Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves | Page 2

nigger en den de nigger beat de white man."
"Dis young peeples ez tough. I think half ob dem'll be hung, de way

dey throw rocks at ole peoples. Dat's why I's crippled now, a white boy
hit me wid a rock. I b'long ter de Methodist Chuch."
"Since freedum I'se hired out, washed en cooked fer diff'ent peeple. De
only song I member: 'Hark Fum de Ground dis Mournful Sound.'"

INTERVIEW JULIA CASEY 811 9th Avenue, So. Nashville,
Tennessee
I wuz bawn in West Tennessee en wuz six y'ars ole w'en war broke out.
Mah Missis wuz Miss Jennie McCullough en she ma'ried Eldridge
Casey. Mah Missis's mammy wuz a widder en she gib me, mah
mammy, man sistah Violet, mah two br'ers Andrew en Alfred ter Miss
Jennie fer a wed'un gif'. Missis Jennie en Marster Eldridge brung us ter
Nashville 'fore de war sta'ted.
Mah Missis wuz good ter us. I'se bin w'll tuk keer ob, plenty ter eat en
warm clothes ter w'ar. Right now I'se got on long underw'ar en mah
chemise.
Mah mammy d'ed fust y'ar ob freedum. Dey tuk her 'way in a two-hoss
waggin, 'bout four o'clock one evenin'. Dere wuz no hurses er caskets
den. W'en mah mammy d'ed, I still stayed wid Missis Jennie. She
raised me. Dat's why folks say I'se so peculiar. De Yankee soldiers tuk
mah sistah en two br'ers 'way durin' de war. I ez de mammy ob seven
chilluns. All d'ed now but one.
Mah white folks didn't send me ter schul but I'se l'arned a few things ob
how ter act. Don't ax me 'bout der young people. Dey ez pas' me. No
manners 'tall.
In slavery days you didn't hab ter worry 'bout yo clothes en rations but
dese days you hab ter worry 'bout eve'ything.
I 'longs ter de Baptist Chuch. Useter go ter camp-meetin's en hab a big
time wid good things ter eat. Didn't go ter de baptizin' much. Dey

would leave de chuch singin' en shoutin'. Dere ez three days in
September dat we hab dinnah on de groun' en all Baptist git tergedder.
We calls hit de 'sociation.
I'se neber voted cose dat ez de man's job. Mah frens hab nebber had
political jobs. Don't b'leeve in ma'rige ob white en black en hit
shouldn't be 'lowed.
Since freedom mah main job wuz cookin' but I'se done washin' en
ironin'. Atter mah health started failing, I done a lot ob nusin'.
I'se aint abul ter wuk fur de las' five y'ars en de white folks hab he'ped
me. De relief gibes me groc'eys, coal en pays mah rent. I hope ter git de
ole age pension soon. Mah ole favo'ite song ez "Mazing Grace, How
Sweet hit Sounds."

INTERVIEW CECELIA CHAPPEL 705 Allison Street Nashville,
Tenn.
"I'se bawn in Marshall County, Tennessee. I'm de olest ob ten chilluns
en I'se 102 ya'rs ole. I feels lak I'se bin 'yer longer dan dat. Mah
mammy wuz brought ter Nashville en sold ter sum peeple dat tuck her
ter Mississippi ter live."
"Mah Marster en Missus wuz named Bob en Nancy Lord. Eve'y slave
had ter say Missus en Marster en also ter de white babies. I still says hit,
en ef I kum ter yo do'r, I nebber kums in 'till you ax me. Lots ob mah
folks seze ter me dat I ez too ole fash'on en I seze I don' keer I wuz
raised wid manners en too ole ter change."
"Our Marster gib us good food en clothes. I wuz l'arnt how ter nit,
weav, sew en spin. On rainy days we wuz gib a certain 'mount ob
weavin' ter do en had ter git hit don'. I dunno how ter read er rite. De
white folks didn' 'low us ter l'arn nuthin'. I declar' you bettuh not git
kotch wid a papah in you han'. Ef I had half a chance lak you chilluns
hab, I'd go ter bed wid mah books."

"Our Marster 'lowed us ter go ter chuch. I went bar'foot en had a rag
tied 'roun mah haid en mah dress kum up ter mah 'nees. Dat
preacher-man would git up dere en tell us "Now you min' yo Marster en
Missis en don' steal fum dem." I stayed wid mah Missis fer a long time
atter I got freedum en I cried lak a fool w'en I had ter leave dem. Mah
Missis seze "You ez jes as free as I ez," but I allus had good clothes en
good food en I didn' know how I'd git dem atter I lef' her."
"Mah white folks wuz tight on us but, as ole as I ez, I offun think dat
day nebber hit a lick dat I didn' need. Ef'n dey hadn'