ok all de stock and take them wid them.
They burned all de buildings 'cept de one de massa and missus was livin'
in.

"It wasn't long after de Yankees went thru dat our missus told us dat we
don't b'long to her and de massa no more. None of us left dat season. I
got married de next year and left her. I like being free more better.
Any niggers what like slavery time better, is lazy people dat don't want
to do nothing.

"I married Fredrick Adams; he used to b'long to Miss Tenny Graddick but
after he was freed he had to take another name. Mr. Jess Adams, a good
fiddler dat my husband like to hang 'round, told him he could take his
name if he wanted to and dats how he got de name of Adams. Us had four
chillun; only one livin', dat Lula. She married John Entzminger and got
several chillun. My gran'chillun a heap of comfort to me."

Home Address:
Colonial Heights,
Columbia, S. C.

Project #1655
W. W. Dixon
Winnsboro, S. C.

FRANK ADAMSON
EX-SLAVE 82 YEARS OLD.

"I 'members when you was barefoot at de bottom; now I see you a settin'
dere, gittin' bare at de top, as bare as de palm of my hand.

"I's been 'possum huntin' wid your pappy, when he lived on de Wateree,
just after de war. One night us got into tribulation, I tells you! 'Twas
'bout midnight when de dogs make a tree. Your pappy climb up de tree,
git 'bout halfway up, heard sumpin' dat once you hears it you never
forgits, and dats de rattlin' of de rattles on a rattle snake's tail. Us
both 'stinctly hear dat sound! What us do? Me on de ground, him up de
tree, but where de snake? Dat was de misery, us didn't know. Dat snake
give us fair warnin' though! Marster Sam (dats your pa) 'low: 'Frank,
ease down on de ground; I'll just stay up here for a while.' I lay on
them leaves, skeered to make a russle. Your pa up de tree skeered to go
up or down! Broad daylight didn't move us. Sun come up, he look all
'round from his vantage up de tree, then come down, not 'til then, do I
gits on my foots.

"Then I laugh and laugh and laugh, and ask Marster Sam how he felt.
Marster Sam kinda frown and say: 'Damn I feels like hell! Git up dat
tree! Don't you see dat 'possum up dere?' I say: 'But where de snake,
Marster?' He say: 'Dat rattler done gone home, where me and you and dat
'possum gonna be pretty soon!'

"I b'longs to de Peays. De father of them all was, Korshaw Peay. My
marster was his son, Nicholas; he was a fine man to just look at. My
mist