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Humphrey, Anna

Anna Humphrey, born in slavery around 1849 or 50 in Opelika, Russell County, Alabama to the Dunlap family. She

now lives in servant quarters at 3405 Bryan St. Dallas, on the gratuity of neighbors.

"I can't tell you how old I is 'cause I lost my Bible. It had it in there 'cause old Miss Rebecca wrote it down in the

Bible. She told me to take keer of it but I loaned it away to a man to preach by and I ain't never got it back.

Pore old Miss Rebecca she give me that book and she give me lots of things. That's my old missus and my master

was Mr. Dunlap. They was the richest goodest people. He was a Methodist preacher and he brought me up. Now I

mean I was brought up. When I wasn't working I was prayin'. I wan't settin' 'round with cards in my hands.

Mr. Dunlap had more than two-hunnerd niggers. I know 'cause what I done was 'lowance out the food tables. I used

to set out the meal for the everyday bread and the flour for the Sunday biscuits and the good old sow belly. Seems

like the earth was just full of people. Seem like the earth was just full of vittles. Lord I get the mouf watering when I

think of the quinces and blue plums and damsons and pears and the hogs walking round for the killing. And the

taters---I used to tell the missus they give them niggers too much 'cause the niggers was pullin' the vines at night.

Niggers will steal 'taters. Now I'm a nigger and I love my taters.

But don't think I'm lettin' on that I'm a niggers' nigger. 'Cause I ain't. I'm a white-folkses nigger. Uster hear the

niggers say that all my days. I said, don't call me that. They say it to me now. I'm thinkin' on knocking 'em in the

head.

My white folkses was nice. Master Dunlap never let his chilluns get married 'til they was twenty-one year old. I

knew all 'bout them 'cause I never lived with no niggers, I lived in the house with Miss Rebecca. Every night she

say, 'Fix your pallet on the floor and go to sleep Anna.'

I had a sister that was a uppity little nigger, she was borned before me and my mother likes her better. She gets my

sister a good white dress and that nigger puts it on and prances around. I hide in the fence corner and when she

passes by I threw dirty water on her. My mother beats me; she tore the hide off my back. The Dunlaps say they ain't

going stand for none of that so they takes me away from her and keeps me in the house. My mother's name was

Lewiza (Louisa).

I dont know my dada never. You can't tell on such things the way niggers slip out to meet. I member following my

mother down in the broom sage and she driv' me back and run off and left me. I cried on it. I heared once that my

dada was sold off and then I heared he was a man didn't do nothing but hammer shoes. There was a man there didn't

do nothing but hammer shoes but he was called Uncle Charlie. They sold my mother off to Mr. John Hale, the one

that married Miss Lizzie, Mr. Dunbar's daughter.

The Dunbars had lots of chilluns. There was Miss Rebecca and Miss Lizzie and Addie and Berry and Bone Griffin

and some tothers. I was always 'toting babies 'round. 'Sides that I made beds. I had twenty beds a day to make. They

beds were made out'n goose feathers. They were just as particular with the way everything was did. They had a big

house with fifteen rooms. The chickens used to lay eggs in the gutters of the house and I'd have to 'git 'em.

The niggers lived in little old log houses with a puncheon floor. But master was good to them niggers. He was too

good to them. He preached to them every night. But no, some of them niggers got to go to dances round about in

them parts and he give them a little pass to tell them to go. Now I'm one that sho' b'lieves in the paddyrollers. They

are the ones to learn them to stay in the house and keep them down on their knees. I never danced and I never

cursed a lick in my life. My master was sanctified and I'm sanctified too. Bless God.

I did use to play a game called "Molly Bright". We'd catch hands and then go 'round and 'round and sing:

How far from here to Molly Bright? Three-score and ten If I get there by candlelight Legs long light.

Of course I was the smartest child my master ever had and he as good as told me so.

Mr. Bone Griffin died and they buried him in a open coffin. That's something I ain't never seen before. Folks could

just walk right up and look right at him plain as day.

We went to church in a ox-wagon. When we was at church I was setting there hearin' the preacher and I got

religion. I had a baby in my arms and I run down to the front and I was having such a spasm that they was 'fraid I

was going to pitch the baby in the air and kill it. I was powerful moved. They had to take the baby from me. The

master brought me back to the church one day and got me sprinkled.

