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SARAH ASHLEY, 93, was born in Mississippi. She recalls her experiences when sold on the block in New
Orleans, and on a cotton plantation in Texas. She now lives at Goodrich, Texas.
"I ain't able to do nothin' no more. I's jus' plumb give out and I stays here by myself. My daughter, Georgia Orine,
she used to live with me but she's been dead four year.
"I was born in Miss'ippi and Massa Henry Thomas buy us and bring us here. He a spec'lator and buys up lots of
niggers and sells 'em. Us family was sep'rated. My two sisters and my papa was sold to a man in Georgia. Den day
put me on a block and bid me off. Dat in New Orleans and I scairt and cry. but dey put me up dere anyway. First
day takes me to Georgia and dey didn't sells me for a long spell. Massa Thomas he travel round and buy and sell
niggers. Us stay in de spec'lators drove do long time.
"After 'while Massa Mose Davis come from Cold Spring, in Texas, and buys us. He was buyin' up little chillen for
he chillen. Dat 'bout four year befo' de first war. I was 19 year old when de burst of freedom come in June and I git
turn loose.
"I was workin' in de field den. Jus' befo' dat do old massa he go off and buy more niggers. He go east. He on a boat
what git stove up and he die and never come back me more. Us never see him no more.
"I used to have to pick cotton and sometime I pick 300 pound and tote it a mile to de cotton house. Some pick 300
to 800 pound cotton and have to tote de bag de whole mile to de gin. Iffen dey didn't do dey work dey git whip till
dey have blister on 'em. Den iffen dey didn't do it, de man on a hose goes down de rows and whip with a paddle
make with holes in it and bus' de blisters. I never git whip, 'cause I allus git my 300 pound. Us have to go early to do
dat, when de horn goes early, befo' daylight. Us have to take de victuals in de bucket to de field.
"Massa have de log house and us live in little houses, strewed in long rows. Dere wasn't no meetin's 'lowed in de
quarters and iffen day have prayer meetin' de boss man whip dem. Sometime us run off at night and go to camp
meetin'. I takes de white chillen to church sometime, but dey couldn't larn me to sing no songs 'cause I didn' have no
spirit.
"Us never got 'nough to eat, so us keeps stealin' stuff. Us has to. Day give us de peck of meal to last de week and
two, three pound bacon in chunk. Us never have flour or sugar, jus' cornmeal and de most and 'taters. De niggers
has de big box under de fireplace, where day kep' all de pig and chickens what day steal, down in salt.
"I seed a man run away and de white man got de dogs and dey ketch him and put him in de front room and he jump
through de big window and break de glass all up. Day sho' whips his when day ketches him.
"De way day whip de niggers was to strip 'em off naked and whip 'em till day make blisters and bus' de blisters. Den
dey take de salt and red pepper and put in de wounds. After dey wash and grease dem and put somethin' on dem, to
keep dem from bleed to death.
"When de boss man told us freedom was come he didn't like it, but he give all us de bale of cotton and some corn.
He ask us to stay and he'p with de crop but we'uns so glad to git 'way dat nobody stays. I got 'bout fifty dollars for
de cotton and den I lends it to a nigger what never pays me back yit. Den I got no place to go, so I cooks for a white
man name' Dick Cole. He sposen give me $5.00 de month but he never paid me no money. He'd give me hats and
clothes, 'cause he has de little store.
"Now, I's all alone and thinks of dem old times what was so bad, and I's ready for de Lawd to call me."
Ashley, Sarah -- Additional Interview
A small, white-haired negress of quite ordinary manner,Sarah Ashley, 93, tells a bitter story of her youth. At times
her pronunciation is almost unintelligible as she recalls her experiences in a slave speculator's gang; her auction on
the block in New Orleans; and strenuous days on a cotton plantation in Texas. Sarah's home at Goodrich Texas, is
comfortable, a clean-looking frame cottage surrounded by well kept outbuildings, cultivated fields and a liberal
variety of chickens of many breeds, pecking busily around the doorstep.
"I ain' able t' do nuthin', no mo'. I's jus' plumb gib out. I stay yere all by myse'f. My daughter, Georgia Grime, she
uster lib wid me but she been dead fo' (four) year' now. Since den I been yere all by myse'f. I try t' git somebudy t'
stay yere wid me but look like nobudy wanter do dat."
"I was bo'n in Miss'ippi. I was 'bout five year ol' w'en I lef' d dere 'n' come yere. Mister Henry Thomas he buys us 'n'
bring us yere. He was a spec'lator. He buy up lots 'n' niggers 'n' sell 'em. Us fambly was separate'. My uder two
sisters 'n' my fadder was sol' t' a man, I neber know he name, in Alabama. I stay wid d' spec'lator's gang fo' five 'r'
ten year. Den dey put me up on a block 'n' bid me off. Dat was in N'Yawlins (New Orleans). I was scare' 'n' cry, but
dey put me up dere anyway. Dey sol' me 'n' my two sisters. Dey tek me t' Georgy. I t'ink dey pay 'bout a t'ousan'
dollar' fo me. Mister Thomas he trabble 'roun' 'n' buy 'n' sell, buy 'n' sell niggers. Dey didn' sell us fo' a long spell.
Us stay in d' spec'lator's drove."
"Atter w'ile Mister Mose Davis from Cold Spring, Texas, buy us. He was buyin' up little chillen fo' he chillen. He
bought me 'n' a gal 'n' dey buy a fambly from Georg'y. Dat was 'bout fo' year' fo' (before) d' fus' war. I was nineteen
year ol' w'en d' burst 'r' freedom come in June 'n' I git tu'n (turn) loose."
