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204 W. Fourth St., Born August 1, 1865.
"I was born at Gracey, Kentucky on Mr. James Colemans far, in a log cabin wid a dirt floor on a stick chimney.
"Folks uster weat wat dey calls a "Polanaise". Hid wat kinder like a wrapper made of calico made wid tight in de waist on wide in de bottom. Dan I've remembers de basque waist on de over skirts dese war made real tight waists wid a point in de back on ober de stomach. De skirt wer real full dem a skirt ober dis ter de knees wid a big pucker on de hips."
"My Mammy bound me out to Miss Puss Graham ter learn ter work, foh my vittals en cloes. Miss Puss gave me a pair of red morocco shoes an I was I made so happy, I'se neber fohgot dese shoes.
"I heard my Mammy talk of "De Nigger Risin". De Klu Klux uster stick de niggers head on er stake alongside de Cadiz road en dar de buzzards would sat them till nuthin' was left but de bones. Dar war a sign on dis stake dat said "Look out Nigger You are next". Us chilluns would not go far way from dat cabin. I'se tells you dat is so. I jes knowed dat dis Ku Klux would do dat to us sho if weuns had been catched.
"I remember wen Hopkinsville had jest a few stores on ole jew by name of Shyer bought bones an iron en rags. Once us chilluns found some bones on de creek bank en took dem things and wanted ter sell dem to Mr. Shyer on he said "take den things way day stink, day aint cured up yet. Bury dem things den bring dem back to me. Us Chilluns had a hard time gittin home cause we stand so bad.
"I remember wen we uster hev big time quilting on dem days we she had a big time fore we start in de morning wid a qater melon feast, den weuns quilt erwhile den a big dinner war spread out den after dinner we'd quilt in the evening den supper and a big dance dat night, wid de banjo a humming an us niggers a dancing, "Oh, Lawdy wat good days dem war."
"Wen we were young we uster hev parties called "Dideoos", de banjo would play en den de girls would line up on one side of de cabin en de boys on de tother side while the folks war a clappin en er playing why de boys en girls wuld choose dar parrners den weuns sing:
"Ole Brer Rabbit,
Shake it, shake it,
How I love you,
Shake it, shake it.
I'd ruther play dat game dan to eat."
"We uster tap maple trees en hev big gathering foh ter make maple sugar dat war while I lived at Gracey.
"De stage coach day war big days, wen de stage coach war a comin thru why us little niggers would try tet keep up wid de horses en run erlong side de coach en sometimes a man or woman would drop us a penny den dar was sho a scramble.
"I remember wen we uster wash cloes wid a paddle. You wet dese cloes en put soft soap in dem, the soap war made outer ash lye en grease den dese cloes war spread on a smooth stump an beat wid paddles till dey war clean. Den come de wooden wash board, hit war jes a piece of wood wid rough places or ridges chiseled in hit. Wen we uster wash quilts we uster cyt a nikasses varrek ubter eb dat made de tub deb my Mammy would put water in dese tubs den soft soap de quilts den us chilluns would git in de tubs in our bare foots en tromp de dirt out."
"We uster use grease lamps, dese war made outer iron, wid a piece of cotton rope down in de grease on dis jes send out a puny smelly light. Dem de brass lamp came erlong hit war a little lamp wid a wich wid a handle in er stem, no burner or nuthin hit burned coaloil but had no chimney."
"Hee, Hee, Hee, I remember arbout a story Mary Beard told rer me erbout a slave woman dat war foolish. Her Massa couldn't git no body ter buy her, hee, hee, hee, so he dresses her up nice an buys her a thimble en gives her a piece of cloth ter sow on. It war right here in Hopkinsville in front of de court house dat de block war on he sold dis woman as a "aswing slave", en her war foolish on couldn't take or right stitch en she sho brought a good price en wen her now Massa found out she war foolish he sho war mad. He tried ter sell her but pshaw he bought something he couldn't git rid of, Hee, Hee."
"Dese ole nigger slave traders uster so my Mammy said, steal de niggers from one Massa and dey would leave at night en stay in "Campbells Cave" den dey would take dese niggers wid a promise of freedom to Clarksville, Tenn., sell den again on "Mr. Dunk Morr's" slave market. Sometimes dese niggers if dey got a new Massa dat war mean would run erway on come back ter dar ole Massas.