Then I didn't do nothing but work and pray and sing. I 'members those songs:

Jesus my all to Heaven is gone I want to go there too I want to go there too I want to go there too Glory Hallelujah I

want to go there too You better read the Bible You better read the Bible You better read the Bible And then we all

go home. You better be a-prayin' You better be a-prayin' You better be a-prayin' And then we all go home.

We will camp in the wilderness In the wilderness And then we will all go home.

I sang:

I want to feel my savior near When soul and body's parting I want to live a Christian life I want to die a-shouting I

want to feel my savior near When soul and body's parting.

There was other songs I didn't take no stock in. There was the in the field songs and corn shucking songs and

hallelujah songs and the hurrah boys songs.

The neighbors had more goings-on than we ever did. I heared plenty. I have heard them cry-out 'Old Massa don't

beat me'; 'Lawd have mercy, old massa'. They had pranks and things. I had Saturday evenings off but I jest set in the

window and looked out.

I wish they had the days back when the ladies rid around on the horses in long bonnets.

But then the war came along and we didn't go to Salem camp grounds no more and things happen and I got to

roving 'round and got 'mong good people and had two babies. The people cry, most 'specially the womens. I seen

soldiers; why I seen Jeff Davis hissef a-settin' on his horse. Then I heared of the battle of Bull Fight. Them stragglin'

yankees think they done something. I heared cannons poppin' and I seen two boys named Will and Jim shot with a

shell. They set our general's house on fire. They shot a man right at his gate. It was worser than turrible.

Then the last year of the war the Federals come in a-beating drums and a-going on. Everything just bust up. Master

Dunlap and the missus and they chilluns and Alec, my brother, and me run off to Montgomery and get on a

steamboat. I was sho' sick and I roll out on the floor out'n the bed on the wall. We come to Galveston and then to

Plano, Texas. They told me I was free but I could stay with 'em. I worked so hard. I used to spin two cuts a day

then. My chilluns died and I got them buried some place not so far from here but everybody dead now.

I didn't want no more chilluns then. And when I go to get married I think I'll marry a little man that don't get so

many chilluns. I got married when I was 'bout twenty years old. A old lady tol' me 'that man get lots of chilluns even

if he ain't very big; if you pick them up and hold them to the light you see them little mens are working alive with

chilluns.' I got married but I don't have no more chilluns. I guess thats cause I never run out with anybody.

Seems like the war was the stopping of the good days. Why

Just the other day a little white woman come by in the blithering cold without no coat. I heared her telling my white

folks. I run in my little house and I got a nice coat that a white lady give me and I tuk it to her. I said, 'here honey

you take this; and it ain't never been on no nigger's back.

I 'member everything real good only I can't recollect it all. But there is some things I know. My old master tried to

settle the war. Everybody's dead and gone and I ask the Lord every night 'Lord, what am I doing here hangin' round

so long? I'm tired and my teeth hurts me and I'd like to requaintance myself with some of them old folks I used to

know.

Heloise M. Foreman Dallas District #4 (December 14, 1937 (yes))

Hursey, Mose -- Additional Interview

Mose Hursey, venerable visionary, believes he is 82 years old, but does not recall the date of his birth. He believes

he is appointed by God to be the "Head Prophet of the World." He was born in slavery to a family named Morris

somewhere in Louisiana. He lives with his daughter at 1120 10th St., Dallas, Texas. He receives a pension from the

State. His features and coloring are pure African and his hair and beard grey.

I was born summers in Louisiana. I can't riccolect the place exact 'cause I was such a little chap when I left. But I

heard my mother and father say they belonged to Mars Morris, a fine gentleman with everything fine. They worked

the fields for Mars Morris but he sold them to Mr. Jim Boling of Red River County, Texas. My Mammy and daddy

was named Liza and Charlie Morris and then they had to be named Boling when Mr. Jim bought 'em. One boy and

one gal, which was my brother and sister, stayed 'cause they wan't sold. That makes me the olderest child and the

onlies' one. I guess I was six or nigh on to seven when they shipped us to Texas. I dont ricollect so much about any

of it. I don't ricollect how we come.

The Bolings had a 'normous big house and a 'normous big piece of land. The house was the finest I ever seen. It was

white and two-storey. He had about sixty slaves. He thought a powerful lot of my folks 'mainly 'cause my mother

and father were such good hands. They was good folks too. My mother special was a powerful 'ligious woman.

We lived right well considerin'. We had a little log house like the rest of the Niggers. I played 'round the place with

other Nigger younguns. Eating time come, my mammy 'ud bring a pot of peas or beans and corn bread or side meat.

