now. I start smokin
pipe long time ago when I first start nursin babies. Had to do sometin
like dat den."

"No, Lord, I never believe nothin bout dat but what God put here. I hear
some people say dey was conjure, but I don' pay no attention to dey
talk. Dey say somebody poison em for sometin dey do, but dere ain'
nobody do dat. God gwine to put you down when he get ready. Ain' nobody
else do dat."

"Oh, my Lord, I been here a time. I sho been here a time en I thank de
Lord I here dis day en time. I can thread my needle good as ever I could
en I ain' have no speck neither. Sew night en day. De chillun have dey
lamp dere studyin en I hab my lamp dere sewin. My old Miss learnt me to
sew when I stay right in de house wid her all de time. I stay bout white
folks all my life en dat how-come I so satisfy when I wid em."

Source: Mom Sara Brown, age 85, ex-slave, Marion, S. C.
Personal interview, June 1937.

Code No. ----
Project, 1885-(1)
Prepared by Annie Ruth Davis
Place, Marion, S. C.
Date, September 10, 1937
No. Words ----
Reduced from ---- words
Rewritten by ----

MOM SARA BROWN
Ex-Slave, 85 Years

"I stay in house over dere cross Catfish Swamp on Miss Addie McIntyre
place. Lives wid dis grand-daughter dat been sick in bed for four weeks,
but she mendin some now. She been mighty low, child. It start right in
here (chest) en run down twixt her shoulder. She had a tear up cold too,
but Dr. Dibble treat her en de cough better now. She got three chillun
dere dat come just like steps. One bout like dat en another like dat en
de other bout like dis."

"De house we stay in a two room house wid one of dese end chimney. All
sleep in de same room en cook en eat in de other room. My bed on one
side en Sue bed on de other side. Put chillun on quilts down on de floor
in de other end of de room. Baby, whe' dem curtains you say you gwine
give me? I gwine hang dese up in Sue room. Dey help me fix up de room
nice en decent like."

"It all on me to feed en clothe both dem chillun en de baby too. It just
too much on me old as I is. Can' do nothin worth to speak bout hardly
dese days. Can' hold my head down cause dis high blood worries me so
much. It get too hot, can' iron. If ain' too hot, I makes out to press
my things somehow en sweep my yard bout. Sometimes I helps little bit
wid doctor case, but not often. Can wash de baby en de mother, but can'
do no stayin up at night. No,