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"I was bawn en Stokes County, Nawth Cah'lina. I was bout thirteen years ole when dem Yankee sojers come on us all's place, tarin' up de crops en drivin' off de hosses. Dey stole big whole middlin's of meat hams, en all dey want fum de smokehouse. Dey tuk all dey cud carry off."
"Us belong ter Joel Hawkins. Us tuk de name er Hawkins kaze slaves allus tuk de name of dey white folks. Mother en father was named Vinnie en Patrick, but everbuddy called my pappy Pat. Dey was ten of us chillun; Phyllis, Martha, Hetty, Gabe, Kit, Willum, Sam, Jack, Moses, en me."
"Our plantation was'nt big like some; dey was bout 500 acres of land, en dey has fifteen er twenty slaves, en bout five er six cabins. Our quarters diden' hev nothin' mos', on'y rough beds nail togedder en straw ticks ter sleep on. Dey was plenty of kiver, but I jes' could'nt res' a'tall on em now. Us had stools, benches, en mebbe some ole chairs. Dey was all het with big fire places."
"Mother was de cook at de big house, en atter de white folks has dey supper, us all go ter de kitchen en et our'n. Dey was plenty ter eat. Us done raise our own meat, en butchered it on de plantation. It was lots better'n de meat you git now. Sometimes us butcher er sheep er lamb, en sometimes er beef. Us diden' hev lots os possum en coon like some of em mough a done. Mother was er ole fashion cook, en made grand cakes en allus keeps er jar of doughnuts en cookies."
"Onct a year de cobbler comes ter de plantation en mak one pair of shoes fer all de slaves. Us weared dese shoes fer cold weather; eh summer time us goes bar'footed. All de close was wove on de plantation, en us diden' hev none too many of em."
"I nebber went ter school, en I caint read er write, but my sisters, Hetty en Martha, both learned ter to do good readin' en dey cud write pretty good."
"When de wah was ovah, en us had nothin' ter start on, us all stayed en wuked fer Hawkins on er shares. Father he was ter git half of de crops, en so us was soon able ter save ernough fer ter buy er little place of our ownselves. Us done raise terbaccer en cawn. My father he was er hustler en he made pretty good. Us boys all done farmin' en sho' raided moughty fine crops."
"I was bring up Baptist, but now I belings ter de Church er God. I lived en Springfield sence 1900.
"Course I was married sence slavery days. I married Miss Susan Payne. All my chillun is daid."
Clark Heard Ex-Slave 86 years (19/3/270 Cleveland District #4 Cuyahoga County Racial Groups File Copied 12-1-41 A.H.)