"Yes I believe you can be hauted, I aint neber seed one the but I'se heard den en I jest git creepy on I no's dey is around."
"Cos dreams come tru, I dont remember one now but if I'se had one ergin I will try ter remember en tells you."
"No I aint neber seed a ghost. I feels den sometimes on I jis shet my eyes en pray de "Good Lawd" ter send dat ghost away."
"If youse find a horse shoe or put eber de door you will sho has good luck
"Thirteen has always been my lucky number. Dats follish ter thing "Thirteen is unlucky. Seben is lucky ter me ter. I always win when I think of a seben.
"Of cos now if youse breaks a mirror you cant keep from having bad luck. Nuthin you do will keep you from hit.
"She is bad luck ter meet a cross-eyed pusson er blue gummed niggers is pizen cause if one bites you youse will she ter die."
"My Mammy sho did hav a big wedding my Pappys Massa ask my Mammy Massa foh her on den my Mammy Massa give her a big infair dat cast him $200.00 wid de bridal supper on all."
"Dey uster do niggers pretty had erbout dat funerals. Wen a nigger did die why de rest of de niggers had ter work en one nigger made de box whiler ernother nigger dug de grave on the nigger war jes civered up en den on de Fourth Sunday in August ebery year all de colored folks would take a basket dinner ter de church on each family dat had buried a nigger would pay de preacher ter preach the sermon foh dat darkie dat died. We ate dinner en supper at de church en sometimes the funeral foh some fo de darkies wouldn't git preached till next August. We went to dis funeral why we had big time talking wid our neighbors on of de dead."
"Dogs howling meand bad luck if he howls under de house why someone is goin ter die.
"If er owl come around de house on holler a death will happen in de family fore de next day.
"I remembers I wat a sitting in do house en er peckerwood war a pecking on de house "Pure bad luck."
"I was working once foh Mrs. Shelton wen a little wren kept trying ter git in de house an I kep a shosin hit arway wen he got in somehow jes as soon as hit did Mrs. Shelton called me en I had a telegram from Chicago my neice war dead. She by dat I nos dat am bad luck. I dont like wrens any how.
"When a cow loses hits cud, jed giv hit an old dirty dish rag en den de cow will ding her cud again.
"Sometimes a cow gits sich en lay down en if you will fell her tail on de end it is all soft, 'Dat cow hot holler tail, en less you split dat tail on fill de holler wid salt den bind hit up dat cow will sholy die."
"I asked Mary if she was superstitious and she said 'no', cos niggers are edicatted dese days on dey don believe in all dat tom-foolery. Dey neber would benn so fuolish if de white folks did not tell us all dat rot." Mary "Our clothes was made from cotton and linsey. Cotton was used in the summer and linsey for the winter. Sometimes our clothes was yeller checked and most time red. Our stockings was made of coarse yarn for winter to wear with coarse shoes. We had high topped shoes for Sunday.
"I've seed ten thousand of the Union Soldiers and a great many of the rebel soldiers. The Rebel soldiers would take everything they could get their hands on but I never did know of the Union Soldier taking anything. The rebel a have stole my masters cows and horses and we would have to hide the meat in a box and bury it in the ground."
SOYD CO. (Carl F. Hall)
The Commonwealth of Kentucky, having for a northern boundary the Ohio River--the dividing line between the northern free states and the southern slave states has always been regarded as a southern state. As in the other states of the old south, slavery was an institution until the Thirteenth Ammendment to the Constitution of the United States gave the negro freedom in 1865.
Kentucky did not, as other southern states, secede from the Union, but attempted to be neutral during the Civil War. The people, however, were divided in their allegience, furnishing recruits for both the Federal and Confederate armies. The president of the Union, Abraham Lincoln, and the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, both were born in this state.
Boyd County was formed in 1860 from parts of Lawrence, Greenup and Carter Counties, and we are unable to find any records, in Boyd County, as to slave holders and their slaves, though it is known that many well to do families the Catletts, Davis, Poages, Williams and others were slave holders.
Slaves were not regarded as persons, had no civil rights and were owned just as any other chattel property, were bought and sold like horses and cattle, and knew no law but the will of their white masters and like other domestic animals could be, and were, acquired and disposed of without regard to family ties or other consideration.
Usually, as each slave represented a large investment of money, they were well cared for, being adequately fed, clothed and sheltered, having medical attention when silk.
