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Oklahoma
I was 80 years old the 18th of March. I was born in 1849, at Jackson Parish, Louisiana. My mother's name was Mary Marlow, and father's Henry Marlow.
I can't remember very much 'bout slavery 'cause I was awful small, but I am remember that my mother's master, Colonel Threff died, and my mother, her husband, and as three chillun was handed down to Colonel Threff's 'poor en folks. Colonel Threff owned about two or three hundred head of niggers. and all or 'em was tributed to his poor kin. Ooh wee! he sho' had fact a lot of them too! Master Joe Threff, one of his poor kin, took my nether, her husband, and three of us chillun from Louisiana to the Mississippi Line.
Down there we lived in a one-room log hut, and slept on homemade rail bad steads with cotton, and sometimes straw, mostly straw summers and cotton winners. I worked round the house and locked after de smaller chillun --- I mean my mother's chillun. Mostly we ate yeller meal corn bread and sorghum molasses. I ate possums when we could get 'em, but jest couldn't stand rabbit meat. Didn't know there was any Christmas or holidays in dem days.
I can't 'membuh nothing 'bout no churches in slavery. I was a sinner and loved to dance. I remembuh I was on the floor one night dancing and I had four daughters on the floor with me and my son was playing de music --- that got me! I jest stopped and said I wouldn't cut another step and I haven't. I'm a member of the Baptist Church and been for 25 or 50 years. I jined 'cause I wanted to be good 'cause I was an awful sinner.
We had a overseer back on Colonel Threff's plantation and my mother said he was the meanest man on earth. He'd jest go out in de fields and beat den niggers, and my mother told me one day he come out in de field heating her sister and she jumped on him and nearly beat him half to death and old Master come up jest in time to see it all and fired dat overseer. Said he didn't want no man working fer him dat a woman could whip.
After de war set us free my pappy moved us away and I stayed round down there till I got to be a grown woman and married. You know I had a pretty fine nodding 'cause my pappy had worked hard and commenced to be prosperous. He had cattle, hogs, chickens and all those things like that.
A college of dem niggers got together and packed up to leave Louisiana. Me and my husband went with them. We had covered wagons, and let me tell you I walked nearly all the way from Louisiana to Oklahoma. We left in March but didn't git here till May. We came in search of education. I got a pretty fair education down there but didn't take care of it. We come to Oklahoma looking for de same thing then that darkies go North looking for now. But we got dissapointed. What little I learned I quit talking care of it and seeing after it and lost it all.
I love to fish. I've worked hard in my days. Washed and ironed for 30 years, and paid for dis home that way. Yes sir, dis is my home. My mother died right here in dis house. She was 111 years old. She is been dead 'bout 20 yeahs.
I have three daughters here married, Sussie Pruitt, Bertie Shannon, and Irene Freeman. Irene lost her husband, and he's dead now.
(Oklahoma Writers' Project, Ex-Slaves, 10-19-1938, 1,428 words)
Alexander, Alice -- Additional Interview I was 88 years old 15th of last March. Born March 15, 1839 at Jackson Parish, La. My mother's name is Mary Marlow, an' father Henry Marlow.
Lets see, I can't remembah very much 'bout slavery 'cause you know I was awful small, but I can remembuh that my mother's master, Colonel Threff died, an' my mother, her husband and we three chillun was handed down to Colonel Threff's po' kin folks. Chile Colonel Threff owned about two or three hundred head o' niggers, and all of 'em was tributed to his po' kin. Ooh wee! he had jest a lot o' dem po' kin. Marster Joe Threff, one of his po' kin took my mother, her husband an' three of us chillun fum Louisiana to the Mississippi line.
Down thar I worked 'round the house an' looked aftah de smaller chillun, I mean my mother's chillun.
We lived in a one room log hut, an' slept on homemade rail bed steads wid cotton, an' sum times straw, mos'ly strawsummers an' cotton winners.My mother died rite heah in dis house. She was 111 yeahs old. She been dead 'bout 20 yeahs.Did'n no any Crismus was in dem days.I got great great gran' chillun heah, rite heah.We et yeller meal corn bread an' sorgum malasses. I et 'possums but couldn stan' rabbit.I can't membuh nuthin' 'bout no churches in slavery. I was a sinner an' luv to dance I remembuh I was on the floor
one nite dancing an' I had fo' dauters on the floor wid me an' mah son was playing de music - That got me, I jeststopped and said I woulden cut another step.Know nothing 'bout Abe Lincoln. Heard of 'im.Know nothing 'bout Jeff Davis. Heard of 'im.Know nothing 'bout Booker T. Washington. Heard of 'im.
