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Short, fat, and quite dark, Maria Hadnot, of Jasper, has a broad nose, wide nostrils, thick lips, and the regular negro
features. She wears rings, ear-rings, and a cloth about her head. Her memory is so poor, that often-times she is
compelled to say, 'Well, Honey, I jes' don' know.'
"I's Maria Armstrong Hadnot. Fadder was Dennis Armstrong. My mudder' name was Liza Armstrong. Dey come
from Floridy. I hab one brudder, Si Armstrong, and one sister, Jane Armstrong. Den dere was fo' younger
ha'f-brudders name' Jimmie, Manuel, Ramsey and Jack Hadnot. I was bo'n at Col' Springs in 1862. Us marster'
name was ol' Johnnie Armstrong. He own' a large plantation down de Bevilpo't Road. Us all stay wid him atter we
was free, 'til he sell de plantation and move' Wes' and lef' de slaves to move 'roun' anyw'ere dey could."
"He was a purty good marster, but he nebber give us any shoe'. Mudder cook for dem and fadder wuk on de farm.
He kep' a lot of slaves, I jes' don' know how many. Marster and missus hab big fam'ly and us all wuk hard from
sun-up to sundown. Dey didn' hab us learn to read and write, and de w'ite folks nebber read de Bible to us."
"W'en I's 'bout growed up, I go and nuss Everett Armstrong' chillen. He was a Mef'dis' preacher. He hol' fambly
prayers and dey tuk me 'lon w'en dey go to hol' meetin's. I 'member dey sung, 'Amazin' Grace,' and 'Am I Bo'n to
Die?' My mudder' fav'rite lull'by was 'Rock a Bye Baby.'
W'en we was little, we uster like to play ring games, w'ich I knowed a lot 'bout, but, Honey, I's fogit. Cose we play'
marbles, and jump de rope wid muscadine vines."
"I stay home 'til I's twenty't'ree or fo', den I marry Geo'ge Hadnot. We was marry at Moore school house. Dey was
havin' a cullud meetin' dar dat day, and we went and was marry by Jack Armstrong, a Mef'dis' preacher. Geo'ge wo'
a dark suit, and I wo' a cream cullud wool dress. We hab lots of w'ite vis'ters present."
"My husban' he farm' mos' all he life. He die' in March, 1921, and since den, I's live 'roun' wid de chillen. I needs
pension bad, but I don' seem to git it. We allus goes to chu'ch at Col' Springs, or Dixie. Ol' man Henry Sharp and
Peter Adams was de bestes' preachers I ebber heerd. I's wuk hard all my life, and nebber yit seed a ghos'. All my
life, we et anyt'ing we could git. In a early day, we et fish, birds, rabbits, 'possums, 'coons, tukkey, deer, bear, and
raise de res' if we could."
"I hab jes' spent my life washin' and i'onin' and wukkin' in de fiel'. I's raise' eight chillen and hab five gran'chillen.
Now, dat I's ol', iffen dey'd jes' give me a small pension, so's I could git de little t'ings I want, I'd be happier. Whar
deys so many younger ones needin' ebryt'ing, dar ain't much lef' for ol' people' needs, and iffen I hab it for my own,
it would be so much better."
Mrs. Ada Davis, P.W. McLennan County, Texas Dist. #8 (September 16, 1937 (Yes))
