mother of fifteen children. I had one set of twins, a boy and
a girl. The doctor told me you never raise a boy and a girl twin. My boy
is dead. All of my children are dead but two.

"I was raised on the farm. I want a few acres of ground now so bad.

"I never was married but once. My husband's name was David Sloan. I
don't know exactly how long he and me were married. It was way over
twenty years. My license got burnt up.

"You know I couldn't be nothin' but a Christian."

Interviewer's Comment

Peggy Sloan's memory is going. She is not certain of the number of
children her mother had although she knows there were more than seven
because she was the seventh.

She remembers nothing about her age, but she knows definitely that all
of her mother's children were born before the War--that is before the
end of the War. Since the War ended seventy-three years ago and she was
the seventh child with possibly seven behind her, I feel that she could
not be younger than eighty. She remembers definitely running at the
approach of men she calls pateroles during "slavery time."

Her mind may be fading, but it is a long way from gone. She questioned
me closely about my reason for getting statements from her. She had to
be definitely satisfied before the story could be gotten.

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Arzella Smallwood
Hazen R.F.D., Green Grove, Arkansas
Age: 60 Doesn't know exact age

"I was born about eight miles from Williston, South Carolina. After
freedom my mother married Lee Ballinger and she had six children. He
died when I was real small. My mother was named Hester McCrary. Old
Master McCrary bought grandma and my mother in Virginia. One sister my
mother never did run across after freedom. She was older and sold to
other people. I think at freedom my mother left and I think grandma did
too. My grandpa was half Indian, but I never did see him to remember
what he looked like. Our young master is a doctor. He waited on my
mother before she died. Grandma was blind and she lived with us. Our
young master may still be living. Old mistress was named Sylvania and
she sent for my mother to come wait on her when she got sick to die. I
think they had pretty fair treatment there. My mother was to be a house
girl and cook. I think grandma was a cook and field woman both.

"I heard them say the white folks took them to church to learn to pray,
then they didn't allow them