Know nothing 'bout patterollers. Heard 'em talkin' 'bout 'em.Yas, we had a overseers an' my mother said he was the meanest man on earth. He'd jest go out in de fields and beatdem niggers, an' my mother tole me one day he come out in de field beatin' her sister an' she jumped on 'im an' nellybeat 'im half to death an' ole Marster come up jest in time to see it all an' fired dat overseer. Said he diden want noman working fer 'im dat a woman could whip.
Remembuh jest a little 'bout de war. De soljers had on blue clothes. Membuh lot of talk 'bout 4th of August.My pappy moved us away an' I stayed 'roun down dare 'till I got to be a grown woman an' married. You know I had
a pretty fare weddin' 'cause my pappy had worked hard an' commence to be prospus. He had cattle, hogs, chickensan' all dat.A college of dem niggers got togedder an' pack up to leaveLouisiana in March. We had covered wagons, an' chile let me tell you I walked nelly all the way fum Louisana to
Oklahoma. We left in March, diden git heah 'till May. Came in sech of ejecation. I got a pretty fare ejecation down dar but diden take care of it. We come to Oklahoma looking for de same thang then dat darkies go north looking fer now. We got dissipinted.
I luv to fish. Chile I've worked hard in my days. Washed an' ironed for thirty years. Paid fur dis home. Yes dis is my
home.Never did go to school 'till aftah the surrender. Commence going to school in Memphis. What little I learnt I quittakin' care of it and seeing aftah it an' lost it all.
I'm a membuh of the Baptist Church an' been for 25 or thirty years. I jined 'cause I wanted to be good 'cause I was aawful sinner.I have three dauters here married. You know Sussie Pruitt, don'tcha? Bertie Shannon an' Irene Freeman. Irene lost
her husband.
Banks, Frances
(Banks, Frances, Age 82, Boggy Depot, Oklahoma, Jessie Ervin, Reporter, Oklahoma Writers' Project, Oklahoma Historical Society)
"I was born on a farm near Doaksville, east of Hugo, Oklahoma befo' de Civil War. My parents belonged to an Indian fambly, an' we moved to Boggy Depot when I was jest a little chile. After the 'rebellion' we stayed on wid de fambly an' I lived near de fambly of Govenor Allen Wright for sixty years. I 'nussed' all of his chillun an' then later along come dey's chillun an' I nussed dem an' I'ze even nussed de great gran'chillun."
After de war I was what yo call a freedman. De Indians had to give all dey slaves forty acres of land. I'ze all'us lived on dis land which jines dat of Ole Massa's an' I'ze never stayed away from it long at a time. I'ze all'us been willin' to go an' nuss de sick an' 'flicted, but I all'us come back home for a while.
"Aunt Frances" spent much of her time in the home of Dr. W.N. Wright, a leading physician and learned what she knows of medicine and nursing from him. She has had plenty of opportunity to practice this in the farming community in which she lives. She showed a bottle of liniment, a formula of her own which she always carries with her. "I makes diz liniment an' it is good for nearly everthing." "A while back a man an' a boy got snake bit an' I put diz liniment on 'em an' day was well in no time a'tall."
I has no real record of my bein' bawn but I thinks I'ze 82. I'ze all'us had good health an' can do mos' any kind of work I
wants to. My gran'father, "Uncle Wallace", was a slave of the Wright family when dey lived near Doaksville an' he an' my gran'mother would pass de time by singin' while dey toiled away in de cotton fields. Gran'father was a sweet singer. He 'made up' songs an' sung 'em. He made up "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" an' "Steal away to Jesus". He made up lots more'n them but a Mr. Reid, a white man liked dem de best an' he could play music an' he helped gran'father to keep these two songs. I loves to hear 'em don't you?
I don't remember much about slavery days, cep'n us chillun had a right good time playin'. We ain' never had no jobs to speak of 'cause Ole Massa wanted all his young slaves to grow up strong an' natchel like an' none of us never done no hard work 'till we was plumb grown an' matured. Ole Massa was all'us good an' kind to us. I'ze all's lived aroun' white folks. I guess I'ze the lone sentinel aroun' here. I'ze about all dats lef' of de ole days. Everybody have gone an' lef' me. I loves my home here, dese hills an' valleys never change. I loves to hear de Bible read. No Ma'am I never did learn to read. Some day I'ze gwine to be with my ole frien's an' if our skins here are black dey won't be no colors in Heaven. Our souls will all be white.
Yes'sum, Abe Lincoln sho' was a good man.
