|
|
1103 State Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Age 1077
Upon arriving at the hushle unpainted home of Rachel Bradley I found her sitting in the doorway on a typical
split-oak bottomed chair watching the traffic of State Street, one of our busiest streets out of the high rent district. It
is a mixture of white and Negro stores and homes.
After asking her name to be sure I was really talking to Rachel Bradley, I said I had been told she was a former
slave. "Yes'm, I used to be a slave." She smiled broadly displaying nearly a full set of teeth. She is of a cheerful,
happy disposition and seemed glad to answer my questions. As to her age, she said she was "a little girl on the floor
when the stars fell." I looked this up at the public library and found that falling stars or showers of meteors occur in
cycles of thirty-three years. One such display was recorded in 1855 and another in 1866. So if Hachel Bradley is
really 107 years old, she was born in 1830. It is a question in my mind whether or not she could have remembered
falling stars at the age of three, but on the other hand if she was "a little girl on the floor" in 1866 she would be only
somewhere between seventy-five and eighty years of age.
Her master and mistress were Mitchell and Elisabeth Simmons and they had two sons and two daughters. They lived
on a plantation about twelve miles from Farmersville, Louisiana.
Rachel was a house girl and her mother was the cook. Besides doing house work, she was nursemaid and as she
grew older did her mistress' sewing and could also weave and knit. From the way she sailed and rolled her eyes I
could see that this was the happiest time of her life. "My white folks was so good to me. I sat right down to the same
table after they was thru."
While a child in the home of her white folks she played with her mistress' children. In her own words "My mistress
give us a task to do and when we got it done, we went to our playhouse in the yard."
When the war came along, her master was too old to go but his two sons went and both lived through the war.
Questioned about the Yankees during the war she said, "I seen right smart of the Yankees. I seen the 'Calvary' go
by. They didn't bother my white folks none."
Rachel said the ABC's for me but cannot read or write. She said her mistress' children wanted to teach her but she
would rather play so grew up in ignorance.
After the war Rachel's white folks moved to Texas and Rachel went to live with her mistress' married daughter
Martha. For her work she was paid six dollars a month. She was not given any money by her former owners after
being freed, but was paid for her work. Later on Rachel went to work in the field making a crop with her brother,
turning it over to the owner of the land for groceries and other supplies and when the cotton was weighed "de white
folks taken out part of our half. I knowed they done it but we couldn't do nothin bout it."
Rachel had four husbands and eleven children. Her second husband abandoned her, taking the three oldest and
leaving five with her. One boy and one girl were old enough to help their mother in the field and one stayed in the
house with the babies, so she managed to make a living working by the day for the white people.
The only clash with the Ku Klux Klan was when they came to get an army gun her husband had bought.
Being a woman, Rachel did not know much about polities during the Reconstruction period. She had heard the
words "Democrat," "Radical" and "Republican" and that was about all she remembered.
Concerning the younger generation Rachel said: "I don't know what goin' come of 'em. The most of 'em is on the
beat" (trying to get all they can from others).
After moving to Arkansas, she made a living working in the field by the day and as she grew older, washing and
ironing, sawing, house-cleaning and cooking.
Her long association with white people shows in her speech which is quite plain with only a few typical Negro
expressions, such as the following:
"She died this last gone Sattiday and I hope (help) around her."
"When white lady find baby, I used to go hep draw the breas'."
"Heap a people."
"Bawn."
The Welfare Department gives Rachel $8.00 a month. She pays $2.00 a month for two rooms with no drinking
water. With the help of her white friends she manages to exist and says she is "pendin on the Lord" to help her get
along.
She sang for me in a quavering voice the following songs reminiscent of the war:
"Homespun dresses plain I know,
And the hat palmetto too.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We cheer for the South we love so dear,
We cheer for the homespun dresses
The Southern ladies wear!"
"Who is Price a fightin'?
He is a fightin', I do know.
I think it is old Gurtis,
I hear the cannons roa'."
