Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves | Page 8

I was
deir nuss. One of de best of his chillun was little Miss Eunice. She is
done growed to be a school teacher and dey tells me she is still
a-teachin'. It warn't long atter my Daddy died dat I left de Palmers and
started wukkin' for Mr. Dock Dorsey's fambly. If dere ever was a good
Christian 'oman in dis here old world it was Miss Sallie Dorsey, Mr.
Dock Dorsey's wife. She had been Miss Sallie Chappell 'fore she
married Mr. Dorsey. Miss Sallie tried to git evvybody what stayed
'round her to live right too, and she wanted all her help to go to church
reg'lar. If Miss Sallie and Marse Dock Dorsey was livin' now, dey
would pervide for Old 'Delia jus' lak dey used to do. All deir chillun
was nice. Miss Fannie and Miss Sue, dey was extra good gals, but
somehow I jus' can't call back de names of dem other ones now. Dey all
had to be good wid de sort of mammy and daddy dey had. Miss Sallie,
she was sick a long time 'fore she died, and dey let me wait on her.
Missy, I tell you de gospel truth, I sho' did love dat 'oman. Not long
'fore she passed on to Heben, she told her husband dat atter she was
gone, she wanted him to marry up wid her cousin, Miss Hargrove, so as
he would have somebody to help him raise up her chillun, and he done
'zactly what she axed him to. All of my own white folkses has done
died out, and Old 'Delia won't be here much longer. One of de
Thorntons here--I forgits which one--married up wid my young
Mist'ess, Rebecca Jackson. Her gal got married up wid Dr. Jago, a
horse-doctor. A insurance man named Mr. Speer married into de
Jackson fambly too. He moved his fambly from here to de mountains

on account of his son's health, and I jus' los' track of 'em den.
"Lordy, Chile! What you want to know 'bout my weddin' for, nowhow?
Dere ain't never gwine to be no more weddin's lak dey had back dere in
dem times 'cause folkses thinks dey got to have too much nowadays.
When folkses got married den dey was a-thinkin' 'bout makin' sho'
'nough homes for deyselfs, and gittin' married meant somepin sort of
holy. Mammy said dat most times when slaves got married dey jus'
jumped backwards over a broomstick whilst deir Marster watched and
den he pernounced dat dey was man and wife. Now dey is got to go to
de courthouse and pay out good money for a license and den go git a
preacher or somebody lak a jestice jedge to say de marriage words over
'em.
"Me and Solomon Thomas had to go buy us a license too, but us didn't
mind 'bout 'puttin out 'dat money cause us was so much in love. I wore
a pretty white dress and a breakfast shawl, and atter us had done went
to de preacher man's house and got married, us come right on here to
dis very house what had b'longed to Solomon's daddy 'fore it was
Solomon's. Us built two more rooms on de house, but all de time
Solomon lived us tried to keep de place lookin' a good deal lak it was
de day us got married.
"Atter Solomon died, I sold off most of de land to de railroad for de
right of way for dat dere track what you sees out dere, and it sho' has
made plenty of wuk for me to keep dat soot what dem engines is all
time a-spittin' out cleaned off my things in de house. It draps down
through dem big holes overhead, and I can't git hold of no money to
have de roof patched up.
"Me and Solomon, us had 11 chillun, but dey is all daid out but three.
One of my boys is in Baltimore and another boy lives in Louisiana
somewhar. My gal, Delia, she stays over in de Newtown part of Athens
here. She would love to help her old Mammy, but my Delia's got
chillun of her own and she can't git nothin' to do 'cept a little washin'
for de white folkses, and she ain't able to pervide what her own
household needs to eat. Dem boys of mine is done got so fur off dey's
done forgot all 'bout deir old Mammy.

"When us fust got married, Solomon wukked at Mr. Orr's cotton house,
and he stayed dere a long time 'fore he went to wuk for Mr. Moss and
Mr. Levy. All dem white folks was good to me and Solomon. I kept on
wukkin' for de Dorseys 'til us had so many chillun I