e.

Chorus:

"Brudder is gone ober dere,
Brudder is gone ober dere,
Where pleasure neber die,
Where pleasure neber die."

Chorus:

Source: Interview with Mary Frances Brown, 83 East Bay St.,
Charleston, S. C. (age--90)

Code No. ----
Project. 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, July 8, 1937
No. Words ----
Reduced From ---- words
Rewritten by ----

MOM SARA BROWN
Ex-Slave, 85 years

"Oh, my God, de doctors have me in slavery time. Been here de startin of
de first war. I belong to de Cusaac dat live 15 miles low Florence on de
road what take you on to Georgetown. I recollects de Yankees come dere
in de month of June en free de colored peoples."

"My white folks give me to de doctors in dem days to try en learn me for
a nurse. Don' know exactly how old I was in dat day en time, but I can
tell you what I done. My Lord, child, can' tell dat. Couldn' never tell
how many baby I bring in dis world, dey come so fast. I betcha I got
more den dat big square down dere to de courthouse full of em. I nurse
13 head of chillun in one family right here in dis town. You see dat all
I ever did have to do. Was learnt to do dat. De doctor tell me, say,
when you call to a 'oman, don' you never hesitate to go en help her en
you save dat baby en dat mother both. Dat what I is always try to do.
Heap of de time just go en let em pay me by de chance. Oh, my Lord, a
'oman birth one of dem babies here bout two weeks ago wid one of dem
veil over it face. De Lord know what make dat, I don', but dem kind of
baby sho wiser den de other kind of baby. Dat thing look just like a
thin skin dat stretch over da baby face en come down low it's chin. Have
to take en pull it back over it's forehead en den de baby can see en
holler all it ever want to. My blessed, honey, wish I had many a dollar
as I see veil over baby face. Sho know all bout dem kind of things."

"Oh, honey, I tell you de people bless dis day en time. Don' know nothin
bout how to be thankful enough for what dey have dese days. I tell de
truth de peoples sho had to scratch bout en make what dey had in slavery
time. Baby, dey plant patches of okra en parch dat en make what coffee
dey have. Den dey couldn' get no shoes like dey hab dese days neither.
Just make em out of de hide of dey own cows dat dey butcher right dere
on de plantation. Coase de peoples had plenty sometin to eat like meat
en turkey