"I was wukin' in d' fiel' den. I uster wuk fo' a ol' lady, 73 year ol'. Dey uster hab niggers t' wait on d' ol' people w'en
dey git disable'. I uster hafter wait on her all t'roo d' night. She was real sickly fo' t'ree year. D' ol' lady was like a
mudder t' me. Dat was ol' Mistus Betsy. Den dey was Mandy Davis 'n' Mose Davis, d' marster 'n' mistus. On d' day
dey bury po' Miz Betsy, atter d' fun'ral Mister Mose he come t' me 'n' say, 'Pack up all yo' clo's, you comin' home t'
wuk in d' fiel'.' I wuk in d' cotton fiel'. I sho' did hate it w'en dat ol' lady die."
"Little w'ile atter dat d' ol' marster he go off t' buy mo' niggers. He go eas'. He was on a boat 'n' git stove up 'n' he die
'n' neber come back no mo'. Us neber see him no mo' atter dat trip. W'en d' war bus' out he two sons fight in d'
battles."
"I uster hafter pick cotton. Sometime' I pick t'ree hunnerd poun' 'r' cotton 'n' tote it a mile t' d' cotton house. Some
pick t'ree hunnerd t' eight hunnerd poun's 'r' cotton 'n' hafter tote d' bag fo' a whole mile' t' d' gin. Iffen dey didn' do
dey wuk dey git whip 'til dey hab blister on 'em. Den iffen dey didn' do it a man on a hoss went down d' rows 'n'
whip wid a paddle mek wid holes in it 'n' bus' d' blisters. I neber git whip cause I alays git my t'ree hunnerd poun'.
Us hab t' go in d' fiel' so early, dey blow d' ho'n (horn) so early sometime dey don' hab time to' cook fo' (before)
daylight. Us hafter tek us wittles (victuals) t' d' fiel' in a bucket iffen we didn' hab time t' cook 'em."
"Marster had a log house. 'Twarn't very nice. 'Twarn't no frame house. Slaves dey lib in little houses. Dey quarters
houses dey was strowed 'long in rows. D' nigger quarters was 's fur from d' big house 's dat house dere."
"Dere warn't no meetin's 'r' no kin' 'lowed in d' quarters. D' boss man eben whip dem w'en dey hab prayer meetin'.
Sometimes' us run off at night t' go t' dances 'n' camp meeting's but I was plumb growed up fo' I eber went t' chu'ch.
I go t' Sunday school wid d' w'ite chillen t' tek care 'r' 'em. Dey couldn' learnt me t' sing no songs cause I didn' hab d'
spirit. I hear dem sing, 'Let d' light shine.' Nobudy can't sing w'en dey ain' got d' spirit t' sing. I neber learnt no
edication. Books don' mean nuthin' t' me 'cept so much black 'n' w'ite."
"D' niggers 'roun' dere neber git 'nuf t' eat so dey kep' stealin' stuff all d' time. Dey gib 'em a peck 'r' meal t' las' a
week 'n' two 'r' t'ree poun' 'r' bacon in chunk. Us neber seed no flour 'n' sugar, jus' co'n meal, meat 'n' 'taters. Iffen
you raise' hawg d' uder niggers steal 'em. Dey had a big box under d' fireplace w'ere dey kep' all d' pig 'n' chickens
w'at dey steal down in salt. Us hafter be keerful wid dat how us eat it cuase iffen some 'r' d' nigger fin' out 'bout it
dey run 'n' tell d' boss so he not mek 'em wuk so hard. Iffen us fin' out w'at nigger do dat us neber hab nuthin' t' do
wid him no mo'."
"W'en I was wid d' w'ite lady one time I seed a man in d' fiel' run 'way. D' w'ite men git d' dogs out t' hunt d' nigger.
Dey kotch him 'n' put him in d' front room. He so scare' he jump t'roo d' big winder 'n' break d' glass all up. He jump
out w'ile us was eatin' breakfus'. Dey sho' did whip him w'en dey kotch him ag'in."
"D' way dey whip d' niggers was t' strip dem off neckid, 'n' whip dem 'til dey mek blisters 'n' bus' d' blisters. Den dey
tek salt 'n' red pepper 'n' put in d' woun's. Atterward dey wash 'n' grease dem 'n' put sumpthin' on de, t' keep dem
from bleed t' def' (death). I hear some folks tell 'r' whippin' dem t' def' (death), but I neber see dem do it. I hear dat
sometime' dey put d' nigger dawgs atter dem 'n' d' dawgs kotch dem 'n' eat dem up but I neber see nuthin' 'r' dat."
"W'en d' boss man tol' us freedom was come he didn' like it but he gib all 'r' we'uns a bale 'r' cotton 'n' some co'n
w'at us could do w'at we wanter wid. He ax us t' stay 'n' help wid d' crop but we-uns 's so glad t' git 'way nobody
stay. I went t' town 'n' sol' mine. I git 'bout fi'ty dollars fo' it 'n' den I lent it t' a nigger man w'at neber pay me back t'
dis day. Dat sho' d' way 'r' d' wicked cause here I's still libbin' 'n' he been dead since jus' a few year' atter freedom
come."
"Den I got no place t' go 'n' no co'n 'n' cotton so I go off t' cook fo' a w'ite man name' Dick Cole. He s'posen t' gimme
five dollar' a mont' 'r' sixty dollar' a year but he neber pay me no money. He wanter gimme it in clo's 'n' eats cause
he has a little sto' (store)."
"I's gittin so ol' I don' go t' town 'r' wuk out no mo'. Sometime at Crissmus I go up t' Jedge Murphy' fo' d' big holiday
dinner. I don' git no pension cause I 'spose t' hab too much lan'. It ain' good fo' no woman t' be 'lone like I is in dis
house."
B. E. Davis Madisonville, Texas District #8 (October 27, 1937 (No))
