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DeWitt, Arkansas
Age 91
Adeline Burris is a little old white-haired wrinkled faced mulatto or yellow Negro woman who says she was old
enough to be working in the fields when the war began. According to her story she must have been about 14 then,
which would make her at least 90 years old now. She looks as though she might be a hundred. She is stooped and
very feeble but can get around some days by the help of a stout walking stick, of other times she cannot leave her
bed for days at a time. She owns nothing and is living in the home of her daughter-in-law who is kind to her and
cares for her as best she can. She says she was born in Murry County, Tennessee. Columbia was the county site.
When asked if she was born during slavery time she said, "Yes, honey, my mammy was one of de slaves what
belonged to Mr. Billie and Miss Liza Renfroe. Lord bless her heart she was good to my mammy and her chillun! I
had two little brothers, twins, and when dey come to dis world I can remember how our old mistress would come
every day to see about dem and my mammy. She'd bring things to eat, clothes for the babies and everything else.
Yes sir! My mother didn't want for anything as long as she stayed with Miss Liza, not even after de Negroes was
freed. When I was a little girl I was give to my young mistress, and I stayed with her till my folks was coming to
Arkansas and I come too."
"Why did your folks move to Arkansas?"
"Well, you see we heard this was a good country and there was a white man come there to get a lot of niggers to
farm for him down on the river and we come with him. He brought a lot of families on a big boat called a flatboat.
We were days and nights floating down the river. We landed at St. Charles. I married in about two years and haven't
ever lived anywhere else but Arkansas County and I've always been around good white folks. I'd been cold and
hungry a lot of times if it wasn't for some of dem blessed white folkes' chillen; dey comes to see me and brings me
things to eat and clothes too, sometimes."
"How many times did you marry, Aunt Add.?"
"Just one time; and I just had four chillen, twins, two times. One child died out of each sit --- just left me and Becky
and Bob. Bob and Dover, his wife, couldn't get along but I think most of it's his fault, for Dover's just as good to me
as she can be. My own child couldn't be better to me den she is.
"I don't know, honey, but looks to me like niggers was better off in den days den they are now. I know dey was if
dey had good white folks like we did. Dey didn't have to worry about rent, clothes, nor sumpin to eat. Dat was there
for then. All they had to do was work and do right. Course I guess our master might not of been so good and kind of
we had been mean and laxy, but you know none of us ever got a whippin' in our life.
"Honey, come back to see Aunt Add. sometime. I likes to talk to you."
Interviewer Samuel S. Taylor"
