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"All I can tell you, I come here de second year of freedom. Cose I had a lot of trouble on I can' hardly imagine how long it be dat I de age I is. My mother, she know my age good, but she been dead for de years come en gone from here. Ain' much I can remember to tell you cause I was small den. No, my mammy didn' tell we chillun nothin. Didn' have no time to tell we chillun nothin. She had to go out on work in de field in de day on she would be tired when night come."
"My mammy white people was name Charlie Law on his family on dey lived in Britton's Neck till day come up here to Marion. We lived in a rice country down in dat place call Britton's Neck. Ain' you hear talk of it? My mammy on her chillun stayed right dere on old man Law's place till long time after dey tell dem dey was free to leave dere. Stayed to de nigger quarter in my mammy house cause we was learn to be field hands. (Harold, I told you hold off me cause I don' feel like you layin on me dis mornin.) (Harold - small grandson). Didn' know bout nothin much to eat in dat day on time, but bread on meat on rice on all such as dat. Oh, de peoples in dat country made plenty rice. Day would plant it on dis here black lookin dirt on when dey would see dat it was right ripe, dey would out it on thresh it out. Den-dey would have one of des pestle on mortar to beat it wid. My blessed, child, dat been turn out de nicest kind of rice. Mo, man, don' see no such rice dese days dat been eat like dat rice eat."
"I recollects I used to be right such of a hand to pull fodder en pick cotton on all such like dat cause all my workwas is de field mostly till I got to de place dat I couldn' work no longer. You see, when I was married, I moved outdere on Dr. Miles' place over next Pee Des on bout all my days was spent in de country. Lived out dere on Dr.Miles' place till I come here to town to live bout seven or eight years ago. You is hear talk of Dr. Miles, ain' you? Iused to do what you night may a right good size washin, but I sin' able to get bout to do nothin dese days much. Justwashes out a piece or two like a aprun every now on den."
"Some of de peoples used to sing dere, but I wouldn' never bear much along dat line. Didn' bare no voice much to
sing. Is you got dis one?
'Lord, I wonder,
Lord, I wonder,
Lord, I wonder,
When do lighthouse
Gwine shine on me."
(Repeat
Times)"That all dere be to dat one. I don' know who' if I could remember dat other one or no. Seem like it go somethin likedis:
'Oh, didn' it rain?
It rain 40 days,
En it rain 40 nights,
It ain' never stop a droppin yet,
En I heard de angel in de mornin sing,
Oh, didn' it rain?
But down by de graveyard,
Me on my Lord gwine stand on talk.
Up on de mountain fire on smoke,
I wouldn' be so busy bout de fire on smoke.
I heard de angel in de mornin sing,
Oh, didn' it rain?
Oh, didn' it rain?
It rain 40 days,
En it rain 40 nights,
Widout still a droppin yet,
I heard de voice of de angel in de mornin sing,
Oh, didn' it rain?
Oh, didn' it rain?
Down by de graveyard,
Me on my Lord gwine stand on talk.
Chillun, my good Lord,
I heard de voice of de mornin angel,
Oh, didn' it rain?
Oh, didn' it rain?
It rain 40 days,
En it rain 40 nights,
Widout still a droppin yet,
En I heard do voice of de angel in de mornin sing,
Oh, didn' it rain?"
"Well, dere aim' been so such dat I remember dat happen when I come along but what been happen in a way dis day on time. Cose dere been a difference cause de people ain' used to live fast like day do dese days. Dere been de shake dat come here in '86 dat I ain' never see de like since on ain' want to see nothin like dat no more neither. I remember it come here on a night on when I get in bed dat night, I ain' been expectin nothin had been de matter. Den dere somethin been rouse me up on all de dishes was a rattlin. When I got up on go out in de yard, de house on all de elements was a rockin. Yes, man, I was scared. Didn' know what was de matter. Thought it was de Jedgment comin when I wake up on bear all de people round bout dere screaming on a hollerin, Jedgment Oh, Jedgment! Say dem what ain' right better get right. I bell de people dat dere won' no need to run to de church den cause we was all gwine be destroyed dere together. Child, I give myself up den on I get just as happy as I could be."
"Oh, dey had slavery time doctors to tend de people when dey was sick in dat day on time. Yes, man, had dey plantation doctor right dere dat would go from one plantation to de other on doctor dem what was ailin. De doctor would come dere to my white folks plantation on tell my grandmother what to feed dem on en she would give dem de remedy dey tell her. Dey would use all kind of different herbs in dat day on times dat dey would get out de old fields on de woods for dey cures Honey, dey was good too on dey good yet. I couldn' tell you half de herbs dey use, but I recollects dere was bone set dat was good for fever, sage for de baby, pennyroyal dat was good for girls dat catch cold, mint for sick stomach, catnip to hope a cold, horehound to strike a fever en dat bout all I recollect. No, mam, I can' remember half de herbs dere was in de field, but I know we got some of dat sage growin dere in de garden now."
"I hear talk of dem Yankees plenty times, but I don' know much to speak bout dem. Couldn' tell de first word bout dem. I dis kind of person, I don' pay much mind to nothin like dat. Dey was white people, I think."
"Seems like it was better livin long time ago den dere be now. Seems like times so tight dese days. Reckon it cause I ain' able to work, but dey tell me de people don' get nothin much to speak bout for dey work dis day on time. Seems like I got along good when I was able to whip round on bout."
"I hear de people say dere such a thing as ghost, but I don' know on I ain' de kind to speak bout de devil business. I hear talk dey could be walkin right along wid you on dere some people could see den on den dere others could look wid all de eyes dey got on couldn' see dem. No. I ain' never see dem. I has seen people wear one of dese dims round dey ankle, but I never didn' ax dem nothin bout what dey wear it for cause come people is curious on don' like for you to be axin dem bout things. I did always keep out of fuse on I still keepin out it. Fever did bother none wid it. When I see anybody fussin, I shuns dem. My mammy didn' raise me to do dat."
Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Oct., 1937.
