Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves | Page 7

lady write. If you
and me had her education, we'd be fixed now wouldnt we? I never had
no learning."
"Thank you Lady! (tucking the coin into his pocket wallet, along with

his tobacco.) And thank you for coming. It does me a heap of good to
see visitors and talk about the old times. Come again, wont you? And
next time you come, I want to talk to you about old age pensions. I
come here from Marian, N.C. three years ago, and they tell me I have
to live here four, before I gets a pension. And as I done left North
Carolina, I cant get a pension from them. But maybe you can tell me
what to do. I likes this place. And I do hopes I get a pension before I
gets to be a 'hundred."

INTERVIEW RACHEL GAINES 1025 10th Ave. N. Nashville,
Tennessee
"Lawdy! I'se dunno how ole I ez. B'leeves I'se 'round 95 ter 100 y'ars.
De fust thing I members ez I wuz tuk in a waggin ter Trenton,
Kentucky en sold ter Dr. Bainbridge Dickerson jest lak dey sold cows
en hosses. Mah sistah wuz sold in de same way at Bowling Green,
Kentucky ter 'nuther Marster."
"I wuz sold only one time in mah life en dat wuz w'en Marster
Dickinson bought me. Atter freedum wuz 'clared de Marster tole all his
slaves dat dey could go wharever'y dey pleased but ef'n dey couldn't
mek dere own livin' ter kum ter 'im en he would he'ps dem."
"Missus Dickinson kep' me dere kaze I wuz nuss ter dere son Howard
who wuz sho a wild one. I member how he would tote out fried chicken,
pig meat en uthuh good stuff ter us darkies. Dey 'greed ter pay me
$35.00 a yeah (en keep) en hit wuz gib me eve'y Christmus mawning.
Dey treated me good, gib me all de clothes en uthuh things I needed ez
ef'n I wuz one ob de fam'ly."
"Eve'y two weeks de Marster would sen' fer Jordan McGowan who
wuz de leader ob a string music ban'. Dey would git dere Friday nite
early en de slaves would dance in de grape house dat nite en all day
Saturday up ter midnite. You don't hab now as good dance music en as
much fun as de ole time days had. We allus had a big barbecue er
watermelon feast eve'y time we had a dance. Neber 'gin 'll dere be as

good times as we useter hab. In mah time we neber y'ard ob wukouses
er pen but now dey ez all filled."
"I kin see now in mah mind de ole ice house on de plantation. In de
wint'r de slaves would fill hit wid ice dey got off de crik en hit wuz not
used 'til warm wedder cum. 'nother thing I members ez de
"Pat-a-rollers" (she refers to the Police Patrol of that day) who would
kotch en whup runaway slaves en slaves 'way fum dere own plantations
widout a pass wid dere Marsters name signed on hit."
"I member w'en Nashville fust had street cars pulled 'long by hosses er
mules en I also member de ole dummy cars, run by steam, ter Glendale
Park also New Town (now called West Nashville)."
"We had sum bad en good luck signs but I'se fergettin' sum, but I'se
members 'bout a black cat crossin' ovuh de path in frunt ob you dat you
sho would hab bad luck. W'en dat happened ter me, I would spit on de
ground, turn 'round en back ober de place de cat crossed en de "bad
luck" wuz gon' fum me. Ef'n you found a ole hoss shoe dat had bin
drapt'd by de hoss, hit meant good luck. Sum peeples, white en black,
w'en dey fin' a hoss shoe, dey would tack hit up on de frunt door frame
wid de toe ter de groun'."
"Atter de Marster en Missus d'ed, I went ter Nashville en made mah
way fur menny y'ars by washin' en ironin' fer white peeple but atter I
went blind I kum 'yer ter live wid mah daughter."

INTERVIEW FRANKIE GOOLE 204 5th Ave. So. Nashville, Tenn.
"I wuz bawn in Smith County on uther side ob Lebanon. Ah'll be 85
y'ars ole Christmas Day.
Mah ole Missis wuz named Sallie, en mah Marster wuz George Waters.
Mah mammy's name wuz Lucindia, she wuz sold fum me w'en I wuz
six weeks ole, en mah Missis raised me. I allus slept wid her. Mah
Missis wuz good ter me, but (her son) mah Marster whup'd me.

Dunno ob any ex-slaves votin' er holdin' office ob any kin.
I member de Ku Klux Klan en Pat-a-rollers. Dey would kum 'roun en
whup de