As, along the border in Kentucky, there were no large plantations where field workers could be used, most of the slaves in this region were house servants, who were housed in wings of the master's house, where the plantation were large enought to need many slaves, they were furnished one, or two, rooms cabins close by the mansion on the master's estate.
As educated people are apt to be able to figure out ways to improve their lot, learning among the negroes was not encouraged, in fact it was illegal to teach them. In some instances an enlighted and humane master would teach a servant, and often they could find some one who would teach them secretly. As a race, however, they were, at the time they were set free, without any education at all.
Tales are told of cruel masters who overworked, flogged and otherwise mistreated their helpers and slaves; these masters, however, seem to have been an exception to the rule and considering that they were generally well provided for, many slaves were better off economically that the laborer of today who is a victim of misfortunes such as sickness, disability and old age.
One reason why slaves were better treated here than further south, was that Kentucky was a border state, and throughout Ohio and other northern state was an organization known as the "Underground Railroad." This was a sort of secret society whose members were sworn to assist escaped slaves to run away to Canada where they would be free. When a run-away slave crossed the Ohio River he would be met by some one of this organization and taken where he could remain in hiding by day, then by traveling by night, could reach another place of concealment by morning, where he would be fed and hidden until darkness permitted him to reach the next haven. By this means many were successful in reaching freedom, though they were hunted by officers, armed with guns, and assisted by fierce dogs especially trained for this work.
Negroes who were unruly, or were caught attempting to escape, were usually sold to planters in the far south whore they could not hope to escape, and were forced to end their days in unremitting toil in the cotton and cane fileds, forever separated from relatives and friends.
It was the barbarism practiced by cruel masters, so vividly portrayed in such books as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and songs like "Nellie Gray," that awakened the nation's conscience and brought about the bloody "Civil War" which resulted in the race being set free.
Just before the war, George Davis, a mulatto, son of his master and a black servant girl, was in Cincinnati and was accosted by two white man who offered to use the good offices of the "Underground Railroad" to help him to get away to Canada. Being well treated, as a trusted servant of his white father and master, he did not avail himself of this opportunity to escape and stayed on as a slave until Freed by the war, after which he went to Ohio and settled and prospered until his death.
Another slave, Asberry Parker, did escape, and traveling by night hiding by day, reached safety in Canada where he worked and saved until he became wealthy. After the war, when he could safely return to the United States, he moved to Ironton, Ohio, where he made his home for the rest of his life.
He belonged in his days of slavery, to a Williams family, in Carter County, Kentucky.
Another slave, George McVodie, belonging to the Poage family, of Boyd Co., escaped and went to Canada, no as to whether he ever came back later.
A sister of George Davis was sold to a planter in Louisana where she lived until 1877, when she returned to Boyd County as a free women.
As negroes, in slavery days, were regarded as beasts of burden not much interest was taken in the welfare of their souls. Some kind hearted masters would allow them the privilege of meeting in religious service, where some one of their race in spite of the conditions of the times, could read and explain the Bible, would preach. Other masters would not allow this to be done. A negro would become, in character much like the family who owned him, i.e., an honest, moral and kindly master would have slaves of like qualities, ?? while a cruel, dishonest master would usually affect his slaves so that they would be tricky and unreliable.
Where the master did not personally supervise his slaves and left them to the mercies of a hired "over-seer," their lot was usually much worse, as these task-masters were almost always tyranical and were not restrained by a sense of ownership from abusing the helpless creatures under their authority as were the master's, whose money was invested in them.
On one occasion, a young negro saw his own sister stripped naked and unmercifully whipped by one of these over-seers. He gathered up all of his small belongings and tied them in a bundle and securing a club of wood, laid in wait for the cruel 'boss' until dark, when he killed him with the club. He then escaped, via the "Underground Railroad."
One thing he was careful to do, was to avoid all telegraph poles, as that he thought the wires could detect and betray him, the telegraph was a mystery Politics: Formerly, the negro, attributing his freedom to the efforts of Abraham Lincoln in his behalf, voted almost solidly for the Republican Party. Now, however, the Democrats have, by remembering the race when passing out jobs, gained recruits among the colored people, and some negro Democrats are found here. The negro has been accused of voting for money, but it is doubtful if as a race, he is any more prone to this practice than his white fellow citizens among whom this abuse seems to be growing.
BELL CO. (Nelle Shumate)