Interviewer Miss Irene Robertson"
Bradley, Rachel -- Additional Interview
"I was born in Louisiana. Yes ma'am, I was here before the stars fell. My brother was out feedin' the hosses. Yes
ma'am, in slavery times when the stars fell, and he ask my mother would they go back up. I was small but he was a
grown man. He was my mammy's oldest child.
"I can recollect, sometimes, name like the Democrats---used to be Whigs. Then there was some more names. I was
here when they was a heap a talk 'bout George Washington. I been here a long time---I'm the onliest one of 'em
livin' now.
"I 'member one time I was out in the yard playin' with my old missis' baby and I bit it---didn't mean to---just playin'.
I know they was fixin' to go to Texas.
"When I was a child I had the pneumonia three times---that's how come I stayed in the house. And when the babies
come, I started nussin'.
"Old missis used to go off to church and revivals and she'd take me along. When they got to shoutin' I'd shout too.
"And when the War come on I started weavin'. You know I was some size to weave. I could weave eight yards of
plain cloth in a day and four yards of jeans. And I could knit a sock a day. Oh, I ain't been no trash---ain't no trash
today---just can't get around.
"I got a heap a good folks though sends me groceries just like I was payin' for 'em.
"Ole missis had two sons went to war and two didn't go. I could hear them guns and you know, you could hear 'em
better at night. They was one woman and the only son she had got killed at Manassa.
"My old massa say all the time he gwine send us to school but he never did.
"When I got free I went with my young missis. She lived 'bout ten miles from her mother and when she go to see
her, they got me a hoss and a saddle too.
"I have made good money in my day. Used to make two dollars a day and fifteen a week. Did laundry work---never
have been no cook.
"I stayed with young missis two years, then I come back to my mama. She was a cripple woman and walked on
crutches.
"Ain't I right smart Indian? Mama was born and raised in Virginia. She was the mother of eight and I was the
mother of eleven---I reckon. I raised nine grown---five boys and four girls.
"I reckon I was 'bout twenty or twenty-five when I married. I forget how much older I was than my oldest child but
he 'bout eighty now.
"Yes ma'am, I been here a long time.
"My owners was good to me but I been treated bad since. My second husband say I was too old for him but he's
been gone a long time.
"You know, folks is funny sometimes. They can pet you up to get you away from your folks. My last husband come
home one day and say, 'Babe, so and so wants me to stay with her,' so I told him to go.
"He didn't go then, but he went off and worked a crop till lay by time. When he come back he had money, but do
you know he never offered me a nickel. I didn't ask him for none---wouldn't a asked him if he'd a been full of it. I'm
just that independent. Las' time he come back, I took him by the shirt collar and give him my fists and say, 'Don't
you never come back here again.' That was in '26 and I ain't seed him since. Oh, I had a hard time, a hard time.
"In slavery times when I was livin' with the white folks, I didn't know nothin' 'bout weather. When the white folks
got up from the table I sit down and eat three times a day. Heap a good folks here now.
"Ain't nothin' to this younger generation. Jus' such s few of 'em worth anything ain't worth namin'.
"Yes, honey, I been here a long time."
(Age) 108
Davis, Winnie As told by Mattie Sneed 504 E. Twenty-First Avenue Pine Bluff, Arkansas (Mrs. Bernice Bowden)
Bradley, Rachel -- Additional Interview
"I was born in Louisiana. Yes ma'm, I was here before the stars fell. My brothers was out feedin' the horses. Yes
ma'm, in slavery times when the stars fell, and he ask my mother would they go back up. I was small but he was a
grown man. He was mammy's oldest child.
"I can recollect, sometimes, a name like the Democrats - used to be Whigs. Then there was some more names. I was
here when they was a heap a talk bout George Washington. I been here a long time - I'm the onliest one of 'em livin'
now.
"I 'member one time I was out in the yard playin' with my old mistis 'baby and I bit it - didn't mean to - jes playin'. I
know they was fixin' to go to Texas.
"When I was a child I had the pneumonia three times - that's how come I stayed in the house. And when the babies
come, I started nussin'. "Old mistis use to go off to church and revivals and take me along. When they got to
shoutin', I'd shout too.