I had nother brother and sister coming along then, and we had tin plates and cups and knives and spoons then like

folks nowadays. We could always set to food.

We had beds that the mens made from wood off the place and nice mattresses made out of shucks. Used to make

horse collars out of shucks too. We had enough of clothes such as they was. I wore shirt-tails out of duckings til I

was a big boy. All the little Niggers wore shirt-tails. My mammy had fair to middlin' cotton dresses. They had looms

and spinning wheels and the womens made their own cotton. They got the coloring for them out'n the woods.

Things for making the stuff brown or red or blue.

All the week the Niggers worked planting and hoeing and looking after the livestock. They raised cotton and corn

and vegetables, mules, horses, cows, hogs, and sheep. On Sundays the Niggers dont work and they have meeting.

Sometimes at our house sometime at 'nother house. Right fine meetings too.

They'ud preach and pray and sing---shout too. I heard them git up with a powerful force of the spirit clapping they

hands and walking 'round the place. They shout "I got the glory." "I got that old time religion in my heart." I seen

some powerful 'figurations of the spirit in them days. Uncle Billy preached to us and he was a right good man at

preachin' and nachly a good man anyways. We 'ud sing, Am I Soldier of the Cross, another one was:

Sisters wont you help me bear my cross, Sisters wont you help me bear my cross. Help me to bear my cross-Help

me to bear my cross-I'm been done wear my cross. I'm been done wear my cross. I'm been done with all things here.

I'm been done with all things here. 'Cause I reach over Zion's Hill. 'Cause I reach over Zion's Hill. 'Cause I'm been

done with all things here. Sisters wont you please help me bear my cross Up over Zion's hill-1-1-1.

I seen a smart number of wagons and mules a passin' along and some of them would camp along the woods by our

place. I heard 'ere was a war and that them was folks a'goen to the war with 'visions and livestock. I wasn't much

biggern nuf to ride a horse in them days, 'cause I riccollect when an old man sot me up on one shortly to that time. I

was scared clean to my wits.

Then they was a time when my paw says we will be a searchin' a place to stay and work on a pay way. They was a

considerable many Niggers left the Bolings. The day we went away which was 'cause twas the breakin' up of

slavery, we went in the wagon out the carriage gate in the front of the Boling's place. As we were leaving Mr.

Boling called me and gave me a cup of sweet coffee. He was so fond of me. He thought considerable plenty of me.

We went to a place called Mantus (Collins Co. now extinct) or sumpin sounds familiar to that. My paw says he will

make a man of me and he puts me to breaking ground and chopping wood. Them was bad times. Money was scace

and our feeding was poor.

My paw died and maw and me and the other children, Nancy, Margina, Jessie and George moved to a little place

right outside Sherman. Maw took in washings and ironings. I went one week to a school and the teacher said I

learned the fastest of any boy she ever see. She was a nice white lady. My maw took me out of school 'cause she

needed me at home to 'tend the other children so's she could work.

I had a powerful yearnin' to know to read and write. I studied out'n my books by myself and my friends helped me

with the 'cipherin. Once I went to sleep and the book fell out of my hands into the fire and burned up.

I did what ever work I could find to do. But my maw said I was of a different mood to the other children. I was

always of a 'ligious and serious turn of mind. I was Baptised when I was fifteen. Then when I was about twenty-five

I heard a clear call to preach the Gospel-word. I went to preachin the word of God. I got married and raised a family

of children. I farmed and preached.

I was just a preacher until about thirty years ago and then God started making a Prophet out of me. Today I am

Mose Hursey, Head Prophet to The World. They is lesser Prophets but I is the main one. I have become a great

Prophet by fasting and prayin'. I fast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I know that God is feedin'

the people through me. I see him in visions and he speaks with me. In 1936 I saw him on Commerce and Jefferson

Sts. (Dallas) and he had a great banner saying, All needs a Pension. Then in August (1937) I had this great vision of

war in the Eastern corner of the world. I seen miles of men marching big guns and trenches filled up with dead men.

God tells me to tell the people to be pipared 'cause the tides of war is rollin' this way and all the thousands of

millions of dollars they spend agin it ain't goin' stop it. It is writ in the Book.

I just live now to tell the people the word God speaks through me.

(Cauthier, Sheldon F. Tarrant Co., Dist. #7 (3-6-38 (Yes))

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