ly bread. De Good Book say: 'Take no consarnment 'bout
your raiment'. You can see from what I's got on, dat me nor nobody else,
is much consarned 'bout dis raiment.

"My mammy b'long to de Smiths. My master was Dr. Ira Smith. My mistress
was him wife, Miss Sarah. Deir chillun was: Marse Gad, Marse Jim, and
Marse Billie. Marse Jim was de baker of dis town all his life, after de
way of old-time oven-cookin', 'til Boy bread and Claussen bread wagons
run him out of business. Him is now on de 'lief roll and livin' in de
old McCreight house, de oldest house in Winnsboro.

"Dere was my young misses, Miss Lizzie and Miss Lennie. My mammy name
Sarah, just lak old mistress name Sarah. Her b'long to marster and
mistress but my pappy no b'long to them. Him b'long to de big bugs, de
Davis family. Him was name Mingo, and after slavery him and all us take
de name, de secon' name, Davis, and I's here today, Jesse Davis. See how
dat work out to de name? Good Book again say: 'Good name better than
riches; sweeter to de ear than honey-comb to de tongue.'

"You is well 'quainted wid Marse Amos Davis, ain't you? Well, his people
was pappy's people. I had a brudder name Gabriel, tho' they called him
Gabe. Another one name Chap; he got kilt while clearin' up a new ground.
Sister Fannie marry a Ashford nigger. Marse Ira, de doctor, have a
plantation near Jenkinsville, S. C.

"When de Yankees come thru, they come befo' de main army. They gallop
right up, jump down and say: 'Hold dese hosses! Open dat smoke-house
door!' They took what they could carry 'way. 'Bout dat time marster rode
up from a sick call him been 'tendin' to. Course you know him was a
doctor. They surround him, take his watch, money, and hoss, and ride
'way.

"De main army come nex' day, Saturday mornin' 'bout 8 o'clock. They
spread deir tents and stay and camp 'til Monday mornin'. When they leave
they carry off all de cows, hogs, mules, and hosses. Then they have us
ketch de chickens, got them all, 'cept one old hen dat run under de
house, and they didn't wait to git her. Marster have to go 'way up to
Union County, where him have kin folks, to git sumpin' to eat.

"My marster was not big rich lak de Davises, de Means, and de Harpers,
but him have all them people come to see him. Him know a heap of things
dat they 'preciate. De way to dye cloth was one of dese secrets. Marster
have a madder bed. Him take de roots of dat madder put them in de sun
just lak you put out pieces