"And when the war come on I started weavin'. You know I was some size to weave. I could weave 8 yards a plain
cloth in a day and 44 yards o' jeans. And I could knit a sock a day. Oh, I ain't been no trash - ain't no trash today -
just cant get around.
"I got a heap a good folks though. Sends me groceries jest like I was payin' for 'em.
"Old mistis had 2 sons went to the war and 2 didn't go. I could hear dem guns, and you know - you could hear 'em
better at night. They was one woman and the only son she had got killed at Manassas.
"My old massa say all the time he gwine send us to school but he never did.
"When I got free I went with my young mistis. She lived bout ten miles from her mother and when she go to see
her, they got me a hoss and a saddle too.
"I have made good money in my day. Use to make two dollars a day and fifteen a week. Did laundry work - never
have been no cook.
"I stayed with young mis' two years, then I come back to my mamma. She was a cripple woman and walked in
crutches.
"Ain't I right smart Indian? Mamma was bawn and raised in Virginia. She was the mother of eight and I was the
mother of eleven - I reckon. I raise 9 grown - 5 boys and 4 girls.
"I reckon I was bout 20 or 25 when I married. I forget how much older I was than my oldest child but he 'bout 80
now.
"Yes ma'm, I been here a long time.
"My owners was good to me but I been treated bad since. My second husband say I was too old for him but he's
been gone a long time.
"You know folks is funny sometimes. They can pet you up to get you away from your folks. My last husband came
home one day and say 'Babe, so and so wants me to stay with her' so I told him to go.
"He didn't go then, but he went off and worked a crop till layby time. When he come back he had money, but do
you know he never offered me a nickel. I didnt ask him for none - wouldnt a asked him if he'd been full of it. I'm
just that independent. Las' time he comes back, I took him by the shirt collar and give him my fists and say "don't
you never come back here again."
That was in '26 and I ain't seed him since.
"Oh, I had a hard time, a hard time.
"In slavery times when I was livin' with the white folks, I didn't know nothin' but weather. When the white folks got
up from de table I sit down and eat 3 times a day. Heap a good folks here now.
"Ain't nothin' to this younger generation. Jes such a few of 'em worth anything ain't worth namin'. Yes, honey, I
been here a long time."
Has full set of her own teeth.
I was a small child, just walking when the stars fell. My brother went to feed the horses. He came back into the
house and asked my mother if the stars went back in the sky.
We lived in Union Parish, La. I was born and raised there.
Our white folks were the Simmons. They went to Texas. Mistis put her arms aroun me and cried.
Mother was a slave, I was born and raised in whitefolks house.
White marster go to New Orleans to trade cotton and buy rice, sugar medicine, whiskey, cayenne pepper, lobelia,
flour and salt.
White folks had five children that lived. I was nurse for the babies and house maid.
Every one rode horse back, to church. Sat in back of church.
We never had an overseer. I could knit a sock a day. I did the weaving and made the prettiest checks. I also sewed. I
got married after the war. My sister married and died and her man asked my mother for me, but I didnt marry him.
Mother was cook, sister worked in the field, and I was always at the house. We raised chickens, turkeys and
guineas. For breakfast we had pancakes, sometimes waffles, rice or fried chicken.
Always lots of things to eat, heaps more than now days.
I never went to school. I see my mistake now. We had big letters of the alphabet on canvas. And a big tent in the
yard for a school. White children would try to play school, little niggers would want to play.
I have lived in P.B. fifty years. My husband went off and left me with nine children, none of them of age. He said I
was too old.
Young woman for him. I worked first at one thing then another.
I be married three times. One child by first husband, eight by second.
When they got fever, always went to drugstore and got medicine that acted like calomel.
I cant get used to seeing folks work on Sundays.
When ever we heard of a new baby, we would ask about it, and then we were told it came out of a hollow log.
We would get an axe and go down to a hollow log, trying to find a baby.
I dreamt once that I waded across the Jordan river. Thought the water came up to my mouth.
Name of Interviewer: Mrs. Bernice Bowden"
