om come. Dat was up in Jasper
county where I's bred and bo'n. I marry Hyman Hawthorne. Near as you kin
guess, dat was 'bout 50 year' ago. Den he die and lef' me wid eight
chillun. My baby gal she ain't never see no daddy."

"Atter he dead I wash and iron and cook out and raise my chillun. I was
raise up in de fiel' all my life. When I git disable' to wuk in de time
of de 'pressure (depression) I git on my walkin' stick. I wag up town
and I didn' fail to ax de white folks 'cause I wo' myself out wukkin'
for 'em. Dey load up my sack and sometime dey bring me stuff in a car
right dere to dat gate. But I's had two strokes and I ain't able to go
to town no mo'."

"I tell you I never hear nuthin' 'bout chu'ch 'till way atter freedom.
Sometime den us go to chu'ch. Dey was one Mef'dis' Chu'ch and one
Baptis' Chu'ch in Jasper. Dere moughta been a Cabilic (Catholic) Chu'ch
dere too, but I dunno 'bout dat."

"I don' 'member seein' no sojers. I t'ink some of ol' marster's boys
went to de war but de ol' man didn' go. I dunno 'bout wedder dey come
back or not 'cep'n' I 'member dat Crab Norsworthy he come back."

"When any of de slaves git sick ol' mistus and my gramma dey doctor 'em.
De ol' mistus she a pretty good doctor. When us chillun git sick dey git
yarbs or dey give us castor oil and turpentine. Iffen it git to be a
ser'ous ailment dey sen' for de reg'lar doctor. Dey uster hang
asafoetida 'roun' us neck in a li'l bag to keep us from ketch' de
whoopin' cough and de measles."

"Dey was a gin and cotton press on de place. Ol' marster gin' and bale'
he own cotton. Dat ol' press had dem long arms a-stickin' down what dey
hitch hosses to and mek 'em go 'roun' and 'roun' and press de bale."

"Dey raise dey own t'bacco on de place. I didn' use snuff nor chew 'till
after I growed up and marry. Back in slavery you couldn' let 'em ketch
you wid a chew of t'bacco or snuff in your mouf. Iffen you did dey
wouldn' let you forgit it."

"I uster like to go and play 'roun' de calfs, jis' go up and pet 'em and
rub 'em. But we dassent git on 'em to ride 'em."

"Marster uster sit 'roun' and watch us chillun play. He enjoy dat. He
call me his Annie 'cause I name' after my mistus. Sometime he hab a
wagon load of watermilion haul' up from de fiel' and cut 'em. Eb'ry
chile hab a side of watermilion. And us hab all de sugar cane and sweet
'taters us want."

"Dey had a big smokehouse. Dey hab big hog killin' time, and dey dry and
salt de meat