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(Lucile Bridges Research Worker)
The Life Story of Kate Thomas, exslave of the Dix Family, who is one of the best known and most widely informed negroes in Troup County:
Scene: Aunt Kate's birthday dinner, all the children and grandchildren present for the first time in many years.
Place: Aunt Kate's home in Troup County.
Mammy: My what a dinner! And look at all de chillun, goodlookin' too, jist as fat and slick as if you was a gwine to sell em! Is everybody here? My, but I's glad to see Monroe and Andre, you niggers is she dressed up but you look just de same to me as when you wus two-long-legged chaps. Quit pinching off dat cake! What's dat you say Andre? I don't care if you is "head chef" or whatever you is at de Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta, and you neither, Monroe, calling yo'self a "chef" in some hyferlutin' place in Detroit, you all is in Mammy's house now and ye got ter use yo manners! I'll declare dis younger generation's got so much edication dey fergits their raisin'. Come on everybody, dat chicken's getting plum cold waiting on yo niggers to git ready.
Andre: Oh! Boy! Mammy this is sure some chicken pie, where did you learn...?
Mammy: Shut yo mouf nigger, you know yo mammy was de best pastry cook dis side of Mobile, why Mrs. DeLorne used to say.....
Monroe: Yes, sir! Mammy, you're a first class cook, when they ask me up in Detroit where I learned to cook I always stick out my chest and say, "Boss, from my old Mammy way down in Georgia." But Mammy, how old are you today? Let me see, it was in ..., Mammy, when was you born anyway?
Mammy: Shame on you! Can't even remember when yo old Mammy was born, ain't many dat can say they was born in '32, now figger dat out.
Julia: That makes Mammy 104 years old, don't it Monroe? That's a long time ago, Mammy, tell us again about Major DeLorne buying you from John Darrington so the grandchildren may hear it too.
Children: Please tell us Mammy, all about it!
Mammy: Yes, its been a long time ago but my recollection is as clear as if it was yesterday, so you all lissen and I'll tell you how "your old Mammy happened to come to Troup County." I was fifteen years old, a living in Mobile, when Major DeLorne bought me from Col. John Darrington, I wasn't one of dem cheap nigger gals neither. Major paid de price of a piano for me - something near $900.00.
Monroe: So he was a Major, huh? Some class to the old bird!
Mammy: Old bird! Umph, Monroe, don't you dare talk of Major any sich way, he was de best Major in de whole war and besides dat he was an officer in de French army. She he came all de way from France; had plenty of money too, no po' white trash to Major and Mrs. DeLorne. Dat was de swellest house in Mobile, floors all covered with carpets and sich; and de silver! The finest dat could be bought!
Monroe: But Mammy when did you come to Troup County?
Mammy: Give me time honey, I's a coming to dat. Lawdy, it just makes me shudder to eben think of dem times in Mobile, all dat shelling and everything. Sho, Major was off at de war; but we didn't wait for him.
Madam DeLorne said to me, "Kate, you get the children ready, pack a few of the household things, fix a box of groceries, we're going to Montgomery."
I says, "Madam, how in de world is we a gwine to Montgomery?"
And she says, "We're going on a barge, hurry, we've got no time to lose! Pack the trunk with all the clothes you can get into it and put the silver in the bottom of the trunk, and fix a box of food! We left de house Monday morning just at de break of day, and when we got to de boat there was so many people trying to get on dat I thought we'd never be able to get on dat boat, but we finally did! De Captain was shouting orders and trying to git everybody fixed. I never saw so many folks and so much noise in all my life, some of what do you think? Dar was so many folks and so much cargo on dat boat dat everybody, even de women folks, had to use long poles and push, to get de boat into deep water so we could shove off. You chillun thinks yo've had a hard time, you don't know nothing!
Andre: Mammy, were you frightened?
Mammy: Frightened? Nigger I was scared plum white! You ought to have seed dat captain standing in de middle of de boat a shouting, "If you all want to git to Montgomery alive, you must stay right where you is, no moving around or de boat will git unbalanced and we'll all be drowned." As night came on we et a bite and wrapped up in what kivering we had and tried to sleep. Dat was de longest trip I ever made, it took us from Monday morning to late Saturday night to reach Montgomery, allus it took two days to make de trip.
Monroe: What did you do in Montgomery?
Mammy: We didn't get to stay in Montgomery long, we took a stage coach for Troop County, near LaGrange. I'll never fergit dat time in Troup for dat's whar I met and married yo pappy. He was a fine lookin' nigger, belonged to de Callaway family and was as proud as a peacock! We didn't git to stay in Troup long, for Major DeLorne showed up suddenly one day and told Mrs. DeLorne we mus' move, de danger was too great in dese parts. Mrs. DeLorne had sent for four of her slaves, so dey put de things on a wagin and headed for Columbus. 'Deed I didn't go in no wagin, I rode in de carriage with Mrs. DeLorne and de chillun.
Monroe: Did you stay long in Columbus?
Mammy: Nigger, dat sho's you ain't never been in no war, how you speck to stay in one place and dem soldiers a fighting all over de whole country. Mrs. DeLorne wanted to be as near de Major as she could, so we goes on to Savannah, then to Charleston, and finally to Augusta and stayed dar until de war was over.
Children: Mammy, when did you come back to pappy?
Mammy: There you go! A getting ahead of yoself! It takes a long time to come from Augusta to Troup County in a carriage! Pass dat chicken, I'se been a talking and you niggers done went and et it all up. Bless my soul! My birthday dinner, and all of you eating fit to kill.
Yes, it was a happy day to git back to Troup and to yo pappy! But all dat happened about seventy years ago and now yo poor old pappy's gone, but I'm so happy 'bout you chillun being so smart, having good jobs and everything. How much more is you gwine to eat? I declare I don't believe yo had a square meal since de last time you et at Mammy's house.
