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"I was bawn en Winchester, Kaintucky, en 1859. I was er slave, but I was so young dat I doan know much cept what I member hearin' my fam'ly tell bout happenin'."
"Mother en father was Martha en George Baker. Dey was owned by Jack Rutledge, but jes' why dey diden' carry his name I doan know; Kaze mos' all slaves went by de name er dey white folks. Mother was er cook, en father was er carpenter. He traveled 'roun en done carpenter wuk long for freedom. Dey was several chillun of us, but all died when dey was little babies, cept brother Henry en me. He live ter be a real successful Baptist minister en pastored er church en Winchester en later years."
"Us diden' live en er cabin. It seems like Rutledge liked father pretty well, en let him build us er fair size house clost ter their'n. It was frame, en was er fairly nice place."
"Rutledge had er farm, en mos' de food was brought in fum it fer de table, en us all faired real well."
"When freedom come dey was sich er demand fer carpenters dat father had all de wuk he was able ter take keer of. He done save a little money, en bought er little piece of land in Winchester, en built us er nice place. Us used our front room en all de house fer church. It was good ole Baptist, en dey had some pretty good ole fashion meetings.
"When I lived with ole Miss, I member a pack of sojers comin' en takin' all de saddle en buggy hosses, en on'y leavin' one ole broke down nage en er barn. Ole Miss cried en cried, but dey aint no use a cryin' atter de colt is gone. De sojers tuk all de meat fum de smokehouse, en dat was something awful, kaze us did'en know us goin' ter do fer meat, fer mos' folks was havin' de same thing happen."
"It was'nt so pleasant ter have sojers come en do things like dat, but mother she sez, she was allus glad, kaze she felt de Union was bein' helped ter win de war by us havin' ernough to feed de sojers."
"When us got er place our ownselves, me en brother Henry was sent ter school, en I went till I was fourteen years ole. Mother was daid, en I went ter live with my aunt, en I felt I oughter help mek er livin'. Dey uster talk bout sech things, like ghos'es, en ha'nts, en spirits."
"My aunt sez, onct dey was er young Miss what died en her folks done bury her with lots of jewlry. One of de slaves he look hard en look at all dat fine jewlry goin' inter de groun'. So when night come he goes ter de graveyard en starts diggin en de young Miss grave. When he come ter de casket en open it, en was takin' er ring offen her hand, de young Miss spoke ter him."
"He started runnin', en she come up outer de grave en start runnin' too. When she got ter de house de fam'ly knowed she was'nt daid soon's dey seed her, en dey was sho' glad, en dey set de slave free en give him er lot er money en er fine hoss.
"Folks uster b'lieve dat cookin' certain things on New Years Day en certain other days of de year ud bring good luck. Dey uster cook black eyed peas er dry beans fer New Years Day, en some folks cooked kraut."
"When us was chillun, us went root en herb gatherin', ter git things fer de winters medicine. Us uster gather wild cherry bark, horseradish root, dand'line root, hickory bark, mullen, penny-royal, poke root, en poke berries, en de Lord knows what - things I clear fergit. Chicken gizzard skin was saved fer medicine, en I reckon goose grease is still used fer lots of things, even en dis day en time."
"When I was 21 I left Winchester, en come up ter Wilmington, Ohio, en I married Scott Martin. After livin' en Wilmington bout one year, us finally come ter Springfield en bought de land I own now, en built er one-room shack on it. Later I added to it en made it bigger. Here's where all my chillun was bawn; seven of em; five girls en two boys. Dey is all daid cept two girls en de two boys. My husband die five years ago, en I live on here en keep de place. One de boys helps me tend ter things en plants my garden. I'd feel lost ef I diden' have er garden. I uster plant it my ownself, but I guess dat day is passed; kaze I jes' aint got no strength left ter do much of anything.
Interviewed at her residence: 283 Raffensberger Ave.
Editor's Note:
Dulcinda Baker Martin is 78, light brown in color, and about five feet, nine inches tall. She has thick white hair and lost all her teeth. Her simple, clean little cottage is set at the back of a shaded yard, and she has installed two rain water barrels at the side to catch the rain water, for the washings which she doed occasionally.
Charlotte Pate"
