldiers all the time.
"Mother said a woman come first and stuck a flag out a up and the Yankees shot the guns off and some of them
made talks the Negroes and white folks. They seen that at Arkadelphia.
"Mama, grendma, and grandpa started on their way back hom soldier camps. They never got back to their homes.
They neve Yankees and grieved about the way they done their young master one of my father's own children. They
seen hard times after i was hard to live and they was used to work but they had a good had to die in Arzansas. How
come I'm hers now."
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
